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CONTAINING 

Biographical  Sketches  of  Prominent  and  Representative  Citizens 

OF    THE    COUNTY, 

Together  with  Biographies  of  all  the 

tovernors  of  the  itate,  and  of  the  Presidents 

OF     THE     UNITED     STHTES, 


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CHICAGO: 

BIOGRAPHICAL  PUBLISHING  COMPANY. 

1891.E 


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UK  greatest  of  English  historians,  Macaulay,  and  oneof  the  most  brilliant  writers  of 
the  present  century,  has  said  :  '-The  history  of  a  country  is  best  told  ina  record  of  the 
lives  of  its  people."  In  conformity  with  this  idea  the  Portrait  and  Biographical 
Record  Of  this  county  has  been  prepared.  Instead  of  going  to  musty  records,  and 
taking  therefrom  dry  statistical  matter  that  can  be  appreciated  by  but  few,  our 
corps  of  writers  have  gone  to  the  people,  the  men  and  women  who  have,  by  their 
enterprise  and  industry,  brought  the  county  to  a  rank  second  to  none  among  those 
comprising  this  great  and  noble  State,  and  from  their  lips  have  the  story  of  their  life 
struggles.  No  more  interesting  or  instructive  matter  could  be  presented  to  an  intelli- 
gent public.  In  this  volume  will  be  found  a  record  of  many  whose  lives  are  worthy  the 
imitation  of  coming  generations.  It  tells  how  some,  commencing  life  in  poverty,  by 
industry  and  economy  hare  accumulated  wealth.  It  tells  how  others,  with  limited 
advantages  for  securing  an  education,  have  become  learned  men  and  women,  with  an 
influence  extending  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  It  tells  of  men  who 
have  risen  from  the  lower  walks  of  life  to  eminence  as  statesmen,  and  whose  names  have 
become  famous.  It  tells  of  those  in  every  walk  in  life  who  have  striven  to  succeed,  and 
records  how  that  success  has  usually  crowned  their  efforts.  It  tells  also  of  many,  very 
many,  who,  not  seeking  the  applause  of  the  world,  have  pursued  '"the  even  tenor  of  their  way,'-  content 
to  have  it  said  of  them  as  Christ  said  of  the  woman  performing  a  deed  of  mercy — "they  have  done  what 
they  could."  It  tells  how  that  many  in  the  pride  and  strength  of  young  manhood  left  the  plow  and  the 
anvil,  the  lawyer's  office  and  the  counting-room,  left  every  trade  and  profession,  and  at  their  country's 
call  went  forth  valiantly  '-to  do  or  die,"  and  how  through  their  efforts  the  Union  was  restored  and  peace 
once  more  reigned  in  the  land.  In  the  life  of  every  man  and  of  every  woman  is  a  lesson  that  should  not 
be  lost  upon  those  who  follow  after. 

Coming  generations  will  appreciate  tin's  volume  and  preserve  it  as  a  sacred  treasure,  from  the  fact 
that  it  contains  so  much  that  would  never  find  its  way  into  public  records,  and  which  would  otherwise  be 
inaccessible.  Great  care  has  been  taken  in  the  compilation  of  the  work  and  every  opportunity  possible 
given  to  those  represented  to  insure  correctness  in  what  has  been  written,  and  the  publishers  flatter  them- 
selves that  they  give  to  their  readers  a  work  with  few  errors  of  consequence.  In  addition  to  the  biograph- 
ical sketches,  portraits  of  a  number  of  representative  citizens  are  given. 

The  faces  of  tome,  and  biographical  sketches  of  many,  will  be  missed  in  this  volume.  For  this  the 
publishers  are  not  to  blame.  Not  having  a  proper  conception  of  the  work,  some  refused  to  give  the 
information  necessary  to  compile  a  sketch,  while  others  were  indifferent.  Occasionally  some  member  of 
the  family  would  oppose  the  enterprise,  and  on  account  of  such  opposition  the  support  of  the  interested 
one  would  be  withheld.  In  a  few  instances  men  could  never  be  found,  though  repeated  calls  were  made 
at  their  residence  or  place  of  business. 

Chicago,  October,  1891.  CHAPMAN  BKOS. 


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FIRST  PRESIDENT. 


i'..'i  •■.■>V'iV1r,,.'r,.'1  •.,'."..»r'.,v..vv>'i':,v>..'i,..'X'<,,v  :^r>>  :,<.:■,'  .•,'.•,••;'•'.'•,'; ,' ;  ? ;.  i'.77«J*^ 

»MftB  WASHINCTO&., 


HE  Father  of  our  Country  was 
w)  bom  in  Westmorland  Co.,  Va., 
a  Feb.  22,  1732.  His  parents 
^  were  Augustine  and  Mary 
0  (Ball)  Washington.  The  family 
to  which  he  belonged  has  not 
been  satisfactorily  traced  in 
England.  His  great-grand- 
father, John  Washington,  em- 
igrated to  Virginia  about  1657, 
and  became  a  prosperous 
planter.  He  had  two  sons, 
Lawrence  and  John.  The 
former  married  Mildred  Warner 
and  had  three  children,  John, 
Augustine  and  Mildred.  Augus- 
tine, the  father  of  George,  fiist 
married  Jane  Butler,  who  bore 
him  four  children,  two  of  whom, 
Lawrence  and  Augustine,  reached 
maturity.  Of  six  children  by  his 
second  marriage,  George  was  the 
eldest,  the  others  being  Betty, 
Samuel,  John  Augustine,  Charles 
and  Mildred. 
Augustine  Washington,  the  father  of  George,  died 
in  1743,  leaving  a  large  landed  property.  To  his 
eldest  son,  Lawrence,  he  bequeathed  an  estate  on 
the  Patomac,  afterwards  known  as  Mount  Vernon, 
and  to  George  he  left  the  parental  residence.  George 
received  only  such  education  as  the  neighborhood 
schools  afforded,  save  for  a  short  time  after  he  left 
school,  when  lie  received  private  instruction  in 
mathematics.       His    spelling   was   rather   defective 


Remarkable  stories  are  told  of  his  great  physica= 
strength  and  development  at  an  early  age.  He  was 
an  acknowledged  leader  among  his  companions,  and 
was  early  noted  for  that  nobleness  of  character,  fair- 
ness and  veracity  which  characterized  his  whole  life. 

When  George  was  1 4  years  old  he  had  a  desire  to  go  to 
sea,  and  a  midshipman's  warrant  was  secured  for  him, 
but  through  the  opposition  of  his  mother  the  idea  was 
abandontd.  Two  years  later  he  was  appointed 
surveyor  to  the  immense  estate  of  Lord  Fairfax.  In 
this  business  he  spent  three  years  in  a  rough  frontier 
life,  gaining  experience  which  afterwards  proved  very 
essential  to  him.  In  175  1,  though  only  19  years  of 
age,  he  was  appointed  adjutant  with  the  rank  of 
major  in  the  Virginia  militia,  then  being  trained  fot 
active  service  against  the  French  and  Indians.  Soon 
after  this  he  sailed  to  the  West  Indies  with  his  brother 
Lawrence,  who  went  there  to  restore  his  health.  They 
soon  returned,  and  in  the  summer  of  1752  Lawrence 
died,  leaving  a  large  fortune  to  an  infant  daughter 
who  did  not  long  survive  him.  On  her  demise  the 
estate  of  Mount  Vernon  was  given  to  George. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  Robert  Dinwiddie,  as  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor of  Virginia,  in  1752,  the  militia  was 
reorganized,  and  the  province  divided  into  four  mili- 
tary districts,  of  which  the  northern  was  assigned  to 
Washington  as  adjutant  general.  Shortly  after  this 
a  very  perilous  mission  was  assigned  him  and  ac- 
cepted, which  others  had  refused.  This  was  to  pro- 
ceed  to  the  French  post  near  Lake  Erie  in  North- 
western Pennsylvania.  The  distance  to  be  traversed 
was  between  500  and  600  miles.  Winter  was  at  hand, 
and  the  journey  was  to  be  made  without  militarv 
escort,  through  a  territory  occupied  by  Indians.     The 


GEORGE   WASHINGTON. 


;rip  was  a  perilous  one,  and  several  limes  he  came  near 
losing  his  life,  yet  he  returned  in  safety  and  furnished 
a  full  and  useful  report  of  his  expedition.  A  regiment 
of  300  men  was  raised  in  Virginia  and  put  in  com- 
mand of  Col.  Joshua  Fry,  and  Major  Washington  was 
commissioned  lieutenant-colonel.  Active  war  was 
then  begun  against  the  French  and  Indians,  in  which 
Washington  took  a  most  important  part.  In  the 
memorable  event  of  July  9,  1755.  known  as  Brad- 
dock's  defeat,  Washington  was  almost  the  only  officer 
of  distinction  who  escaped  from  the  calamities  of  the 
day  with  life  and  honor.  The  other  aids  of  Braddock 
were  disabled  early  in  the  action,  and  Washington 
alone  was  left  in  that  capacity  on  the  field.  In  a  letter 
to  his  brother  he  says :  "I  had  four  bullets  through 
my  coat,  and  two  horses  shot  under  me,  yet  I  escaped 
unhurt,  though  death  was  leveling  my  companions 
on  every  side."  An  Indian  sharpshooter  said  he  was 
not  born  to  be  killed  by  a  bullet,  for  he  had  taken 
direct  aim  at  him  seventeen  times,  and  failed  to  hit 
him. 

After  having  been  five  years  in  the  military  service, 
and  vainly  sought  promotion  in  the  royal  army,  he 
took  advantage  of  the  fall  of  Fort  Duquesne  and  the 
expulsion  of  the  French  from  the  valley  of  the  Ohio, 
to  resign  his  commission.  Soon  after  he  entered  the 
Legislature,  where,  although  not  a  leader,  he  took  an 
active  and  important  part.  January  17,  1759,  he 
married  Mrs.  Martha  (Dandridge)  Custis,  the  wealthy 
widow  of  John  Parke  Custis. 

When  the  British  Parliament  had  closed  the  port 
if  Boston,  the  cry  went  up  throughout  the  provinces 
that  "The  cause  of  Boston  is  the  cause  of  us  all." 
It  was  then,  at  the  suggestion  of  Virginia,  that  a  Con- 
gress of  all  the  colonies  was  called  to  meet  at  Phila- 
delphia,Sept.  5,  r774,  to  secure  their  common  liberties, 
peaceably  if  possible.  To  this  Congress  Col.  Wash- 
ington was  sent  as  a  delegate.  On  May  10,  1775,  the 
Congress  re-assembled,  when  the  hostile  intentions  of 
England  were  plainly  apparent.  The  battles  of  Con- 
cord and  Lexington  had  been  fought.  Among  the 
first  acts  of  this  Congress  was  the  election  of  a  com- 
mander-in-chief of  the  colonial  forces.  This  high  and 
responsible  office  was  conferred  upon  Washington, 
who  was  still  a  member  of  the  Congress.  He  accepted 
it  on  June  19,  but  upon  the  express  condition  that  he 
receive  no  salary.  He  would  keep  an  exact  account 
of  expenses  and  expect  Congress  10  pay  them  and 
nothing  more.  It  is  not  the  object  of  this  sketch  to 
trace  the  military  acts  of  Washington,  to  whom  the 
fortunes  and  liberties  of  the  people  of  this  country 
1  were  so  long  confided.  The  war  was  conducted  by 
him  under  ever}'  possible  disadvantage,  and  while  his 
forces  often  met  with  reverses,  yet  he  overcame  every 
obstacle,  and  after  seven  years  of  heroic  devotion 
and  matchless  skill  he  gained  liberty  for  the  greatest 
nation  of  earth.  On  Dec.  23,  1783,  Washington,  in 
a  parting  address  of  surpassing  beauty,  lesigned  his 


commission  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  army  to 
to  the  Continental  Congress  sitting  at  Annapolis.  He 
retired  immediately  to  Mount  Vernon  and  resumed 
his  occupation  as  a  farmer  and  planter,  shunning  all 
connection  with  public  life. 

In  February,  1 789,  Washington  was  unanimously 
elected  President.  In  his  presidential  career  he  was 
subject  to  the  peculiar  trials  incidental  to  a  hew 
government ;  trials  from  lack  of  confidence  on  the  part 
of  other  governments ;  trials  from  want  of  harmony 
between  the  different  sections  of  our  own  country; 
trials  from  the  impoverished  condition  of  the  country, 
owing  to  the  war  and  want  of  credit;  trials  from  the 
beginnings  of  party  strife.  He  was  no  partisan.  His 
clear  judgment  could  discern  the  golden  mean;  and 
while  perhaps  this  alone  kept  our  government  from 
sinking  at  the  very  outset,  it  left  him  exposed  to 
attacks  from  both  sides,  which  were  often  bitter  and 
very  annoying. 

At  the  expiration  of  his  first  term  he  was  unani- 
mously re-elected.  At  the  end  of  this  term  many 
were  anxious  that  he  be  re-elected,  but  he  absolutely 
refused  a  third  nomination.  On  the  fourth  of  March, 
1797,  at  the  expiraton  of  his  second  term  as  Presi- 
clepty  he  returned  to  his  home,  hoping  to  pass  there 
his  few  remaining  yeais  free  from  the  annoyances  of 
public  life.  Later  in  the  year,  however,  his  repose 
seemed  likely  to  be  interrupted  by  war  with  France. 
At  the  prospect  of  such  a  war  he  was  again  urged  to 
take  command  of  the  armies.  He  chose  his  sub- 
ordinate officers  and  left  to  them  the  charge  of  mat- 
ters in  the  field,  which  he  superintended  from  his 
home.  In  accepting  the  command  he  made  the 
reservation  that  he  was  not  to  be  in  the  field  until 
it  was  necessary.  In  the  midst  of  these  preparations 
his  life  was  suddenly  cut  off.  December  1 2,  he  took 
a  severe  cold  from  a  ride  in  the  rain,  which,  settling 
in  his  throat,  produced  inflammation,  and  terminated 
fatally  on  the  night  of  the  fourteenth.  On  the  eigh- 
teenth his  body  was  borne  with  military  honors  to  its 
final  resting  place,  and  interred  in  the  family  vault  at 
Mount  Vernon. 

Of  the  character  of  Washington  it  is  impossible  to 
speak  but  in  terms  of  the  highest  respect  and  ad- 
miration. The  more  we  see  of  the  operations  of 
our  government,  and  the  more  deeply  we  feel  the 
difficulty  of  uniting  all  opinions  in  a  common  interest, 
the  more  highly  we  must  estimate  the  force  of  his  tal- 
ent and  character,  which  have  been  able  to  challenge 
the  reverence  of  all  parties,  and  principles,  and  na- 
tions, and  to  win  a  fame  as  extended  as  the  limits 
of  the  globe,  and  which  we  cannot  but  believe  will 
be  as  lasting  as  the  existence  of  man. 

The  person  of  Washington  was  unusally  tan,  erect 
and  well  proportioned.  His  muscular  strength  was 
great.  His  features  were  of  a  beautiful  symmetry. 
He  commanded  respect  without  any  appearance  of 
haughtiness,  and  ever  serious  without  b^iug  dull. 


OF  THE 


Wz  J^mid 


SECOND  PRESIDENT. 


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OHN    ADAMS,     the     second 
L  President  and   the    first    Vice- 
jf  President  of  the  United  States, 
was   born    in  Braintree    ( now 
Quincy),Mass.,  and  about  ten 
i  "-'-   miles   from    Boston,    Oct.    ig, 
1735.  His  great-grandfather,  Henry 
Adams,    emigrated    from    England 
about  1640,  with  a  family  of  eight 
1  sons,  and  settled  at  Braintree.  The 
parents   of   John    were   John    and 
Susannah  (Boylston)  Adams.     His 
father    was    a    farmer    of    limited 
means,  to  which  he  added  the  bus- 
iness of  shoemaking.      He  gave  his 
eldest  son,  John,  a  classical  educa- 
tion   at    Harvard    College.      John 
graduated  in  1755,  and   at  once  took  charge  of   the 
school  in    Worcester,  Mass.      This  he   found   but    a 
'school    of  affliction,"  from  which  he  endeavored  to 
gain  relief  by  devoting  himself,  in   addition,  to  the 
study  of  law.     For   this  purpose   he   placed   himself 
under  the  tuition  of  the  only  lawyer  in  the  town.    He 
had  thought    seriously   of    the    clerical    profession 
but  seems  to  have  been  turned  from  this  by  what  he 
termed  "the  frightful  engines  of  ecclesiastical   coun- 
jils,  cf  diabolical  malice,  and  CaKanistic  good  nature," 
of  the  operations  of  which  he  had  been   a  witness  in 
his  native  town.      He  was  well   fitted  for  the   legal 
profession,  possessing  a  clear,  sonorous  voice,  being 
ready  and  fluent  of  speech,  and  having  quick  percep- 
tive powers.      He  gradually   gained   practice,  and  in 
1764  married  Abigail  Smith,  a  daughter  of  a  minister, 
and  a  lady  cf  superior  intelligence.     Shortly  after  his 
marriage,  (17^5),  the  attempt  of  Parliamentary  taxa- 
tion turned  him  from  law  to  politics.     He  took  initial 
steps  toward  holdir.a  a  town  meeting,  and  the  resolu- 


tions he  offered  on  the  subject  became  very  populai 
throughout  the  Province,  and  were  adopted  word  for 
word  by  over  forty  different  towns.  He  moved  to  Bos 
ton  in  1768,  and  became  one  of  the  most  courageous 
and  prominent  advocatesof  the  popular  cause,  and 
was  chosen  a  member  of  the  General  Court  (the  Leg- 
lislature)  in  1770. 

Mr.  Adams  was  chosen  one  of  the  first  delegates 
from  Massachusetts  to  the  first  Continental  Congress, 
which  met  in  1774.  Here  he  distinguished  himself 
by  his  capacity  for  business  and  for  debate,  and  ad- 
vocated the  movement  for  independence  against  the 
majority  of  the  members.  In  May,  1776,  he  moved 
and  carried  a  resolution  in  Congress  that  the  Colonies 
should  assume  the  duties  of  self-government.  He 
was  a  prominent  member  of  the  committee  of  five 
appointed  June  n,  to  prepare  a  declaration  of  inde- 
pendence. This  article  was  drawn  by  Jefferson,  but 
on  Adams  devolved  the  task  of  battling  it  through 
Congress  in  a  three  days  debate. 

On  the  day  after  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
was  passed,  while  his  soul  was  yet  warm  with  thj 
glow  of  excited  feeling,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  his  wife 
which,  as  we  read  it  now,  seems  to  have  been  dictated 
by  the  spirit  of  prophecy.  "  Yesterday,"  he  says, "  the 
greatest  question  was  decided  that  ever  was  debated 
in  America;  and  greater,  perhaps,  never  was  or  wil 
be  decided  among  men.  A  resolution  was  passed 
without  one  dissenting  colony,  '  that  these  United 
States  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  free  and  inde- 
pendent  states.'  The  day  is  passed.  The  fourth  of 
July,  1776,  will  be  a  memorable  epoch  in  the  history 
of  America.  I  am  apt  to  believe  it  will  be  celebrated 
by  succeeding  generations,  as  the  great  anniversary 
festival.  It  ought  to  be  commemorated  as  the  day  of 
deliverance  by  solemn  acts  of  devotion  to  Almighty 
God.     It  ought  to  be  solemnized  with  pomp,  shows. 


24 


JOHN  ADAMS. 


games,  sports,  guns,  bells,  bonfires,  and  illuminations 
from  one  end  of  the  continent  to  the  other,  from  this 
time  forward  for  ever.  You  will  think  me  transported 
with  enthusiasm,  but  I  am  not.  I  am  well  aware  of 
the  toil,  and  blood  and  treasure,  that  it  will  cost  to 
maintain  this  declaration,  and  support  and  defend 
these  States;  yet,  through  all  the  gloom,  I  can  seethe 
rays  of  light  and  glory.  I  can  see  that  the  end  is 
worth  more  than  all  the  means;  and  that  posterity 
will  triumph,  although  you  and  I  may  rue,  which  I 
hope  we  shall  not. 

In  November,  1777,  Mr.  Adams  was  appointed  a 
delegate  to  France  and  to  co-operate  with  Bemjamin 
Franklin  and  Arthur  Lee,  who  were  then  in  Paris,  in 
the  endeavor  to  obtain  assistance  in  arms  and  money 
from  the  French  Government.  This  was  a  severe  trial 
to  his  patriotism,  as  it  separated  him  from  his  home, 
compelled  him  to  cross  the  ocean  in  winter,  and  ex- 
posed him  to  great  peril  of  capture  by  the  British  cruis- 
ers, who  were  seeking  him.  He  left  France  June  17, 
1779.  In  September  of  the  same  year  he  was  again 
chosen  to  go  to  Paris,  and  there  hold  himself  in  readi- 
ness to  negotiate  a  treaty  of  peace  and  of  commerce 
with  Great  Britian,  as  soon  as  the  British  Cabinet 
might  be  found  willing  to  listen  to  such  pioposels.  He 
sailed  for  France  in  November,  from  there  he  went  to 
Holland,  where  he  negotiated  important  loans  and 
formed  important  commercial  treaties. 

Finally  a  treaty  of  peace  with  England  was  signed 
Jan.  21,  1783.  The  re-action  from  the  excitement, 
toil  and  anxiety  through  which  Mr.  Adams  had  passed 
threw  him  into  a  fever.  After  suffering  from  a  con- 
tinued fever  and  becoming  feeble  and  emaciated  he 
was  advised  to  go  to  England  to  drink  the  waters  of 
Bath.  While  in  England,  still  drooping  anddespond- 
ing,  he  received  dispatches  from  his  own  government 
urging  the  necessity  of  his  going  to  Amsterdam  to 
negotiate  another  loan.  It  was  winter,  his  health  was 
delicate,  yet  he  immediately  set  out,  and  through 
storm,  on  sea,  on  horseback  and  foot,hemade  the  trip. 

February  24,  1785,  Congress  appointed  Mr.  Adams 
envoy  to  the  Court  of  St.  James.  Here  he  met  face 
to  face  the  King  of  England,  who  had  so  long  re- 
garded him  as  a  traitor.  As  England  did  not 
condescend  to  appoint  a  minister  to  the  United 
States,  and  as  Mr.  Adams  felt  that  he  was  accom- 
plishing but  little,  he  sought  permission  to  return  to 
his  own  country,  where  he  arrived  in  June,  1788. 

When  Washington  was  first  chosen  President,  John 
Adams,  rendered  illustiious  by  his  signal  services  at 
home  and  abroad,  was  chosen  Vice  President.  Again 
at  the  second  election  of  Washington  as  President, 
Adams  was  chosen  Vice  President.  In  1796,  Wash- 
ington retired  from  public  life,  and  Mr.  Adams  was 
elected  President, though  not  without  much  opposition. 
Serving  in  this  office  four  years,he  was  succeeded  by 
Mr.  Jefferson,  his  opponent  in  politics. 

While   Mr.  Adams  was  Vice  President  the  great 


French  Revolution  shook  the  continent  of  Europe, 
and  it  was  upon  this  point  which  he  was  at  issue  with 
the  majority  of  his  countrymen  led  by  Mr.  Jefferson. 
Mr.  Adams  felt  no  sympathy  with  the  French  people 
in  their  struggle,  for  he  had  no  confidence  in  their 
power  of  self-government,  and  he  utterly  abhored  the 
class  of  atheist  philosophers  who  he  claimed  caused  it. 
On  the  other  hand  Jefferson's  sympathies  were  strongly 
enlisted  in  behalf  of  the  French  people.  Hence  or- 
iginated the  alienation  between  these  distinguished 
men,  and  two  powerful  parties  were  thus  soon  organ- 
ised, Adams  at  the  head  of  the  one  whose  sympathies 
were  with  England  and  Jefferson  led  the  other  in 
sympathy  with  France. 

The  world  has  seldom  seen  a  spectacle  of  more 
moral  beauty  and  grandeur,  than  was  presented  by  the 
old  age  of  Mr.  Adams.  The  violence  of  party  feeling 
had  died  away,  and  he  had  begun  to  receive  that  just 
appreciation  which,  to  most  men,  is  not  accorded  till 
after  death.  No  one  could  look  upon  his  venerable 
form,  and  think  of  what  he  had  done  and  suffered, 
and  how  he  had  given  up  all  the  prime  and  strength 
of  his  life  to  the  public  good,  without  the  deepest 
emoti'cyufof  "gratitude  and  respect.  It  was  his  peculiar 
good  fortune  to  witness  the  complete  success  of  the 
institution  which  he  had  been  so  active  in  creating  and 
supporting.  In  1824,  his  cup  of  happiness  was  filled 
to  the  brim,  by  seeing  his  son  elevated  to  the  highest 
station  in  the  gift  of  the  people. 

The  fourth  of  July,  1826,  which  completed  the  half 
century  since  the  signing  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, arrived,  and  there  were  but  three  of  the 
signers  of  that  immortal  instrument  left  upon  the 
earth  to  hail  its  morning  light.  And,  as  it  is 
well  known,  on  that  day  two  of  these  finished  their 
earthly  pilgrimage,  a  coincidence  so  remarkable  as 
to  seem  miraculous.  For  a  few  days  before  Mr. 
Adams  had  been  rapidly  failing,  and  on  the  morning 
of  the  fourth  he  found  himself  too  weak  to  rise  from 
his  bed.  On  being  requested  to  name  a  toast  for  the 
customary  celebration  of  the  day,  he  exclaimed  "  In- 
dependence forever."  When  the  day  was  ushered 
in,  by  the  ringing  of  bells  and  the  firing  of  cannons, 
he  was  asked  by  one  of  his  attendants  if  he  knew 
what  day  it  was?  He  replied,  "O  yes;  it  is  the  glor- 
ious fourth  of  July — God  bless  it — God  bless  you  all." 
In  the  course  of  the  day  he  said,  "  It  is  a  great  and 
glorious  day."  The  last  words  he  uttered  were, 
"  Tefferson  survives."  But  he  had,  at  one  o'clock,  re- 
signed his  spirit  into  the  hands  of  his  God. 

The  personal  appearance  and  manners  of  Mr. 
Adams  were  not  particularly  prepossessing.  His  face, 
as  his  portrait  manifests,was  intellectual  ard  expres- 
sive, but  his  figure  was  low  and  ungraceful,  and  h'c. 
manners  were  frequently  abrupt  and  uncourteous 
He  had  neither  the  lofty  dignity  of  Washington,  not 
the  engaging  elegance  and  gracefulness  which  marked 
the  manners  and  address  of  Tefferson. 


UWVERSI 


:■?<- 


;-e#T  ; 


THIRD  PRESIDENT. 


27 


HOMAS  JEFFERSON  was 
born  April  2,   1743,   at  Shad- 
pwell,  Albermarle  county,  Va. 
His  parents  were    Peter  and 
Jane  (  Randolph)    Jefferson, 
the  former  a  native  of  Wales, 
and  the  latter  born  in   Lon- 
don.    To  them  were  born  six 
daughters   and   two   sons,  of 
whom  Thomas  was  the  elder. 
When    14  years   of  age    his 
father  died.     He  received  a 
most  liberal  education,    hav- 
been  kept  diligently  at  school 
from  the  time  he  was  five  years  of 
age.     In  1760  he  entered  William 
end  Mary  College.     Williamsburg  was  then  the  seat 
of  the  Colonial  Court,  and  it  was  the  obodeof  fashion 
and  splendor.      Young  Jefferson,  who  was  then   17 
years  old,  lived  somewhat  expensively,  keeping  fine 
horses,  and  much  caressed  by  gay  society,    yet    he 
-.vas  earnestly  devoted  to  his  studies,  and  irreproacha- 
able  in  his  morals.     It   is    strange,   however,    under 
such  influences, that  he  was  not  ruined.     In  the   sec- 
ond year  of  his  college  course,  moved  by  some  un- 
explained inward  impulse,  he  discarded    his    horses, 
society,  and  even  his  favorite  violin,  to  which  he  had 
previously  given  much  time.     He  often  devoted  fifteen 
hours  a  day  to  hard    study,  allowing  himself  for  ex- 
ercise only  a  run  in  the  evening  twilight  of  a  mile  out 
of  the  city  and  back  again.     He  tints  attained  very 
high  intellectual  culture,  alike  excellence  in  philoso- 
phy and  the  languages.  The  most  difficult  Latin  and 
Greek  authors  he  read  with  facility.     A  more  finished 
scholar  has  seldom  gone  forth  from  college  halls;  and 


there  was  not  to  be  found,  perhaps,  in  all  Virginia,  a 
more  pureminded,  upright,  gentlemanly  young  man. 

Immediately  upon  leaving  college  he  began  the 
study  of  law.  For  the  short  time  he  continued  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  he  rose  rapidly  and  distin- 
guished himself  by  his  energy  and  accuteness  as  a 
lawyer.  But  the  times  called  for  greater  action. 
The  policy  of  England  had  awakened  the  spirit  of 
resistance  of  the  American  Colonies,  and  the  enlarged 
views  which  Jefferson  had  ever  entertained,  soon  led 
him  into  active  political  life.  In  1769  he  was  chosen 
a  member  of  the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses  In 
1772  he  married  Mrs.  Martha  Skelton,  a  very  beauti- 
ful, wealthy  and  highly  accomplished  young  widow 
Upon  Mr.  Jefferson's  large  estate  at  Shadwell,  time 
was  a  majestic  swell  of  land,  ca'led  Monticello,  which 
commanded  a  prospect  of  wonderful  extent  and 
beauty.  This  spot  Mr.  Jefferson  selected  (or  his  new 
home;  and  here  he  reared  a  mansion  of  modest  ye* 
elegant  architecture,  which,  next  to  Mount  Vernon 
became  the  most  distinguished  resort  in  our  land. 

In  1775  he  was  sent  to  the  Cclonial  Congress 
where,  though  a  silent  member,  his  abilities  as  a 
writer  and  a  reasoner  soon  become  known,  and  he 
was  placed  141011  a  number  of  important  committees, 
and  was  chairman  of  the  one  appointed  for  the  draw- 
ing up  of  a  declaration  of  independence.  This  com- 
mittee consisted  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  John  Adams. 
Benjamin  Franklin,  Roger  Sherman  and  Robert  R. 
Livingston.  Jefferson,  as  chairman,  was  appointed 
to  draw  up  the  paper.  Franklin  and  Adams  suggested 
a  few  verbal  changes  before  it  was  submitted  to  Con- 
gress. On  June  28,  a  few  slight  changes  were  made 
in  it  by  Congress,  and  it  was  passed  and  signed  July 
4,  177 G     What  must  have  been  the  feelings  of  that 


28 


THOMAS  JEFFERSON. 


man — what  the  emotions  that  swelled  his  breast — 
who  was  charged  with  the  preparation  of  that  Dec- 
laration, which,  while.it  made  known  the  wrongs  of 
America,  was  also  to  publish  her  to  the  world,  free, 
lioverign  and  independent.  It  is  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable papers  ever  written  ;  and  did  no  other  effort 
of  the  mind  of  its  author  exist,  that  alone  would  be 
sufficient  to  stamp  his  name  with  immortality. 

In  1779  Mr.  Jefferson  was  elected  successor  to 
Patrick  Henry,  as  Governor  of  Virginia.  At  one  time 
the  British  officer,  Tarleton,  sent  a  secret  expedition  to 
Momicello,  to  capture  the  Governor.  Scarcely  five 
minutes  elapsed  after  the  hurried  escape  of  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson and  his  family,  ere  his  mansion  was  in  posses- 
sion of  the  British  troops.  His  wife's  health,  never 
very  good,  was  much  injured  by  this  excitement,  and 
in  the  summer  of  1782  she  died. 

Mr.  Jefferson  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1783. 
Two  years  later  he  was  appointed  Minister  Plenipo- 
tentiary to  France.  Returning  to  the  United  States 
in  September,  1789,  he  became  Secretary  of  State 
in  Washington's  cabinet.  This  position  he  resigned 
Jan.  j,  1794.  In  1797,  he  was  chosen  Vice  Presi- 
dent, and  four  years  later  was  elected  President  over 
Mr.  Adams,  with  Aaron  Burr  as  Vice  President.  In 
1804  he  was  re-elected  with  wonderful  unanimity, 
and  George  Clinton,  Vice  President. 

The  early  part  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  second  adminstra- 
tion  was  disturbed  by  an  event  which  threatened  the 
tranquility  and  peace  of  the  Union;  this  was  the  con- 
spiracy of  Aaron  Burr.  Defeated  in  the  late  election 
to  the  Vice  Presidency,  and  led  on  by  an  unprincipled 
ambition,  this  extraordinary  man  formed  the  plan  of  a 
military  expedition  intc  the  Spanish  territories  on  our 
southwestern  frontier,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  there 
a  new  republic.  This  has  been  generally  supposed 
was  a  mere  pretext ;  and  although  it  has  not  been 
generally  known  what  his  real  plans  were,  there  is  no 
doubt  that  they  were  of  a  far  more  dangerous 
character. 

In  1809,  at  the  expiration  of  the  second  term  for 
which  Mr.  Jefferson  had  been  elected,  he  determined 
to  retire  from  political  life.  For  a  period  of  nearly 
forty  years,  he  had  been  continually  before  the  pub- 
,ic,  and  all  that  time  had  been  employed  in  offices  of 
the  greatest  trust  and  responsibility.  Having  thus  de- 
voted the  best  part  of  his  life  to  the  service  of  his 
country,  he  now  felt  desirous  of  that  rest  which  his 
declining  years  required,  and  upon  the  organization  of 
the  new  administration,  in  March,  1809,  he  bid  fare- 
well forever  to  public  life,  and  retired  to  Monticello. 

Mr.  Jefferson  was  profuse  in  his  hospitality.  Whole 
families  came  in  their  coaches  with  their  horses, — 
fathers  and  mothers,  boys  and  girls,  babies  and 
nurses, — and  remained  three  and  even  six  months. 
Life  at  Monticello,  for  years,  resembled  that  at  a 
fashionable  watering-place. 

The  fourth  of  July,  1826,  being  the  fiftieth  anniver- 


sary of  the  Declaration  of  American  Independence. 
great  preparations  were  made  in  every  part  of  th.' 
Union  for  its  celebration,  as  the  nation's  jubilee,  and 
the  citizens  of  Washington,  to  add  to  the  solemnity 
01  the  occasion,  invited  Mr.  Jefferson,  as  the  framet. 
and  one  of  the  few  surviving  signers  of  the  Declara- 
tion, to  participate  in  their  festivities.  But  an  ill- 
ness, which  had  been  of  several  weeks  duration,  and 
had  been  continually  increasing,  compelled  him  to 
decline  the  invitation. 

On  the  second  of  July,  the  disease  under  which 
he  was  laboring  left  him,  but  in  such  a  reduced 
state  that  his  medical  attendants,  entertained  nc 
hope  of  his  recovery.  From  this  time  he  was  perfectly 
sensible  that  his  last  hour  was  at  hand.  On  the  nex*. 
day,  which  was  Monday,  he  asked  of  those  around 
him,  the  day  of  the  month,  and  on  being  told  it  was 
the  third  of  July,  he  expressed  the  earnest  wish  tha 
he  might  be  permitted  to  breathe  the  air  of  the  fiftieth 
anniversary.  His  prayer  was  heard — that  day,  whose 
dawn  was  hailed  with  such  rapture  through  our  land, 
burst  upon  his  eyes,  and  then  they  were  closed  for- 
ever. And  what  a  noble  consummation  of  a  noble 
life!  To  die  on  that  day, — the  birthday  of  a  nation,- - 
the  day  which  his  own  name  and  his  own  act  had 
rendered  glorious;  to  die  amidst  the  rejoicings  and 
festivities  pf  a  whole  nation,  who  looked  up  to  him, 
as  tfycr  author,  under  God,  of  their  greatest  blessings, 
was  all  that-  was^vanting  to  fill  up  the  record  his  life. 

Almost  at  the  same  hour  of  his  death,  the  kin- 
dred spirit  of  the  venerable  Adams,  as  if  to  bear 
him  company,  left  the  scene  of  his  earthly  honors. 
Hand  in  hand  they  had  stood  forth,  the  champions  of 
freedom;  hand  in  hand,  during  the  dark  and  desper- 
ate Sniggle  of  the  Revolution,  they  had  cheered  and 
animated  their  desponding  countrymen;  for  half  a 
century  they  had  labored  together  for  tiie  good  of 
the  country;  and  now  hand  in  hand  they  depart. 
In  their  lives  they  had  been  united  in  the  same  great 
cause  of  liberty,  and  in  their  deaths  they  were  not 
divided. 

In  person  Mr.  Jefferson  was  tall  and  thin,  rather 
above  six  feet  in  height,  but  well  formed;  his  eyes 
were  light,  his  hair  originally  red,  in  after  life  became 
white  and  silvery;  his  complexion  was  fair,  his  fore- 
head broad,  and  his  whole  courtenance  intelligent  and 
thoughtful.  He  possessed  great  fortitude  of  mind  as 
well  as  personal  courage;  and  :.:s  command  of  tem- 
per was  such  that  his  oldest  and  most  intimate  friends 
never  recollected  to  have  seen  him  in  a  passion. 
His  manners,  though  dignified,  were  simple  and  un- 
affected, and  his  hospitality  was  so  unbounded  that 
all  found  at  his  house  a  ready  welcome.  In  conver- 
sation he  was  fluent,  eloquent  and  enthusiastic  ;  and 
his  language  was  remarkably  pure  and  correct.  He 
was  a  finished  classical  scholar,  and  in  his  writings  is 
discernable  the  care  with  which  he  formed  his  style 
upon  the  best  mode's  of  antiquity. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 


J  (ZA*s- ' '     ^^  iti-^^-l  &~K 


FOURTH  FRF  SI  DENT. 


OTes  nipisoi). 


AMES    MADISON,    "Father 
of  the  Constitution/'  and  fourth 
President  of  the  United  States, 
was  born  March  16,  1757,  and 
died  at  his   home  in  Virginia, 
's®'  June  28,   1836.     The  name  of 
James  Madison  is  inseparably  con- 
nected with  most  of  the  important 
events  in  that  heroic  period  of  our 
country  during  which  the  founda- 
tions of  this  great   republic  were 
laid.  He  was  the  last  of  the  founders 
of  the   Constitution   of  the    United 
States  to   be   called    to    his   eternal 
reward. 

The  Madison  family  were  among 
the  early  emigrants  to  the  New  World, 
landing  upon  the  shores  of  the  Chesa- 
peake but  15  years  after  the  settle- 
ment of  Jamestown.  The  father  of 
James  Madison  was  an  opulent 
planter,  residing  upon  a  very  fine  es- 
tate called  "Montpelier,"  Orange  Co., 
Va.  The  mansion  was  situated  in 
the  midst  of  scenery  highly  pictur- 
esque and  romantic,  on  the  west  side 
of  South-west  Mountain,  at  the  foot  of 
Blue  Ridge.  It  was  but  25  miles  from  the  home  of 
Jefferson  at  Monticello.  The  closest  personal  and 
political  attachment  existed  between  these  illustrious 
men,  from  their  early  youth  until  death. 

The  early  education  of  Mr.  Madison  was  conducted 
mostly  at  home  under  a  private  tutor.  At  the  age  of 
18  he  was  sent  to  Princeton  College,  in  New  Jersey. 
Here  he  applied  himself  to  study  with  the  most  im- 


prudent zeal;  allowing  himself,  for  months,  but  three 
hours'  sleep  out  of  the  24.  His  health  thus  became  so 
seriously  impaired  that  he  never  recovered  any  vigor 
of  constitution.  He  graduated  in  177  1,  with  a  feeble 
body,  with  a  character  of  utmost  purity,  and  with  a 
mind  highly  disciplined  and  richly  stored  with  learning 
which  embellished  and  gave  proficiency  to  hissubsf 
quent  career. 

Returning  to  Virginia,  he  commenced  the  study  of 
law  and  a  course  of  extensive  and  systematic  reading. 
This  educational  course,  the  spirit  of  the  times  in 
which  he  lived,  and  the  society  with  which  he  asso- 
ciated, all  combined  to  inspire  him  with  a  strong 
love  of  liberty,  and  to  train  him  for  his  life-work  ot 
a  statesman.  Being  naturally  of  a  religious  turn  of 
mind,  and  his  frail  health  leading  him  to  think  that 
his  life  was  not  to  be  long,  he  directed  especial  atten- 
tion to  theological  studies.  Endowed  with  a  mind 
singularly  free  from  passion  and  prejudice,  and  with 
almost  unequalled  powers  of  reasoning,  he  weighed 
all  the  arguments  for  and  against  revealed  religion, 
until  his  faith  became  so  established  as  never  to 
be  shaken. 

In  the  spring  of  1776,  when  26  years  of  age,  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Virginia  Convention,  to 
frame  the  constitution  of  the  State.  The  next  year 
(1777),  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  General  Assembly. 
He  refused  to  treat  the  whisky-lovir.g  voters,  and 
consequently  lost  his  election  ;  but  those  who  had 
witnessed  the  talent,  energy  and  public  spirit  of  the 
modest  young  man,  enlisted  themselves  in  his  behalf, 
and  he  was  appointed  to  the    Executive  Council. 

Both  Patrick  Henry  and  Thomas  Jefferson  were 
Governors  of  Virginia  while  Mr.  Madison  remained 
member  of  the  Council ;    and  their  appreciation  01  hin 


32 


JAMES  MADISON. 


intellectual,  social  and  moral  worth,  contributed  not 
a  little  to  his  subsequent  eminence.  In  the  year 
1780,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Continental 
Congress.  Here  he  met  the  most  illustrious  men  in 
our  land,  and  he  was  immediately  assigned  to  one  of 
The  most  conspicuous  positions  among  them. 

For  three  years  Mr.  Madison  continued  in  Con- 
gress, one  of  its  most  active  and  influential  members. 
In  the  year  1784,  his  term  having  expired,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Virginia   Legislature. 

No  man  felt  more  deeply  than  Mr.  Madison  the 
utter  inefficiency  of  the  old  confederacy,  with  no  na- 
tional government,  with  no  power  to  form  treaties 
which  would  be  binding,  or  to  enforce  law.  There 
was  not  any  State  more  prominent  than  Virginia  in 
the  declaration,  that  an  efficient  national  government 
must  be  formed.  In  January,  1786,  Mr.  Madison 
carried  a  resolution  through  the  General  Assembly  of 
Virginia,  inviting  the  other  States  to  appoint  commis- 
sioners to  meet  in  convention  at  Annapolis  to  discuss 
this  subject.  Five  States  only  were  represented.  The 
convention,  however,  issued  another  call,  drawn  up 
by  Mr.  Madison,  urging' all  the  States  to  send  their 
delegates  to  Philadelphia,  in  May,  1787,  to  draft 
a  Constitution  for  the  United  States,  to  take  the  place 
of  that  Confederate  League.  The  delegates  met  at 
the  time  appointed.  Every  State  but  Rhode  Island 
^vas  represented.  George  Washington  was  chosen 
president  of  the  convention  ;  and  the  present  Consti- 
tution of  the  United  States  was  then  and  there  formed. 
There  was,  perhaps,  no  mind  and  no  pen  more  ac- 
tive in  framing  this  immortal  document  than  the  mind 
and  the  pen  of  James  Madison. 

The  Constitution,  adopted  by  a  vote  81  to  79,  was 
to  be  presented  to  the  several  States  for  acceptance. 
But  grave  solicitude  was  felt.  Should  it  be  rejected 
we  should  be  left  but  a  conglomeration  of  independent 
States,  with  but  little  power  at  home  and  little  respect 
abroad.  Mr.  Madison  was  selected  by  tne  conven- 
tion to  draw  up  an  address  to  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  expounding  the  principles  of  the  Constitution, 
and  urging  its  adoption.  There  was  great  opposition 
to  it  at  first,  but  it  at  length  triumphed  over  all,  and 
went  into  effect  in  1789. 

Mr.  Madison  was  elected  to  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives in  the  first  Congress,  and  soon  became  the 
avowed  leader  of  the  Republican  party.  While  in 
New  York  attending  Congress,  he  met  Mrs  Todd,  a 
young  widow  of  remarkable  power  of  fascination, 
whom  he  married.  She  was  in  person  and  character 
queenly,  and  probably  no  lady  has  thus  far  occupied 
so  prominent  a  position  in  the  very  peculiar  society 
which  has  constituted  our  republican  court  as  Mrs. 
Madison. 

Mr.  Madison  served  as  Secretary  of  State  under 
Jefferson,  and  at  the  close  of  his  administration 
was  chosen  President.  At  this  time  the  encroach- 
ments of  England  had  brought  us  to  the  verge  of  war. 


British  orders  in  council  destioyed  our  commerce,  and 
our  flag  was  exposed  to  constant  insult.  Mr.  Madison 
was  a  man  of  peace.  Scholarly  in  his  taste,  retiring 
in  his  disposition,  war  had  no  charms  for  him.  But  the 
meekest  spirit  can  be  roused.  It  makes  one's  blood 
boil,  even  now,  to  think  of  an  American  ship  brought 
to,  upon  the  ocean,  by  the  guns  of  an  English  cruiser. 
A  young  lieutenant  steps  on  board  and  orders  the 
crew  to  be  paraded  before  him.  With  grea.t  nonchal- 
ance he  selects  any  number  whom  he  may  please  to 
designate  as  British  subjects;  orders  them  down  the 
ship's  side  into  his  boat;  and  places  them  on  the  gun- 
deck  of  his  man-of-war,  to  fight,'  by  compulsion,  the 
battles  of  England.  This  right  of  search  and  im- 
pressment, no  efforts  of  our  Government  could  induce 
the  British  cabinet  to  relinquish. 

On  the  iSth  of  June,  1812,  President  Madison  gave 
his  approval  to  an  act  of  Congress  declaring  war 
against  Great  Britain.  Notwithstanding  the  bitter 
hostility  of  the  Federal  parly  to  the  war,  the  country 
in  general  approved;  and  Mr.  Madison,  on  the  4U1 
of  March,  ig  1 3,  was  re-elected  by  a  large  majority, 
and  entered  upon  his  second  term  of  office.  This  is 
not  the  place  to  describe  the  various  adventuras  of 
this  war  on  the  land  and  on  the  water.  Our  infan 
navy  then  laid  the  foundations  of  its  renown  in  grap- 
pling with  the  most  formidable  power  which  ever 
swept  the  seas.  The  contest  commenced  in  earnest 
by  the  appearance  of  a  British  fleet,  early  in  February, 
1813,  in  Chesapeake  Bay,  declaring  nearly  the  whole 
coast  of  the  United  States  under  blockade. 

The  Emperor  of  Russia  offered  his  services  as  me 
ditator.  America  accepted ;  England  refused.  A  Brit- 
ish force  of  five  thousand  men  landed  on  the  banks 
of  the  Patuxet  River,  near  its  entrance  into  Chesa- 
peake Bay,  and  inarched  rapidly,  by  way  of  Bladens- 
burg,  upon  Washington. 

The  straggling  little  city  of  Washington  was  thrown 
into  consternation.  The  cannon  of  the  brief  conflict 
at  Bladensburg  echoed  through  the  streets  of  the 
metropolis.  The  whole  population  fled  from  the  city. 
The  President,  leaving  Mrs.  Madison  in  the  White 
House,  with  her  carriage  drawn  up  at  the  doer  to 
await  his  speedy  return,  hurried  to  meet  the  officers 
in  a  council  of  war.  He  met  our  troops  utterly  routed, 
and  he  could  not  go  back  without  danger  of  being 
captured.  But  few  hours  elapsed  ere  the  Presidential 
Mansion,  the  Capitol,  and  all  the  public  buildings  in 
Washington  were  in  flames. 

The  war  closed  after  two  years  of  fighting,  and  on 
Feb.  13,  1815,  the  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  at  Ghent. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1817,  his  second  term  of 
office  expired,  and  he  resigned  the  Presidential  chair 
to  his  friend,  James  Monroe.  He  retired  to  his  beau- 
tiful home  at  Montpelier,  and  there  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days.  On  June  28,  1836,  then  at  the 
age  of  85  years,  he  fell  asleep  in  death,  Mrs.  Madi 
son  died  July  12,  1849, 


tlBRARY 
Of    THE 


-7 


&Z_, 


FIFTH  PRESIDENT. 


35 


» PEQES  npftOE. 


AMES  MONROE,  the  fifth 
'resident  of  The  United  States, 
"was  born  in  Westmoreland  Co., 
Va.,  April  28,  1758.  His  early 
life  was  passed  at  the  place  of 
nativity.  His  ancestors  had  for 
many  years  resided  in  the  prov- 
ince in  which  he  was  born.  When, 
at  17  years  of  age,  in  the  process 
of  completing  his  education  at 
William  and  Mary  College,  the  Co- 
lonial Congress  assembled  at  Phila- 
delphia to  deliberate  upon  the  un- 
just and  manifold  oppressions  of 
Great  Britian,  declared  the  separa- 
tion of  the  Colonies,  and  promul- 
gated the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence. Had  he  been  born  ten  years  before  it  is  highly 
probable  that  he  would  have  been  one  of  the  signers 
of  that  celebrated  instrument.  At  this  time  he  left 
school  and  enlisted  among  the  patriots. 

He  joined  the  army  when  everything  looked  hope- 
less and  gloo  ny.  The  number  of  deserters  increased 
from  day  to  day.  The  invading  armies  came  pouring 
in ;  and  the  tories  not  only  favored  the  cause  of  the 
mother  country,  but  disheartened  the  new  recruits, 
who  were  sufficiently  terrified  at  the  prospect  of  con- 
tending with  an  enemy  whom  they  had  been  taught 
to  deem  invincible.  To  such  brave  spirits  as  James 
Monroe,  who  went  right  onward,  undismayed  through 
difficulty  and  danger,  the  United  States  owe  then- 
political  emancipation.  The  young  cadet  joined  the 
ranks,  and  espoused  the  cause  of  his  injured  country, 
with  a  firm  determination  to  live  or  die  with  her  strife 


for  liberty.  Firmly  yet  sadly  he  shared  in  the  mel 
ancholy  retreat  from  Harleam  Heights  and  White 
Plains,  and  accompanied  the  dispirited  army  as  it  fled 
before  its  foes  through  New  Jersey.  In  four  months 
after  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  the  patriots 
had  been  beaten  in  seven  battles.  At  the  battle  of 
Trenton  he  led  the  vanguard,  and,  in  the  actof  charg- 
ing upon  the  enemy  he  received  a  wound  in  the  left 
shoulder. 

As  a  reward  for  his  bravery,  Mr.  Monroe  was  pro- 
moted a  captain  of  infantry;  and,  having  recovered 
from  his  wound,  he  rejoined  the  army.  He,  however, 
receded  from  the  line  of  promotion,  by  becoming  an 
officer  in  the  staff  of  Lord  Sterling.  During  the  cam- 
paigns of  1777  and  177S,  in  the  actions  of  Brandy 
wine,  Germantown  and  Monmouth,  he  continued 
aid-decamp ;  but  becoming  desirous  to  regain  his 
position  in  the  army,  he  exerted  himself  to  collect  a 
regiment  for  the  Virginia  line.  This  scheme  failed 
owing  to  the  exhausted  condition  of  the  State.  Upon 
this  failure  he  entered  the  office  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  at 
that  period  Governor,  and  pursued,  with  considerable 
ardor,  the  study  of  common  law.  He  did  not,  however, 
entirely  lay  aside  the  knapsack  for  the  green  bag; 
but  on  the  invasions  of  the  enemy,  served  as  a  volun- 
teer, during  the  two  years  of  his  legal  pursuits. 

In  17S2,  he  was  elected  from  King  George  county, 
a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  Virginia,  and  by  that 
body  he  was  elevated  to  a  seat  in  the  Executive 
Council.  He  was  thus  honored  with  the  confidence 
of  his  fellow  citizens  at  23  years  of  age  ;  and  having 
at  this  early  period  displayed  some  of  that  ability 
and  aptitude  for  legislation,  which  were  afterwards 
employed  with  unremitting  energy  for  the  public  good, 


36 


JAMES  MONROE. 


lie  was  in  the  succeeding  year  chosen    a   member  of 
ihe  Congress  of  the  United  States. 

Deeply  as  Mr.  Monroe  felt  the  imperfections  of  the  old 
Confederacy,  he  was  opposed  to  the  new  Constitution, 
■thinking,  with  many  others  of  *he  Republican  party, 
'.hat  it  gave  too  much  power  to  the  Central  Government, 
and  not  enough  to  the  individual  States.  Still  he  re- 
tained the  esteem  of  his  friends  who  were  its  warm 
supporters,  and  who,  notwithstanding  his  opposition 
secured  its  adoption.  In  1789,  he  became  a  member 
of  the  United  States  Senate;  which  office  he  held  for 
four  years.  Every  month  the  line  of  distinction  be- 
tween the  two  great  parties  which  divided  the  nation, 
the  Federal  and  the  Republican,  was  growing  more 
distinct.  The  two  prominent  ideas  which  now  sep- 
arated them  were,  that  the  Republican  party  was  in 
sympathy  with  France,  and  also  in  favor  of  such  a 
stiict  construction  of  the  Constitution  as  to  give  the 
Central  Government  as  little  power,  and  the  State 
Governments  as  much  power,  as  the  Constitution  would 
warrant.  The  Federalists  sympathized  with  England, 
and  were  in  favor  of  a  liberal  construction  of  the  Con- 
stitution, which  would  give  as  much  power  to  the 
Central  Government  as  that  document  could  possibly 
authorize. 

The  leading  Federalists  and  Republicans  were 
alike  noble  men,  consecrating  all  their  energies  to  the 
good  of  the  nation.  Two  more  honest  men  or  more 
pure  patriots  than  John  Adams  the  Federalist,  and 
James  Monroe  the  Republican,  never  breathed.  In 
building  up  this  majestic  nation,  which  is  destined 
to  eclipse  all  Grecian  and  Assyrian  greatness,  the  com- 
bination of  their  antagonism  was  needed  to  create  the 
light  equilibrium.  And  yet  each  in  his  day  was  de- 
nounced as  almost  a  demon. 

Washington  was  then  President.  England  had  es- 
poused the  cause  of  the  Bourbons  against  the  princi- 
ples of  the  French  Revolution.  All  Europe  was  drawn 
into  the  conflict.  We  were  feeble  and  far  away. 
Washington  issued  a  proclamation  of  neutrality  be-  • 
tween  these  contending  powers.  France  had  helped 
us  in  the  struggle  for  our  liberties.  All  the  despotisms 
of  Europe  were  now  combined  to  prevent  the  French 
from  escaping  from  a  tyranny  a  thousand-fold  worse 
than  that  which  we  had  endured  Col.  Monroe,  more 
magnanimous  than  prudent,  was  anxious  that,  at 
whatever  hazard,  we  should  help  our  old  allies  in 
their  extremity.  It  was  the  impulse  of  a  generous 
and  noble  nature.  He  violently  opposed  the  Pres- 
ident's proclamation  as  ungrateful  and  wanting  in 
magnanimity. 

Washington,  who  could  appreciate  such  a  character, 
developed  his  calm,  serene,  almost  divine  greatness, 
by  appointing  that  very  James  Monroe,  who  was  de- 
nouncing the  policy  of  the  Government,  as  the  minister 
of  that  Government  to  the  Republic  of  France.  Mr. 
Monroe  was  welcomed  by  the  National  Convention 
in  France  with  the  most  enthusiastic  demonstrations. 


Shortly  after  his  return  to  this  countrv,  Mr.  Mon- 
roe was  elected  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  held  the 
office  for  three  yeais.  He  was  again  sent  to  France  to 
co-operate  with  Chancellor  Livingston  in  obtaining 
the  vast  territory  then  known  as  the  Province  of 
Louisiana,  which  France  had  but  shortly  before  ob- 
tained from  Spain.  Tlreir  united  efforts  were  suc- 
cessful. For  the  comparatively  small  sum  of  fifteen 
millions  of  dollars,  the  entire  territory  of  Orleans  and 
district  of  Louisiana  were  added  to  the  United  States. 
This  was  probably  the  largest  transfer  of  real  estate 
which  was  ever  made  in  all  the  history  of  the  world. 

From  France  Mr.  Monroe  went  to  England  to  ob- 
tain from  that  country  some  recognition  of  0111 
rights  as  neutrals,  and  to  remonstrate  against  those 
odious  impressments  of  our  seamen.  but  Eng- 
land was  unrelenting.  He  again  returned  to  Eng- 
land on  the  same  mission,  but  could  receive  no 
redress.  He  returned  to  his  home  and  was  again 
chosen  Governor  of  Virginia.  This  he  soon  resigned 
to  accept  the  position  of  Secretary  of  State  under 
Madison.  While  in  this  office  war  with  England  was 
declared,  the  Secretary  of  War  resigned,  and  during 
these  trying  times,  the  duties  of  the  War  Department 
were  also.jjjlj 'tfbbn  him.  He  was  truly  the  armor- 
bearer  of  President  Madison,  and  the  most  efficient 
business  man  in  his'eabinet.  Upon  the  return  ol 
peace  he  resigned  the  Department  of  War,  but  con- 
tinued in  the  office  of  Secretary  of  State  until  the  ex- 
piration of  Mr.  Madison's  adminstration.  At  the  elec 
tion  held  the  previous  autumn  Mr.  Monroe  himself  had 
been  chosen  President  with  but  little  opposition,  and 
upon  March  4,  181-7,  was  inaugurated.  Four  years 
later  he  was  elected  for  a  second  term. 

Among  the  important  measures  of  his  Presidency 
were  the  cession  of  Florida  to  the  United  States;  the 
Missouri  Compromise,  and  the    "  Monroe  doctrine.' 

This  famous  doctrine,  since  known  as  the  "  Monroe 
doctrine,"  was  enunciated  by  him  in  1823.  At  that 
time  the  United  States  had  recognized  the  independ- 
ence of  the  South  American  states,  and  did  not  wish 
to  have  European  powers  longer  attempting  to  sub- 
due portions  of  the  American  Continent.  The  doctrine 
is  as  follows:  "That  we  should  consider  any  attempt 
on  the  part  of  European  powers  to  extend  their  sys- 
tem to  any  portion  of  this  hemisphere  as  dangerous 
to  our  peace  and  safety,"  and  "that  we  could  not 
view  any  interposition  for  the  purpose  of  oppressing 
or  controlling  American  governments  or  provinces  in 
any  other  light  than  as  a  manifestation  by  European 
powers  of  an  unfriendly  disposition  toward  the  United 
States."  This  doctrine  immediately  affected  the  course 
of  foreign  governments,  and  has  become  the  approved 
sentiment  of  the  United  States. 

At  the  end  of  his  fecond  term  Mr.  Monroe  retired 
to  his  home  in  Virginia,  where  he  lived  until  1830, 
when  he  went  to  New  York  to  live  with  his  son-in- 
law.     In  that  city  he  died.on  the  4th  of  July,  1831 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 


3.  2,  At 


dyrr^i 


SIXTH  PRESIDENT. 


39 


Hi*'/'Xi4''^"-..^V'^iiC*J*~, ,i?r  V^v.^*?*'^'^^*-'"^*^*''''^  "IB* "j'i^*r  -vii- *ir*  -v*cT*s*  -»;<- *S*^,ic-.  *t*  -vlv*.  V  *vf«* *S* -ii«*  l5* 


30511  Qmi)GY  p^ITQS. 


r-/*cHK?;;k— •^.^,8^A— ^^<cv^ 


OHM  QUINCY  ADAMS,  the 
i@Ls'xl'1  President  of  the  United 
g* Stales,  was  born  in  the  rural 
home   of  his    honored    father. 
John  Adams, in  Quincy,  Mass  , 
on  the  1  ith  cf  July,  1767.   His 
mother,   a   woman   of   exalted 
worth,  watched  over  his  childhood 
during    the   almost    constant    ab- 
sence of  his  father.      When    but 
eight  years  of  age,  he   stood  with 
his  mother  on  an  eminence,  listen- 
ing to  the  booming  of  the  great  bat- 
tle on  Bunker's  Hill,  and  gazing  on 
upon  the  smoke  and  flames  billow- 
ing up  from    the   conflagration   of 
Charlestown. 

When  but  eleven  years  old  he 
took  a  tearful  adieu  of  his  mother, 
to  sail  with  his  fatner  for  Europe, 
through  a  fleet  ot  hostile  British  cruisers.  The  bright, 
animated  boy  spent  a  year  and  a  half  in  Paris,  where 
his  father  was  associated  with  Franklin  and  Lee  as 
minister  plenipotentiary.  His  intelligence  attracted 
the  notice  of  these  distinguished  men,  and  he  received 
from  them  flattering  marks  of  attention. 

Mr.  John  Adams  had  scarcely  returned  to  this 
country,  in  1779,  ere  he  was  again  sent  abroad.  Again 
fohn  Quincy  accompanied  his  father.  At  Paris  he 
applied  himself  with  great  diligence,  for  six  months, 
to  .-.'udy;  then  accom pained  his  father  to  Holland, 
where  he  entered,  first  a  school  in  Amsterdam,  then 
the  University  at  Leyden.  About  a  year  from  this 
time,  in  T78 r,  when  the  manly  boy  was  but  fourteen 
yea's  of  age,  he  was  selected  by  Mr.  Dana,  our  min- 
ister to  the  Russian  court,  as  his  private  secretary. 

Tn  this  school  of  incessant  labor  and  of  enobling 
culture  he  spent  fourteen  months,  and  then  returned 
to  Holland  through  Sweden,  Denmark,  Hamburg  and 
Bremen.  This  long  journey  he  took  alone,  in  the 
winter,  when  in  his  sixteenth  year.  Again  he  resumed 
his  studies,  under  a  private  tutor,  at  Hague,  Thence, 


in  the  spring  of  1782,  he  accompanied  his  father  V. 
Paris,  traveling  leisurely,  and  forming  acquaintance 
with  the  most  distinguished  men  on  the  Continent 
examining  architectural  remains,  galleries  of  paintings 
,and  all  renowned  works  of  art.  At  Paris  he  agait. 
became  associated  with  the  most  illustrious  men  o( 
all  lands  in  the  contemplations  of  the  loftiest  temporal 
themes  which  can  engross  the  human  mind.  Aft.;' 
a  short  visit  to  England  lie  returned  to  Paris,  ana 
consecrated  all  his  energies  to  study  until  May,  1785, 
when  he  returned  to  America.  To  a  brilliant  young 
man  of  eighteen,  who  had  seen  much  of  the  world, 
and  who  was  familiar  with  the  etiquette  of  courts,  a 
residence  with  his  father  in  London,  under  such  cir- 
cumstances, must  have  been  extremely  attractive 
but  with  judgment  very  rare  in  one  of  his  age,  he  pre- 
ferred to  return  to  America  to  complete  his  education 
in  an  American  college.  He  wished  then  to  study 
law,  that  with  an  honorable  profession,  he  might  be 
able  to  obtain  an  independent  support. 

Upon  leaving  Harvard  College,  at  the  age  of  t wenty 
he  studied  law  for  three  years.  In  June,  1794,  be- 
ing then  but  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  Washington,  resident  minister  at  the 
Netherlands.  Sailing  from  Boston  in  July,  he  reached 
London  in  October,  where  he  was  immediately  admit- 
ted to  the  deliberations  of  Messrs.  Jay  and  Pinckney 
assisting  them  in  negotiating  a  commercial  treaty  with 
Gieat  Britian.  After  thus  spending  a  fortnight  i. 
London,  he  proceeded  to  the  Hague. 

In  July,  1797,  he  left  the  Hague  to  go  to  Portugal  as 
minister  plenipotentiary.  On  his  way  to  Portugal 
upon  arriving  in  London,  he  met  with  despatches 
directing  him  to  the  court  of  Beiiin,  but  requeslii  p 
him  to  remain  in  London  until  he  should  receive  his 
instructions.  While  waiting  he  was  mairied  to  ar 
American  lady  to  whom  he  had  been  previous!)  en- 
gaged,— Miss  Louisa  Catherine  Johnson,  daughtc 
of  Mr.  Joshua  Johnson,  American  consul  in  london- 
a  lady  endownd  with  that  beauty  and  those  accom- 
plishment which  eminently  fitted  her  to  move  in  tut 
elevated  sphere  for  which  she  w;^s  v**V»ued 


10 


JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS. 


He  reached  Berlin  with  his  wife  in  November,  1797  ; 
where  he  remained  until  July,  1799,  when,  having  ful- 
filled all  tHe  purposes  of  his  mission,  he  solicited  his 
recall. 

Soon  after  his  return,  in  1802,  he  was  chosen  to 
the  Senate  of  Massachusetts,  from  Boston,  and  then 
was  elected  Senator  of  the  United  States  for  six  years, 
from  the  4th  of  March,  1804.  His  reputation,  his 
ability  and  his  experience,  placed  him  immediately 
among  the  most  prominent  and  influential  members 
of  that  body.  Especially  did  he  sustain  the  Govern- 
ment in  its  measures  of  resistance  to  the  encroach- 
ments of  England,  destroying  our  commerce  and  in- 
sulting our  flag.  There  was  no  man  in  America  more 
familiar  with  the  arrogance  of  the  British  court  upon 
these  points,  and  no  one  more  resolved  to  present 
a  firm  resistance. 

In  1809,  Madison  succeeded  Jefferson  in  the  Pres- 
idential chair,  and  he  immediately  nominated  John 
Qnincy  Adams  minister  to  St.  Petersburg.  Resign- 
ing his  professorship  in  Harvard  College,  he  embarked 
at  Boston,  in  August,  1809. 

While  in  Russia,  Mr.  Adams  was  an  intense  stu- 
dent. He  devoted  his  attention  to  the  language  and 
history  of  Russia;  to  the  Chinese  trade;  to  the 
European  system  of  weights,  measures,  and  coins  ;  to 
the  climate  and  astronomical  observations  ;  while  he- 
Kept  up  a  familiar  acquaintance  with  the  Greek  and 
Latin  classics.  In  all  the  universities  of  Europe,  a 
more  accomplished  scholar  could  scarcely  be  found. 
All  through  life  the  Bible  constituted  an  import. 11  t 
part  of  his  studies.  It  was  his  rule  to  read  five 
chapters  every  day. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1S17,  Mr.  Monroe  took  the 
Presidential  chair,  and  immediately  appointed  Mr. 
Adams  Secretary  of  State.  Taking  leave  of  his  num- 
erous friends  in  public  and  private  life  in  Europe,  he 
sailed  in  June,  1819,  for  the  United  States.  On  the 
18th  of  August,  he  again  crossed  the  threshold  of  his 
home  in  Quincy.  During  the  eight  years  of  Mr.  Mon- 
roe's administration,  Mr.  Adams  continued  Secretary 
of  State. 

Some  time  before  Lhe  close  of  Mr.  Monroe's  second 
term  of  office,  new  candidates  began  to  be  presented 
for  the  Presidency.  The  friends  of  Mr.  Adams  brought 
forward  his  name.  It  was  an  exciting  campaign. 
Party  spirit  was  never  more  bitter.  Two  hundred  and 
sixty  electoral  votes  were  cast.  Andrew  Jackson  re- 
ceived ninety  nine;  John  Quincy  Adams,  eighty-four; 
William  H.  Crawford,  forty -one;  Henry  Clay,  thirty- 
seven.  As  there  was  no  choice  by  the  people,  the 
question  went  to  the  House  of  Representatives.  Mr. 
Clay  gave  the  vote  of  Kentucky  to  Mr.  Adams,  and 
he  was  elected. 

The  friends  of  all  the  disappointed  candidates  now 
combined  in  a  venomous  and  persistent  assault  upon 
Mr.  Adams.  There  is  nothing  more  disgraceful  in 
vk«  past  history  of  our  country  than  the  abuse  which 


was  poured  in  one  uninterrupted  stream,  upon  this 
high-minded,  upright,  patriotic  man.  There  never  was 
an  administration  more  pure  in  principles,  more  con- 
scientiously devoted  to  the  best  interests  of  the  coun- 
try, than  that  of  John- Quincy  Adams;  and  never,  per- 
haps, was  there  an  administration  more  unscrupu- 
lously and  outrageously  assailed. 

Mr.  Adams  was,  to  a  very  remarkable  degree,  ab- 
stemious and  temperate  in  his  habits;  always  rising 
early,  and  taking  much  exercise.  When  at  his  home  in 
Quincy,  he  lias  been  known  to  walk,  before  breakfast, 
seven  miles  to  Boston.  In  Washington,  it  was  said 
that  he  was  the  first  man  up  in  the  city,  lighting  his 
own  fire  and  applying  himself  to  work  in  his  library 
often  long  before  dawn. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1829,  Mr.  Adams  retired 
from  the  Presidency,  and  was  succeeded  by  Andrew 
Jackson.  John  C.  Calhoun  was  elected  Vice  Presi- 
dent. The  slavery  question  now  began  to  assume 
portentous  magnitude.  Mr.  Adams  returned  to 
Quincy  and  to  his  studies,  which  he  pursued  with  un- 
abated zeal.  But  he  was  not  long  permitted  to  re- 
main in  retirement.  In  November,  1830,  he  was 
elected  representative  to  Congress.  For  seventeen 
years,  until  )iis  dc^th,  he  occupied  the  post  as  repre- 
sentative, towering  above  all  his  peers,  ever  ready  to 
do  brave  battle' for  freedom,  and  winning  the  title  of 
"the  old  man  eloquent."-  Upon  taking  his  seat  in 
the  House,  he  announced  that  he  should  hold  him- 
self bound  to  no  party.  Probably  there  never  was  a 
member  more  devoted  to  his  duties.  He  was  usually 
the  first  in  his  place  in  the  morning,  and  the  last  to 
leave  his  seat  in  the  evening.  Not  a  measure  could 
be  brought  forward  and  escape  his  scrutiny.  The 
battle  which  Mr.  Adams  fought,  almost  singly,  agaiiisf 
the  proslavery  party  in  the  Government,  was  sublime 
in  its  moral  daring  and  heroism.  For  persisting  in 
presenting  petitions  for  the  abolition  of  slavery,  he- 
was  threatened  with  indictment  by  the  grand  jury, 
with  expulsion  from  the  House,  with  assassination 
but  no  threats  could  intimidate  him,  and  his  final 
triumph  was  complete. 

It  has  been  said  of  President  Adams,  that  when  his 
body  was  bent  and  his  hair  silvered  by  the  lapse  of 
fourscore  years,  yielding  to  the  simple  faith  of  a  little 
child,  he  was  accustomed  to  repeat  every  night,  before 
lie  slept,  the  prayer  which  his  mother  taught  him  in 
his  infant  vears. 

On  the  2tst  of  February,  1848,  he  rose  on  the  floor 
of  Congress,  with  a  paper  in  his  hand,  to  address  the 
speaker.  Suddenly  he  fell,  again  stricken  1  y  paraly- 
sis, and  was  caught  in  the  arms  of  those  aiound  him. 
For  a  time  he  was  senseless,  as  he  was  conveyed  to 
the  sofa  in  the  rotunda.  With  reviving  conscious- 
ness, he  opened  his  eyes,  looked  calmly  around  and 
said  "  This  is  the  end  of  earth  .-"then  after  a  moment's 
pause  he  added,  "lam  content"  These  were  the 
last   words  of    the    grand    "  Old    Man    Eloquent," 


iJBRARY 
OF   THE 
UNIVcr- 


SEVENTH  PRESIDENT. 


*3 


..ii&e^So-S&SWWzrav.  gj 


*■■       AHJDJP5W    |ACJvSON.      |:;>> 


NDREW     JACKSON,     the 

seventh  Presidei.t  of  the 
'  United  States,  was  born  in 
Waxhaw  settlement,  N.  C, 
March  15,  1767,  a  few  days 
after  his  father's  death.  His 
parents  were  poor  emigrants 
from  Ireland,  and  took  up 
their  abode  in  Waxhaw  set- 
tlement, where  they  lived  in 
deepest  poverty. 
Andrew,  or  Andy,  as  he  was 
universally  called,  grew  up  a  very 
rough,  rude,  turbulent  boy.  His 
features  were  coarse,  his  form  un- 
gainly; and  there  was  but  very- 
little  in  his  character,  made  visible,  which  was  at- 
tractive. 

When  only  thirteen  years  old  he  joined  the  volun- 
teers of  Carolina  against  the  British  invasion.  In 
i7»r,  he  and  his  brother  Robert  were  captured  and 
imprisoned  for  a  time  at  Camden.  A  British  officer 
ordered  him  to  brush  his  mud-spattered  boots.  "  I  am 
a  prisoner  of  war,  not  your  servant,"  was  the  reply  of 
the  dauntless  boy. 

The  brute  drew  his  sword,  and  aimed  a  desperate 
Dlow  at  the  head  of  the  helpless  young  prisoner. 
Andrew  raised  his  hand,  and  thus  received  two  fear- 
ful gashes, — one  on  the  hand  and  the  other  upon  the 
head.  The  officer  then  turned  to  his  brother  Robert 
with  the  same  demand.  He  also  refused,  and  re- 
ceived a  blow  from  the  keen-edged  sabre,  which  quite 
disabled  him,  and  which  probably  soon  after  caused 
hisdeath.  They  suffered  much  other  ill-treatment,  ami 
were  finally  stricken  with  the  small-pox.  Their 
mother  was  successful  in    obtaining   their  exchange, 


and  took  her  sick  boys  home.  After  a  long  illness 
Andrew  recovered,  and  the  death  of  his  mother  soon 
left  him  entirely  friendless. 

Andrew  supported  himself  in  various  ways,  such  as 
working  at  the  saddler's  trade,  teaching  school  and 
clerking  in  a  general  store,  until  1784,  when  he 
entered  a  law  office  at  Salisbury,  N.  C.  He,  however, 
gave  more  attention  to  the  wild  amusements  of  the 
times  than  to  his  studies.  In  178S,  he  was  appointed 
solicitor  for  the  western  district  of  North  Carolina,  of 
which  Tennessee  was  then  a  part.  This  involved 
many  long  and  tedious  journeys  amid  dangers  of 
every  kind,  but  Andrew  Jackson  never  knew  fear, 
and  the  Indians  had  no  desire  to  repeat  a  skirmish 
with  the  Sharp  Knife. 

In  i79t,  Mr.  Jackson  was  married  to  a  woman  who 
supposed  herself  divorced  from  her  former  husband. 
Great  was  the  surprise  of  both  parties,  two  years  later, 
to  find  that  the  conditions  of  the  divorce  had  just  been 
definitely  settled  by  the  first  husband.  The  marriage 
ceremony  was  performed  a  second  time,  but  the  occur- 
rence was  often  used  by  his  enemies  to  bring  Mr. 
Jackson  into  disfavor. 

During  these  years  lie  worked  hard   at  his    profes 
sion,  and  frequently  had  one  or  more  duels  on  hand, 
one  of  which,  when  he    killed  Dickenson,  was  espec- 
ially disgraceful. 

In  January,  1796,  the  Territory  of  Tennessee  then 
containing  nearly  eighty  thousand  inhabitants,  the 
people  met  in  convention  at  Knoxville  to  frame  a  con- 
stitution. Five  were  sent  from  each  of  the  eleven 
counties.  Andrew  Jackson  was  one  of  the  delegates. 
The  new  State  was  entitled  to  but  one  member  in 
the  National  House  of  Representatives.  Andrew  Jack- 
son was  chosen  that  member.  Mounting  his  horse  he 
rode  to  Philedelphia,  where  Congress   then    held  its 


44 


ANDRE  IV  JACKSON. 


sessions, — a  distance  of  about  eight   hundred    miles. 

Jackson  was  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  Jefferson  was  his  idol.  He  admired 
Bonaparte,  loved  France  and  hated  England.  As  Mr. 
Jackson  took  his  seat,  Gen.  Washington,  whose 
second  term  of  office  was  then  expiring,  delivered  his 
last  speech  to  Congress.  A  committee  drew  up  a 
complimentary  address  in  reply.  Andrew  Jackson 
did  not  approve  of  the  address,  and  was  one  of  the 
twelve  who  voted  against  it.  He  was  not  willing  to 
say  that  Gen.  Washington's  adminstration  had  been 
"  wise,  firm  and  patriotic." 

Mr.  Jackson  was  elected  to  the  United  States 
Senate  in  1797,  but  soon  resigned  and  returned  home. 
Soon  after  he  was  chosen  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  his  State,  which  position  he  held  Lr  six  years. 

When  the  war  of  1812  with  Great  Britian  com- 
menced, Madison  occupied  the  Presidential  chair. 
Aaron  Burr  sent  word  to  the  President  that  there  was 
an  unknown  man  in  the  West,  Andrew  Jackson,  who 
would  do  credit  to  a  commission  if  one  were  con- 
ferred upon  him.  Just  at  that  time  Gen.  Jackson 
jffeied  his  services  and  those  of  twenty-five  hundred 
volunteers.  His  offer  was  accepted,  and  the  troops 
were  assembled  at  Nashville. 

As  the  British  were  hourly  expected  to  make  an  at- 
tack upon  New  Orleans,  where  Gen  Wilkinson  was 
in  command,  he  was  ordered  to  descend  the  river 
with  fifteen  hundred  troops  to  aid  Wilkinson.  The 
expedition  reached  Natchez;  and  after  a  delay  of  sev- 
eral weeks  there,  without  accomplishing  anything, 
the  men  were  ordered  back  to  their  homes.  But  the 
energy  Gen.  Jackson  had  displayed,  and  his  entire 
devotion  to  the  comrfort  of  his  soldiers,  won  him 
golden  opinions;  and  he  became  the  most  popular 
man  in  the  State.  It  was  in  this  expedition  that  his 
toughness  gave  him  the  nickname  of  "  Old  Hickory." 

Soon  after  this,  while  attempting  to  horsewhip  Col. 
Thomas  H.  Benton,  for  a  remark  that  gentleman 
made  about  his  taking  a  part  as  second  in  a  duel,  in 
which  a  younger  brother  of  Benton's  was  engaged, 
he  received  two  severe  pistol  wounds.  While  he  was 
"lingering  upon  a  bed  of  suffering  news  came  that  the 
Indians,  who  had  combined  under  Tecumseh  from 
Florida  to  the  Lakes,  to  exterminate  the  white  set- 
tlers, were  committing  the  most  awful  ravages.  De- 
cisive action  became  necessary.  Gen.  Tackson,  with 
his  fractured  bone  just  beginning  to  heal,  his  arm  in 
a  sling,  and  unable  to  mount  his  horse  without  assis- 
tance, gave  his  amazing  energies  to  the  raising  of  an 
army  to  rendezvous  at  Fayettesville,  Alabama. 

The  Creek  Indians  had  established  a  strong  fort  on 
one  of  thebendsof  theTallaooosa  River,  near  the  cen- 
ter of  Alabama,  about  fifty  miles  below  Fort  Strother. 
With  an  army  of  two  thousand  men,  Gen.  Jackson 
traversed  the  pathless  wilderness  in  a  march  of  eleven 
days.  He  reached  their  fort,  called  Tohopeka  or 
Horse-shoe,  on  the  27th  of  March.  1814.     The  bend 


of  the  river  enclosed  nearly  one  hundred  acres  of 
tangled  forest  and  wild  ravine.  Across  the  narrow 
neck  the  Indians  had  constructed  a  formidable  breast- 
work of  logs  and  brush.  Here  nine  hundred  warriors, 
with  an  ample  suplyof  arms  were  assembled. 

The  fort  was  stormed.  The  fight  was  utterly  des- 
perate. Not  an  Indian  would  accept  of  quarter.  When 
bleeding  and  dying,  they  would  fight  those  who  en- 
deavored to  spare  their  lives.  From  ten  in  the  morn- 
ing until  dark,  the  battle  raged.  The  carnage  was 
awful  and  revolting.  Some  threw  themselves  into  the 
river;  but  the  unerring  bullet  struck  their  heads  as 
they  swam.  Nearly  everyone  of  the  nine  hundred  war- 
rios  were  killed  A  few  probably,  in  the  night,  swam 
the  river  and  escaped.  This  ended  the  war.  The 
power  of  the  Creeks  was  broken  forever.  This  bold 
plunge  into  the  wilderness,  with  itsterriffic  slaughter, 
so  appalled  the  savages,  that  the  haggard  remnants 
of  the  bands  came  to  the  camp,  begging  for  peace. 

This  closing  of  the  Creek  war  enabled  us  to  con- 
centrate all  our  militia  upon  the  British,  who  were  the 
allies  of  the  Indians  No  man  of  less  resolute  will 
than  Gen.  Jackson  could  have  conducted  this  Indian 
cam.paigrwto  so  successful  an  issue  Immediately  he 
was^ffipoijjted  major-general. 

Late  in  August,  with  an  army  of  two  thousand 
men,  on  a  rushing  march,  Gen.  Jackson  came  to 
Mobile.  A  British  fleet  came  from  Pensacola,  landed 
a  force  upon  the  beach,  anchored  near  the  little  fort, 
and  from  both  ship  and  shore  commenced  a  furious 
assault  The  battle  was  long  and  doubtful.  At  length 
one  of  the  ships  was  blown  up    and  the  rest  retired. 

Garrisoning  Mobile,  where  he  had  taken  his  little 
army,  he  moved  his  troops  to  New  Orleans, 
And  the  battle  of  New  Orleans  which  soon  ensued, 
was  in  reality  a  very  arduous  campaign.  This  won 
for  Gen.  Jackson  an  imperishable  name.  Here  his 
troops,  which  numbered  about  four  thousand  men, 
won  a  signal  victory  over  the  British  army  of  about 
nine  thousand.  His  loss  was  but  thirteen,  while  the 
loss  of  the  British  was  two  thousand  six  hundred. 

The  name  of  Gen.  Jackson  soon  began  to  be  men- 
tioned in  connection  with  the  Presidency,  but,  in  1824, 
he  was  defeated  by  Mr.  Adams.  He  was,  however, 
successful  in  the  election  of  1828,  and  was  re-elected 
for  a  second  term  in  1832.  In  1829,  just  before  he 
assumed  the  reins  of  the  government,  he  met  with 
the  most  terrible  affliction  of  his  life  in  the  death  of 
his  wife,  whom  he  had  loved  with  a  devotion  which  has 
perhaps  never  been  surpassed.  From  the  shock  of 
her  death  he  never  recovered. 

His  administration  was  one  of  the  most  memorable 
in  the  annals  of  our  country;  applauded  by  one  party, 
condemned  by  the  other.  No  man  had  more  bitter 
enemies  or  warmer  friends.  At  the  expiration  of  his 
two  terms  of  office  he  retired  to  the  Hermitage,  where 
he  died  June  8,  1845.  The  last  years  of  Mr.  Jack- 
son's  life   were  that   of  a   devoted  Christian   man. 


/  ) 


/  7  /^Jet  ^^/Ju. 


EIGHTH  PRESIDENT. 


TYVTfDTlTin     Wn    TDTTTDT^n  .7 


iipifni}  Y^I]  BUREIJ. 


:>:  • 


ARTIN  VAN  BUREN,  the 
eighth      President     of     the 
United  States,  was  born  at 
Kinderhook,  N.  Y.,  Dec.   5, 
1782.     He  died  at  the  same 
place,  July    24,    1862.       His 
body   rests  in    the   cemetery 
»         at  Kinderhook.     Above  it  is 
a  plain  granite    shaft  fifteen  feet 
high,  bearing  a  simple  inscription 
about  halt  way  up   on   one    face. 
The  lot  is  unfenced,  unbordered 
or  unbounded  by  shrub  or  flower. 

.There  is  but  little  in  the  life  of  Martin  Van  Buren 
of  romantic  interest.  He  fought  no  battles,  engaged 
in  no  wild  adventures.  Though  his  life  was  stormy  in 
political  and  intellectual  conflicts,  and  he  gained  many 
signal  victories,  his  days  passed  uneventful  in  those 
incidents  which  give  zest  to  biography.  His  an- 
cestors, as  his  name  indicates,  were  of  Dutch  origin, 
and  were  among  the  earliest  emigrants  from  Holland 
to  the  banks  of  the  Hudson.  His  father  was  a  farmer, 
residing  in  the  old  town  of  Kinderhook.  His  mother, 
also  of  Dutch  lineage,  was  a  woman  of  superior  intel- 
ligence and  exemplary  piety. 

,fe  was  decidedly  a  precocious  boy,  developing  un- 
usual activity,  vigor  and  strength  of  mind.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen,  he  had  finished  his  academic  studies 
in  his  native  village,  and  commenced  the  study  of 
law.  As  he  had  not  a  collegiate  education,  seven 
years  of  study  in  a  law-office  were  required  of  him 
before  he  could  be  admitted  to  the  bar.  Inspired  with 
J.  lofty  ambition,  and  conscious  of  his  powers,  he  pur- 
sued his  studies  with  indefatigable  industry.  After 
spending  six  yens  in  an  office  in  his    native  village, 


he  went  to  the  city  of  Mew  York,  and  prosecuted  his 
studies  for  the  seventh  year. 

In  1803,  Mr.  Van  Buren,  then  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  commenced  the  practice  of  law  in  his  native  vil- 
lage. The  great  conflict  between  the  Federal  and 
Republican  party  was  then  at  its  height.  Mr.  Van 
Buren  was  from  the  beginning  a  politician.  He  had, 
perhaps,  imbibed  that  spirit  while  listening  to  the 
many  discussions  which  had  been  carried  on  in  his 
father's  hotel.  He  was  in  cordial  sympathy  with 
Jefferson,  and  earnestly  and  eloquently  espoused  the 
cause  of  State  Rights;  though  at  that  time  the  Fed- 
eral party  held  the  supremacy  both  in  his  town 
and  State. 

His  success  and  increasing  ruputation  led  him 
after  six  years  of  practice,  to  remove  to  Hudson,  tlu 
county  seat  of  his  county.  Here  he  spent  seven  years 
constantly  gaining  strength  by  contending  in  the- 
courts  with  some  of  the  ablest  men  who  have  adorned 
the  bar  of  his  State. 

Just  before  leaving  Kinderhook  for  Hudson,  Mi. 
Van  Buren  married  a  lady  alike  distinguished  for 
beauty  and  accomplishments.  After  twelve  short 
years  she  sank  into  the  grave,  the  victim  of  consump- 
tion, leaving  her  husband  and  four  sons  to  weep  over 
her  loss.  For  twenty-five  years,  Mr.  Van  Buren  was 
an  earnest,  successful,  assiduous  lawyer.  The  record 
of  those  years  is  barren  in  items  of  public  interest. 
In  1812,  when  thirty  years  of  age,  he  was  chosen  to 
the  State  Senate,  and  gave  his  strenuous  support  to 
Mr.  Madison's  adminstration.  In  1S15,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Attorney-General,  and  the  next  year  moved 
to  Albany,  the  capital  of  the  State. 

While  he  was  acknowledged  as  one  of  the  most 
p. ominent  leaders  of  the  Democratic   party,  he  had 


MARTIN  VAN  BVREN. 


...  moral  courage  vow  that  true   democracy   did 

not  require   th.it  ersal    suffrage "  which    admits 

the  vile,  the  degr;  .  the  ignorant,  to  the  right  of 
governing  the  St?  In    true    consistency   with    his 

democratic  prinoi.  he  contended    that,   while  the 

path  leading  to  th  .  ilege  of  voting  should  be  open 

to  jvery  man  withi  listinction,  no  one  should  be 
invested  with  that  ;d  prerogative,  unless  he  were 

In  some  degree  qi  '  Bed  for  it  by  intelligence,  virtue 
and  some   propert  rests    in    the    welfare   of   the 

State. 

In  182  i  he  was  ted  a  member  of  the  United 
States  Senate;    an  ;he  same  year,  he  took  a    seat 

in  the  convention  evise  the   constitution    of   his 

native  State.     His  se  in  this  convention  secured 

the  approval  of  m  all  parties.     No    one    could 

doubt  the  singlene  his  endeavors  to  promote  the 

interests  of  all  cla:  n    the    community.       In    the 

Senate  of  the  Unit'  ates,    he    rose   at    once   to  a 

conspicuous  positioi         an  active  and  useful  legislator. 

In  1827,  John  Q  'i  •  Adams  beirg  then  in  the 
Presidential  chair,  h  r.  Van  Buren  was  re-elected  to 
me  Senate.     He  hi  En  from  the  beginning  a  de- 

;ermined  opposer  o  Administration,  adopting  the 

'State  Rights"  view  n  opposition  to  what  was 
deemed  the  Federal  .       livities  of  Mr.  Adams. 

Soon  after  this,  in  1  I,  he  was  chosen  Governorof 
the  State  of  New  Yi  nd  accordingly  resigned  his 

seat  in  the  Senate.  lably  no  one  in  the  United 

States  contributed  9  ich  towards  ejecting  John  Q. 
Adams  from  the  PreV  tial  chair,  and  placing  in  it 
Andrew  Jackson,  as  '  lartin  Van  Buren.  Whether 
entitled  to  the  reput;  or  not,  he  certainly  was  re- 

garded throughout  tl  United  States  as  one  of  the 
most  skillful,  sagacic  id    cunning   of   politicians. 

It  was  supposed  that  ne  knew  so  well  as  he  how 

:o  touch  the  secret  s[  _-  of  action;  how  to  pull  all 
the  wires  to  put  his  11  'nery  in  motion;  and  how  to 
organize  a  political  ari  vhich  would,  secretly  and 
Etep'.thily  accomplish  .  most  gigantic  results.  By 
these  powers  it  is  saic  he  outwitted   Mr.  Adams, 

Mr.  Clay,  Mr.  Websti  d    secured    results    which 

lew  thought  then  coul       2  accomplished. 

When  Andrew   Jac  was  elected   President    he 

appointed  Mr.  Van  B  Secretary  of  State.     This 

position  he  resigned  ii  1,    and  was    immediately 

appointed  Minister  tc  gland,  where  he  went  the 
same  autumn.     The  5  •,  however,  when  it    met, 

refused   to   ratify  the  illation,    and  he  leturned 


home,  apparently  untroubled;  was  nominated  Vice 
President  in  the  place  of  Calhoun,  at  the  re-election 
of  President  Jackson ;  and  with  smiles  for  all  and 
fiowns  for  none,  he  took  his  place  at  the  head  of  thai 
Senate  which  had  refused  to  confirm  his  nomination 
as  ambassador. 

His  rejection  by  the  Senate  roused  all  the  zeal  of 
President  Jackson  in  behalf  of  his  repudiated  favor- 
ite; and  this,  probably  more  than  any  other  cause, 
secured  his  elevation  to  the  chair  of  the  Chief  Execu 
tive.  On  the  20th  of  May,  1S36,  Mr.  Van  Buren  re- 
ceived the  Democratic  nomination  to  succeed  Gen. 
Jackson  as  President  of  the  United  States  He  was 
elected  by  a  handsome  majority,  to  the  delight  of  the 
retiring  President.  "  Leaving  New  York  out  of  the 
canvass,"  says  Mr.  Parton,  "the  election  of  Mr.  Van 
Buren  to  the  Presidency  was  as  much  the  act  of  Gen. 
Jackson  as  though  the  Constitution  had  conferred 
upon  him  the  power  to  appoint  a  successor." 

His  administration  was  filled  with  exciting  events. 
The  insurrection  in  Canada/ which  threatened  to  in 
volve  this  country  in  war  with  England,  the  agitation 
of  the  slavery  question,  and  finally  the  great  commer- 
cial panic  which  spread  over  the  country,  all  were 
trials  to  his  wisdom.  The  financial  distress  was  at- 
tributed to  the  management  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  brought  the  President  into  such  disfavor  that  he 
failed  of  re  election. 

With  the  exception  of  being  nominated  for  the 
Presidency  by  the  "Free  Soil"  Democrats,  in  1848, 
Mr.  Van  Buren  lived  quietly  upon  his  estate  until 
his  death. 

He  had  ever  been  a  prudent  man,  of  frugal  habits, 
and  living  within  his  income,  had  now  fortunately  a 
competence  for  his  declining  years.  His  unblemished 
character,  his  commanding  abilities,  his  unquestioned 
patriotism,  and  the  distinguished  positions  which  he 
had  occupied  in  the  government  of  our  country,  se- 
cured to  him  not  only  the  homage  of  his  party,  but 
the  respect  ot  the  whole  community.  It  was  on  the 
4th  of  March,  1841,  that  Mr.  Van  Buren  retired  from 
the  presidency.  From  his  fine  estate  at  Lindenwald) 
he  still  exerted  a  powerful  influence  upon  the  politics 
of  the  country.  From  this  time  until  his  death,  on 
the  24th  of  July,  1862,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  he 
resided  at  Lindenwald,  a  gentleman  of  leisure,  cf 
culture  and  of  wealth;  enjoying  in  a  healthy  old 
age,  probably  far  more  happiness  than  he  had  before 
experienced  amid  the  stormy  scenes  of  his  active  life 


■ 


1IBRARY 
OF  THE 
UNIV 


fo.fcft&WL^> 


T-\^^ 


NINTH  PRESIDENT. 


5< 


ILLIAM  HENRY  HARRI- 
SON, the  ninth   President  of 
the   United  States,  was  bom 
at  Berkeley, Va., Feb. 9,  1773. 
His  father,    Benjamin    Harri- 
son, was  in  comparatively  op- 
ulent circumstances,  and  was 
one  of  the  most  distinguished 
men  of  his  day.      He  was  an 
intimate    friend    of     George 
Washington,  w  as  early  elected 
a  member  of  the  Continental 
Congress,    and  was    conspicuous 
among  the  patriots  of  Virginia  in 
resisting  the  encroachments  of  the 
British  crown.     In  the  celebrated 
Congress  of  1775,  Benjamin  Har- 
rison   and    John    Hancock   were 
both  candidates  for  the  office  of 
speaker. 

Mr  Harrison  was  subsequently 
chosen  Governor  of  Virginia,  and 
was  twice  re-elected.  His  son, 
William  Henry,  of  course  enjoyed 
in  childhood  all  the  advantages  which  wealth  and 
intellectual  and  cultivated  society  could  give.  Hav- 
ing received  a  thorough  common-school  education,  he 
entered  Hampden  Sidney  College,  wherre  he  graduated 
with  honor  soon  r-fter  the  death  of  his  father.  Ik- 
then  repaired  to  Philadelphia  to  study  medicine  under 
the  instructions  of  Dr.  Rush  and  the  guardianship  of 
iobert  Morris,  both  of  whom  were,  with  his  father, 
ligners  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

Jpon  the  outbreak  of  the  Indian  troubles,  and  not- 
withstanding the  »emons».rances  of  his  friends,  he 
abandoned  his  medical  studies  and  entered  the  army, 
.laving  obtained  a  commission  of  Ensign  from  Presi- 


dent Washington.  He  was  then  but  19  years  old. 
From  that  time  he  passed  gradually  upward  in  rank 
until  he  became  aid  to  General  Wayne,  after  whose 
death  he  resigned  his  commission.  He  was  then  ap- 
pointed Secretary  of  the  North-western  Territory.  This 
Territory  <vas  then  entitled  to  but  one  member  in 
Congress  and  Capt.  Harrison  was  chosen  to  fill  that 
position. 

In  the  spring  of  1800  the  North-western  Territory 
was  divided  by  Congress  into  two  portions.  The 
eastern  portion,  comprising  the  region  now  embraced 
in  the  State  of  Ohio,  was  called  ''  The  Territory 
north-west  of  the  Ohio."  The  western  portion,  which 
included  what  is  now  called  Indiana,  Illinois  and 
Wisconsin,  was  called  the  "Indiana  Territory."  Wil 
Ham  Henry  Harrison,  then  27  years  of  age,  was  ap- 
pointed by  John  Adams,  Governor  of  the  Indiana 
Territory,  and  immediately  after,  also  Governor  of 
Upper  Louisiana.  He  was  thus  ruler  over  almost  as 
extensive  a  realm  as  any  sovereign  upon  the  globe.  He 
was  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs,  and  was  in- 
vested with  powers  nearly  dictatorial  over  the  now 
rapidly  increasing  white  population.  The  ability  and 
fidelity  with  which  he  discharged  these  responsible 
duties  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  he  was  four 
times  appointed  to  this  office — first  by  John  Adams, 
twice  by  Thomas  Jefferson  and  afterwards  by  Presi- 
dent Madison. 

When  he  began  his  adminstration  there  were  but 
three  white  settlements  in  that  almost  boundless  region, 
now  crowded  with  cities  and  resounding  with  all  the 
tumult  of  wealth  and  traffic.  One  of  these  settlements 
was  on  the  Ohio,  nearly  opposite  Louisville;  one  at 
Vincennes,  on  the  Wabash,  and  the  third  a  French 
settlement. 

The  vast  wilderness  over  which  Gov.  Harrisoi. 
reigned  was  filled  with  many  tribes  of  Indians.  Aboi" 


52 


WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON. 


the  year  1806,  two  extraordinary  men,  twin  brothers, 
of  the  Shawnese  tribe,  rose  among  them.  One  of 
these  was  called  Tecumseh,  or  "  The  Crouching 
Panther;"  the  other,  Olliwacheca,  or  "The  Prophet." 
Tecumseh  was  not  only  an  Indian  warrior,  but  a  man 
of  great  sagacity,  far-reaching  foresight  and  indomit- 
able perseverance  in  any  enterprise  m  which  he  might 
engage.  He  was  inspired  with  the  highest  enthusiasm, 
and  had  long  regarded  with  dread  a.id  with  hatred 
the  encroachment  of  the  whites  upon  the  hunting- 
grounds  of  his  fathers.  His  brother,  the  Prophet,  was 
anorator,  who  could  sway  the  feelings  of  the  untutored 
Indian  as  the  gale  tossed  the  tree-tops  beneath  which 
they  dwelt. 

But  the  Prophet  was  not  merely  anorator:  he  was, 
in  the  superstitious  minds  of  the  Indians,  invested 
with  the  superhuman  dignity  of  a  medicine-man  or  a 
magician.  With  an  enthusiasm  unsurpassed  by  Peter 
the  Hermit  rousing  Europe  to  the  crusades,  he  went 
from  tribe  to  tribe,  assuming  that  he  was  specially  sent 
by  the  Great  Spirit. 

Gov.  Harrison  made  many  attempts  to  conciliate 
the  Indians,  but  at  last  the  war  came,  and  at  Tippe- 
canoe the  Indians  were  routed  with  great  slaughter. 
October  28,  1812,  his  army  began  its  inarch.  When 
near  the  Prophet's  town  three  Indians  of  rank  made 
their  appearance  and  inquired  why  Gov.  Harri-on  was 
approaching  them  in  so  hostile  an  attitude.  After  a 
short  conference,  arrangements  were  made  for  a  meet- 
ing the  next  day,  to  agree  upon  terms  of  peace. 

But  Gov.  Harrison  was  too  well  acquainted  with 
the  Indian  character  to  be  deceived  by  such  protes- 
tations. Selecting  a  favorable  spot  for  his  night's  en- 
campment, he  took  every  precaution  against  surprise 
His  troops  were  posted  in  a  hollow  square,  and  slept 
upon  their  arms. 

The  troops  threw  themselves  upon  the  ground  for 
rest;  but  every  man  had  his  accoutrements  on,  his 
loaded  musket  by  his  side, and  his  bayonet  fixed.  The 
wakeful  Governor,  between  three  and  four  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  had  risen,  and  was  sitting  in  conversa- 
tion with  his  aids  by  the  embers  of  a  waning  fire.  It 
was  a  chill,  cloudy  morning  with  a  drizzling  rain.  In 
the  darkness,  the  Indians  had  crept  as  near  as  possi- 
ble, and  j'ist  then,  with  a  savage  yell,  rushed,  with  all 
th'e  desperation  which  superstition  and  passion  most 
highly  inflamed  could  give,  upon  the  left  flank  of  the 
little  army.  The  savages  had  been  amply  provided 
with  guns  and  ammunition  by  the  English.  Their 
war-whoop  was  accompanied  by  a  shower  of  bullets. 

The  camp-fires  were  instantly  extinguished,  as  the 
light  aided  the  Indians  in  their  aim.  With  hide- 
»us  yells,  the  Indian  bands  rushed  on,  not  doubting  a 
speedy  and  an  entire  victory.  But  Gen.  Harrison's 
troops  stood  as  immovable  as  the  rocks  around  them 
until  day  dawned  :  they  then  made  a  simultaneous 
charge  with  the  bayonet,  and  swept  every  thing  be- 
fore   them,    and    completely    routing    the    foe. 


Gov.  Harrison  now  had  all  his  energies  tasked 
to  the  utmost.  The  British  descending  from  the  Can  - 
adas,  were  of  themselves  a  very  formidable  force  ;  but 
with  their  savage  allies,  rushing  like  wolves  from  the 
forest,  searching  out  every  remote  farm-house,  burn- 
ing, plundering,  scalping,  torturing,  the  wide  frontier 
was  plunged  into  a  state  of  consternation  which  even 
the  most  vivid  imagination  can  but  faintly  conceive. 
The  war-whoop  was  resounding  everywhere  in  the 
forest.  The  horizon  was  illuminated  with  the  conflagra- 
tion of  the  cabins  of  the  settlers.  Gen  Hull  had  made 
the  ignominious  surrender  of  his  forces  at  Detroit. 
Under  these  despairing  circumstances,  Gov.  Harrison 
was  appointed  by  President  Madison  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  North-western  army,  with  orders  to  retake 
Detroit,  and  to  protect  the  frontiers. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  place  a  man  in  a  situation 
demanding  more  energy,  sagacity  and  courage;  but 
General  Harrison  was  found  equal  to  the  position, 
and  nobly  and  triumphantly  did  he  meet  all  the  re 
sponsibilities. 

He  won  the  love  of  his  soldiers  by  always  sharing 
with  them  their  fatigue.  His  whole  baggage,  while 
pursuing  the  foe  up  the  Thames,  was  carried  in  a 
valise;  and  his  bedding  consisted  of  a  single  blanket 
laslied  over  his  saddle  Thirty-five  British  officers, 
his  prisoners  of  "war,  supped  with  him  after  the  battle. 
The  only  fare  he  could  give  them  was  beef  roasted 
before  the  fire,  without  bread  or  salt. 

In  18 16,  Gen.  Harrison  was  chosen  a  member  of 
the  National  House  of  Representatives,  to  represent 
the  District  of  Ohio.  In  Congress  he  proved  an 
active  member;  and  whenever  he  spoke,  it  was  with 
force  of  reason  and  power  of  eloquence,  which  arrested 
the  attention  of  all  the  members. 

In  1 S 1  g ,  Harrison  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of 
Ohio;  and  in  1824,  as  one  of  the  presidential  electors 
of  that  State,  he  gave  his  vote  for  Henry  Clay.  The 
same  year  he  was  chosen  to  the  United  States  Senate. 

In  1836,  the  friends  of  Gen.  Harrison  brought  him 
forward  as  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency  against 
Van  Buren,  but  he  was  defeated.  At  the  close  of 
Mr.  Van  Buren's  term,  he  was  re-nominated  by  his 
party,  and  Mr.  Harrison  was  unanimously  nominated 
by  the  Whigs,  with  John  Tyler  forthe  Vice  Presidency. 
The  contest  was  very  animated.  Gen  Jackson  gave 
all  his  influence  to  prevent  Harrison's  election  ;  but 
his  triumph  was  signal. 

The  cabinet  which  he  formed,  with  Daniel  Webster 
at  its  head  as  Secretary  of  State,  was  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  with  which  any  President  had  ever  been 
surrounded.  Never  were  the  prospects  of  an  admin- 
istration more  flattering,  or  the  hopes  of  the  country 
more  sanguine.  In  the  midst  of  these  bright  and 
joyous  prospects,  Gen.  Harrison  was  seized  by  a 
pleurisy-fever  and  after  a  few  days  of  violent  sick- 
ness, died  on  the  4th  of  April ;  just  one  month  after 
his  inauguration  as  President  of  the  United  States. 


IJBRARY 
Of   THE 


^isn, 


TENTH  PRESIDE  N'T. 


55 


OHN    TYLER,     the    tenth 
Presidentof  the  United  States. 
He  was  born   in  Charles-city 
Co.,  Va.,  March  29, 1790.  He 
was  the   favored  child   of  af- 
fluence and  high    social    po- 
sition.    At  the    early  age   of 
twelve,  John  entered  William 
and   Mary  College  and  grad- 
uated with  much  honor  when 
but  seventeen  years  old.  After 
graduating,   he  devoted  him- 
self with    great    assiduity  to   the 
study    of    law,    partly   with    his 
father   and   pirtly  with   Edmund 
Randolph,  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished lawyers  of  Virginia. 

At  nineteen  years  of  age,  ne 
commenced  the  practice  of  law. 
His  success  was  rapid  and  aston- 
ishing. It  is  said  that  three 
months  had  not  elapsed  ere  there 
was  scarcely  a  case  on  the  dock- 
et of  the  court  in  which  he  was 
1.  )t  retained.  When  but  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he 
was  almost  unanimously  e'ected  to  a  seat  in  the  State 
Legislature.  He  connected  himself  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  warmly  advocated  the  measures  of 
Jefferson  and  Madison.  For  five  successive  years  he 
w.;s  elected  to  the  Legislature,  receiving  nearly  the 
unanimous  vote  or  his  county. 

When  but  twenty-six  years  of  age,  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  Congress.  Here  he  acted  earnestly  and 
ably  with  the  Democratic  party,  opposing  a  national 
bank,  internal  improvements  by  the  General  riovern- 


merit,  a  protective  tariff,  and  advocating  a  strict  con- 
struction of  the  Constitution,  and  the  most  careful 
vigilance  over  State  rights.  His  labors  in  Congress 
were  so  arduous  that  before  the  close  of  his  second 
term  hi  found  it  necessary  to  resign  and  retire  to  his 
estate  in  Charles-city  Co.,  to  recruit  his  health.  He, 
however,  soon  after  consented  to  take  his  seat  in  the 
State  Legislature,  where  his  influence  was  powerful 
in  promoting  public  works  of  great  utility.  With  a 
reputation  thus  canstantly  increasing,  he  was  chosen 
by  a  very  large  majority  of  votes,  Governor  of  his 
native  State.  His  administration  was  signally  a  suc- 
cessful one.     His  popularity  secured  his  re-election. 

John  Randolph,  a  brilliant,  erratic,  half-crazed 
man,  then  represented  Virginia  in  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States.  A  portion  of  the  Democratic  party 
was  displeased  with  Mr.  Randolph's  wayward  course, 
and  brought  forward  John  Tyler  as  his  opponent, 
considering  him  the  only  man  in  Virginia  of  sufficient 
popularity  to  succeed  against  the  renowned  orator  of 
Roanoke.     Mr.  Tyler  was  the  victor. 

In  accordance  with  his  professions,  upon  taking  his 
seat  in  the  Senate,  he  joined  the  ranks  of  the  opposi- 
tion. He  opposed  the  tariff;  he  spoke  against  and 
voted  against  the  bank  as  unconstitutional ;  he  stren- 
uously opposed  all  restrictions  upon  slavery,  resist- 
ing all  projects  of  internal  improvements  by  the  Gen- 
eral Government,  and  avowed  his  sympathy  with  Mr. 
Calhoun's  view  of  nullification  ;  he  declared  that  Gen. 
Jackson,  by  his  opposition  to  the  nullifiers,  had 
abandoned  the  piinciples  of  the  Democratic  party. 
Such  was  Mr.  Tyler's  record  in  Congress, — a  record 
in  perfect  accordance  with  the  principles  which  he 
had  always  avowed. 

Returning  to  Virginia,  he  resumed  the  practice  of 
his  profession.     There  was  a  cplit  in  the   Democralit 


JOHN  TYLER. 


xUrty.  His  friends  still  regarded  him  as  a  true  Jef- 
fersonian,  gave  him  a  dinner,  and  showered  compli- 
ments Upon  him.  He  had  now  attained  the  age  of 
forty-six.  His  career  had  been  very  brilliant.  In  con- 
sequence of  his  devotion  to  public  business,  his  pri- 
vate affairs  had  fallen  into  some  disorder;  and  it  was 
not  without  satisfaction  that  he  resumed  the  practice 
of  law,  and  devoted  himself  to  the  culture  of  his  plan- 
tation. Soon  after  this  he  removed  to  Williamsburg, 
for  the  better  education  of  his  children  ;  and  he  again 
took  his  seat  in  the  Legislature  of  Virginia. 

By  the  Southern  Whigs,  he  was  sent  to  the  national 
convention  at  Harrisburg  to  nominate  a  President  in 
7839.  The  majority  of  votes  were  given  to  Gen.  Har- 
rison, a  genuine  Whig,  much  to  the  disappointment  ot 
the  South,  who  wished  for  Henry  Clay.  To  concili- 
ate the  Southern  Whigs  and  to  secure  their  vote,  the 
convention  then  nominated  John  Tyler  for  Vice  Pres- 
ident. It  was  well  known  that  he  was  not  in  sympa- 
thy with  the  Whig  party  in  the  Noith:  but  the  Vice 
President  has  but  very  little  power  in  the  Govern- 
ment, his  main  and  almost  only  duty  being  to  pre- 
side over  the  meetings  of  the  Senate.  Thus  it  hap- 
"pened  that  a  Whig  President,  and,  in  reality,  a 
Democratic  Vice  President  were  chosen. 

In  1 84 1,  Mr.  Tyler  was  inaugurated  Vice  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  In  one  short  month  from 
that  time,  President  Harrison  died,  and  Mr.  Tyler 
thus  fcund  himself,  to  his  own  surprise  and  that  of 
the  whole  Nation,  an  occupant  of  the  Presidential 
chair.  This  was  a  new  test  of  the  stability  of  our 
institutions,  as  it  was  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  our 
country  that  such  an  event  had  occured.  Mr.  Tyler 
was  at  home  in  Williamsburg  when  he  received  the 
unexpected  tidings  of  the  death  of  President  Harri- 
son. He  hastened  to  Washington,  and  on  the  6th  of 
April  was  inaugurated  to  the  high  and  responsible 
office.  He  was  placed  in  a  position  of  exceeding 
delicacy  and  difficulty.  All  his  long  life  he  had  been 
opposed  to  the  main  principles  of  the  party  which  had 
brought  him  into  power.  He  had  ever  been  a  con- 
sistent, honest  man,  with  an  unblemished  record. 
Gen.  Harrison  had  selected  a  Whig  cabinet.  Should 
he  retain  them,  and  thus  surround  himself  with  coun- 
sellors whose  views  were  antagonistic  to  his  own?  or, 
on  the  other  hand,  should  he  turn  against  the  party 
which  had  elected  him  and  select  a  cabinet  in  har- 
mony with  himself,  and  which  would  oppose  all  those 
views  which  the  Whigs  deemed  essential  to  the  pub- 
lic welfare?  This  was  his  fearful  dilemma.  He  in- 
vited the  cabinet  which  President  Harrison  had 
selected  to  retain  their  seats.  He  reccommended  a 
day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  that  God  would  guide  and 
bless  us. 

The  Whigs  carried  through  Congress  a  bill  for  the 
incorporation  of  a  fiscal  bank  of  the  United  States. 
The  President,  after  ten  days'  delay,  returned  it  with 
his  veto.      He   suggested,  however,  that  he  would 


approve  of  a  bid  drawn  up  upon  such  a  plan  as  he 
proposed.  Such  a  bill  was  accordingly  prepared,  and 
privately  submitted  to  him.  He  gave  it  his  approval. 
It  .vas  passed  without  alteration,  and  he  sent  it  back 
with  his  veto.  Here  commenced  the  open  rupture. 
Ic  is  said  that  Mr.  Tyler  was  provoked  to  this  meas- 
ure by  a  published  letter  from  the  Hon.  John  M. 
Botts,  a  distinguished  Virginia  Whig,  who  severely 
touched  the  pride  of  the  President. 

The  opposition  now  exultingly  received  the  Presi- 
dent into  their  arms.  The  party  which  elected  him 
denounced  him  bitterly.  All  the  members  of  his 
cabinet,  excepting  Mr.  Webster,  resigned.  The  Whigs 
of  Congress,  both  the  Senate  and  the  House,  held  a 
meeting  and  issued  an  address  to  the  people  of  the 
United  States,  proclaiming  that  all  political  alliance 
between  the  Whigs  and  President  Tyler  were  at 
an  end. 

Still  the  President  attempted  to  conciliate.  He 
appointed  a  new  cabinet  of  distinguished  Whigs  and 
Conservatives,  carefully  leaving  out  all  strong  party 
men.'.'.4Mr\-\Vebster  soon  found  it  necessary  to  resign, 
forced  out 'by  the.^ressure  of  his  Whig  friends.  'Thus 
the  four  years  of  Mr.  Tyler's  unfortunate  administra- 
tion passed  sadly  away.  No  one  was  satisfied.  The 
land  was  filled  with  murmurs  and  vituperation.  Whigs 
and  Democrats  alike  assailed  him.  More  and  more, 
however,  he  brought  himself  into  sympathy  with  his 
old  friends,  the  Democrats,  until  atthe  close  of  his  term, 
he  gave  his  whole  influence  to  the  support  of  Mr. 
Polk,  the  Democratic  candidate  for  his  successor. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1845,  he  retired  from  the 
harassments  of  office,  to  the  regret  of  neither  party,  and 
probably  to  his  own  unspeakable  lelief.  His  first  wife, 
Miss  Letitia  Christian,  died  in  Washington,  in  1842; 
and  in  June,  1844,  President  Tyler  was  again  married, 
at  New  York,  to  Miss  Julia  Gardiner,  a  young  lady  of 
many  personal  and  intellectual  accomplishments. 

The  remainder  of  his  days  Mr.  Tyler  passed  mainly 
in  retirement  at  his  beautiful  home, — Sherwood  For- 
est, Charles  city  Co.,  Va.  A  polished  gentleman  in 
his  manners,  richly  furnished  with  information  from 
books  and  experience  in  the  world,  and  possessing 
brilliant  powers  of  conversation,  his  family  circle  was 
the  scene  of  unusual  attractions.  With  sufficient 
means  for  the  exercise  of  a  generous  hospitality,  he 
might  have  enjoyed  a  serene  old  age  with  the  few 
friends  who  gathered  around  him,  were  it  not  for  the 
storms  of  civil  war  which  his  own  principles  and 
policy  had  helped  to  introduce. 

When  the  great  Rebellion  rose,  which  the  State- 
rights  and  nullifying  doctrines  of  Mr.  John  C.  Cal- 
houn had  inaugurated,  President  Tyler  renounced  his 
allegiance  to  the  United  States,  and  joined  the  Confed- 
erates. He  was  chosen  a  member  of  their  Congress; 
and  while  engaged  in  active  measures  to  destroy,  by 
force  of  arms,  the  Government  over  which  he  had 
once  presided,   he   was  taken   sick   and  soon  died. 


1JBRARY 

OF   THE 

BUIVERsitv  i m^,«. 


«x 


-^ 


OC- 


^C 


ELE I  'EN  Til  PRESIDED  T. 


59 


,'?• 

"W 


AMES  K.  POLK,  the  eleventh 
M  ^President  of  the  United  States, 
was  born  in  Mecklenburg  Co., 
N.  C,  Nov.  2,  1795.     His  par- 
ents were   Samuel   and    Jane 
(Knox)  Polk,  the  former  a  son 
of  Col.  Thomas  Polk,  who  located 
at  the  above  place,  as  one  of  the 
first  pioneers,  in  1735. 

In  the  year  1006,  with  his  wife 
and  children,  ar.d  soon  after  fol- 
lowed by  most  of  the  members  of 
the  Polk  famly,  Samuel  Polk  emi- 
grated some  two  or  three  hundred 
miles  farther  west,  to  the  rich  valley 
of  the  Duck  River.  Here  in  the 
midst  of  the  wilderness,  in  a  region 
which  was  subsequently  called  Mau- 
ry Co.,  they  reared  their  log  huts, 
and  established  their  homes.  In  the 
hard  toil  of  a  new  farm  in  the  wil- 
derness, James  K.  Polk  spent  the 
early  years  of  his  childhood  and 
youth.  His  father,  adding  the  pur- 
suit cf  a  surveyor  to  that  of  a  farmer, 
gradually  increased  in  wealth  until 
he  became  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  region.  His 
mother  was  a  superior  woman,  of  strong  common 
sense  and  earnest  piety. 

Very  early  in  life,  James  developed  a  taste  for 
reading  and  expressed  the  strongest  desire  to  obtain 
a  liberal  education.  His  mother's  training  had  made 
bim  methodical  in  his  habits,  had  taught  him  punct- 
uality and  industry,  and  had  inspired  him  with  lofty 
principles  of  morality.  His  health  was  frail  ;  and  his 
father,  fearing  that  he  might  not  be  able  to  endure  a 


sedentary  life,  got  a   situation    for    him   behind   the 
counter,  hoping  to  fit  him  for  commercial  pursuits. 

This  was  to  James  a  bitter  disappointment.  He 
had  110  taste  for  these  duties,  and  his  daily  tasks 
were  irksome  in  the  extreme.  He  remained  in  this 
uncongenial  occupation  but  a  few  weeks,  when  at  his 
earnest  solicitation  his  father  removed  him,  and  made 
arrangements  for  him  to  prosecute  his  studies.  Soon 
after  he  sent  him  to  Murfreesboro  Academy.  With 
ardor  which  could  scarcely  be  surpassed,  he  pressed 
forward  in  his  studies,  and  in  less  than  two  and  a  half 
years,  in  the  autumn  of  1815,  entered  the  sophomore" 
class  in  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  at  Chapel 
Hill.  Here  he  was  one  of  the  most  exemplary  of 
scholars,  punctual  in  every  exercise,  never  allowing 
himself  to  be  absent  from  a  recitation  or  a  religious 
service. 

He  graduated  in  1818,  with  the  highest  honors,  be« 
ing  deemed  the  best  scholar  of  his  class,  both  in 
mathematics  and  the  classics.  He  was  then  twenty- 
three  years  of  age.  Mr.  Polk's  health  was  at  this 
time  much  impaired  by  the  assiduity  with  which  he 
had  prosecuted  his  studies.  After  a  short  season  of 
relaxation  he  went  to  Nashville,  and  entered  the 
office  of  Felix  Grundy,  to  study  law.  Here  Mr.  Polk 
renewed  his  acquaintance  with  Andrew  Jackson,  who 
resided  on  his  plantation,  the  Hermitage,  but  a  few 
miles  from  Nashville.  They  had  probably  been 
slightly  acquainted  before. 

Mr.  Polk's  father  was  a  Jeffersonian  Republican 
and  James  K.  Polk  ever  adhered  to  the  same  politi- 
cal faith.  He  was  a  popular  public  speaker,  and  was 
constantly  called  upon  to  address  the  meetings  of  his 
party  friends.  His  skill  as  :i  speaker  was  such  that 
he  was  popularly  called  the  Napoleon  of  the  stum]). 
He  was  a  man  of  unblemished   morals,   genial   ard 


6o 


/AMES  K.  POLK. 


courterus  in  his  bearing,  and  with  that  sympathetic 
nature  in  the  jo>  s  and  griefs  of  others  which  ever  gave 
him  troops  of  friends.  In  1823,  Mr.  Polk  was  elected 
to  the  Legislature  of  Tennessee.  Here  he  gave  his 
strong  influence  towards  the  election  of  his  friend, 
Mr.  Jackson,  to  the  Presidency  of  the  United  States. 

In  January,  1824,  Mr.  Polk  married  Miss  Sarah 
Childress,  of  Rutherford  Co.,  Term.  His  bride  was 
altogether  worthy  of  him, — a  lady  of  beauty  and  cul- 
ture. In  the  fall  of  1825,  Mr.  Polk  was  chosen  a 
member  of  Congress.  The  satisfaction  which  he  gave 
to  his  constituents  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact,  that 
for  fourteen  successive  years,  until  1839,  he  was  con- 
tinued in  that  office.  He  then  voluntarily  withdrew, 
only  that  he  might  accept  the  Gubernatorial  chair 
of  Tennessee.  In  Congress  he  was  a  laborious 
member,  a  frequent  and  a  popular  speaker.  He  was 
always  in  his  seat,  always  courteous ;  and  whenever 
he  spoke  it  was  always  to  the  point,  and  without  any 
ambitious  rhetorical  display. 

During  five  sessions  of  Congress,  Mr.  Polk  was 
Speaker  of  the  House  Strong  passions  were  roused, 
and  stormy  scenes  were  witnessed  ;  but  Mr  Polk  per- 
formed his  arduous  duties  to  a  very  general  satisfac- 
tion, and  a  unanimous  vote  of  thanks  to  him  was 
passed  by  the  House  as  he  withdrew  on  the  4th  of 
March,  1839. 

In  accordance  with  Southern  usage,  Mr.  Polk,  as  a 
candidate  for  Governor,  canvassed  the  State.  He  was 
elected  by  a  large  majority,  and  on  the  1 4th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1839,  took  the  oath  of  office  at  Nashville.  In  1841, 
his  term  of  office  expired,  and  he  was  again  the  can- 
didate of  the  Democratic  party,  but  was  defeated. 

On  the  4thof  March,  1845,  Mr.  Polk  was  inaugur- 
ated President  of  the  United  States.  The  verdict  of 
the  country  in  favor  of  the  annexation  of  Texas,  exerted 
its  influence  upon  Congress  ;  and  the  last  act  of  the 
administration  of  President  Tyler  was  to  affix  his  sig- 
nature to  a  joint  resolution  of  Congress,  passed  on  the 
3d  of  March,  approving  of  the  annexation  of  Texas  to 
the  American  Union.  As  Mexico  still  claimed  Texas 
as  one  of  her  provinces,  the  Mexican  minister, 
Almonte,  immediately  demanded  his  passports  and 
left  the  country,  declaring  the  act  of  the  annexation 
to  be  an  act  hostile  to  Mexico. 

In  his  first  message,  President  Polk  urged  that 
Texas  should  immediately,  by  act  of  Congress,  be  re- 
ceived into  the  Union  on  the  same  footing  with  the 
other  States.  In  the  meantime,  Gen.  Taylor  was  sent 


with  an  army  into  Texas  to  hold  the  country.  He  was 
sent  first  to  Nueces,  which  the  Mexicans  said  was  the 
western  boundary  of  Texas.  Then  he  was  sent  nearly 
two  hundred  miles  further  wesl,  to  the  Rio  Grande, 
where  he  erected  batteries  which  commanded  the 
Mexican  city  of  Matamoras,  which  was  situated  on 
the  western  banks. 

The  anticipated  collision  soon  took  place,  and  wa: 
was  declared  against  Mexico  by  President  Polk.  The 
war  was  pushed  forward  by  Mr.  Polk's  administration 
with  great  vigor.  Gen.  Taylor,  whose  army  was  first 
called  one  of  "observation,"  then  of  "occupation,' 
then  of  "  invasion, "was  sent  forward  to  Monterey.  The 
feeble  Mexicans,  in  every  encounter,  were  hopelessly 
and  awfully  slaughtered.  The  day  of  judgement 
alone  can  reveal  the  misery  which  this  war  caused. 
It  was  by  the  ingenuity  of  Mr.  Polk's  administration 
that  the  war  was  brought  on. 

'To  the  victors  belong  the  spoils."  Mexico  was 
prostrate  before  us.  Her  capital  was  in  our  hands. 
.\Ye.na>v  consented  to  peace  upon  the  condition  that 
tMexiif©  should  surrender  to  us,  in  addition  to  Texas, 
all  of  New' Mexico,  and  all  of  Upper  and  Lower  Cal- 
ifornia. This  new  demand  embraced,  exclusive  of 
Texas,  eight  hm>dred  thousand  square  miles.  This 
was  an  extent  of  territory  equal  to  nine  States  of  the 
size  of  New  York  Thus  slavery  was  securing  eighteen 
majestic  States  to  be  added  to  the  Union.  There  were 
some  Americans  who  thought  it  all  right :  there  were 
others  who  thought  it  all  wrong.  In  the  prosecution 
of  this  war,  we  expended  twenty  thousand  lives  and 
more  than  a  hundred  million  of  dollars.'  Of  this 
money  fifteen  millions  were  paid  to  Mexico. 

On  the  3d  of  March,  r849,  Mr.  Polk  retired  from 
office,  having  served  one  term.  The  next  day  was 
Sunday.  On  the  5th,  Gen.  Taylor  was  inaugurated 
as  his  successor.  Mr  Polk  rode  to  the  Capitol  in  the 
same  carriage  with  Gen.  Taylor;  and  the  same  even- 
ing, with  Mrs.  Polk,  he  commenced  his  return  to 
Tennessee.  He  was  then  but  fifty-four  years  of  age. 
He  had  ever  been  strictly  temperate  in  all  his  habits, 
and  his  health  was  good  With  an  ample  fortune, 
a  choice  library,  a  cultivated  mind,  and  domestic  ties 
of  the  dearest  nature,  it  seemed  as  though  long  years 
of  tranquility  and  happiness  were  before  him.  But  the 
cholera — that  fearful  scourge — was  then  sweeping  up 
the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi.  This  he  contracted, 
and  died  on  the  1 5 tli  of  June,  1849,111  the  fiftv-fourth 
year  of  his  age,  greatly  mourned  by  his  countrymen. 


IJBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVPnnr-"  f  ■     -  '>">:r; 


TWELFTH  PRESIDENT. 


(•3 


i!^SSSSSSS^S^-\-\\-\^^^^-^t.'^^^^^^1 


l^ciMAj^y  fJMf*^«. 


ACHARY  TAYLOR,  twelfth 
President  of  the  United  States, 
was  born  on  the  24th  of  Nov., 
1784,  in  Orange  Co.,  Va.  His 
father,  Colonel  Taylor,  was 
a  Virginian  of  note,  and  a  dis- 
tinguished patriot  and  soldier  of 
the  Revolution.  When  Zachary 
was  an  infant,  his  father  with  his  ■ 
wife  and  two  children,  emigrated 
to  Kentucky,  where  he  settled  in 
the  pathless  wilderness,  a  few 
miles  from  Louisville.  In  this  front- 
ier home,  away  from  civilization  and 
all  its  refinements,  young  Zachary 
could  enjoy  but  few  social  and  educational  advan- 
tages. When  six  years  of  age  he  attended  a  common 
school,  and  was  then  regarded  as  a  bright,  active  boy, 
rather  remarkable  for  bluntness  and  decision  of  char- 
acter He  was  strong,  feailess  and  self-reliant,  and 
manifested  a  strong  desire  to  enter  the  army  to  fight 
the  Indians  who  were  ravaging  the  frontiers.  There 
is  little  to  be  recorded  of  the  uneventful  years  of  his 
childhood  on  his  father's  large  but  lonely  plantation. 
In  r8o8,  his  father  succeeded  in  obtaining  for  him 
the  commission  of  lieutenant  in  the  United  States 
army  ;  and  he  joined  the  troops  which  were  stationed 
at  New  Orleans  under  Gen.  Wilkinson.  Soon  after 
this  he  married  Miss  Margaret  Smith,  a  young  lady 
from  one  of  the  first  families  of  Maryland. 

Immediately  after  the  declaration  of  war  with  Eng- 
land, in  18 1 2,  Capt.  Taylor  (for  he  had  then  been 
promoted  to  that  rank)  was  put  in  command  of  Fort 
Harrison,  on  the  Wabash,  about  fifty  miles  above 
Vincennes.  This  fort  had  been  built  in  the  wilder- 
ness by  Gen.  Harrison, on  his  march  to  Tippecanoe. 
It  was  one  of  the  first  points  of  attack  by  the  Indians, 
;ed  by  Tecumseh.     Its  garrison  consisted  of  a  broken 


company  of  infantry  numbering    fifty  men,    many  of 
whom  were  sick. 

Early  in  the  autumn  of  [812,  the  Indians,  stealthily, 
and  in  large  numbers,  moved  upon  the  fort.  Their 
approach  was  first  indicated  by  the  murder  of  two 
soldiers  just  outside  of  the  stockade.  Capt.  Taylor 
made  every  possible  preparation  to  meet  the  antici- 
pated assault.  On  the  4th  of  September,  a  band  of 
forty  painted  and  plumed  savages  came  to  the  fort, 
waving  a  white  flag,  and  informed  Capt.  Taylor  that 
in  the  morning  their  chief  would  come  to  have  a  talk 
with  him.  It  was  evident  that  their  object  was  merely 
to  ascertain  the  state  of  things  at  the  fort,  and  Capt. 
Taylor,  well  versed  in  the  wiles  of  the  savages,  kept 
them  at  a  distance. 

The  sun  went  down;  the  savages  disappeared,  the 
garrison  slept  upon  their  arms.  One  hour  before 
midnight  the  war  whoop  burst  from  a  thousand  lips 
in  the  forest  around,  followed  by  the  discharge  of 
musketry,  and  the  rush  of  the  foe.  Every  man,  sick 
and  well,  sprang  to  his  post.  Every  man  knew  that 
defeat  was  not  merely  death,  but  in  the  case  of  cap- 
ture, death  by  the  most  agonizing  ar.d  prolonged  tor- 
ture. No  pen  can  describe,  no  immagination  can 
conceive  the  scenes  which  ensued.  The  savages  suc- 
ceeded in  setting  fire  to  one  of  the  block-houses- 
Until  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  this  awful  conflict 
continued.  The  savages  then,  baffled  at  every  point, 
and  gnashing  their  teeth  with  rage,  retired.  Capt. 
Taylor,  for  this  gallant  defence,  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  major  by  brevet. 

Until  the  close  of  the  war,  Major  Taylor  was  placed 
in  such  situations  that  he  saw  but  little  more  of  active 
service.  He  was  sent  far  away  into  the  depths  of  the. 
wilderness,  to  Fort  Crawford,  on  Fox  River,  which 
empties  into  Green  Bay.  Here  there  was  but  little 
to  be  done  but  to  wear  away  the  tedious  hours  as  one 
best  could.     There  were  no  books,  no  society,  no  in- 


64 


ZACHARY  TAYLOR 


tellectuai  stimulus.  Thus  with  him  the  uneventful 
years  rolled  on  Gradually  he  rose  to  the  rank  of 
colonel.  In  the  Black  Hawk  war,  which  resulted  in 
the  capture  of  that  renowned  chieftain,  Col  Taylor 
took  a  subordinate  but  a  brave  and  efficient  part. 

For  twenty-four  years  Col.  Taylor  was  engaged  in 
the  defence  of  the  frontiers,  in  scenes  so  remote,  and  in 
employments  so  obscure,  that  his  name  was  unknown 
beyond  the  limits  of  his  own  immediate  acquaintance. 
In  the  year  1836,  he  was  sent  to  Florida  to  compel 
the  Seminole  Indians  to  vacate  that  region  and  re- 
tire beyond  the  Mississippi,  as  their  chiefs  by  treaty, 
iiac1  promised  they  should  do.  The  services  rendered 
heie  secured  for  Col.  Taylor  the  high  appreciation  of 
the  Government;  and  as  a  reward,  he  was  elevated 
tc  :he  rank  of  brigadier-general  by  brevet ;  and  soon 
after,  in  May,  1838,  was  appointed  to  the  chief  com- 
mand of  the  United  States  troops  in  Florida. 

After  two  years  of  such  wearisome  employment 
amidst  the  everglades  of  the  peninsula,  Gen.  Taylor 
obtained,  at  his  own  request,  a  change  of  command, 
£.nd  was  stationed  over  the  Department  of  the  South- 
west. This  field  embraced  Louisiana,  Mississippi," 
Alabama  and  Georgia.  Establishing  his  headquarters 
at  Fort  Jessup,  in  Louisiana,  he  removed  his  family 
to  a  plantation  which  he  purchased,  near  Baton  Rogue. 
Here  he  remained  for  five  years,  buried,  as  it  were, 
from  the  world,  but  faithfully  discharging  every  duty 
imposed  upon  him. 

In  1846,  Gen.  Taylor  was  sent  to  guard  the  land 
between  the  Nueces  and  Rio  Grande,  the  latter  river 
being  the  boundary  of  Texas,  which  was  then  claimed 
by  the  United  States.  Soon  the  war  with  Mexico 
was  brought  o;i,  and  at  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la 
Palma,  Gen.  Taylor  won  brilliant  victories  over  the 
Mexicans.  The  rank  of  major-general  by  brevet 
was  then  conferred  upon  Gen.  Taylor,  and  his  name 
was  received  with  enthusiasm  almost  everywhere  in 
the  Nation.  Then  came  the  battles  of  Monterey  and 
Buena  Vista  in  which  he  won  signal  victories  over 
forces  much  larger  than  he  commanded 

His  careless  habits  of  dress  and  his  unaffected 
simplicity,  secured  for  Gen.  Taylor  among  his  troops, 
the  sobriquet  of  "Old  Rough  and  Ready.' 

The  tidings  of  the  brilliant  victory  of  Buena  Visia 
spread  the  wildest  enthusiasm  over  the  country.  The 
name  of  Gen.  Taylor  was  on  every  one's  lips.  The 
Whig  party  decided  to  take  advantage  of  this  wonder- 
ful popularity  in  bringing  forward  the  unpolished,  1111- 
"red,  honest  soldier  as  their  candidate  for  the 
Presidency.  Gen.  Taylor  was  astonished  at  the  an- 
nouncement, and  for  a  time  would  not  listen  to  it;  de- 
claring that  he  was  not  at  all  qualified  for  such  an 
office.  So  little  interest  had  he  taken  in  politics  that, 
for  forty  years,  he  had  not  cast  a  vote.  It  was  not 
without  chagrin  that  several  distinguished  statesmen 
who  had  been  long  years  in  the  public  service  found 
fl.;ur  claims  set  aside  in  behalf  of  one  whose  name 


had  never  been  heard  of,  save  in  connection  with  Palo 
Alto,  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  Monterey  and  Buena 
Vista.  It  is  said  that  Daniel  Webster,  in  his  haste  re- 
marked, "  It  is  a  nomination  not  fit  to  be  made." 

Gen.  Taylor  was  not  an  eloquent  speaker  nor  a  fine 
writer  His  friends  took  possession  of  him,  and  pre- 
pared such  few  communications  as  it  was  needful 
should  be  presented  to  the  public.  The  popularity  of 
the  successful  warrior  swept  the  land.  He  was  tri- 
umphantly elected  over  two  opposing  candidates, — 
Gen.  Cass  and  Ex-President  Martin  Van  Buren. 
Though  he  selected  an  excellent  cabinet,  the  good 
old  man  found  himself  in  a  very  uncongenial  position, 
and  was,  at  times,  sorely  perplexed  and  harassed. 
His  mental  sufferings  were  very  severe,  and  probably 
tended  to  hasten  his  death.  The  pro-slavery  party 
was  pushing  its  claims  with  tireless  energy ,  expedi- 
tions were  fitting  out  to  capture  Cuba  ;  California  was 
pleading  for  admission  to  the  Union,  while  slavery 
stood  at  the  door  to  bar  her  out.  Gen.  Taylor  found 
the  political  conflicts  in  Washington  to  be  far  more 
'trying  to  the  nerves  than  battles  with  Mexicans  or 
1  'Inafans 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  troubles,  Gen.  Taylor, 
after  he  had  occupied  the  Presidential  chair  but  little 
over  a  year,  took  cold,  and  after  a  brief  sickness  of 
but  little  over  five  days,  died  on  the  9th  of  July,  1850. 
His  last  words  were,  "  I  am  not  afraid  to  die.  I  am 
ready.  I  have  endeavored  to  do  my  duty."  He  died 
universally  respected  and  beloved.  An  honest,  un- 
pretending man,  he  had  been  steadily  growing  in  the 
affections  of  the  people ;  and  the  Nation  bitterly  la- 
mented his  death. 

Gen.  Scott,  who  was  thoioughly  acquainted  with 
Gen.  Taylor,  gave  the  following  graphic  and  truthful 
description  of  his  character: — "  With  a  good  store  of 
common  sense,  Gen.  Taylor's  mind  had  not  been  en- 
larged and  refreshed  by  reading,  or  much  converse 
with  the  world.  Rigidity  of  ideas  was  the  conse- 
quence. The  frontiers  and  small  military  posts  had 
been  his  home.  Hence  he  was  quite  ignorant  for  his 
rank,  and  quite  bigoted  in  his  ignorance.  His  sim- 
plicity was  child-like,  and  with  innumerable  preju- 
dices, amusing  and  incorrigible,  well  suited  to  the 
tender  age.  Thus,  if  a  man,  however  respectable, 
chanced  to  wear  a  coat  of  an  unusual  color,  or  his  hat 
a  little  on  one  side  of  his  head ;  or  an  officer  to  leave 
a  corner  of  his  handkerchief  dangling  from  an  out- 
side pocket, — in  any  such  case,  this  critic  held  the 
offender  to  be  a  coxcomb  (perhaps  something  worse), 
whom  he  would  not,  to  use  his  oft  repeated  phrase, 
'touch  with  a  pair  of  tongs.' 

"Any  allusion  to  literature  beyond  good  old  Dil- 
worth's  spelling-book,  on  the  part  of  one  wearing  a 
sword,  was  evidence,  with  the  same  judge,  of  utter 
unfitness  for  heavy  marchings  and  combats.  In  shor* 
few  men  have  ever  had  a  more  comfona"-^  ,,»*>ni«. 
snving  contempt   for  barnirg  of  every  kind.' 


UBRARY 
Of  THE 


u^oC' 


J ^C^j^r^txrix) 


THIRTEENTH  PRESIDENT. 


67 


I  ^MILLftHH  FILLMIIRE^ 


^»ag»aig»3r»3S»ae»3i^»g^»^:<»^!g»^:»a^*^K»3*:*:^^:^* 


g  >  .jE$?]g? 


4-*- 


ILLARD  FILLMORE,  thir- 
ty teenth  President  of  the  United 
~  States,  was  born  at  Summer 
Hill,  Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y  .,  on 
i££2,  the  7 tli  of  January,  1800.  His 
™  father  was  a  farmer,  and  ow- 
ing to  misfortune,  in  humble  cir- 
cumstances. Of  his  mother,  the 
daughter  of  Dr.  Abiathor  Millard, 
of  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  it  has  been 
said  that  she  possessed  an  intellect 
of  very  high  order,  united  with  much 
personal  loveliness,  sweetness  of  dis- 
position, graceful  manners  and  ex- 
quisite sensibilities.  She  died  in 
1 83 1 ;  having  lived  to  see  her  son  a 
young  man  of  distinguished  prom- 
ise, though  she  was  not  permitted  to  witness  the  high 
dignity  which  he  finally  attained. 

In  consequence  of  the  secluded  home  and  limited 
means  of  his  father,  Millard  enjoyed  but  slender  ad- 
vantages for  education  in  his  early  years.  The  com- 
mon schools,  which  he  occasionaUy  attended  were 
very  imperfect  institutions;  and  books  were  scarce 
and  expensive.  There  was  nothing  then  in  his  char- 
acter to  indicate  the  brilliant  career  upon  which  he 
was  about  to  enter.  He  was  a  plain  farmer's  boy ; 
intelligent,  good-looking,  kind-hearted.  The  sacred 
influences  of  home  had  taught  him  to  revere  the  Bible, 
and  had  laid  the  foundations  of  an  upright  character. 
When  fourteen  years  of  age,  his  father  sent  him 
some  hundred  miles  from  home,  to  the  then  wilds  of 
Livingston  County,  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  clothier. 
Neav  the  mill  there  was  a  small  villiage,  where  some 


enterprising  man  had  commenced  the  collection  of  a 
village  library.  This  proved  an  inestimable  blessing 
to  young  Fillmore.  His  evenings  were  spent  in  read- 
ing Soon  every  leisure  moment  was  occupied  with 
books.  His  thirst  fur  knowledge  became  insatiate 
and  the  selections  which  he  made  were  continually 
more  elevating  and  instructive.  Me  read  history, 
biography,  oratory,  ar.d  thus  gradually  there  was  en- 
kindled in  his  heart  a  desire  to  be  something  more 
than  a  mere  worker  with  his  hands;  and  he  was  be- 
coming, almost  unknown  to  himself,  a  well-informed, 
educated  man. 

The  young  clothier  had  now  attained  the  age  of 
nineteen  years,  and  was  of  fine  personal  appearance 
and  cf  gentlemanly  demeanor.  It  so  happened  tha* 
there  was  a  gentleman  in  the  neighborhood  of  ample 
pecuniary  means  and  of  benevolence, — Judge  Walter 
Wood,— who  was  struck  with  the  prepossessing  ap- 
pearance of  young  Fillmore.  He  made  his  acquaint- 
ance, and  was  so  much  impressed  with  his  ability  and 
attainments  that  he  advised  him  to  abandon  his 
trade  and  devote  himself  to  the  study  of  the  law.  The 
young  man  replied,  that  he  had  no  means  of  his  own, 
1  1  friends  to  help  him  and  that  his  previous  educa- 
tion had  been  very  imperfect.  But  Judge  Wood  hail 
so  much  confidence  in  him  that  he  kindly  offered  to 
take  him  into  his  own  office,  and  to  loan  him  such 
money  as  he  needed.  Most  gratefully  the  generous 
offer  was  accepted. 

There  is  in  many  minds  a  strange   delusion    about 
a  collegiate  education.     A  young  man  is  supposed  to 
be  liberally  educated  if  he  has  graduated  at  some  col- 
lege.    But  many  a  boy  loiters  through  university  hal' 
ind  then  enters  a  law  office,  who  is  by  no  means  ur 


06 


MILLARD  FILLMORE. 


well  prepared  to  prosecute  his  legal  studies  as  was 
Millard  Fillmore  when  he  graduated  at  the  clothing- 
mill  at  the  end  of  four  years  of  manual  labor,  during 
which  every  leisure  moment  had  been  devoted  to  in- 
tense mental  culture. 

In  1823,  when  twenty-three  years  of  age,  he  v/as 
admitted  to  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas.  He  then 
went  to  the  village  of  Aurora,  and  commenced  the 
practice  of  law.  In  this  secluded,  peaceful  region, 
his  practice  of  course  was  limited,  and  there  was  no 
opportunity  for  a  sudden  rise  in  fortune  or  in  fame. 
Here,  in  the  year  1826,  he  married  a  lady  of  great 
moral  worth,  and  one  capable  of  adorning  any  station 
she  might  be  called  to  fill,— Miss  Abigail   Powers. 

His  elevation  of  character,  his  untiring  industry, 
his  legal  acquirements,  and  his  skill  as  an  advocate, 
gradually  attracted  attention  ;  and  he  was  invited  to 
enter  into  partnership  under  highly  advantageous 
circumstances,  with  an  elder  member  of  the  bar  in 
Buffalo.  Just  before  removing  to  Buffalo,  in  1829, 
he  took  his  seat  in  the  House  of  Assembly,  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  as  a  representative  from  Erie 
County.  Though  he  had  never  taken  a  very  active 
part  in  politics,  his  vote  and  his  sympathies  were  with 
the  Whig  party.  The  State  was  then  Democratic, 
and  he  found  himself  in  a  helpless  minority  in  the 
Legislature  ,  still  the  testimony  comes  from  all  parties, 
that  his  courtesy,  ability  and  integrity,  won,  to  a  very 
unusual  degrt  e  the  respect  of  his  associates. 

In  the  autumn  of  1832,  he  was  elected  to  a  seat  in 
the  United  States  Congress  He  entered  that  troubled 
irena  in  some  of  the  most  tumultuous  hours  of  our 
national  history.  The  great  conflict  respecting  the 
national  bank  and  the  removal  of  the  deposits,  was 
then  raging. 

His  term  of  two  years  closed  ;  and  he  returned  to 
his  profession,  which  he  pursued  with  increasing  rep- 
utation and  success.  After  a  lapse  of  two  years 
he  again  became  a  candidate  for  Congress;  was  re- 
elected, and  took  his  seat  in  1837.  His  past  expe- 
rience as  a  representative  gave  him  stiength  and 
confidence.  The  first  term  of  service  in  Congress  to 
any  man  can  be  but  little  more  than  an  introduction. 
He  was  now  prepared  for  active  duty.  All  his  ener- 
gies were  brought  to  bear  upon  the  public  good.  Every 
measure  received  his  impress. 

Mr.  Fillmore  was  now  a  man  of  wide  repute,  and 
his  popularity  filled  the  State,  and  in  the  year  1847, 
he   was  elected  Comptroller  of   the   State. 


Mr.  Fillmore  had  attained  the  age  of  forty-seven 
years.  His  labors  at  the  bar,  in  the  Legislature,  in 
Congress  and  as  .Comptroller,  had  given  him  very  con- 
siderable fame.  The  Whigs  were  casting  about  to 
find  suitable  candidates  for  President  and  Vice-Presi- 
dent at  the  approaching  election.  Far  away,  on  the 
waters  of  the  Rio  Grande,  there  was  a  rough  old 
soldier,  who  had  fought  one  or  two  successful  battles 
with  the  Mexicans,  which  had  caused  his  name  to  be 
proclaimed  in  liumpet-tones  all  over  the  land.  But 
it  was  necessary  to  associate  with  him  on  the  same 
ticket  some  man  of  reputation  as  a  statesman. 

Under  the  influence  of  these  considerations,  the 
namesof  Zachary  Taylor  and  Millard  Fillmore  became 
the  rallying-cry  of  the  Whigs,  as  their  candidates  for 
President  and  Vice-Peesident.  The  Whig  ticket  was 
signally  triumphant.  On  the  4th  of  March,  1849, 
Geffi  Tailor  was  inaugurated  President,  and  Millard 
Fillmore'ViccrPresident,  of  the  United  States. 

On  the  9th  of  July,  1850,  President  Taylor,  but 
about  one  year  and  four  months  after  his  inaugura 
tion,  was  suddenly  taken  sick  and  died.  By  the  Con- 
stitution, Vice-President  Fillmore  thus  became  Presi- 
dent. He  appointed  a  very  able  cabinet,  of  which 
the  illustrious  Daniel  Webster  was  Secretary  of  State. 

Mr.  Fillmore  had  very  serious  difficulties  to  contend 
with,  since  the  opposition  had  a  majority  in  both 
Houses.  He  did  everything  in  his  power  to  conciliate 
the  South;  but  the  pro-slavery  party  in  the  South  felt 
the  inadecpiacyof  all  measuresof  transient  conciliation. 
The  population  of  the  free  States  was  so  rapidly  in- 
creasing over  that  of  the  slave  States  that  it  was  in- 
evitable that  the  power  of  the  Government  should 
soon  pass  into  the  hands  of  the  free  States.  The 
famous  compromise  measures  were  adopted  under  Mr. 
Fillmcre's  adminstration,  and  the  Japan  Expedition 
was  sent  out.  On  the  4th  of  March,  1853,  Mr.  Fill- 
more, having  served  one  term,  retired. 

In  1856,  Mr.  Fillmore  was  nominated  for  the  Pres- 
idency by  the  "  Know  Nothing  "  party,  but  was  beaten 
by  Mr.  Buchanan.  After  that  Mr.  Fillmore  lived  in 
retirement.  During  the  terrible  conflict  of  civil  war, 
he  was  mostly  silent.  It  was  generally  supposed  that 
his  sympathies  were  rather  with  those  who  were  en- 
deavoring to  overthrow  our  institutions.  President 
Fillmore  kept  aloof  from  the  conflict,  without  any 
cordial  words  of  cheer  to  the  one  party  or  the  other. 
He  was  thus  forgotten  by  both.  He  lived  to  a  ripe 
old  age,  and  died  in  Buffalo.  N.  Y.,  March  8,   1874. 


1JBBARY 
OF  T»'£ 
UN"" 


FOURTEENTH  PRESIDENT. 


7' 


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^~:   - .  yy  y  f'f^:»p;-T  mpmf  V ":" '■:•' ' "-:-  ■;■••".••:■  ¥'¥  Y  Y"Y*Y  Y Y'Y'Y  Y  Y'Y T YTY  ?V.;. 

J:  Nasi*)  *; 


£*  FRANKLIN  FIERCE.-* 


'   N2J) 


RANKLIN     PIERCE,   the 
fourteenth    President  of  the 
f  United  States,  was  born  in 
Hillsborough,    N.    H.,    Nov. 
23,  1804.     His  father  was  a 
Revolutionary  soldier,   who, 
with    his    own     strong    arm, 
hewed   out  a    home   in    the 
wilderness.     He  was  a  man 
of    inflexible    integrity;     of 
strong,  though    uncultivated 
mind,  and  an  uncompromis- 
ing Democrat.      The    mother  of 
Franklin  Pierce  was  all  that  a  son 
could  desire, — an  intelligent,  pru- 
dent, affectionate,  Christian  wom- 
an.    Franklin  was  the  sixth  of  eight  children. 

Franklin  was  a  very  bright  and  handsome  boy,  gen- 
erous, warm-hearted  and  brave.  He  won  alike  the 
love  of  old  and  young.  The  boys  on  the  play  ground 
loved  him.  His  teachers  loved  him.  The  neighbors 
looked  upon  him  with  pride  and  affection.  He  was 
by  instinct  a  gentleman;  always  speaking  kind  words, 
doing  kind  deeds,  with  a  peculiar  unstudied  tact 
which  taught  him  what  was  agreeable.  Without  de- 
veloping any  precocity  of  genius,  or  any  unnatural 
devotion  to  books,  he  was  a  good  scholar;  in  body, 
in  mind,  in  affections,  a  finely-developed  boy. 

When  sixteen  years  of  age,  in  the  year  1820,  he 
entered  Bowdoin  College,  at  Brunswick,  Me  He  was 
one  of  the  most  ]»pular  young  men  in  the  college. 
The  purity  cf  his  moral  character,  the  unvarying 
courtesy  of  his  demeanor,  his  rank  as  a  scholar,  and 


genial  nature,  rendered  him  a  universal  favorite. 
There  was  something  very  peculiarly  winning  in  his 
address,  and  it  was  evidently  not  in  the  slightest  de- 
gree studied:  it  was  the  simple  outgushing  of  his 
own  magnanimous  and  loving  nature. 

Upon  graduating,  in  the  year  1824,  Franklin  Pierce 
commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Judge 
Woodbury,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  lawyers  of 
the  State,  and  a  man  of  great  private  worth.  The 
eminent  social  qualities  of  the  young  lawyer,  his 
father's  prominence  as  a  public  man,  and  the  brilliant 
political  career  into  which  Judge  Woodbury  was  en- 
tering, all  tended  to  entice  Mr.  Pierce  into  the  faci- 
nating  yet  perilous  path  of  political  life.  With  all 
the  ardor  of  his  nature  he  espoused  the  cause  of  Gen. 
Jackson  for  the  Presidency.  He  commenced  the 
practice  of  law  in  Hillsborough,  and  was  soon  elected 
to  represent  the  town  in  the  State  Legislature.  Here 
he  served  for  four  yeais.  The  last  two  years  he  was 
chosen  speaker  of  the  house  by  a  very  large  vote. 

In  1833,  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine,  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  Congress.  Without  taking  an  active 
part  in  debates,  he  was  faithful  and  laborious  in  duty 
and  ever  rising  in  the  estimation  of  those  with  whom 
he  was  associatad. 

In  1837,  being  then  but  thirty-three  years  of  age, 
he  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States; 
taking  his  seat  just  as  Mr.  Van  Buren  commenced 
his  administration.  He  was  the  youngest  member  in 
the  Senate.  In  the  year  1834,  he  married  Miss  Jane- 
Means  Appleton,  a  lady  of  rare  beauty  and  accom- 
plishments, and  one  admirably  fitted  to  adorn  every 
station  with  wnich  her  husband  was  honoied.   Of  the 


t-RANKLIN  PIERCE. 


three  sons  who  were  born  to  them,  all  now  sleep  with 
their  parents  in  the  grave. 

In  the  year  1838,  Mr.  Pierce,  with  growing  fame 
and  increasing  business  as  a  lawyer,  took  up  his 
residence  in  Concord,  the  capital  of  New  Hampshire. 
President  Polk,  upon  his  accession  to  office,  appointed 
Mr.  Pierce  attorney-general  of  the  United  States;  but 
the  offer  was  declined,  in  consequence  of  numerous 
professional  engagements  at  home,  and  the  precariuos 
state  of  Mrs.  Pierce's  health.  He  also,  about  the 
same  time  declined  the  nomination  for  governor  by  the 
Democratic  party.  The  war  with  Mexico  called  Mr. 
Pierce  in  the  army.  Receiving  the  appointment  of 
brigadier-general,  he  embarked,  with  a  portion  of  his 
troops,  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  on  the  27th  of  May,  1847. 
He  took  an  important  part  in  this  war,  proving  him- 
self a  brave  and  true  soldier. 

When  Gen.  Pierce  reached  his  home  in  his  native 
State,  he  was  received  enthusiastically  by  the  advo- 
cates of  the  Mexican  war,  and  coldly  by  his  oppo- 
nents. He  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
very  frequently  taking  an  active  part  in  political  ques- 
tions, giving  his  cordial  support  to  the  pro-slavery 
wing  of  the  Democratic  party.  The  compromise 
measures  met  cordially  with  his  approval;  and  he 
strenuously  advocated  the  enforcement  of  the  infa- 
mous fugitive-slave  law,  which  so  shocked  the  religious 
sensibilities  of  the  North.  He  thus  became  distin- 
guished as  a  "Northern  man  with  Southern  principles.'' 
The  strong  partisans  of  slavery  in  the  South  conse- 
quently regarded  him  as  a  man  whom  they  could 
safely  trust  in  office  to  carry  out  their  plans. 

On  the  r2th  of  June,  1852,  the  Democratic  conven- 
tion met  in  Baltimore  to  nominate  a  candidate  for  the 
Presidency.  For  four  days  they  continued  in  session, 
.-.nd  in  thirty-five  ballotings  no  one  had  obtained  a 
two-thirds  vote.  Not  a  vote  thus  far  had  been  throw  n 
for  Gen.  Pierce.  Then  the  Virginia  delegation 
brought  forward  his  name.  There  were  fourteen 
more  ballotings,  during  which  Gen.  Pierce  constantly 
gained  strength,  until,  at  the  forty-ninth  ballot,  he 
received  two  hundred  and  eighty-two  votes,  and  all 
other  candidates  eleven.  Gen.  AVinfield  Scott  was 
the  Whig  candidate.  Gen.  Pierce  was  chosen  with 
great  unanimity.  Only  four  States — Vermont,  Mas- 
sachusetts, Kentucky  and  Tennessee  —  cast  their 
electoral  votes  against  him  Gen.  Franklin  Pietce 
was  therefore  inaugurated  President  of  the  United 
States  on   the  4th  of  March,   1853. 


His  administration  proved  one  of  the  most  stormy  our 
country  had  ever  experienced.  The  controversy  be 
tween  slavery  and  freedom  was  then  approaching  its 
culminating  point.  It  became  evident  that  there  was 
an  "  irrepressible  conflict"  between  them,  and  that 
this  Nation  could  not  long  exist  "  half  slave  and  half 
free."  President  Pierce,  during  the  whole  of  his  ad- 
ministration, did  every  thing  he  could  to  conciliate 
the  South  ;  but  it  was  all  in  vain.  The  conflict  every 
year  grew  more  violent,  and  threats  of  the  dissolution 
of  the  Union  were  borne  to  the  North  on  every  South- 
ern breeze. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  affairs  when  President 
Pierce  approached  the  close  of  his  four-years'  term 
of  office.  The  North  had  become  thoroughly  alien- 
ated from  him.  The  anti-slavery  sentiment,  goaded 
by  great  outrages,  had  been  rapidly  increasing;  all 
the  intellectual  ability  and  social  worth  of  President 
ritl-rce  were  forgotten  in  deep  reprehension  of  his  ad- 
ministrative-.icts.;  The  slaveholders  of  the  South,  also, 
unmindful  of  the  fidelity  with  which  he  had  advo- 
cated those  measures  of  Government  which  they  ap- 
proved, and  perhaps,  also,  feeling  that  he  had 
rendered  himself  so  unpopular  as  no  longer  to  be 
able  acceptably  to  serve  them,  ungratefully  dropped 
him,  and  nominated  James  Buchanan  to  succeed  him. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1857,  President  Pierce  re- 
tired to  his  home  in  Concord.  Of  three  children,  two 
had  died,  and  his  only  surviving  child  had  been 
kiiied  before  his  eyes  by  a  railroad  accident ;  and  his 
wife,  one  of  the  most  estimable  and  accomplished  of 
ladies,  was  rapidly  sinking  in  consumption.  The 
hour  of  dreadful  gloom  soon  came,  and  he  was  left 
alone  in  the  world,  without  wife  or  child. 

When  the  terrible  Rebellion  burst  forth,  which  di- 
vided our  country  into  two  parties,  and  two  only,  Mr. 
Pierce  remained  steadfast  in  the  principles  which  he 
had  always  cherished,  and  gave  his  sympathies  to 
that  pro-slavery  party  with  which  he  had  ever  been 
allied.  He  declined  to  do  anything,  either  by  voice 
or  pen,  to  strengthen  the  hand  of  the  National  Gov- 
ernment. He  continued  to  reside  in  Concord  until 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  October, 
1869.  He  was  one  of  the  most  genial  and  social  of 
men,  an  honored  communicant  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  and  one  of  the  kindest  of  neighbors.  Gen  . 
erous  to  a  fault,  he  contributed  liberally  for  the  al- 
leviation of  suffering  and  want,  and  many  of  his  towns 
people  were  often  gladened  by  his  material   bounty. 


LIBRARY 
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FIFTEENTH  PRESIDENT 


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AMES  BUCHANAN,  the  fif- 
.teenth  President  of  the  United 
States,  was  born  in  a  small 
frontier  town,  at  the  foot  of  the 
eastern  ridge  of  the  Allegha- 
nies,  in  Franklin  Co.,  Penn.,  on 
the  23d  of  April,  1791.  The  place 
where  the  humble  cabin  of  his 
father  stood  was  called  Stony 
tSlM  Batter.  It  was  a  wild  and  ro- 
mantic spot  in  a  gorge  of  the  moun- 
tains, with  towering  summits  rising 
grandly  all  around.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  the  north  of  Ireland  ; 
a  poor  man,  who  had  emigrated  in 
1783,  with  little  property  save  his 
own  strong  arms.  Five  years  afterwards  he  married 
Elizabeth  Spear,  the  daughter  of  a  respectable  farmer, 
and,  with  his  young  bride,  plunged  into  the  wilder- 
ness, staked  his  claim,  reared  his  log-hut,  opened  a 
clearing  with  his  axe,  and  settled  down  there  to  per- 
form his  obscure  part  in  the  drama  of  life.  In  this  se- 
cluded home,  where  James  was  born,  he  remained 
for  eight  years,  enjoying  but  few  social  or  intellectual 
advantages.  When  James  was  eight  years  of  age,  his 
father  removed  to  the  village  of  Mercersburg,  where 
his  son  was  placed  at  school,  and  commenced  a 
course  of  study  in  English,  Latin  and  Greek.  His 
progress  was  rapid,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  he 
entered  Dickinson  College,  at  Carlisle.  Here  he  de- 
veloped remarkable  talent,  and  took  his  stand  among 
the  first  scholars  in  the  institution.  His  application 
to  study  was  intense,  and  yet   his  native   powers    en- 


abled him  to  master  the  most  abstruse  subjects  w   ' 

facility. 

In  the  year  1809,  he  graduated  with  the  highest 
honors  of  his  clas^.  He  was  then  eighteen  years  of 
age;  tall  and  graceful,  vigorous  in  health,  fond  of 
athletic  sport,  an  unerring  shot,  and  enlivened  with 
an  exuberant  flow  of  animal  spirits.  He  immediately 
commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  city  of  Lancaster, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1812,  when  he  was 
but  twenty-one  years  of  age.  Very  rapidly  he  rose 
in  his  profession,  and  at  once  took  undisputed  stand 
with  the  ablest  lawyers  of  the  State.  When  but 
twenty-six  years  of  age,  unaided  by  counsel,  he  suc- 
cessfully defended  before  the  State  Senate  01  e  of  tiie 
judges  of  the  State,  who  was  tried  upon  articles  of 
impeachment.  At  the  age  of  thirty  it  was  generally 
admitted  that  he  stood  at  the  head  of  the  bar;  and 
there  was  no  lawyer  in  the  State  who  had  a  more  lu- 
crative practice. 

In  1S20,  he  reluctantly  consented  to  run  as  a 
candidate  fur  Congress.  He  was  elected,  and  for 
ten  years  he  remained  a  member  of  the  Lower  House. 
During  the  vacations  of  Congress,  he  occasionally 
tried  some  important  case.  In  "1 83 1 ,  he  retired 
altogether  from  the  toils  of  his  profession,  having  ac- 
quired an  ample  fortune. 

Gen.  Jackson,  upon  his  elevation  to  the  Presidency, 
appointed  Mr.  Buchanan  minister  to  Russia.  The 
duties  of  his  mission  he  performed  with  ability,  which 
gave  satisfaction  to  all  parties.  Upon  his  return,  in 
1S33,  he  was  elected  to  a  seat  in  the  United  States 
Senate.  He  there  met,  as  his  associates,  Webster. 
Clay,  Wright  and  Calhoun.  He  advocated  the  meas- 
ures proposed  by  President  J.u  kson,  of  in  ilrmg  repri- 


76 


JAMES  BUCHANAN. 


sals  against  France,  to  enforce  the  payment  of  our 
claims  against  that  country  ;  and  defended  the  coarse 
of  the  President  in  his  unprecedented  and  wholesale 
removal  from  office  of  those  who  were  not  the  sup- 
porters of  his  administration.  Upon  this  question  he 
was  brought  into  direct  collision  with  Henry  Clay. 
He  also,  with  voice  and  vote,  advocated  expunging 
from  the  journal  of  the  Senate  the  vote  of  censure 
against  Gen.  Jackson  for  removing  the  deposits. 
Earnestly  he  opposed  the  abolition  of  slavery  in  the 
District  of  Columbia,  and  urged  the  prohibition  of  the 
circulation  of  anti-slavery  documents  by  the  United 
States  mails. 

As  to  petitions  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  he  advo- 
cated that  they  should  be  respectfully  received;  and 
that  the  reply  should  be  returned,  that  Congress  had 
no  power  to  legislate  upon  the  subject.  '  Congress," 
said  he,  "  might  as  well  undertake  to  interfere  with 
slavery  under  a  foreign  government  as  in  any  of  the 
States  where  it  now  exists." 

Upon  Mr.  Polk's  accession  to  the  Presidency,  Mr.  . 
Buchanan  became  Secretary  of  State,  and  as  such, 
took  his  share  of  the  responsibility  in  the  conduct  of 
the  Mexican  War.  Mr.  Polk  assumed  that  crossing 
the  Nueces  by  the  American  troops  into  the  disputed 
territory  was  not  wrong,  but  for  the  Mexicans  to  cross 
the  Rio  Grande  into  that  territory  was  a  declaration 
of  war.  No  candid  man  can  read  with  pleasure  the 
account  of  the  course  our  Government  pursued  in  that 
movement 

Mr.  Buchanan  identified  himself  thoroughly  with 
the  party  devoted  to  the  perpetuation  and  extension 
of  slavery,  and  brought  all  the  energies  of  his  mind 
to  bear  against  the  Wilmot  Proviso.  He  gave  his 
cordial  approval  to  the  compromise  measures  of  1S50, 
which  included  the  fugitive-slave  law.  Mr.  Pierce, 
upon  his  election  to  the  Presidency,  honored  Mr. 
Buchanan  with  the  mission  to  England. 

In  the  year  1856,  a  national  Democratic  conven- 
tion nominated  Mr.  Buchanan  for  the  Presidency.  The 
political  conflict  was  one  of  the  most  severe  in  which 
our  country  has  ever  engaged.  All  the  friends  of 
slavery  were  on  one  side;  all  the  advocates  of  its  re- 
striction and  final  abolition,  on  the  other.  Mr.  Fre- 
mont, the  candidate  of  the  enemies  of  slavery,  re- 
ceived 114  electoral  votes.  Mr.  Buchanan  received 
174,  and  was  elected.  The  popular  vote  stood 
1,340,618,  for  Fremont,  1,224,750  for  Buchanan.  On 
March   4th.    1857,  Mr.  Buchanan  was  inaugurated. 

Mr.  Buchanan  was  far  advanced  in  life.  Only  four 
vears  were  wanting  to  fill  up  his  threescore  years  and 
ten.  His  own  friends,  those  with  whom  he  had  been 
allied  in  political  principles  and  action  for  years,  were 
seeking  the  destruction  of  the  Government,  that  they 
might  rear  upon  the  ruins  of  our  free  institutions  a 
nation  whose  corner-stone  should  be  human  slavery. 
hi  this  emergency,  Mr.  Buchanan  was  hopelessly  be- 
wildered     He  could  not,  with  his  long-avowed  prin- 


ciples, consistently  oppose  the  State-rights  party  in 
their  assumptions.  As  President  of  the  United  States, 
bound  by  his  oath  faithfully  to  administer  the  laws, 
he  could  not,  without  perjury  of  the  grossest  kind, 
unite  with  those  endeavoring  to  overthrow  the  repub- 
lic.    He  therefore  did  nothing. 

The  opponents  of  Mr.  Buchanan's  administration 
nominated  Abraham  Lincoln  as  their  standard  bearer 
in  the  next  Presidential  canvass.  The  pro-slavery 
party  declared,  that  if  he  were  elected,  and  the  con- 
trol of  the  Government  were  thus  taken  from  their 
hands,  they  would  secede  from  the  Union,  taking 
with  them,  as  they  retired,  the  National  Capitol  at 
Washington,  and  the  lion's  share  of  the  territory  of 
the  United  States. 

Mr.  Buchanan's  sympathy  with  the  pro-slavery 
parly  was  such,  that  he  had  been  willing  to  offerthem 
far  more  than  they  had  ventured  to  claim.  All  the 
South  had  professed  to  ask  of  the  North  was  non- 
intervention upon  the  subject  of  slavery.  Mr.  Bu- 
chanan had  been  ready  to  offer  them  the  active  co- 
operation of  the  Government  to  defend  and  extend 
the  mstitajhap. 

As  the  storm  increased  in  violence,  the  slaveholders 
claiming  the  right  to  secede,  and  Mr.  Buchanan  avow- 
ing that  Congress  had  no  power  to  prevent  it,  one  of 
the  most  pitiable  exhibitions  of  governmental  im- 
becility was  exhibited  the  world  has  ever  seen.  He 
declared  that  Congress  had  no  power  to  enforce  its 
laws  in  any  State  which  had  withdrawn,  or  which 
was  attempting  to  withdraw  from  the  Union.  This 
was  not  the  doctrine  of  Andrew  Jackson,  when,  with 
his  hand  upon  his  sword  hilt,  he  exclaimed.  "The 
Union  must  and  shall  be  preserved!" 

South  Carolina  seceded  in  December,  i860;  nearly 
three  months  before  the  inauguration  of  President 
Lincoln.  Mr.  Buchanan  looked  on  in  listless  despair. 
The  rebel  flag  was  raised  in  Charleston:  Fort  Sumpter 
was  besieged;  our  forts,  navy-yards  and  arsenals 
were  seized;  our  depots  of  military  stores  were  plun- 
dered ;  and  our  custom-houses  and  post-offices  were 
appropriated  by  the  rebels. 

The  energy  of  the  rebels,  and  the  imbecility  of  our 
Executive,  were  alike  marvelous.  The  Nation  looked 
on  in  agony,  waiting  for  the  slow  weeks  to  glide  away, 
and  close  the  administration,  so  terrible  in  its  weak- 
ness At  length  the  long-looked-for  hour  of  deliver- 
ance came,  when  Abraham  Lincoln  was  to  receive  the 
scepter. 

The  administration  of  President  Buchanan  was 
certainly  the  most  calamitous  our  country  has  ex- 
perienced. His  best  friends  cannot  recall  it  with 
pleasure.  And  still  more  deplorable  it  is  for  his  fame, 
that  in  that  dreadful  conflict  which  rolled  its  billows 
of  flame  and  blood  over  our  whole  land,  no  word  came 
from  his  lips  to  indicate  his  wish  that  our  country's 
banner  should  triumph  over  the  flag  of  the  rebellion 
Hp  died  at  his   Wheatland   retreat,   June    1,    186S. 


MBfiABY 
OF  THE 
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SIXTEENTH  PRES/DEiVT. 


79 


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<TJNCOTN.> 


BRAHAM  LINCOLN,  the 
sixteenth  President  of  the 
H^United  States,  was  horn  in 
Hardin  Co.,  Ky.,  Feb.  12, 
1809.  About  the  year  1780,  a 
|H>  man  by  the  name  of  Abraham 
^  Lincoln  left  Virginia  with  his 
family  and  moved  into  the  then 
wildsof  Kentucky.  Only  two  years 
after  this  emigration,  still  a  young 
man,  while  working  one  day  in  a 
field,  was  stealthily  approached  by 
an  Indian  and  shot  dead.  His  widow 
was  left  in  extreme  poverty  with  five 
little  children,  three  boys  and  two 
girls.  Thomas,  the  youngest  of  the 
boys,  was  four  years  of  age  at  his 
father's  death.  This  Thomas  was 
the  father  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  the 
President  of  the  United  States 
whose  name  must  henceforth  forever  be  enrolled 
with  the  most  prominent  in  the  annals  of  our  world. 
Of  course  no  record  has  been  kept  of  the  life 
of  one  so  lowly  as  Thomas  Lincoln.  He  was  among 
the  poorest  of  the  poor.  His  home  was  a  wretched 
log-cabin ;  his  food  the  coarsest  and  the  meanest. 
Education  he  had  none;  he  could  never  either  read 
or  write.  As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  do  anything  for 
himself,  he  was  compelled  to  leave  the  cabin  of  his 
"starving  mother,  and  push  out  into  the  world,  a  friend- 
less, wandering  boy,  seeking  work.  He  hired  him- 
self out,  and  thus  spent  the  whole  of  his  youth  as  a 
'/.borer  in  the  fields  of  others. 

When  twenty-eight  years  of  age  he  built  a  log- 
cabin  of  his  own,  and  married  Nancy  Hanks,  the 
daughter  of  another  family  of  poor  Kentucky  emi- 
grants, who  had  also  come  from  Virginia.  Their 
second  child  was  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  The  mother  of  Abraham  was  a  noble 
woman,  gentle,  loving,  pensive,  created  to  adorn 
a  palace,  doomed  to  toil  and  pine,  and  die  in  a  hovel. 
"All  that  I  am,  or  hope  to  be,"  exclaims  the  grate- 
ful son  "  I  owe  to  my  angel-mother. 

When  he  was  eight  years  of  age,  his  father  sold  his 


cabin  and  small  farm,  and  moved  to  Indiana    Where 
two  years  later  his  mother  died. 

Abraham  soon  became  the  scribe  of  the  uneducated 
community  around  him.  He  could  not  have  had  a 
better  school  than  this  to  teach  him  to  put  thoughts 
into  words.  He  also  became  an  eager  reader.  The 
books  he  could  obtain  were  few ;  but  these  he  read 
and  re-read  until  they  were  almost  committed  to 
memory. 

As  the  years  rolled  on,  the  lot  of  this  lowly  family 
was  the  usual  lot  of  humanity.  There  were  joys  and 
griefs,  weddings  and  funerals.  Abraham's  sistei 
Sarah,  to  whom  he  was  tenderly  attached,  was  mar- 
ried when  a  child  of  but  fourteen  years  of  age,  and 
soon  died.  The  family  was  gradually  scattered.  Mr. 
Thomas  Lincoln  sold  out  his  squatter's  claim  in  1830. 
and  emigrated  to  Macon  Co.,  111. 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  then  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
With  vigorous  hands  he'aided  his  father  in  rearing 
another  log-cabin.  Abraham  worked  diligently  at  this 
until  he  saw  the  family  comfortably  settled,  and  theii 
small  lot  of  enclosed  prairie  planted  with  corn,  when 
he  announced  to  his  father  his  intention  to  leave 
home,  and  to  go  out  into  the  world  and  seek  his  for- 
tune. Little  did  he  or  his  friends  imagine  how  bril- 
liant that  fortune  was  to  be.  He  saw  the  value  of 
education  and  was  intensely  earnest  to  improve  his 
mind  to  the  utmost  of  his  power.  He  saw  the  ruin 
which  ardent  spirits  were  causing,  and  became 
strictly  temperate;  refusing  to  allow  a  drop  of  intoxi- 
cating liquor  to  pass  his  lips.  And  he  had  read  it\ 
God's  word,  "Thou  shall  not  take  the  name  of  the 
Lord  thy  God  in  vain;"  and  a  profane  expression  ha 
was  never  heard  to  utter.  Religion  he  revered.  His 
morals  were  pure,  and  he  was  uncontaminated  by  a 
single  vice. 

Young  Abraham  worked  for  a  time  as  a  hired  laborei 
among  the  farmers.  Then  he  went  to  Springfield, 
where  he  was  employed  in  building  a  large  fiat-boat. 
In  this  he  took  a  herd  of  swine,  floated  them  down 
the  Sangamon  to  the  Illinois,  and  thence  by  the  Mis- 
sissippi to  New  Orleans.  Whatever  Abraham  Lin- 
coln undertook,  he  performed  so  faithfully  as  to  give 
great  satisfaction  to  his  employers.      In  this  adven 


So 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 


ture  his  employers  were  so  well  pleased,  that  upon 
his  return  tney  placed  a  store  and  mill  under  his  care. 

In  1832,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Black  Hawk  war,  he 
enlisted  and  was  chosen  captain  of  a  company.  He 
returned  to  Sangamon  County,  and  although  only  23 
years  of  age,  was  a  candidate  for  the  Legislature,  but 
was  defeated.  He  soon  after  received  from  Andrew 
Jackson  the  appointment  of  Postmaster  of  New  Salem, 
His  only  post-office  was  his  hat.  All  the  letters  he 
received  he  carried  there  ready  to  deliver  to  those 
he  chanced  to  meet.  He  studied  surveying,  and  soon 
made  this  his  business.  In  1834  he  again  became  a 
candidate  for  the  Legislature,  and  was  elected  Mr. 
Stuart,  of  Springfield,  advised  him  to  study  law.  He 
walked  from  New  Salem  to  Springfield,  borrowed  of 
Mr.  Stuart  a  load  of  books,  carried  them  back  and 
began  his  legal  studies.  When  the  Legislature  as- 
sembled he  trudged  on  foot  with  his  pack  on  his  back 
one  hundred  miles  to  Vandalia,  then  the  capital.  In 
1836  he  was  re-elected  to  the  Legislature.  Here  it 
was  he  first  met  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  In  1839  he  re- 
moved to  Springfield  and  began  the  practice  of  law. 
His  success  with  the  jury  was  so  great  that  he  was 
soon  engaged  in  almost  every  noted  case  in  the  circuit. 

In  1854  the  great  discussion  began  between  Mr. 
Lincoln  and  Mr.  Douglas,  on  the  slavery  question. 
In  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  in  Illinois, 
in  1856,  he  took  an  active  part,  and  at  once  became 
one  of  the  leaders  in  that  party.  Mr.  Lincoln's 
speeches  in  opposition  to  Senator  Douglas  in  the  con- 
test in  1858  for  a  seat  in  the  Senate,  form  a  most 
notable  part  of  his  history.  The  issue  was  on  the 
ilavery  question,  and  he  took  the  broad  ground  of 
:he  Declaration  of  Independence,  that  all  men  are 
created  equal.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  defeated  in  this  con- 
test, but  won  a  far  higher   prize. 

The  great  Republican  Convention  met  at  Chicago 
on  the  16th  of  June,  i860.  The  delegates  and 
strangers  who  crowded  the  city  amounted  to  twenty- 
five  thousand.  An  immense  building  called  "The 
Wigwam,"  was  reared  to  accommodate  the  Conven- 
tion. There  were  eleven  candidates  for  whom  votes 
were  thrown.  William  H.  Seward,  a  man  whose  fame 
as  a  statesman  had  long  filled  the  land,  was  the  most 
orominent.  It  was  generally  supposed  he  would  be 
the  nominee.  Abraham  Lincoln,  however,  received 
the  nomination  on  the  third  ballot.  Little  did  he  then 
dream  of  the  weary  years  of  toil  and  care,  and  the 
bloody  death,  to  which  that  nomination  doomed  him: 
and  as  little  did  he  dream  that  he  was  to  render  services 
to  his  country,  which  would  fix  upon  him  the  eyes  of 
the  whole  civilized  world,  and  which  would  give  him 
a  place  in  the  affections  of  his  countrymen,  second 
enly,  if  second,  to  that  of  Washington. 

Election  day  came  and  Mr.  Lincoln  received  180 
electoral  votes  out  of  203  cast)  and  was,  therefore, 
constitutionally  elected  President  of  the  United  States. 
The  tirade  of  abuse  that  vas  poured  upon   this    good 


and  merciful  man,  especially  by  the  slaveholders,  was 
greater  than  upon  any  other  man  ever  elected  to  this 
high  position.  In  February,  1861,  Mr.  Lincoln  started 
for  Washington,  stopping  in  all  the  large  cities  on  his 
way  making  speeches.  The  whole  journey  was  frought 
with  much  danger.  Many  of  the  Southern  States  had 
already  seceded,  and  several  attempts  at  assassination 
were  afterwards  brought  to  light.  A  gang  in  Balti- 
more had  arranged,  upon  his  arrival  to"  get  up  a  row," 
and  in  the  confusion  to  make  sure  of  his  death  with 
revolvers  and  hand-grenades.  A  detective  unravelled 
the  plot.  A  secret  and  special  train  was  provided  to 
take  him  from  Harrisburg,  through  Baltimore,  at  an 
unexpected  hour  of  the  night.  The  train  started  at 
half-past  ten  ;  and  to  prevent  any  possible  communi- 
cation on  the  part  ot  the  Secessionists  with  theirCon- 
federate  gang  in  Baltimore,  as  soon  as  the  train  had 
started  the  telegraph-wires  were  cut.  Mr.  Lincoln 
reached  Washington  in  safety  and  was  inaugurated, 
although  great  anxiety  was  felt  by  all  loyal  people. 
In  the  selection  of  his  cabinet  Mr.  Lincoln  gave 
to  Mr  Seward  the  Department  of  State,  and  to  other 
prominent  opponents  before  the  convention  he  gave 
important  positions. 

During  no  other  administration  have  the  duties 
devolving  upon  the  President  been  so  manifold,  and 
the  responsibilities  so  great,  as  those  which  fell  to 
the  lot  of  President  Lincoln.  Knowing  this,  and 
feeling  his  own  weakness  and  inability  to  meet,  and  in 
his  own  strength  to  cope  with,  the  difficulties,  he 
learned  early  to  seek  Divine  wisdom  and  guidance  in 
determining  his  plans,  and  Divine  comfort  in  all  his 
trials,  bofh  personal  and  national.  Contrary  to  his 
own  estimate  of  himself,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  one  of  the 
most  courageous  of  men.  He  went  directly  into  the 
rebel  capital  just  as  the  retreating  foe  was  leaving, 
with  no  guard  but  a  few  sailors.  From  the  time  he 
had  left  Springfield,  in  rS6i,  however,  plans  had  been 
made  f  jr  his  assassination, and  he  at  last  fell  a  victim 
to  one  of  them.  April  14,  1865,  he,  with  Gen.  Grant, 
was  urgently  invited  to  attend  Fords'  Theater.  It 
was  announced  that  they  would  Le  present.  Gen. 
Grant,  however,  left  the  city.  President  Lincoln,  feel- 
ing, witir  his  characteristic  kindliness  of  heart,  thaf 
it  would  be  a  disappointment  if  he  should  fail  them, 
very  reluctantly  consented  to  go.  While  listening  to 
the  play  an  actor  by  the  name  of  John  Wilkes  Booth 
entered  the  box  where  the  President  and  family  were 
seated,  and  fired  a  bullet  into  his  brains.  He  died  the 
next  morning  at  seven  o'clock. 

Never  before,  in  the  history  of  the  world  was  a  nation 
plunged  into  such  deep  grief  by  the  death  of  its  ruler. 
Strong  men  met  in  the  streets  and  wept  in  speechless 
anguish.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  a  nation  was 
in  tears.  His  was  a  life  which  will  fitly  become  a 
model.  His  name  as  the  savior  of  his  country  will 
live  with  that  of  Washington's,  its  father;  hiscr-;.ntry- 
rnen  being  iniable   to  decide    which  is   t>>e  greater. 


LIBRARY 

OF    IMF 


^I^^l^^l^ 


SE  /  ■/■;.  \  ■  1  -LEN 1 11  PRESIDED  f. 


'«i 


^. 


NDREVV  JOHNSON,  seven  - 
teenth  President  of  the  United 
\m f  States.  The  early  life  of 
Andrew  Johnson  contains  but 
the  record  of  poverty,  destitu- 
^y  tion  and  friendlessness.  He 
7  was  born  December  29,  180S, 
in  Raleigh,  N.  C.  His  parents, 
belonging  to  the  class  of  the 
"  poor  whites  "  of  the  South,  T>'ere 
in  such  circumstances,  that  they 
could  not  confer  even  the  slight- 
est advantages  of  education  upon 
their  child.  When  Andrew  was  five 
years  of  age,  his  father  accidentally 
lost  his  life  while  herorically  endeavoring  to  save  a 
friend  from  drowning.  Until  ten  years  of  age,  Andrew 
was  a  ragged  boy  about  the  streets,  supported  by  the 
labor  of  his  mother,  who  obtained  her  living  with 
her  own  hands. 

He  then,  having  never  attended  a  school  one  day, 
and  being  unable  either  to  read  or  write,  was  ap- 
prenticed to  a  tailor  in  his  native  town.  A  gentleman 
was  in  the  habit  of  going  to  the  tailor's  shop  occasion- 
ally, and  reading  to  the  boys  at  work  there.  He  often 
read  from  the  speeches  of  distinguished  British  states- 
men. Andrew,  who  was  endowed  with  a  mind  of  more 
than  ordinary  native  ability,  became  much  interested 
in  these  speeches;  his  ambition  was  roused,  and  he 
was  inspired  with  a  strong  desire  to  learn  to  read. 

He  accordingly  applied  himself  to  the  alphabet,  and 
with  the  assistance  of  some  of  his  fellow- workmen, 
iearned  his  letters.  He  then  called  upon  the  gentle- 
man to  borrow  the  book  of  speeches.      The  owner, 


pleased  with  his  zeal,  not  only  gave  him  the  book, 
but  assisted  him  in  learning  to  combine  the  letters 
into  words.  Under  such  difficulties  he  pressed  oi. 
ward  laboriously,  spending  usually  ten  or  twelve  hours 
at  work  in  the  shop,  and  then  robbing  himself  of  rest 
and  recreation  to  devote  such  time  as  he  could  to 
reading. 

He  went  to  Tennessee  in  1826,  and  located  at 
Greenville,  where  he  married  a  young  lady  who  pos 
sessed  some  education.  Under  her  instructions  he 
learned  to  write  and  cipher.  He  became  prominent 
in  the  village  debating  society,  and  a  favorite  with 
the  students  of  Greenville  College.  In  1828,  he  or- 
ganized a  working  man's  party,  which  elected  him 
alderman,  and  in  1830  elected  him  mayor,  which 
position  he  held  three  years. 

He  now  began  to  take  a  lively  interest  in  political 
affairs ;  identifying  himself  with  the  working-classes, 
to  which  he  belonged.  In  1835,  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  Tennes- 
see. He  was  then  just  twenty-seven  years  of  age. 
He  became  a  very  active  member  of  the  legislature 
gave  his  adhesion  to  the  Democratic  party,  and  in 
1840  "stumped  the  State,"  advocating  Martin  Van 
Buren's  claims  to  the  Presidency,  in  opposition  to  thos^ 
of  Gen.  Harrison.  In  this  campaign  he  acquired  much 
readiness  as  a  speaker,  and  extended  and  increased 
his  reputation. 

In  1841,  he  was  elected  State  Senator;  in  1843,  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  Congress,  and  by  successive 
elections,  held  that  important  post  for  ten  years.  In 
1853,  he  was  elected  Governor  of  Tennessee,  and 
was  re-elected  in  1855.  In  all  these  resi>onsible  |>osi- 
tions,  he  discharged  his  duties  with  distinguished  atri. 


84 


ANDRE  IF  JOHNSON. 


ity,  and  proved  himself  the  warm  friend  of  the  work- 
ing classes.  In  1857,  Mr.  Johnson  was  elected 
United  States  Senator. 

Years  before,  in  1S45,  he  had  warmly  advocated 
the  annexation  of  Texas,  stating  however,  as  his 
reason,  that  he  thought  this  annexation  would  prob- 
ably prove  "  to  be  the  gateway  out  of  which  the  sable 
sons  of  Africa  are  to  pass  from  bondage  to  freedom, 
and  become  merged  in  a  population  congenial  to 
themselves."  In  1850,  he  also  supported  the  com- 
promise measures,  the  two  essential  features  of  which 
were,  that  the  white  people  of  the  Territories  should 
be  permitted  to  decide  for  themselves  whether  they 
would  enslave  the  colored  people  or  not,  and  that 
the  <"ree  States  of  the  North  should  return  to  the 
South  persons  who  attempted  to  escape  from  slavery. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  never  ashamed  of  his  lowly  origin: 
on  the  contrary,  he  often  took  pride  in  avowing  that 
he  owed  his  distinction  to  his  own  exertions.  "Sir," 
said  he  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate,  "  I  do  not  forget 
that  I  am  a  mechanic ;  neither  do  I  forget  that  Adam 
was  a  tailor  and  sewed  fig-leaves,  and  that  our  Sav- 
ior was  the  son  of  a  carpenter." 

In  the  Charleston-Baltimore  convention  of  i8uj,  ne 
was  the  choice  of  the  Tennessee  Democrats  for  the 
Presidency.  In  1861,  when  the  purpose  of  the  South- 
im  Democracy  became  apparent,  he  took  a  decided 
stand  in  favor  of  the  Union,  and  held  that  "  slavery- 
must  be  held  subordinate  to  the  Union  at  whatever 
cost."  He  returned  to  Tennessee,  and  repeatedly 
imperiled  his  own  life  to  protect  the  Unionists  of 
Tennesee.  Tennessee  having  seceded  from  the 
Union,  President  Lincoln,  on  March  4th,  1862,  ap- 
pointed him  Military  Governor  of  the  State,  and  he 
established  the  most  stringent  military  rule.  His 
numerous  proclamations  attracted  wide  attention.    In 

1864,  he  was  elected  Vice-President   of  the    United 
States,  and  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  April  15, 

1865,  became  President.  In  a  speech  two  days  later 
he  said,  "  The  American  people  must  be  taught,  if 
they  do  not  already  feel,  that  treason  is  a  crime  and 
must  be  punished;  that  the  Government  will  not 
always  bear  with  its  enemies ;  that  it  is  strong  not 
only  to  protect,  but  to  punish.  *  *  The  people 
must  understand  that  it  (treason)  is  the  blackest  of 
crimes,  and  will  surely  be  punished."  Yet  his  whole 
administration,  the  history  of  which  is  so  well  known, 
was  in  utter  inconsistency  with,  and  the  most  violent 


opposition  to.  the  principles  laid  down  in  that  speech. 

In  his  loose  policy  of  reconstruction  and  general 
amnesty,  he  was  opposed  by  Congress ;  and  he  char-  1 
acterized  Congress  as  a  new  rebellion,  and  lawlessly 
defied  it,  in  everything  possible,  to  the  utmost.  In 
the  beginning  of  1868,  on  account  of  "high  crimes 
and  misdemeanors,"  the  principal  of  which  was  the 
removal  of  Secretary  Stanton,  in  violation  of  the  Ten- 
ure of  Office  Act,  articles  of  impeachment  were  pre-  } 
ferred  against  him,  and  the    trial   began    March   23. 

It  was  very  tedious,  continuing  for  nearly  three 
months.  A  test  article  of  the  impeachment  was  at 
length  submitted  to  the  court  for  its  action.  It  was 
certain  that  as  the  court  voted  upon  that  article  so 
would  it  vote  upon  all.  Thirty-four  voices  pronounced 
the  President  guilty.  As  a  two-thirds  vote  was  neces- 
sary to  his  condemnation,  he  was  pronounced  ac- 
quitted, notwithstanding  the  great  majority  against 
•hSnit-y  The  change  of  one  vote  from  the  not  guilty 
'  srde*\vould  have  sustained  the  impeachment. 

The  President,  for  the  remainder  of  his  term,  was 
but  little  regarded.  He  continued,  though  im potently, 
his  conflict  with  Congress.  His  own  party  did  not 
think  it  expedient  to  renominate  him  for  the  Presi- 
dency. The  Nation  rallied,  with  enthusiasm  unpar- 
alleled since  the  days  of  Washington,  around  the  name 
of  Gen.  Grant.  Andrew  Johnson  was  forgotten. 
The  bullet  of  the  assassin  introduced  him  to  the 
President's  chair.  Notwithstanding  this,  never  was 
there  presented  to  a  man  a  better  opportunity  to  im- 
mortalize his  name,  and  to  win  the  gratitude  of  a 
nation.  He  failed  utterly.  He  retired  to  his  home 
in  Greenville,  Tenn.,  taking  no  very  active  part  in 
politics  until  1875  On  Jan.  26,  after  an  exciting 
struggle,  he  was  chosen  by  the  Legislature  of  Ten- 
nessee, United  States  Senator  in  the  forty-fourth  Con- 
gress, and  took  his  seat  in  that  body,  at  the  special 
session  convened  by  President  Grant,  on  the  5th  of 
March.  On  the  27th  of  July,  1875,  the  ex-President 
made  a  visit  to  his  daughter's  home,  near  Carter 
Station,  Tenn.  When  he  started  on  his  journey,  he  was 
apparently  in  his  usual  vigorous  health,  but  on  reach- 
ing the  residence  of  his  child  the  following  day,  was 
stricken  with  paralysis,  rendering  him  unconscious. 
He  rallied  occasionally,  but  finally  passed  away  at 
2  a.m.,  July  31,  aged  sixty-seven  years.  His  fun- 
eral was  attended  at  Geenville,  on  the  3d  of  August, 
with  every  demonstration  of  respect. 


ilBRARY 

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EIGHTEENTH  FRES1DENT. 


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Tl 


LYSSES  S.  GRANT,  the 
/§)  eighteenth  President  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  on 
the  29th  of  April,  1822,  of 
Christian  parents,  in  a  humble 
home,  at  Point  Pleasant,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Ohio.  Shortly  after 
his  father  moved  to  George- 
town, Brown  Co.,  O.  In  this  re- 
mote frontier  hamlet,  Ulysses 
received  a  common-school  edu- 
cation. At  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, in  the  year  1839,  he  entered 
the  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point.  Here  he  was  regarded  as  a 
solid,  sensible  young  man  of  fair  abilities,  and  of 
sturdy,  honest  character.  He  took  respectable  rank 
as  a  scholar.  In  June,  1843,  he  graduated,  about  :he 
middle  in  his  class,  and  was  sent  as  lieutenant  of  in- 
fantry to  one  of  the  distant  military  posts  in  the  Mis- 
souri Territory.  Two  years  he  past  in  these  dreary 
solitudes,  watching  the  vagabond  and  exasperating 
Indians. 

The  war  with  Mexico  came.  Lieut.  Grant  was 
sent  with  his  regiment  to  Corpus  Christi.  His  first 
battle  was  at  Palo  Alto.  There  was  no  chance  here 
for  the  exhibition  of  either  skill  or  heroism,  nor  at 
Resaca  de  la  Pal  ma,  his  second  battle.  At  the  battle 
of  Monterey,  his  third  engagement,  it  is  said  that 
he  performed  a  signal  service  of  daring  and  skillful 
horsemanship.  His  brigade  had  exhausted  its  am- 
munition. A  messenger  must  be  sent  for  more,  along 
a  route  exposed  to  the  bullets  of  the  foe.  Lieut. 
Grant,  adopting  an  expedient  learned  of  the  Indians, 
grasped  the  mane  of  his  horse,  and  hanging  upon  one 
side  of  the  aninvil,  ran  the   gauntlet  in  entire   safety. 


From  Monterey  he  was  sent,  with  the  fourth  infantry, 
10  aid  Gen.  Scott,  at  the  siege  of  Vera  Cruz.  In 
preparation  for  the  march  to  the  city  of  Mexico,  he 
was  appointed  quartermaster  of  his  regiment.  At  the 
battle  of  Molino  del  Rey,  he  was  promoted  to  a 
first  lieutenancy,  and  was  brevetted  captain  at  Cha- 
pultepec. 

At  the  close  of  the  Mexican  War,  Capt.  Grant  re- 
turned with  his  regiment  to  New  York,  and  was  again 
sent  to  one  of  the  military  posts  on  the  frontier.  The 
discovery  of  gold  in  California  causing  an  immense 
tide  of  emigration  to  flow  to  the  Pacific  shores,  Capt. 
Grant  was  sent  with  a  battalion  to  Fort  Dallas,  in 
Oregon,  for  the  protection  of  the  interests  of  the  im- 
migrants. Life  was  wearisome  in  those  wilds.  Capt. 
Grant  resigned  his  commission  and  returned  to  the 
States;  and  having  married,  entered  upon  the  cultiva- 
tion of  a  small  farm  near  St.  Louis,  Mo.  He  had  but 
little  skill  as  a  farmer.  Finding  his  toil  not  re- 
munerative, he  turned  to  mercantile  life,  entering  into 
the  leather  business,  with  a  younger  brother,  at  Ga- 
lena, 111.  This  was  in  the  year  i860.  As  the  tidings 
of  the  rebels  firing  on  Fort  Sumpter  reached  the  ears 
of  Capt.  Grant  in  his  counting-room,  he  said, — 
"Uncle  Sam  has  educated  me  for  the  army;  though 
I  have  served  him  through  one  war,  I  do  not  feel  that 
I  have  yet  repaid  the  debt.  I  am  still  ready  todischarge 
my  obligations.  I  shall  therefore  buckle  on  my  sword 
and  see  Uncle  Sam  through  this  war  too." 

He  went  into  the  streets,  raised  a  company  of  vol- 
unteers, and  led  them  as  their  captain  to  Springfield, 
the  capital  of  the  State,  where  their  services  were 
offered  to  Gov.  Yates.  The  Governor,  impressed  by 
the  zeal  and  straightforward  executive  ability  of  Capt. 
Grant,  gave  him  a  desk  in  his  office,  to  assist  in  the 
volunteer  organization  that  was  being  formed  in  the 
Stale  in  behalf  of  the  Government.      On  the  15th  of 


88 


UL  YSSES  S.  GRA  NT. 


June,  1 86 1,  Capt.  Grant  received  a  commission  as 
Colonel  of  the  Twenty-first  Regiment  of  Illinois  Vol- 
unteers. His  merits  as  a  West  Point  graduate,  who 
had  served  for  15  years  in  the  regular  army,  were  such 
that  he  was  soon  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Brigadier- 
General  and  was  placed  in  command  at  Cairo.  The 
rebels  raised  their  banner  at  Paducah,  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Tennessee  River.  Scarcely  had  its  folds  ap- 
peared in  the  breeze  ere  Gen.  Grant  was  there.  The 
rebels  fled.  Their  banner  fell,  and  the  star  and 
stripes  were  unfurled  in  its  stead. 

He  entered  the  service  with  great  determination 
and  immediately  began  active  duty.  This  was  the  be- 
ginning, and  until  the  surrender  of  Lee  at  Richmond 
he  was  ever  pushing  the  enemy  with  great  vigor  and 
effectiveness.  At  Belmont,  a  few  days  later,  he  sur- 
prised and  routed  the  rebels,  then  at  Fort  Henry 
won  another  victory.  Then  came  the  brilliant  fight 
at  Fort  Donelson.  The  nation  was  electrified  by  the 
victory,  and  the  brave  leader  of  the  boys  in  blue  was 
immediately  made  a  Major-General,  and  the  military 
.district  of  Tennessee  was  assigned  to  him. 

Like  all  great  captains,  Gen.  Grant  knew  well  how 
to  secure  the  results  of  victory.  He  immediately 
pushed  on  to  the  enemies'  lines.  Then  came  the 
terrible  battles  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  Corinth,  and  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  where  Gen.  Pemberton  made  an 
unconditional  surrender  of  the  city  with  over  thirty 
thousand  men  and  one-hundred  and  seventy-two  can- 
non. The  fall  of  Vicksburg  was  by  far  the  most 
severe  blow  which  the  rebels  had  thus  far  encountered, 
and  opened  up  the  Mississippi  from  Cairo  to  the  Gulf. 

Gen.  Grant  was  next  ordered  to  co-operate  with 
Gen.  Banks  in  a  movement  upon  Texas,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  New  Orleans,  where  he  was  thrown  from 
his  horse,  and  received  severe  injuries,  from  which  he 
was  laid  up  for  months.  He  then  rushed  to  the  aid 
of  Gens.  Rosecrans  and  Thomas  at  Chattanooga,  and 
by  a  wonderful  series  of  strategic  and  technical  meas- 
ures put  the  Union  Army  infighting  condition.  Then 
followed  the  bloody  battles  at  Chattanooga,  Lookout 
Mountain  and  Missionary  Ridge,  in  which  the  rebels 
were  routed  with  great  loss.  This  won  for  him  un- 
bounded praise  in  the  North.  On  the  4th  of  Febru- 
ary, 1864,  Congress  revived  the  grade  of  lieutenant- 
general,  and  the  rank  was  conferred  on  Gen.  Grant. 
He  repaired  to  Washington  to  receive  his  credentials 
and  enter  upon  t!y>  duties  of  his  new  office 


Gen.  Grant  decided  as  soon  as  he  took  charge  of 
the  army  to  concentrate  the  widely-dispersed  National 
troops  for  an  attack  upon  Richmond,  the  nominal 
capital  of  the  Rebellion,  and  endeavor  there  to  de- 
stroy the  rebel  armies  which  would  be  promptly  as- 
sembled from  all  quarters  for  its  defence.  The  whole 
continent  seemed  to  tremble  under  the  tramp  of  these 
majestic  armies,  rushing  to  the  decisive  battle  field. 
Steamers  were  crowded  with  troops.  Railway  trains 
were  burdened  with  closely  packed  thousands.  His 
plans  were  comprehensive  and  involved  a  series  of 
campaigns,  which  were  executed  with  remarkable  en- 
ergy and  ability,  and  were  consummated  at  the  sur- 
render of  Lee,  April  9,   1865. 

The  war  was  ended.  The  Union  was  saved.  The 
almost  unanimous  voice  of  the  Nation  declared  Gen. 
Grant  to  be  the  most  prominent  instrument  in  its  sal- 
vation. The.  eminent  services  he  had  thus  rendered 
the  country  brought  him  conspicuously  forward  as  the 
Republican  candidate  for  the  Presidential  chair. 

At  the  Republican  Convention  held  at  Chicago. 
May  21,  1868,  he  was  unanimously  nominated  for  the 
Presidency,  and  at  the  autumn  election  received  a 
majority  of  the  popular  vote,  and  214  out  of  294 
electoral  votes. 

The  National  Convention  of  the  Republican  party 
which  met  at  Philadelphia  on  the  5th  of  June,  1872, 
placed  Gen.  Grant  in  nomination  for  a  second  term 
by  a  unanimous  vote.  The  selection  was  emphati- 
cally indorsed  by  the  people  five  months  later,  292 
electoral  votes  being   cast   for  him. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  his  second  term,  Gen.  Grant 
started  upon  his  famous  trip  around  the  world.  He 
visited  almost  every  country  of  the  civilized  world, 
and  was  everywhere  received  with  such  ovations 
and  demonstrations  of  respect  and  honor,  private 
as  well  as  public  and  official,  as  were  never  before 
bestowed  upon  any  citizen  of  the  United  States. 

He  was  the  most  prominent  candidate  before  the 
Republican  National  Convention  in  1880  for  a  re- 
nomination  for  President.  He  went  to  New  York  and 
embarked  in  the  brokerage  business  under  the  firm 
nameof  Grant  &  Ward.  The  latter  proved  a  villain, 
wrecked  Grant's  fortune,  and  for  larceny  was  sent  to 
the  penitentiary.  The  General  was  attacked  with 
cancer  in  the  throat,  but  suffered  in  his  stoic-like 
manner,  never  complaining.  He  was  re-instated  as 
General  of  the  Army  and  retired  by  Congress.  The 
cancer  soon  finished  its  deadly  work,  and  July  23, 
1885,  the  nation  went-  in  mourning  over  the  death  of 
the  illustrious  General. 


IIBRARY 
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NINETEENTH  PRESIDENT. 


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UTHERFORD  B.  .HAYES, 
the  nineteenth  President  of 
the  United  States,  was  born  in 
Delaware,  O.,  Oct.  4,  1822,  al- 
most three  months  after  the 
death  of  his  father,  Rutherford 
Hayes.  His  ancestry  on  both 
the  paternal  and  maternal  sides, 
was  of  the  most  honorable  char- 
acter. It  can  be  traced,  it  is  said, 
as  far  back  as  1280,  when  Hayes  and 
Rutherford  were  two  Scottish  chief- 
tains, fighting  side  by  side  with 
Baliol,  William  Wallace  and  Robert 
Bruce.  Both  families  belonged  to  the 
nobility,  owned  extensive  estates, 
and  had  a  large  following.  Misfor- 
tane  overtaking  the  family,  George  Hayes  left  Scot- 
land in  i6.So,  and  settled  in  Windsor,  Conn.  His  son 
George  was.  born  in  Windsor,  and  remained  there 
during  his  life.  Daniel  Hayes,  son  of  the  latter,  mar- 
ried Sarah  Lee,  and  lived  from  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage until  his  death  in  Simsbury,  Conn.  Ezekiel, 
son  of  Daniel,  was  born  in  1724,  and  was  a  manufac- 
turer of  scythed  at  Bradford,  Conn.  Rutherford  Hayes, 
son  of  Ezekiel  ai.d  grandfather  of  President  Hayes,  was 
born  in  New  Haven,  in  August,  1756.  He  was  a  farmer, 
blacksmith  and  tavern-keeper.  He  emigrated  to 
Vermont  at  an  unknown  date,  settling  in  Brattleboro, 
where  he  established  a  hotel.  Here  his  son  Ruth- 
erford Hayes    the  father  of  President  Hayes,  was 


I 


born.  He  was  married,  in  September,  1813,  to  Sophia 
Birchard,  of  Wilmington,  Vt.,  whose  ancestors  emi- 
grated thither  from  Connecticut,  they  having  been 
among  the  wealthiest  and  best  famlies  of  Norwich. 
Her  ancestry  on  the  male  side  are  traced  back  to 
1635,  to  John  Birchard,  one  of  the  principal  founders 
of  Norwich.  Both  of  her  grandfathers  were  soldiers 
in  the  Revolutionary  War. 

The  father  of  President  Hayes  was  an  industrious 
frugal  and  opened-hearted  man.  He  was  of  a  me- 
chanical turn,  and  could  mend  a  plow,  knit  a  stock- 
ing, or  do  almost  anything  else  that  he  choose  to 
undertake.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Church,  active 
in  all  the  benevolent  enterprises  of  the  town,  and  con- 
ducted his  business  on  Christian  principles.  After 
the  close  of  the  war  of  181 2,  for  reasons  inexplicable 
to  his  neighbors,  he  resolved  to  emigrate  to   Ohio. 

The  journey  from  Vermont  to  Ohio  in  that  day 
when  there  were  no  canals,  steamers,  nor  railways, 
was  a  very  serious  affair.  A  tour  of  inspection  was 
first  made,  occupying  four  months.  Mr.  Hayes  deter 
mined  to  move  to  Delaware,  where  the  family  arrived 
in  1817.  He  died  July  22,  1822,  a  victim  of  malarial 
fever,  less  than  three  months  before  the  birth  of  the 
son,  of  whom  we  now  write.  Mrs.  Hayes,  in  her  sore  be- 
reavement, found  the  support  she  so  much  needed  in 
her  brother  Sardis,  who  had  been  a  member  of  the 
household  from  the  day  of  its  departure  from  Ver- 
mont,  and  in  an  orphan  girl  whom  she  had  adopted 
some  time  before  as  an  act  of  charity. 

Mrs.  Hayes  at  this  period  was  very  weak,  and  the 


92 


RUTHERFORD  B.  HAYES. 


subject  of  this  sketch  was  so  feeble  at  birtli  that  he 
was  not  expected  to  live  beyond  a  month  or  two  at 
most.  As  the  months  went  by  he  grew  weaker  and 
weaker,  so  that  the  neighbors  were  in  the  habit  of  in- 
quiring from  time  to  time  "  if  Mrs.  Hayes'  baby  dud 
last  night. '  On  one  occasion  a  neighbor,  who  was  on 
familiar  terms  with  the  family,  after  alluding  to  the 
boy's  big  head,  and  the  mother's  assiduous  care  of 
him,  said  in  a  bantering  way,  "  That's  right!  Stick  to 
him.  You  have  got  him  along  so  far,  and  I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  he  would  really  come  to  something  yet." 

"  You  need  not  laugh,"  said  Mrs.  Hayes.  "You 
vait  and  see.  You  can't  tell  but  I  shall  make  him 
President  of  the  United  States  yet."  The  boy  lived, 
in  spite  of  the  universal  predictions  of  his  speedy 
death;  and  when,  in  1825,  his  older  brother  was 
drowned,  he  became,  if  possible,  still  dearer  to  his 
mother. 

The  boy  was  seven  years  old  before  he  went  to 
school.  His  education,  however,  was  not  neglected. 
He  probably  learned  as  much  from  his  mother  and 
sister  as  he  would  have  done  at  school.  His  sports 
were  almost  wholly  within  doors,  his  playmates  being 
his  sister  and  her  associates.  These  circumst 
tended,  no  doubt,  to  foster  that  gentleness  of  dispo- 
sition, and  that  delicate  consideration  for  the  feelings 
of  others,  which  are  marked  traits  of  his  character. 
His  uncle  Sardis  Birchard  took  the  deepest  interest 
In  his  education  ;  and  as  the  boy's  health  had  im- 
proved, and  he  was  making  good  progress  in  his 
studies,  he  proposed  to  send  him  to  college.  His  pre- 
paration commenced  with  a  tutor  at  home;  bit  he 
was  afterwards  sent  for  one  year  to  a  professor  in  the 
Wesleyan  University,  in  Middletown,  Conn.  He  en- 
tered Kenyon  College  in  1838,31  the  age  of  sixteen, 
and  was  graduated  at  the  head  of  his  class  in  1842. 
Immediately  after  his  graduation  lie  began  the 
study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Thomas  Sparrow,  Esq., 
in  Columbus.  Finding  his  opportunities  for  study  in 
Columbus  somewhat  limited,  he  determined  to  enter 
the  Law  School  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  where  he  re- 
mained two  years. 

In  1845,  after  graduating  at  the  Law  School,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  and  shortly 
afterward  went  into  practice  as  an  attorney-at-law 
with  Ralph  P.  Buckland,  of  Fremont.  Here  he  re- 
mained three  years,  acquiring  but  a  limited  practice, 
and  apparently  unambitious  of  distinction  in  his  pro- 
fession. 

In  1849  he  moved  to  Cincinnati,  where  his  ambi- 
tion found  a  new  stimulus.  For  several  years,  how- 
ever, his  progress  was  slow.  Two  events,  occurring  at 
this  period,  had  a  powerful  influence  upon  his  subse- 
quent life.  One  of  these  was  his  marrage  with  Miss 
Lucy  Ware  Webb,  daughter  of  Dr.  James  Webb,  of 
Chilicothe;  the  othei  was  his  introduction  to  the  Cin- 
cinnati Literary  Club,  a  body  embracing  among  its 
members  such  men  as^hief  justice  Salmon  P,  Chase, 


Gen.  John  Pope,  Gov.  Edward  F.  Noyes,  and  many 
others  hardly  less  distinguished  in  afterlife.  The 
marriage  was  a  fortunate  one  in  every  respect,  as 
everybody  knows.  Not  one  of  all  the  wives  of  our 
Presidents  was  more  universally  admired,  reverenced 
a.id  beloved  than  was  Mis.  Hayes,  and  no  one  did 
more  than  she  to  reflect  honor  upon  American  woman 
h.-od.  The  Litciary  Cluu  brought  Mr.  Hayes  into 
constant  association  with  young  men  of  high  char 
acter  and  noble  aims,  and  lured  him  to  display  the 
qualities  so  long  hidden  by  his  bashfulne:s  and 
modesty. 

In  1856  he-  was  nominated  to  the  office  of  Judt;.-  of 
the  Court  of  Common  Pleas;  but  he  declined  to  ac- 
cept the  nomination.  Two  years  later,  the  office  o! 
city  solicitor  becoming  vacant,  the  City  Council 
elected  him  for  the  unexpired  term. 

In  1S61,  when  the  Rebellion  broke  out,  he  was  a! 
the  zenith  of  his  professional  Vf_.  His  lank  at  the 
bar  was  among  the  the  first.  But  the  news  of  the 
attack,  on  Fort  Sninpter  found  him  eager  to  take  "io 
arms/ofjhe  defense  of  his  country. 

His  military  re,oprd  was  bright  ard  illustrious.  In 
October,  1861,  he  was  made  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and 
in  August,  1S62,  promoted  Colonel  of  the  79th  Ohio 
regiment,  but  he  refused  to  leave  his  old  comrades 
and  go  among  strangers.  Subsequently,  however,  he 
was  made  Colonel  of  his  old  regiment.  At  the  battle 
of  South  Mountain  he  received  a  wound,  and  while 
faint  and  bleeding  displayed  courage  and  fortitude 
that  won  admiration  from  all. 

Col.  Hayes  was  detached  from  his  regiment,  after 
his  recovery,  to  act  as  Brigadier-General,  and  placed 
in  command  of  the  celebrated  Kanawha  division, 
and  for  gallant  and  meritorious  sei  vices  in  the  battles 
of  Winchester,  Fisher's  Hill  and  Cedar  Creek,  he  was 
promoted  Brigadier-General.  He  was  also  brevetted 
M.'j  ir-General,  "forgallant  and  distinguished  fervices 
during  the  campaigns  of  1864.  in  West  Virginia."  In 
the  course  of  his  arduous  services,  four  horses  were 
shot  from  under  him,  and  he  was  wounded  four  times 

In  1864,  Gen.  Hayes  was  elected  to  Congress,  from 
the  Second  Ohio  District,  which  had  long  been  Dem- 
ocratic. He  was  not  present  during  the  campaign, 
and  after  his  election  was  importuned  to  resign  his 
commission  in  the  army;  but  he  finally  declared,  "  I 
shall  never  come  to  Washington  until  I  can  come  by 
the  way  of  Richmond."  He  was  re-elected  in  1866. 

In  1867,  Gen  Hayes  was  elected  Governor  of  Ohio, 
over  Hon.  Allen  G.  Thurman,  a  populai  Democrat. 
In  1869  was  re-elected  over  George  H.  Pendleton. 
He  was  elected  Governor  for  the  third  term  in   1875. 

In  1876  he  was  the  standard  bearer  of  the  Repub- 
lican Party  in  t lie  Presidential  contest,  and  after  a 
hard  long  contest  was  chosen  President-  and  was  in 
augurated  Monday,  March  5,  1875.  He  served  his 
full  term,  not,  h.  wever,  with  satisfaction  to  his  party, 
bis  admir'stration  was  an  average  orv* 


OF    ITO 
Iff   i  ■ 


TWENTIETH  PRESIDENT. 


05 


^^/ygvX^ 


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AMES  A.  GARFIELD,  twen- 
tieth President  of  the  United 
States,    was    born    Nov.    19, 
1S31,  in  the  woods  of  Orange, 
Cuyahoga  Co.,  O      His    par- 
'     ents  were  Abram  and    Eliza 
(Ballou)    Garfield,   both   of  New 
England  ancestry  and  from  fami- 
lies well  known  in  the  early  his- 
tory of  that  section  of  our  coun- 
try, but  had  moved  to  the  Western 
Reserve,  in  Ohio,  early  in  its  settle- 
ment. 

The  house  in  which  James  A.  was 
born  was  not  unlike  the  houses  of 
poor  Ohio  farmers  of  that  day.  It 
.its  about  20x30  feet,  built  of  logs,  with  the  spaces  be- 
.'.veen  the  logs  filled  with  clay.  His  father  was  a 
.'iard  working  farmer,  and  he  soon  had  his  fields 
cleared,  an  orchard  planted,  and  a  log  barn  built, 
fhe  household  comprised  the  father  and  mother  and 
dieir  four  children — Mehetabel,  Thomas,  Mary  and 
Tames.  In  May,  1823,  the  father,  from  a  cold  con- 
tacted in  helping  to  put  out  a  forest  fire,  died.  At 
this  time  James  was  about  eighteen  months  old,  and 
Fhomas  about  ten  years  old.  No  one,  perhaps,  can 
tell  how  much  James  was  indettedrto  his  biother's 
toil  and  self-sacrifice  during  the  twenty  years  suc- 
ceeding his  father's  death,  but  undoubtedly  very 
much.  He  now  lives  in  Michigan,  and  the  two  sis- 
ters live  in  Solon,  O.,  near  their  birthplace. 

The  early  educational  advantages  young  Garfield 
enjoyed  were  very  limited,  yet  he  made  the  most  of 
them.  He  labored  at  farm  work  for  others,  did  car- 
penter work,  chopped  wood,  or  did  anything  that 
would  bring  in  a  few  dollars  to  aid  his  widowed 
mother  in  he  struggles  to  keep  the  little  family  to- 


gether. Nor  was  Gen.  Garfield  ever  ashamed  of  his 
origin,  and  he  never  forgot  the  friends  of  his  strug- 
gling childhood,  youth  and  manhood,  neither  did  the) 
ever  forget  him.  When  in  the  highest  seats  of  honor 
the  humblest  friend  of  his  boyhood  was  as  kindly 
greeted  as  ever.  The  poorest  laborer  was  sure  of  the 
sympathy  of  one  who  had  known  all  the  bitterness 
of  want  and  the  sweetness1  of  bread  earned  by  the 
sweat  of  the  brow.  He  was  ever  the  simple  plain, 
modest  gentleman. 

The  highest  ambition   of  young  Garfield  until   hi 
was  about  sixteen  years  old  was  to  be  a  captain  oi 
a  vessel  on  Lake  Erie.     He  was  anxious  to  go  aboard 
a  vessel,  which  his  mother  strongly   opposed.     She 
finally  consented  to  his  going  to  Cleveland,  with  the 
understanding,  however,  that  he  should  try  to  obtair 
some  other  kind  of  employment.     He  walked  all  the 
way  to  Cleveland.    This  was  his  first  visit  to  the  city 
After  making  many  applications  for  work,  and  trying 
to  get   aboard  a   lake  vessel,  and  not  meeting  with 
success,  he  engaged  as  a  driver  for  his  cousin,  Amos 
Letcher,  on  the  Ohio  &  Pennsylvania  Canal.     Here- 
mained  at  this  work  but  a  short  time  when  he  wen" 
home,    and  attended   the   seminary    at   Chester  for 
about  three  years,  when  he  entered   Hiram  and  the 
Eclectic  Institute,  teaching  a  few  terms  of  school  in 
the  meantime,  and  doing  other  work.     This   school 
was  started  by  the  Disciples  of  Christ  in    1850,  of 
which  church  he  was    then  a  member.     He  became 
janitor  and  bell-ringer  in  order  to  help  pay  his  way 
He  then  became  both  teacher  and   pupil.     He  soon 
"  exhausted  Hiram  "  and  needed  more  ;  hence,  in  the 
fall  of  1854,  he  entered  Williams  College,  from  whi  :h 
he  graduated  in  1856,  taking  one  of  the  highest  hon- 
ors of  his  class.     He  afterwards  returned  to  Hiram 
College  as  its  President.     As  above  stated,  he    early 
united    with    the   Christian    or    Diciples    Church    at 
Hiram,  and  was  ever  after  a  devoted,  zealous  mem- 
ber, often  preaching  in  its  pulpit  and    places  where 
he  happened  to  be.     Dr.  Noah  Porter,  President  of 
Yale  College,  says  of  him  in  reference  to  his  religion ; 


9« 


JAMES  A.  GARFIELD. 


"President  Garfield  was  more  than  a  man  of 
strong  moral  and  religious  convictions.  His  whole 
history,  from  boyhood  to  the  last,  shows  that  duty  to 
man  and  to  God,  and  devotion  to  Christ  and  life  and 
faith  and  spiritual  commission  were  controlling  springs 
of  his  being,  and  to  a  more  than  usual  degree.  In 
my  judgment  there  is  no  more  interesting  feature  of 
his  character  than  his  loyal  allegiance  to  the  body  of 
Christians  in  which  he  was  trained,  and  the  fervent 
sympathy  which  he  ever  showed  in  their  Christian 
communion.  Not  many  of  the  few  'wise  and  mighty 
and  noble  who  are  called'  show  a  similar  loyalty  to 
the  less  stately  and  cultured  Christian  communions 
in  which  they  have  been  reared.  Too  often  it  is  true 
that  as  they  step  upward  in  social  and  political  sig- 
nificance they  step  upward  from  one  degree  to 
another  in  some  of  the  many  types  of  fashionable 
Christianity.  President  Garfield  adhered  to  the 
church  of  his  mother,  the  church  in  which  he  was 
trained,  and  in  which  he  served  as  a  pillar  and  an 
evangelist,  and  yet  with  the  largest  and  most  unsec- 
Urian  charity  for  all  'who  loveour  Lord  in  sincerity,'" 

Mr.  Garfield  was  united  in   marriage   with    Miss.' 
Lucretia  Rudolph,  Nov.  1 1,  1858,  who  proved  herself 
worthy  as  the  wife  of  one  whom  all  the  world  loved  and 
mourned.     To  them  were  born  seven  children,  five  of 
whom  are  still  living,  four  boys  and  one  girl. 

Mr.  Garfield  made  his  first  political  speeches  in  1856, 
in  Hiram  and  the  neighboring  villages,  and  three 
years  later  he  began  to  speak  at  county  mass-meet- 
ings, and  became  the  favorite  speaker  wherever  he 
was.  During  this  year  he  was  elected  to  the  Ohio 
Senate.  He  also  began  to  study  law  at  Cleveland, 
and  in  1861  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  The  great 
Rebellion  broke  out  in  the  early  part  of  this  year, 
and  Mr.  Garfield  at  once  resolved  to  fight  as  he  had 
talked,  and  enlisted  to  defend  the  old  flag.  He  re- 
ceived his  commission  as  Lieut.-Colonel  of  the  Forty- 
second  Regiment  of  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  Aug. 
14,  1861.  He  was  immediately  put  into  active  ser- 
vice, and  before  he  had  ever  seen  a  gun  fired  in  action, 
was  placed  in  command  of  four  regiments  of  infantry 
and  eight  companies  of  cavalry,  charged  with  the 
work  of  driving  out  of  his  native  State  the  officer 
•Humphrey  Marshall)  reputed  to  be  the  ablest  of 
those,  not  educated  to  war  whom  Kentucky  had  given 
to  the  Rebellion.  This  work  was  bravely  and  speed- 
ily accomplished,  although  against  great  odds.  Pres- 
ident Lincoln,  on  his  success  commissioned  him 
Brigadier-General,  Jan.  10,  1862;  and  as  "he  had 
been  the  youngest  man  in  the  Ohio  Senate  two  years 
before,  so  now  he  was  the  youngest  General  in  the 
army."  He  was  with  Gen.  Buell's  army  at  Shiloh, 
in  its  operations  around  Corinth  and  its  march  through 
Alabama.  He  was  then  detailed  as  a  member  of  the 
General  Couit-Martial  for  the  trial  of  Gen.  Fitz-John 
Porter.  He  was  then  ordered  to  report  to  Gen.  Rose- 
crans,  and  was  assigned  to  the  "Chief  of  Staff." 

The  military  history  of  Gen.  Garfield  closed  with 


his  brilliant  services  at  Chickamauga,  where  he  won 
the  stars  of  the  Major-General. 

Without  an  effort  on  his  part  Get?  Garfield  wa» 
elected  to  Congress  in  the  fall  of  1862  from  the 
Nineteenth  District  of  Ohio.  This  section  of  Ohio 
had  been  represented  in  Congress  for  sixty  years 
mainly  by  two  men — Elisha  Whittlesey  and  Joshua 
R.  Giddings.  It  was  not  without  a  struggle  that  he 
resigned  his  place  in  the  army.  At  the  time_  he  en- 
tered Congress  he  was  the  youngest  member  in  that 
body.  There  he  remained  by  successive  re- 
elections  until  he  was  elected  President  in  1880. 
Of  his  labors  in  Congress  Senator  Hoar  says  :  "  Since 
the  year  1864  you  cannot  think  of  a  question  which 
has  been  debated  in  Congress,  or  discussed  before  u 
tribunel  of  the  American  people,  in  regard  to  whict 
you  will  not  find,  if  you  wish  instruction,  the  argu- 
ment on  one  side  stated,  in  almost  every  instance 
better  than  by  anybody  else,  in  some  speech  made  in 
the  House  of  Representatives  or  on  the  hustings  by 
Mr.  Garfield." 

•Upon  Jan.  14,  1880,  Gen.  Garfield  was  elected  to 
the,  U.  S.  Senate,  and  on  the  eighth  of  June,  of  the 
same  year,  was  nominated  as  the  candidate  of  his 
party  for  President  at  the  great  Chicago  Convention. 
He  was  elected  in  the  following  November,  and  on 
March  4,  1881,  was  inaugurated.  Probably  no  ad- 
ministration ever  opened  its  existence  under  brighter 
auspices  than  that  of  President  Garfield,  and  every 
day  it  grew  in  favo:  with  the  people,  and  by  the  first 
of  July  he  had  completed  all  the  initiatory  and  pre- 
liminary work  of  his  administration  and  was  prepar- 
ing to  leave  the  city  to  meet  his  friends  at  Williams 
College.  While  on  his  way  and  at  the  depot,  in  com- 
pany with  Secretary  Blaine,  a  man  stepped  behind 
him,  drew  a  revolver,  and  fired  directly  at  his  back. 
The  President  tottered  and  fell,  and  as  he  did  so  the 
assassin  fired  a  second  shot,  the  bullet  cutting  the 
left  coat  sleeve  of  his  victim,  but  inflicting  no  further 
injury.  It  has  been  very  truthfully  said  that  this  was 
"  the  shot  that  was  heard  round  the  world  "  Never 
before  in  the  history  of  the  Nation  had  anything  oc- 
curred which  so  nearly  froze  the  blood  of  the  peop!~ 
for  the  moment,  as  this  awful  deed.  He  was  smit- 
ten on  the  brightest,  gladdest  day  of  all  his  life,  and 
was  at  the  summit  of  his  power  and  hope.  For  eighty 
days,  all  during  the  hot  months  of  July  and  August, 
he  lingered  and  suffered.  He,  however,  remained 
master  of  himself  till  the  last,  and  by  his  magnificent 
bearing  was  teaching  the  country  and  the  world  the 
noblest  of  human  lessons — how  to  live  grandly  in  the 
very  clutch  of  death.  Great  in  life,  he  was  surpass- 
ingly great  in  death.  He  passed  serenely  away  Sept. 
19,  1883,  at  Elberon,  N.  J.,  on  the  very  bank  of  the 
ocean,  where  he  had  been  taken  shortly  previous.  The 
world  wept  at  his  death,  as  it  never  had  done  on  the 
death  of  any  other  man  who  had  ever  lived  upon  it. 
The  murderer  was  duly  tried,  found  guilty  and  exe- 
cuted, in  one  year  after  he  committed  the  foul  deed. 


II.  ■■■ 


ilBRARV 
OF  THr 


TWENTY-FIRST  PRESIDENT. 


99 


HESTER      A.      ARTHUR, 
twenty-first    Presi'i-iii.   of  the 

^United    States,    was    born    in 

P  ranklin  Cour  ty,  Vermont,  on 

$o    the  fifth  of  Odober,  1830,  andis 

the  oldest   of  a   family    of  two 

sons  and    five   daughters.     His 

father  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  William   1 

Arthur,  a  Baptist  d'.rgyman,  who 

emigrated  to  tb'.s  country  from 

the  county  Antrim,  Ireland,    in 

i  jjj     his  18th  year,  and  died  in  1875,  in 

}  |J  Newtonville,   neai    Albany,   after  a 

long  and  successful  ministry. 

Young  Arthur  was  educated  at 
Union  College,  S<  henectady,  where 
he  excelled  in  all  his  studies.  Af- 
ter his  graduation  he  taught  school 
in  Vermont  for  two  years,  and  at 
the  expiration  of  that  time  came  to 
New  York,  with  $500  in  his  pocket, 
and  entered  the  office  of  ex-Judge 
E.  D.  Culver  as  student.  After 
being  admitted  tor  the  bar  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  his  intimate  friend  and  room-mate, 
Henry  D.  Gardiner,  with  the  intention  of  practicing 
in  the  West,  and  for  three  months  they  roamed  about 
in  the  Western  States  in  search  of  an  eligible  site, 
but  in  the  end  returned  to  New  York,  where  they 
hung  out  their  shingle,  and  entered  upon  a  success- 
ful career  almost  from  the  start.  General  Arthur 
»oon  afterward  nwr<-d  the  daughter  of  Lieutenant 


Herndon,  of  the  United  States  Navy,  who  was  lost  at 
sea.  Congress  voted  a  gold  medal  to  his  widow  in 
recognition  of  the  bravery  he  displayed  on  that  occa- 
sion. Mrs.  Arthur  died  shortly  before  Mr.  Arthur's 
nomination  to  the  Vice  Presidency,  leaving  two 
children. 

Gen.  Arthur  obtained  considerable  legal  celebrity 
in  his  first  great  case,  the  famous  Lemmon  suit, 
brought  to  recover  possession  of  eight  slaves  who  had 
been  declared  free  by  Judge  Paine,  of  the  Superior 
Court  of  New  York  City.  It  was  in  1852  that  Jon. 
athan  Lemmon,  of  Virginia,  went  to  New  York  with 
his  slaves,  intending  to  ship  them  to  Texas,  when 
they  were  discovered  and  freed.  The  Judge  decided 
that  they  could  not  be  held  by  the  owner  under  the 
Fugitive  Slave  Law.  A  howl  of  rage  went  up  from 
the  South,  and  the  Virginia  Legislature  authorized  the 
Attorney  General  of  that  State  to  assist  in  an  appeal. 
Wm.  M.  Evarts  and  Chester  A.  Arthur  were  employed 
to  represent  the  People,  and  they  won  their  case, 
which  then  went  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States.  Charles  O'Conor  here  espoused  the  cause 
of  the  slave-holders,  but  he  too  was  beaten  by  Messrs 
Evarts  and  Arthur,  and  a  long  step  was  taken  toward 
the  emancipation  of  the  black  race. 

Another  great  service  was  rendered  by  General 
Arthur  in  the  same  cause  in  1856.  Lizzie  Jennings, 
a  respectable  colored  woman,  was  put  off  a  Fourth 
Avenue  car  with  violence  after  she  had  paid  her  fare. 
General  Arthur  sued  on  her  behalf,  and  secured  a 
verdict  of  $500  damages.  The  next  day  the  compa- 
ny issued  an  order  to  admit  colored  persons  to  ride 
on  their  cars,  and  the  other  car  companies  quickly 


/oo 


CHESTER  A.  ARTHUR. 


followed  their  example.  Before  that  the  Sixth  Ave- 
nue Company  ran  a  few  special  cars  for  colored  per- 
sons and  the  other  lines  refused  to  let  them  ride  at  all. 

General  Arthur  was  a  delegate  to  the  Convention 
at  Saratoga  that  founded  the  Republican  party. 
Previous  to  the  war  he  was  Judge- Advocate  of  the 
Second  Brigade  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  Gov- 
ernor Morgan,  of  that  State,  appointed  him  Engineer- 
in-Chief  of  his  staff.  In  1S61,  he  was  made  Inspec- 
tor General,  and  soon  afterward  became  Quartermas- 
ter-General. In  each  of  these  offices  he  rendered 
great  service  to  the  Government  during  the  war.  At 
the  end  of  Governor  Morgan's  term  he  resumed  the 
practice  of  the  law,  forming  a  partnership  with  Mr. 
Ransom,  and  then  Mr.  Phelps,  the  District  Attorney 
of  New  Yoik,  was  added  to  the  firm.  The  legal  prac- 
tice of  this  well-known  firm  was  very  large  and  lucra- 
tive, each  of  the  gentlemen  composing  it  were  able 
lawyers,  and  possessed  a  splendid  local  reputation,  if 
not  indeed  one  of  national  extent. 

He  always  took  a  leading  part  in  State  and  city 
politics.  He  was  appointed  Collector  of  the  Port  of 
New  York  by  President  Grant,  Nov.  21  1872,  to  suc- 
ceed Thomas  Murphy,  and  held  the  office  until  July, 
20,  1878,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Collector  Merritt. 

Mr.  Arthur  was  nominated  on  the  Presidential 
ticket,  with  Gen.  James  A.  Garfield,  at  the  famous 
National  Republican  Convention  held  at  Chicago  in 
June,  1880.  This  was  perhaps  the  greatest  political 
convention  that  ever  assembled  on  thecontinent.  It 
was  composed  of  the  fading  politicians  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  all  able  men,  and  each  stood  firm  and 
fought  vigorously  and  with  signal  tenacity  for  their 
respective  candidates  that  were  before  the  conven- 
tion for  the  nomination.  Finally  Gen.  Garfield  re- 
ceived the  nomination  for  President  and  Gen.  Arthur 
for  Vice-President.  The  campaign  which  followed 
was  one  of  the  most  animated  known  in  the  history  of 
our  country.  Gen.  Hancock,  the  standard-bearer  of 
the  Democratic  party,  was  a  popular  man,  and  his 
party  made  a  valiant  fight  for  his  election. 

Finally  the  election  came  and  the  country's  choice 
>vas  Garfield  and  Arthur.  They  were  inaugurated 
March  4,  1881,  as  President  and  Vice-President. 
K  few  months  only  had  passed  ere  the  newly  chosen 
President  was  the  victim  of  the  assassin's  bullet.  Then 
came  terrible  weeks  of  suffering, — those  moments  of 
anxious  suspense,  wher  the  hearts  of  all  civilized  na- 


tions were  throbbing  in  unison,  longing  for  the  re 
covery  of  the  noble,  the  good  President.  The  remark- 
able patience  that  he  manifested  during  those  hours 
and  weeks,  and  even  months,  of  the  most  terrible  suf- 
fering man  has  often  been  called  upon  to  endure,  was 
seemingly  more  than  human.  It  was  certainly  God- 
like. During  all  this  period  of  deepest  anxiety  Mr. 
Arthur's  every  move  was  watched,  and  be  it  said  to  his 
credit  that  his  every  action  displayed  only  an  earnest 
desire  that  the  suffering  Garfield  might  recover,  to 
serve  the  remainder  of  the  term  he  had  so  auspi- 
ciously begun.  Not  a  selfish  feeling  was  manifested 
in  deed  or  look  of  this  man,  even  though  the  most 
honored  position  in  the  world  tvas  at  any  moment 
likely  to  fall  to  him. 

At  last  God  in  his  mercy  relieved  President  Gar- 
field from  further  suffering,  and  the  world,  as  never 
before  in  its  history  over  the  death  of  any  other 
man,  wept  at  his  bier.'  Then  it  became  the  duty  of 
the  Vice  President  to  f.ssume  the  responsibilities  of 
the  high  office,  and  he  took  the  oath  in  New  York. 
Sept.  20,  18S1.  The  position  was  an  embarrassing 
one  to  him,  made  doubly  so  from  the  facts  that  all 
eyes  were  on  him,  anxious  to  know  what  he  would  do, 
what  policy  he  would  pursue,  and  who  he  would  se- 
lect as  advisers.  The  duties  of  the  office  had  been 
greatly  neglected  during  the  President's  long  illness, 
and  many  important  measures  were  to  be  immediately 
decided  by  him ;  and  still  farther  to  embarrass  him  he 
did  not  fail  to  realize  under  what  circumstances  he 
became  President,  and  knew  the  feelings  of  many  on 
this  point.  Under  these  trying  circumstances  President 
Arthur  took  the  reins  of  the  Government  in  his  own 
hands;  and,  as  embarrassing  as  were  the  condition  of 
affairs,  he  happily  surprised  the  nation,  acting  so 
wisely  that  but  few  criticised  his  administration. 
He  served  the  nation  well  and  fa:thfully,  until  the 
close  of  his  administration,  March  4,  1885,  and  was 
a  popular  candidate  before  his  party  for  a  second 
term.  His  name  was  ably  presented  before  the  con- 
vention at  Chicago,  and  was  received  with  great 
favor,  and  doubtless  but  for  the  personal  popularity 
of  one  of  the  opposing  candidates,  he  would  have 
been  selected  as  the  standard-bearer  of  his  party 
for  another  campaign.  He  retired  to  private  life  car- 
rying with  him  the  best  wishes  of  the  American  peo- 
ple, whom  he  had  served  in  a  manner  satisfactory 
to  them  and  with  credit  to  himself. 


IIBRARY 
OF  T'  r 


m 


&  fe 


/n?t&r 


OstsK^t 


TWENTY-SECOND  PRESIDENT. 


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»3je»gfe:^3:t:<»3K:»3ie»3ig»3ig»ag<>ag»3ig»3ii:»at:»3!g»3i£»3i£»3lsr<' 


>^w  '(Xievjeln.nd. 


.    <x-v    . 


~o&o 


TEPHEN  GROVER  CLEVE- 
LAN  D,the  twenty-  second  Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States,  was 
born  in  1S37,  in  the  obscure 
town  of  Caldwell,  Essex  Co., 
N.  J.,  and  in  a  little  two-and-a- 
half-story  white  house  which  is  still 
standing,  characteristically  to  mark 
f^>  the  humble  birth-place  of  one  of 
America's  great  men  in  striking  con 
trast  with  the  Old  World,  where  all 
men  high  in  office  must  be  high  in 
origin  and  born  in  the  cradle  of 
wealth.  When  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  three  years  of  age,  his 
father,  who  was  a  Presbyterian  min- 
ister, with  a  large  family  and  a  small  salary,  moved, 
by  way  c:  the  Hudson  River  and  Erie  Canal,  to 
Fayetteville,  in  search  of  an  increased  income  and  a 
larger  field  of  work.  Fayetteville  was  then  the  most 
straggling  of  country  villages,  about,  five  miles  from 
Pompey  Hill,  where  Governor  Seymour  was  borr.. 

At  the  last  mentioned  place  young  Grover  com- 
menced going  to  school  in  the  "good,  old-fashioned 
way,"  and  presumably  distinguished  himself  after  the 
manner  of  all  village  boys,  in  doing  the  things  he 
ought  not  to  do.  Such  is  the  distinguishing  trait  of 
all  geniuses  and  independent  thinkers.  When  he 
/arrived  at  the  age  of  14  years,  he  had  outgrown  the 
capacity  of  the  village  school  and  expressed  a  most 


emphatic  desire  to  be  sent  to  an  academy.  To  this 
his  father  decidedly  objected.  Academies  in  those 
days  cost  money;  besides,  his  father  wanted  him  to 
become  self-supporting  by  the  quickest  possible 
means,  and  this  at  that  time  in  Fayette/ille  seemed 
to  be  a  position  in  a  country  store,  where  Lis  father 
and  the  large  family  0.1  his  hands  had  considerable 
influence.  Grover  was  to  be  paid  $50  for  his  services 
the  first  year,  and  if  he  proved  trustworthy  he  was  to 
receive  $t 00  the  second  year.  Here  the  lad  com- 
menced his  career  as  salesman,  and  in  two  years  he 
had  earned  so  good  a  reputation  for  trustworthiness 
that  his  employers  desired  to  retain  him  for  an  in 
definite  length  of  time.  Otherwise  he  did  not  ex- 
hibit as  yet  any  particular  "  flashes  of  genius  "  or 
eccentricities  of  talent.  He  was  simply  a  good  boy. 
But  instead  of  remaining  with  this  firm  in  Fayette- 
ville, he  went  with  the  family  in  their  removal  to 
Clinton,  where  he  had  an  opportunity  of  attending  a 
high  school.  Here  he  industriously  pursued  his 
studies  until  the  family  removed  with  him  to  a  point 
on  Black  River  known  as  the  "  Holland  Patent,"  a 
village  of  500  or  600  people,  15  miles  north  of  Utica, 
N.  Y.  At  this  place  his  father  died,  after  preaching 
but  three  Sundays.  This  event  broke  up  the  family, 
and  Grover  set  out  for  New  York  City  to  accept,  at  a 
small  salary,  the  position  of  "  under-teacher  "  in  an 
asylum  for  the  blind.  He  taught  faithfully  for  two 
years,  and  although  he  obtained  a  good  reputation  in 
this  capacity,  he  concluded  that  teaching  was  not  liis 


S.   GROVE R   CLEVELAND. 


calling  for  life,  and,  reversing  the  traditional  order, 
he  left  the  city  to  seek  his  fortune,  instead  of  going 
to  a  city.  He  first  thought  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  as 
there  was  some  charm  in  that  name  for  him ;  but 
before  proceeding  to  that  place  he  went  to  Buffalo  to 
ask  the  advice  of  his  uncle,  Lewis  F.  Allan,  a  noted 
stock-breeder  of  that  place.  The  latter  did  not 
speak  enthusiastically.  "  What  is  it  you  want  to  do, 
my  boy?"  he  asked.  "Well,  sir,  I  want  to  study 
law,"  was  the  reply.  "  Good  gracious !  "  remarked 
die  old  gentleman  ;  "  do  you,  indeed  ?  What  ever  put 
that  into  your  head?  How  much  money  have  you 
got.'"  "Well,  sir,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  haven't  got 
any." 

After  a  long  consultation,  his  uncle  offered  him  a 
place  temporarily  as  assistant  herd-keeper,  at  $50  a 
year,  while  lie  could  "  look  around."  One  day  soon 
afterward  he  boldly  walked  into  the  office  of  Rogers, 
Bowen  &  Rogers,  of  Buffalo,  and  told  them  what  he 
wanted.  A  number  of  young  men  were  already  en- 
gaged in  the  office,  but  Graver's  persistency  won,  and 
he  was  finally  permitted  to  come  as  an  office  boy  and 
Have  the  use  of  the  law  library,  for  the  nominal  sum 
of  $3  or  $4  a  week.  Out  of  this  he  had  to  pay  for 
his  board  and  washing.  The  walk  to  and  from  his 
uncle's  was  a  long  and  rugged  one;  and,  although 
the  first  winter  was  a  memorably  severe  one,  his 
shoes  were  out  of  repair  and  his  overcoat — he  had 
none — yet  he  was  nevertheless  prompt  and  regular. 
On  the  first  day  of  his  service  here,  his  senior  em- 
ployer threw  down  a  copy  of  Blackstone  before  him 
with  a  bang  that  made  the  dust  fly,  saying  "That's 
where  they  all  begin."  A  titter  ran  around  the  little 
circle  of  clerks  and  students,  as  they  thought  that 
was  enough  to  scare  young  Grover  out  of  his  plans  ; 
out  in  due  time  he  mastered  that  cumbersome  volume. 
Then,  as  ever  afterward,  however,  Mr.  Cleveland 
exhibited  a  talent  for  executiveness  rather  than  for 
chasing  principles  through  all  their  metaphysical 
possibilities..  "  Let  us  quit  talking  and  go  and  do 
it,"  was  practically  his  motto. 

The  first  public  office  to  which  Mr.  Cleveland  was 
elected  was  that  of  Sheriff  of  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in 
which  Buffalo  is  situated;  and  in  such  capacity  it  fell 
to  his  duty  to  inflict  capital  pi'i.ishment  upon  two 
criminals.  In  iSSr  he  was  elected  Mayor  of  the 
City  of  Buffalo,  0:1  the  Democratic  ticket,  with  es- 
pecial reference  to  the  bringing  about  certain  reforms 


in  the  administration  of  the  municipal  affairs  of  that 
city.  In  this  office,  as  well  as  that  of  Sheriff,  his 
performance  of  duty  has  generally  been  considered 
fair,  with  possibly  a  few  exceptions  which  were  fer- 
reted out  and  magnified  during  the  last  Presidential 
campaign.  As  a  specimen  of  his  plain  language  in 
a  veto  message,  we  quote  from  one  vetoing  an  iniqui- 
tous street-cleaning  contract:  "This  is  a  time  for 
plain  speech,  and  my  objection  to  your  action  shall 
be  plainly  stated.  I  regard  it  as  the  culmination  of 
a  mos  bare-faced,  impudent  and  shameless  scheme 
to  betray  the  interests  of  the  people  and  to  worse 
than  squander  the  people's  money."  The  New  York 
Sun  afterward  very  highly  commended  Mr.  Cleve- 
land's administration  as  Mayor  of  Buffalo,  and  there- 
upon recommended  him  for  Governor  of  the  Empire 
State.  To  the  latter  office  he  was  elected  in  i8S2, 
and  his  administration  of  the  affairs  of  State  was 
generally  satisfactory.  The  mistakes  he  made,  if 
any,  were  made  very  public  throughout  the  nation 
after  he  was  nominated  for  President  of  the  United 
States.  For  this  high  office  he  was  nominated  July 
it,  1884,  by  the  National  Democratic  Convention  at 
Chicago,  when  other  competitors  were  Thomas  F. 
Bayard,  Roswell  P.  Flower,  Thomas  A.  Hendricks, 
Benjamin  F.  Butler,  Allen  G.  Thurman,  etc.;  and  he 
was  elected  by  the  people,  by  a  majority  of  about  a 
thousand,  over  the  brilliant  and  long-tried  Repub- 
lican statesman,  James  G.  Blaine.  President  Cleve- 
land resigned  his  office  as  Governor  of  New  York  in 
January,  18S5,  in  order  to  prepare  for  his  duties  as 
the  Chief  Executive  of  the  United  States,  in  which 
capacity  his  term  commenced  at  noon  on  the  4th  of 
March,  1885.  For  his  Cabinet  officers  he  selected 
the  following  gentlemen:  For  Secretary  of  State, 
Thomas  F.  Bayard,  of  Delaware ;  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  Daniel  Manning,  of  New  York ;  Secretary 
of  War,  William  C.  Endicott,  of  Massachusetts; 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  William  C.  Whitney,  of  New 
York;  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  L.  Q.  C.  Lamar,  of 
Mississippi;  Postmaster-General,  William  F.  Vilas, 
of  Wisconsin ;  Attorney-General,  A.  H.  Garland,  of 
Arkansas. 

The  silver  question  precipitated  a  controversy  be- 
tween those  who  were  in  favor  of  the  continuance  of 
silver  coinage  and  those  who  were  opposed,  Mr. 
Cleveland  answering  for  the  latter,  even  before  his 
inauguration, 


LIBRARY 
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TWENTY -THIRD  PRESIDENT. 


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INJAMIN  HARRISON,  the 
twenty-third  President,  is 
the  descendant  of  one  of  the 
historical  families  of  this 
country.  The  head  of  the 
family  was  a  Major  General 
Harrison,  one  of  Oliver 
Cromwell's  trusted  follow- 
ers and  fighters.  In  the  zenith  of  Crom- 
[p  well's  power  it  became  the  duty  of  this 
Harrison  to  participate  in  the  trial  of 
Charles  I,  and  afterward  to  sign  the 
death  warrant  of  the  king.  He  subse- 
quently paid  for  this  with  his  life,  being 
hung  Oct.  13,  16C0.  His  descendants 
came  to  America,  and  the  next  of  the 
family  that  appears  in  history  is  Benja- 
min Harrison,  of  Virginia,  great-grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and 
after  whom  he  was  named.  Benjamin  Harrison 
was  a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress  during 
the  years  i 774-5-6,  and  was  one  of  the  original 
signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  He 
wac  three  times  elected  Governor  of  Virginia. 
Gen    William   Henry   Harrison,  the  son  of  the 


distinguished  patriot  of  the  Revolution,  after  a  suc- 
cessful career  as  a  soldier  during  the  War  of  1812, 
and  with -a  clean  record  as  Governor  of  the  North- 
western Territory,  was  elected  President  of  the 
United  States  in  1840.  His  career  was  cut  short 
by  death  within  one  month  :.fter  his  inauguration. 
President  Harrison  was  born  at  North  Bend, 
Hamilton  Co.,  Ohio,  Aug.  =?0,  1833.  His  life  up  to 
the  time  of  his  graduation  by  the  Miami  University 
at  Oxford,  Ohio,  was  the  uneventful  one  of  a  coun- 
try lad  of  a  family  of  small  means.  His  father  was 
able  to  give  him  a  good  education,  and  nothing 
more.  He  became  engaged  while  at  college  to  th.3 
daughter  of  Dr.  Scott,  Principal  of  a  female  schoo 
at  Oxford.  After  graduating  he  determined  to  en^ 
ter  upon  the  study  of  the  law.  He  went  to  Cin 
einnati  and  then  read  law  for  two  years.  At  the 
expiration  of  that  time  young  Harrison  received  tt:, 
only  inheritance  of  his  life ;  his  aunt  dying  left  him 
a  lot  valued  at  $800.  He  regarded  this  legacy  ast 
fortune,  and  decided  to  get  married  at  once,  <aks 
this  money  and  goto  some  Eastern  town  an",  oe- 
gin  the  practice  of  law.  He  sold  his  lot,  and  with 
the  money  in  his  pocket,  he  started  out  witu  his 
young  wife  to  fight  for  a  place  in  the  world.     Uie 


108 


BENJAMIN   HARRISON. 


iceided  to  go  to  Indianapolis,  which  was  even  at 
(hat  time  a  town  of  promise.  He  met  with  slight 
encouragement  at  first,  making  scarcely  anything 
the  first  year.  He  worked  diligently,  applying  him- 
self closely  to  his  calling,  built  up  an  extensive 
practice  and  took  a  leading  rank  in  the  legal  pro- 
fession.    He  is  the  father  of  two  children. 

In  18GC  Mr.  Harrison  was  nominated  for  the 
position  of  Supreme  Court  Reporter,  and  then  be- 
gan his  experience  as  a  stump  speake:  He  can- 
vassed the  State  thoroughly,  and  was  elected  by  a 
handsome  majority.  In  18C2  he  raised  the  17th 
Indiana  Infantry,  and  was  chosen  its  Colonel.  His 
regiment  was  composed  of  the  rawest  of  material, 
out  Col.  Harrison  employed  all  his  time  at  first 
mastering  military  tactics  and  drilling  his  men, 
when  he  therefore  came  to  move  toward  the  East 
with  Sherman  his  regiment  was  one  of  the  best 
drilled  and  organized  in  the  arm)-.  At  Resaca  he 
especially  distinguished  himself,  and  for  his  bravery 
tit  Peachtree  Creek  he  was  made  a  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral, Gen.  Hooker  speaking  of  him  in  the  most 
complimentary  terms. 

During  the  absence  of  Gen.  Harrison  in  the  field 

he  Supreme  Court  declared  the  office  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  Reporter  vacant,  and  another  person 
was  elected  to  the  position.  From  the  time  of  leav- 
ing Indiana  with  his  regiment  until  the  fall  of  1  8G4 
ne  had  taken  no  leave  of  absence,  but  having  been 
nominated  that  year  for  the  same  office,  he  got  a 
thirty-day  leave  of  absence,  and  during  that  time 
made  a  brilliant  canvass  of  the  State,  and  was  elected 
for  another  term.  He  then  started  to  rejoin  Sher- 
man, but  on  the  way  was  stricken  down  with  scarlet 
,ever,  and  after  a  most  trying  siege  made  his  way 
to  the  front  in  time  to  participate  in  the  closing 
ucidents  of  the  war. 

In  18G8  Gen.  Harrison  declined  r,  re-election  as 
reporter,  and  resumed  the  practice  of  law.  In  1876 
ie  was  a  candidate  for  Governor.     Although  de- 

eated,  the  brilliant  campaign  he  made  won  for  him 
i  National  reputation,  and  he  was  much  sought,  es- 
peciai.y  in  the  East,  to  make  speeches.  In  1880, 
as  usua!,  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  campaign, 
■•ml  mi'  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate.  Here 
lie  served  six  3'ears,  and  .vas  known  as  one  oi  the 
Ablest  men,  best  lawyer-"  ..iui  strongest  debaters  in 


that  bociy.  With  tiie  expiration  of  his  Senatorial 
term  he  returned  to  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
becoming  the  head  of  one  of  the  strongest  firms  in 
the  State. 

The  political  campaign  of  1888  was  one  of  the 
most  memorable  in  the  history  of  our  country.  The 
convention  which  assembled  in  Chicago  in  June  and 
named  Mr.  Harrison  as  the  chief  standard  bearer 
of  the  Republican  party,  was  great  in  every  partic- 
ular, and  on  this  account,  and  the  attitude  it  as- 
sumed upon  the  vital  questions  of  the  day,  chief 
among  which  was  the  tariff,  awoke  a  deep  interest 
in  the  campaign  throughout  the  Nation.  Shortly 
after  the  nomination  delegations  began  to  visit  Mr. 
Harrison  at  Indianapolis,  his  home.  This  move- 
ment became  popular,  and  from  all  sections  of  the 
country  societies,  clubs  and  delegations  journeyed 
thither  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  distinguished 
statesman.  The  popularity  of  these  was  greatly 
increased  on  account  of  the  remarkable  speeches 
made  by  Mr.  Harrison.  He  spoke  daily  all  through 
the  summer  and  autumn  to  these  visiting  delega- 
tions, and  so  varied,  masterly  and  eloquent  were 
his  speeches  that  they  at  once  placed  him  in  the 
foremost  rank  of  American  orators  and  statesmen. 

On  account  of  his  eloquence  as  a  speaker  and  his 
power  as  a  debater,  he  was  called  upon  at  an  un- 
commonly early  age  to  take  part  in  the  discussion 
of  the  great  questions  that  then  began  (j  agitate 
the  country.  He  was  an  uncompromising  ant: 
slavery  man.  and  was  matched  against  some  of  tie 
most  eminent  Democratic  speakers  of  his  State. 
No  man  who  felt  the  touch  of  his  blade  dezired  to 
be  pitted  with  him  again.  With 'all  his  eloquence 
as  an  orator  he  never  spoke  for  oratorical  effect, 
but  his  words  always  went  like  bullets  to  the  mark 
He  is  purely  American  in  his  ideas  and  is  a  spier 
did  type  of  the  American  .statesman.  Gifted  witis 
quick  perception,  a  logical  mind  and  a  ready  tongue, 
he  is  one  of  the  most  distinguished  impromptu 
speakers  in  the  Nation.  Many  of  these  speeches 
sparkled  with  the  rarest  of  eloquence  and  contained 
arguments  of  greatest  weight.  Many-  of  his  terse 
.statements  have  already  become  aphorisms.  ( )i  igi- 
nal  in  thought^  precise  in  logic,  terse  m  statement, 
yet  withal  faultless  in  eloquence,  he  is  recognized  as 
the  sound  statesman  and  brill ian    orator  o-  tu^  day 


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GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


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HADRACH  BOND,  the  first 
Governor  of  Illinois  after  its 
organization  as  a  State,  serving 
from  1818  to  1822,  was  born  in 
Frederick  County,  Maryland, 
in  the  year  1773,  and  was 
raised  a  farmer  on  his  father's 
plantation,  receiving  only  a  plain 
English  education.  He  emigrated 
to  this  State  in  1794,  when  it  was  a 
part  of  the  "Northwest  Territory," 
continuing  in  the  vocation  in  which 
he  had  been  brought  up  in  his  native 
State,  in  the  "New  Design,"  neat- 
Eagle  Creek,  in  what  is  now  Monroe 
County.  He  served  several  terms  as 
a  member  of  the  General  Assembly 
of  Indiana  Territory,  after  it  was  organized  as  such, 
and  in  1812-14  he  was  a  Delegate  to  the  Twelfth 
and  Thirteenth  Congresses,  taking  his  seat  Dec.  3, 
1812,  and  serving  until  Oct.  3,  1814.  These  were 
the  times,  the  reader  will  recollect,  when  this  Gov- 
ernment had  its  last  struggle  with  Great  Britain. 
The  year  1812  is  also  noted  in  the  history  of  this 
State  as  that  in  which  the  first  Territorial  Legislature 
was  held.  It  convened  at  Kaskaskia,  Nov.  25,  and 
adjourned  Dec.  26,  following. 

While  serving  as  Delegate  to  Congress,  Mt.  Bond 
was  instrumental  in  procuring  the  right  of  pre-emp- 
tion on  the  public  domain.  On  the  expiration  of  his 
term  at  Washington  he  was  appointed  Receiver  of 
Public  Moneys  at  Kaskaskia,  then  the  capital  of  the 
Territory.      In    company    with   John   G.    Comyges, 


Thomas  H.  Harris,  Charles  Slade,  Michael  Jones, 
Warren  Brown.  Edward  Humphries  and  Charles  W 
Hunter,  he  became  a  proprietor  of  the  site  of  the 
initial  city  of  Cairo,  which  they  hoped,  from  its  favor- 
able location  at  the  junction  of  the  two  great 
rivers  near  the  center  of  the  Great  West,  would 
rapidly  develop  into  a  metropolis.  To  aid  the  enter- 
prise, they  obtained  a  special  charter  from  the  Legis- 
lature, incorporating  both  the  City  and  the  Bank  of 
Cairo. 

In  1818  Mr.  Bond  was  elected  the  first  Governor 
of  the  State  of  Illinois,  being  inaugurated  Oct.  6 
that  year,  which  was  several  weeks  before  Illinois 
was  actually  admitted.  The  facts  are  these :  In 
January,  18 18,  the  Territorial  Legislature  sent  a  peti- 
tion to  Congress  for  the  admission  of  Illinois  as  a 
State,  Nathaniel  Pope  being  then  Delegate.  The 
petition  was  granted,  fixing  the  northern  line  of  the 
State  on  the  latitude  of  the  southern  extremity  of 
Lake  Michigan;  but  the  bill  was  afterward  so  amend- 
ed as  to  extend  this  line  to  its  present  latitude.  In 
July  a  convention  was  called  at  Kaskaskia  to  draft  a 
constitution,  which,  however,  was  not  submitted  to 
the  people.  By  its  provisions,  supreme  judges,  pros 
ecuting  attorneys,  county  and  circuit  judges,  record- 
ers and  justices  of  the  peace  were  all  to  be  appointed 
by  the  Governor  or  elected  by  the  Legislature.  This 
constitution  was  accepted  by  Congress  Dec.  30.  At 
that  time  Illinois  comprised  but  eleven  counties, 
namely,  Randolph,  Madison,  Gallatin,  Johnson, 
Pope,  Jackson,  Crawford,  Bond,  Union,  Washington 
and  Franklin,  the  northern  portion  of  the  State  be- 
ing mainly  in  Madison  County.  Thus  it  appears 
that  Mr.  Bond  was    honored  by    the    naming  of  a 


SHADRACH  BOND. 


county  before  he  was  elected  Governor.  The  present 
county  of  Bond  is  of  small  limitations,  about  60  to  80 
miles  south  of  Springfield.  For  Lieutenant  Governor 
the  people  chose  Pierre  Menard,  a  prominent  and 
worthy  Frenchman,  after  whom  a  county  in  this  State 
is  named.  In  this  election  there  were  no  opposition 
candidates,  as  the  popularity  of  these  men  had  made 
their  promotion  to  the  chief  offices  of  the  S^ate,  even 
oefore  the  constitution  was  drafted,  a  foregone  con- 
clusion. 

The  principal  points  that  excited  the  people  in 
reference  to  political  issues  at  this  period  were  local 
or  "internal  improvements,"  as  they  were  called, 
State  banks,  location  of  the  capital,  slavery  and  the 
personal  characteristics  of  the  propased  candidates. 
Mr.  Bond  represented  the  "Convention  party,"  for 
introducing  slavery  into  the  State,  supported  by  Elias 
Kent  Kane,  his  Secretary  of  State,  and  John  Mc- 
Lean, while  Nathaniel  Pope  and  John  P.  Cook  led 
the  anti-slavery  element.  The  people,  however,  did 
not  become  very  much  excited  over  this  issue  until 
1820,  when  the  famous  Missouri  Compromise  was 
adopted  by  Congress,  limiting  slavery  to  the  south 
of  the  parallel  of  36°  30'  except  in  Missouri.  While 
this  measure  settled  the  great  slavery  controversy, 
so  far  as  the  average  public  sentiment  was  tempor- 
arily concerned,  until  1854,  when  it  was  repealed 
under  the  leadership  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  the  issue 
as  considered  locally  in  this  State  was  not  decided 
until  '824,  after  a  most  furious  campaign.  (See 
sketch  of  Gov.  Coles.)  The  ticket  of  18 18  was  a 
compromise  one,  Bond  representing  (moderately)  the 
pro-slavery  sentiment  and  Menard  the  anti-slavery. 

An  awkward  element  in  the  State  government 
under  Gov.  Bond's  administration,  was  the  imperfec- 
tion of  the  State  constitution.  The  Convention 
wished  to  have  Elijah  C.  Berry  for  the  first  Auditor 
of  Public  Accounts,  but,  as  it  was  believed  that  the 
new  Governor  would  not  appoint  him  to  the  office, 
the  Convention  declared  in  a  schedule  that  "  an 
auditor  of  public  accounts,  an  attorney  general  and 
such  other  officers  of  the  State  as  may  be  necessary, 
may  be  appointed  by  the  General  Assembly."  The 
Constitution,  as  it  stood,  vested  a  very  large  appoint- 
ing power  in  the  Governor;  but  for  the  purpose  of 
getting  one  man  into  office,  a  total  change  was  made, 
and  the  power  vested  in  the  Legislature.  Of  this 
provision  the  Legislature  took  advantage,   and  de- 


clared that  State's  attorneys,  canal  commissioners, 
bank  directors,  etc.,  were  all  "  officers  of  the  State" 
and  must  therefore  be  appointed  by  itself  independ- 
ently of  the  Governor. 

During  Gov.  Bond's  administration  a  general  law 
was  passed  for  the  incorporation  of  academies  and 
towns,  and  one  authorizing  lotteries.  The  session  of 
1822  authorized  the  Governor  to  appoint  commis- 
sioners, to  act  in  conjunction  with  like  commissioners 
appointed  by  the  State  of  Indiana,  to  report  on  the 
practicability  and  expediency  of  improving  the  navi- 
gation of  the  Wabash  River;  also  inland  navigation 
generally.  Many  improvements  were  recommended, 
some  of  which  have  been  feebly  worked  at  even  till 
the  present  day,  those  along  the  Wabash  being  of  no 
value.  Also,  during  Gov.  Bond's  term  of  office,  the 
capital  of  the  State  was  removed  from  Kaskaskia  to 
Vandalia.  In  1820  a  law  was  passed  by  Congress 
authorizing  this  State  to  open  a  canal  through  the 
public  lands.  The  State  appointed  commissioners 
10  explore  the  route  and  prepare  the  necessary  sur- 
veys and  estimates,  preparatory  to  its  execution; 
but,  being  unable  out  of  its  own  resources  to  defray 
the  expenses  of  the  undertaking,  it  was  abandoned 
until  some  time  after  Congress  made  the  grant  of 
land  for  the  purpose  of  its  construction. 

On  the  whole,  Gov.  Bond's  administration  was 
fairly  good,  not  being  open  to  severe  criticism  from 
any  party.  In  1824,  two  years  after  the  expiration 
of  his  term  of  office,  he  was  brought  out  as  a  candi- 
date for  Congress  against  the  formidable  John  P. 
Cook,  but  received  only  4,374  votes  to  7,460  for  the 
latter.  Gov.  Bond  was  no  orator,  but  had  made 
many  fast  friends  by  a  judicious  L-ictjwment  of  his 
gubernatorial  patronage,  and  these  worked  zealously 
for  him  in  the  campaign. 

In  1827  ex-Gov.  Bond  was  appointed  by  the  Leg- 
islature, with  Wm,  P.  McKee  and  Dr.  Gershom 
Jayne.  as  Commissioners  to  locate  a  site  for  a  peni- 
tentiary on  the  Mississippi  at  or  near  Alton. 

Mr.  Bond  was  of  a  benevolent  and  convivial  dis- 
position, a  man  of  shrewd  observation  and  clear  ap- 
preciation of  events.  His  person  was  erect,  stand- 
ing six  feet  in  height,  and  after  middle  life  became 
portly,  weighing  200  pounds.  His  features  were 
strongly  masculine,  complexion  dark,  hair  jet  and 
eyes  hazel ;  was  a  favorite  with  the  ladies.  He  died 
April  1 1,  1830,  in  peace  and  contentment. 


UBRARY 
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GO  VERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


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DWARD  COLES,  second 
Governor  of  Illinois,  1823- 
.  6,  was  born  Dec.  15,  1786, 
in  Albemarle  Co.,  Va.,  on 
the  old  family  estate  called 
"Enniscorthy,"  on  the 
Green  Mountain.  His  fath- 
er, John  Coles,  was  a  Colonel  in  the 
Revolutionary  War.  Having  been  fit- 
ted for  college  by  private  tutors,  he 
was  sent  to  Hampden  Sidney,  where 
he  remained  until  the  autumn  of  1805, 
when  he  was  removed  to  William  and 
Mary  College,  at  Williamsburg,  Va. 
This  college  he  left  in  the  summer  of 
1807,  a  short  time  before  the  final  and  graduating 
examination.  Among  his  classmates  were  Lieut. 
Gen.  Scott,  President  John  Tyler,  Win.  S.  Archer, 
United  States  Senator  from  Virginia,  and  Justice 
Baldwin,  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court.  The 
President  of  the  latter  college,  Bishop  Madison,  was 
a  cousin  of  President  James  Madison,  and  that  cir- 
cumstance was  the  occasion  of  Mr.  Coles  becoming 
personally  acquainted  with  the  President  and  re- 
ceiving a  position  as  his  private  secretary,  1809-15. 
The  family  of  Coles  was  a  prominent  one  in  Vir- 
ginia, and  their  mansion  was  the  seat  of  the  old- 
fashioned  Virginian  hospitality.  It  was  visited  by 
such  notables  as  Patrick  Henry,  Jefferson,  Madison, 
Monroe,  the  Randolphs, Tazewell,  Wirt, etc.  At  the 
age  of  23,  young  Loles  founa  himself  heir  to  a  plant- 
ation and  a  considerable  number  of  slaves.  Ever 
since  his  earlier  college  days  his  attention  had  been 
drawn  to  the  question  of  slavery.     He    read    every- 


thing on  the  subject  that  came  in  his  way,  and 
listened  to  lectures  on  the  rights  of  man.  The  more 
he  reflected  upon  the  subject,  the  more  impossible 
was  it  for  him  to  reconcile  the  immortal  declaration 
"that  all  men  are  born  free  and  equal  "  with  the 
practice  of  slave-holding.  He  resolved,  therefore,  to 
free  his  slaves  the  first  opportunity,  and  even  remove 
his  residence  to  a  free  State.  One  reason  which  de- 
termined him  to  accept  the  appointment  as  private 
secretary  to  Mr.  Madison  was  because  he  believed 
that  through  the  acquaintances  he  could  make  at 
Washington  he  could  better  determine  in  what  part 
of  the  non-slaveho!ding  portion  of  the  Union  he  woulc 
prefer  to  settle. 

The  relations  between  Mr.  Coles  and  President 
Madison,  as  well  as  Jefferson  and  other  distinguished 
men,  were  of  a  very  friendly  character,  arising  from 
the  similarity  of  their  views  on  the  question  of  slavery 
and  their  sympathy  for  each  other  in  holding  doc- 
trines so  much  at  variance  with  the  prevailing  senti- 
ment in  their  own  State. 

In  1857,  he  resigned  his  secretaryship  and  spent  a 
portion  of  the  following  autumn  in  exploring  the 
Northwest  Territory,  for  the  purpose  of  finding  a  lo- 
cation and  purchasing  lands  on  which  to  settle  his 
negroes.  He  traveled  with  a  horse  and  buggy,  with 
an  extra  man  and  horse  for  emergencies,  through 
many  parts  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Missouri, 
determining  finally  to  settle  in  Illinois.  At  this  time, 
however,  a  misunderstanding  arose  between  our 
Government  and  Russia,  and  Mr.  Coles  was  selected 
to  repair  to  St.  Petersburg  on  a  special  mission,  bear- 
ing important  papers  concerning  the  matter  at  issue 
The  result  was  a  conviction  of  the   Emperor   (Alex- 


ti6 


EDWARD  COLES. 


ander)  of  the  error   committed   by   his    minister   at 

mngton,  and  the  consequent  withdrawal  of  the 

tho  latter  from  the  post.     On  his   return,  Mr.    Coles 

.    ■■'.  •  e,  especially  Paris,  where 

he  was  introduced  to  Gen.  Lafayette. 

[n  the  spring  j,  he  removed    with  all    his 

negroes  from  Virginia  to  Edwardsville,  111.,  with  the 
intention  of  giving  them  their  liberty.  He  did  not 
make  known  to  them  his  intention  until  om  beautiful 
morning  hi  April,  as  they  were  descending  the  Ohio 
River.  He  lashed  all  the  boats  together  and  called 
all  the  negroes  on  died  mode  them  a  short  ad- 

dress, concluding  his  remarks  by  so  expressing  him- 
arn  of  a  sentence  he    proclaimed   in 
the  shortest  and  fullest   manner  that    they  were    no 
;et  slaves,  but  free  as  he  was  and  were  at  liberty 
to  proceed   with  him   or    go    ashore    at    their  pleas- 
ure.     A  des..n  >tion  of  die  effect  upon  the  negroes  is 
cribed  in  his  own  la 
QEectt  upon  them  was  .  They  stared 

6  doubting  the  ac- 
cural they  heard.  In  breathless 
silence  tr  :>  utter  a  word, 
but  with  countenances  I.i..:  ;  with  expression  which 
no    words    could  convey,    and    which     no 

.  in  to   see    the   tail 

ion,  there 
came  .  .   .  . 

■  intense   i 
in  tea 

thei  tr  g  g  of  God 

on  a 

Be  ... 

:ied  more   pan 
v  '  *ach 

Eeri    . 

:nes. 

■ 

E 



: 
-    i  . 


over  8,000.  The  Lieutenant  Governor  was  elected 
by  the  slavery  men.  Mr.  Coles'  inauguration  speech 
was  marked  by  calmness,  deliberation  and  such  a 
wise    expression   of  appropriate  ons    as    to 

elicit  the  sanction  of  all  judicious  politicians.  But 
he  compromised  not  with  evil.  In  his  message  to 
the  Legislature,  the  seat  of  Government  being  then 
at  Vandalia,  he  strongly  urged  the  abrogation  jf  the 
.  lavery  which  then  existed   in  this 

contrary  to  the  Ordinance  of  1787.  His  posi- 
tion on  this  subject  seems  the  more  remarkable,  when 
it  is  considered  that  he  was  a  minority  Governor,  the 
population  of  Illinois  being  at  that  lime  almost  ex- 
clusively from  slave-In.  md  by  a  large 
majority  in  favor  of  the  perpetuation  of  that  old  relic 
of  barbarism.  The  Legislature  itself  was,  of  course, 
a  rerlex  of  the  popular  sentiment,  and  a  majority  of 
them  d  on  by  fiery  men  in  denunciations  o| 
□nscienrious  Governor,  and  in  curses  loud  and 
deep  upon  him  and  all  his  friends.  Some  of  the 
public  men,  indeed,  went  so  far  as  to  head  a  sort  of 
mob,  or"' shiveree  "  party,  who  visited  the  residence 
of  the  Governor  and  others  at  Vandalia  and  yelled 
and  groaned  and  spat  fire. 

The  Constitution,  not  establishing  or  permitting 
slavery   in   this  State,  was   thought  therefore  to  be 
defective  by  the  slavery  politicians,  and  they  desired 
3  State  Convention  to  be  elected,  to  devise  and  sub- 
mit a  new  Constitution  ;  and  the  dominant  politics 
of  the  day  was  "Convention"  and    "anti-Conven- 
tion."    Both  parties  issued  addresses  to  the  people, 
Gov.   Coles  himself  being  the  author  of  the  address 
died  by  the  latter  party.     This  address  revealed 
the  schemes  of  the  conspirators  in  a  masterly  .Ban- 
ner.    It  is  difficult  for  us  at  this  distant  day  to  esti- 
d  extremely  delicate  situation   in 
1  the  Governor  was  placed  at  that  time. 
-  hero  maintained  himself  honorably  and  with 
..   cut  his  administration,    and 
.   led.     He 
1    great   man,    and  those   who  lived   in 
state  wjourn   here,  like  those  who 

e  mountain,  were  too  near  to  see 
ttov  ••-   iadi  w  .-■.:  therm 
s  was       ixried  Ni  • 3,  bv   Bishop 

.titer 

:stry, 

am.  to  this  country  with  Wm.    Penn  in    1682. 

:  rn  of  service.  Gov. 

Idwardsville,  sup- 

y.      He    vis   fond 

i^ri- 

iccount   of  ill 

•am 

didel- 


Of    !*• 


W-  G 


'  o  c$-0[j&--^JL 


GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


"9 


iiii  a  11  Ed,wfiidi> 


-fe-v>-4- 


INIAN  EDWARDS,  Governor 

from  1827  to  1830,  was  a  son 

of  Benjamin    Edwards,  and 

was     born    in    Montgomery 

r>  County,  Maryland,  in  March, 


& 


1.775- 


His  domestic  train- 


**"<£'  *"  ing  was  well  fitted  to  give 
his  mind  strength,  firmness  and 
honorable  principles,  and  a  good 
foundation  was  laid  for  the  elevated 
character  to  which  he  afterwards 
attained.  His  parents  were  Bap- 
tists, and  very  strict  in  their  moral 
piinciples.  His  education  in  early 
youth  was  in  company  with  and 
partly  under  the  tuition  of  Hon.  \Vm. 
Wirt,  whom  his  father  patronized, 
and  who  was  more  than  two  years 
older.  An  intimacy  was  thus 
formed  between  them  which  was  lasting  for  life.  He 
was  further  educated  at  Dickinson  College,  at  Car- 
lisle, Pa.  He  next  commenced  the  study  of  law,  but 
before  completing  his  course  lie  moved  to  Nelson 
County,  Ky.,  to  open  a  farm  for  his  father  and  to 
purchase  homes  and  locate  lands  for  his  brothers  and 
sisters.  Here  he  fell  in  the  company  of  dissolute 
companions,  and  for  several  years  led  the  life  of  a 
spendthrift.  He  was,  however,  elected  to  the  Legis- 
lature of  Kentucky  as  the  Representative  of  Nelson 
ixmnty  before  he  was  2  r  years  of  age,  and  was  re- 
elected by  an  almost  unanimous  vote, 


In  1798  he  was  licensed  to  practice  law,  and  the 
following  year  was  admitted  to  the  Courts  of  Tennes- 
see. About  this  time  he  left  Nelson  County  for 
Russellville,  in  Logan  County,  broke  away  from  his 
dissolute  companions,  commenced  a  reformation  and 
devoted  himself  to  severe  and  laborious  study.  He 
then  began  to  rise  rapidly  in  his  profession,  and  soon 
became  an  eminent  lawyer,  and  inside  of  four  years 
he  filled  in  succession  the  offices  of  Presiding  Judge 
of  the  General  Court,  Circuit  Judge,  fourth  Judge  of 
the  Court  of  Appeals  and  Chief  Justice  of  the  State, 
— all  before  he  was  32  years  of  age!  In  addition,  in 
1802,  he  received  a  commission  as  Major  of  a  battal- 
ion of  Kentucky  militia,  and  in  1804  was  chosen  a 
Presidential  Elector,  on  the  Jefferson  and  Clinton 
ticket.  In  1806  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress, 
but  withdrew  on  being  promoted  to  the  Court  of 
Appeals. 

Illinois  was  organized  as  a  separate  Territory  in 
the  spring  of  1809,  when  Mr.  Edwards,  then  Chief 
Justice  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  in  Kentucky,  received 
from  President  Madison  the  appointment  as  Gover- 
nor of  the  new  Territory,  his  commission  bearing  date 
April  24,  tSog.  Edwards  arrived  at  Kaskaskia  in 
June,  and  on  the  1  ith  of  that  month  took  the  oath  of 
office.  At  the  same  time  he  was  appointed  Superin- 
tendent of  the  United  States  Saline,  this  Government 
interest  then  developing  into  considerable  proportions 
in  Southern  Illinois.  Although  during  the  first  three 
years  of  his  administration  he  had  the  power  to  make 
new  counties  and  appoint  all  the  officers,  yet  he  always 
allowed  the  people  of  each  county,  by  an  informal 


NINIAN  EDWARDS. 


vote,  to  select  their  own  officers,  both  civil  and  mili- 
tary. The  noted  John  J.  Crittenden,  afterward 
United  States  Senator  from  Kentucky,  was  appointed 
by  Gev.  Edwards  to  the  office  of  Attorney  General  of 
the  Territory,  which  office  was  accepted  for  a  short 
time  only. 

The  Indians  in  1810  committing  sundry  depreda- 
tions in  the  Territory,  crossing  the  Mississippi  from 
the  Territory  of  Louisiana,  a  long  correspondence  fol- 
lowed between  the  respective  Governors  concerning 
the  remedies,  which  ended  in  a  council  with  the  sav- 
ages at  Peoria  in  1812,  and  a  fresh  interpretation  of 
the  treaties.  Peoria  was  depopulated  by  these  de- 
predations, and  was  not  re-settled  for  many  years 
afterward. 

As  Gov.  Edwards'  term  of  office  expired  by  law  in 
1812,  he  was  re-appointed  for  another  term  of  three 
years,  and  again  in  18 15  for  a  third  term,  serving 
until  the  organization  of  the  State  in  the  fall  of  1818 
and  the  inauguration  of  Gov.  Bond.  At  this  time 
ex-Gov.  Edwards  was  sent  to  the  United  States 
Senate,  his  colleague  being  Jesse  B.  Thomas.  As 
Senator,  Mr.  Edwards  took  a  conspicuous  part,  and 
acquitted  himself  honorably  in  all  the  measures  that 
came  up  in  that  body,  being  well  posted,  an  able  de- 
bater and  a  conscientious  statesman.  He  thought 
.eriously  of  resigning  this  situation  in  1821,  but  was 
persuaded  by  his  old  friend,  Wm.  Wirt,  and  others  to 
continue  in  office,  which  he  did  to  the  end  of  the 
term. 

He  was  then  appointed  Minister  to  Mexico  by 
President  Monroe.  About  this  time,  it  appears  that 
Mr.  Edwards  saw  suspicious  signs  in  the  conduct  of 
Wm.  H.  Crawford,  Secretary  of  the  United  States 
Treasury,  and  an  ambitious  candidate  for  the  Presi- 
dency, and  being  implicated  by  the  latter  in  some  of 
his  statements,  he  resigned  his  Mexican  mission  in 
order  fully  to  investigate  the  charges.  The  result 
was  the  exculpation  of  Mr.  Edwards. 

Pro-slavery  regulations,  often  termed  "Black  Laws," 
Disgraced  the  statute  books  of  both  the  Territory  and 
he  State  of  Illinois  during  the  whole  of  his  career  in 
;his  commonwealth,  and  Mr.  Edwards  always  main- 
tained the  doctrines  of  freedom,  and  was  an  important 
;xtoi  in  the  great  struggle  which  ended  in  a  victory 
for  his  party  in  1824. 

In  1826  -7  the  Winnebago  and  other  Indians  com- 
mitted sorre  depredations  in  the  northern  part  of  the 


State,  and  the  white  settlers,  who  desired  the  lands 
and  wished  to  exasperate  the  savages  into  an  evacu- 
ation of  the  country,  magnified  the  misdemeanors  of 
the  aborigines  and  thereby  produced  a  hostility  be- 
tween the  races  so  great  as  to  precipitate  a  little  war, 
known  in  history  as  the  "Winnebago  War."  A  few 
chases  and  skirmishes  were  had,  when  Gen.  Atkinson 
succeeded  in  capturing  Red  Bird,  the  Indian  chief, 
and  putting  him  to  death,  thus  ending  the  contest,  at 
least  until  the  troubles  commenced  which  ended  in 
the  "Black  Hawk  War"  of  1832.  In  the  interpre- 
tation of  treaties  and  execution  of  their  provisions 
Gov.  Edwards  had  much  vexatious  work  to  do.  The 
Indians  kept  themselves  generally  within  the  juris- 
diction of  Michigan  Territory,  and  its  Governor, 
Lewis  Cass,  was  at  a  point  so  remote  that  ready  cor- 
respondence with  him  was  difficult  or  impossible. 
Gov.  Edwards'  administration,  however,  in  regard  to 
the  protection  of  the  Illinois  frontier,  seems  to  have 
been  vety  efficient  and  satisfactory. 

For  a  considerable  portion  of  his  time  after  his  re- 
moval to  Illinois,  Gov.  Edwards  resided  upon  his 
farm  near  Kaskaskia,  which  he  had  well  stocked  with 
horses,  cattle  and  sheep  from  Kentucky,  also  with 
fruit-trees,  grape-vines  and  shrubbery.  He  estab- 
lished saw  and  grist-mills,  and  engaged  extensively 
in  mercantile  business,  having  noless  than  eight  orten 
stores  in  this  State  and  Missouri.  Notwithstanding 
the  arduous  duties  of  his  office,  he  nearly  always  pur- 
chased the  goods  himself  with  which  to  supply  the 
stores.  Although  not  a  regular  practitioner  of  medi- 
cine, he  studied  the  healing  art  to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent, and  took  great  pleasure  in  prescribing  for,  and 
taking  care  of,  the  sick,  generally  without  charge. 
He  was  also  liberal  to  the  poor,  several  widows  and 
ministers  of  the  gospel  becoming  indebted  to  him 
even  for  their  homes. 

He  married  Miss  Elvira  Lane,  of  Maryland,  in 
1803,  and  they  became  the  affectionate  parents  of 
several  children,  one  of  whom,  especially,  is  well 
known  to  the  people  of  the  "  Prairie  State,"  namely. 
Ninian  Wirt  Edwards,  once  the  Superintendent  O 
Public  Instruction  and  still  a  resident  of  Springfield 
Gov.  Edwards  resided  at  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Kas- 
kaskia  from  1809101818;  in  Edwardsville  (named 
after  him)  from  that  time  to  1824;  and  from  the  lat- 
ter date  at  Belleville,  St.  Clair  County,  until  his 
death,  July  20,  1833,  of  Asiatic  cholera.  Edwards 
County  is  als^  named  in  his  honor. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 
UNIT*-* 


GO  VERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


127 


->-5~«§ o<s«^fet *-J<" 


&OHN  REYNOLDS, Governor  1831- 

4,  was  born  in  Montgomery  Coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  Feb.  26,  1788. 
His  father,  Robert  Reynolds  and 
his  mother,  nee  Margaret  Moore, 
were  both  natives  of  Ireland,  from 
which  country  they  emigrated  to 
the  United  States  in  1785,  land- 
ing at  Philadelphia.  The  senior 
Reynolds  entertained  an  undying 
hostility  to  the  British  Govern- 
ment. When  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  about  six  months  old, 
his  parents  emigrated  with  him  to 
Tennessee,  where  many  of  their 
relatives  had  already  located,  at  the  base  of  the 
Copper  Ridge  Mountain,  about  14  miles  northeast  of 
the  present  city  of  Knoxville.  There  they  were  ex- 
posed to  Indian  depredations,  and  were  much  molest- 
ed by  them.  In  1794  they  moved  into  the  interior 
of  the  State.  They  were  poor,  and  brought  up  their 
children  to  habits  of  manual  industry. 

In  1800  the  family  removed  to  Kaskaskia,  111.,  with 
eight  horses  and  two  wagons,  encountering  many 
.Hardships  on  the  way.  Here  young  Reynolds  passed 
the  most  of  his  childhood,  while  his  character  began 
to  develop,  the  most  prominent  traits  of  which  were 
ambition  and  energy.  He  also  adopted  the  principle 
and  practice  of  total  abstinence  from  intoxicating 
liquors.     In  1807  the  family  made  another  removal, 


this  time  to  the  "  Goshen  Settlement,"  at  the  foot  of 
the  Mississippi  bluffs  three  or  four  miles  southwest 
of  Edwardsville. 

On  arriving  at  his  20th  year,  Mr.  Reynolds,  seeing 
that  he  must  look  about  for  his  own  livelihood  and 
not  yet  having  determined  what  calling  to  pursue, 
concluded  first  to  attend  college,  and  he  accordingly 
went  to  such  an  institution  of  learning,  near  Knox- 
ville, Tenn.,  where  he  had  relatives.  Imagine  his 
diffidence,  when,  after  passing  the  first  20  years  of 
his  life  without  ever  having  seen  a  carpet,  a  papered 
wall  or  a  Windsor  chair,  and  never  having  lived  in  a 
shingle-roofed  house,  he  suddenly  ushered  himself 
into  the  society  of  the  wealthy  in  the  vicinity  of 
Knoxville!  He  attended  college  nearly  two  years, 
going  through  the  principal  Latin  authors;  but  it 
seems  that  he,  like  the  rest  of  the  world  in  modern 
times,  had  but  very  little  use  for  his  Latin  in  after 
life.  He  always  failed,  indeed,  to  exhibit  any  good 
degree  of  literary  discipline.  He  commenced  the 
study  of  law  in  Knoxville,  but  a  pulmonary  trouble 
came  on  and  compelled  him  to  change  his  mode 
of  life.  Accordingly  he  returned  home  and  re- 
cuperated, and  in  1812  resumed  his  college  and 
law  studies  at  Knoxville.  In  the  fall  of  1812  he  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  at  Kaskaskia.  About  this  time 
he  also  learned  the  French  language,  which  he 
practiced  with  pleasure  in  conversation  with  his 
family  for  many  years.  He  regarded  this  language 
as  being  superior  to  all  others  for  social  intercourse. 


124 


JOHN  REYNOLDS. 


From  his  services  in  the  West,  in  the  waroi  1812, 
he  obtained  the  sobriquet  of  the  "  Old  Ranger."  He 
was  Orderly  Sergeant,  then  Judge  Advocate. 

Mr.  Reynolds  opened  his  first  law  office  in  the 
winter  and  spring  of  1814,  in  the  French  village  of 
Cahokia,  then  the  capital  of  St.  Clair  County. 

In  the  fall  of  1818  he  was  elected  an  Associate 
Justice  upon  the  Supreme  Bench  by  the  General 
Assembly.  In  1825  he  entered  more  earnestly  than 
ever  into  the  practice  of  law,  and  the  very  next  year 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  where  he 
acted  independently  of  all  cliques  and  private  inter- 
ests. In  1828  the  Whigs  and  Democrats  were  for 
the  first  time  distinctively  organized  as  such  in  Illi- 
nois, and  the  usual  party  bitterness  grew  up  and 
raged  on  all  sides,  while  Mr.  Reynolds  preserved  a 
iudicial  calmness  and  moderation.  The  real  animus 
of  the  campaign  was  "  Jackson  "  and  "  anti-Jackson," 
*he  former  party  carrying  the  State. 

In  August,  1S30,  Mr.  Reynolds  was  elected  Gov- 
ernor, amid  great  excitement.  Installed  in  office,  he 
did  all  within  his  power  to  advance  the  cause  of  edu- 
cation, internal  improvements,  the  Illinois  &  Mich- 
igan Canal,  the  harbor  at  Chicago,  settling  the  coun- 
try, etc.;  also  recemmended  the  winding  up  of  the 
State  Bank,  as  its  affairs  had  become  dangerously 
complicated.  In  his  national  politics,  he  was  a 
moderate  supporter  of  General  Jackson.  But  the 
most  celebrated  event  of  his  gubernatorial  admin- 
istration was  the  Black  Hawk  War,  which  occurred 
in  1832.  He  called  out  the  militia  and  prosecuted 
the  contest  with  commendable  diligence,  appearing 
in  person  on  the  battle-grounds  during  the  most 
critical  periods.  He  was  recognized  by  the  President 
as  Major-General,  and  authorized  by  him  to  make 
treaties  with  the  Indians.  By  the  assistance  of  the 
ger.f.ral  Government  the  war  was  terminated  without 
much  bloodshed,  but  after  many  serious  fights.  This 
war,  as  well  as  everything  else,  was  materially  re- 
tarded by  the  occurrence  of  Asiatic  cholera  in  the 
West.  This  was  its  first  appearance  here,  and  was 
the  next  event  in  prominence  during  Gov.  Reynolds' 
term. 

South  Carolina  nullification  coming  up  at  this  time, 
t  was  heartily  condemned  by  both  President  Jackson 
<.nd  Gov.  Reynolds,  who  took  precisely  the  same 
grounds  as  the  Unionists  in  the  last  war. 

On  the  termination  of  his  gubernatorial  term  in 
.834,  Gov.  Reynolds  was  elected  a  Member  of  Con- 
gress, still  considering  himself  a  backwoodsman,  as 
re  had  scarcely  been  outside  of  the  Slate  since  he 
became  of  age,  and  had  spent  nearly  all  his  youthful 
lays  in  the  wildest  region  of  the  frontier.  His  first 
iiove  in  Congress  was  to  adopt  a  resolution  that  in 
all  elections  made  by  the  House  for  officers  the  votes 
should  be  given  viva  voce,  each  member  in  his  place 
naming  aloud  the  person  for  whom  he  votes.  This 
created,  considerable  heated  discussion,  but  was  es- 


sentially adopted,  and  remained  the  controlling  prin- 
ciple for  many  years.  The  ex  Governor  was  scarcely 
i'oscnt  from  his  seat  a  single  day,  during  eight  ses- 
sions of  Congress,  covering  a  period  of  seven  years, 
and  he  never  vacillated  in  a  party  vote;  but  he  failed 
to  get  the  Democratic  party  to  foster  his  "  National 
Road"  scheme.  He  says,  in  "  My  Own  Times  "  (a 
large  autobiography  he  published),  that  it  was  only 
by  rigid  economy  that  he  avoided  insolvency  while  in 
Washington.  During  his  sojourn  in  that  city  he  was 
married,  to  a  lady  of  the  place. 

In  1837,  while  out  of  Congress,  and  in  company 
with  a  few  others,  he  built  the  first  railroad  in  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  namely,  one  about  six  miles  long, 
leading  from  his  coal  mine  in  the  Mississippi  bluff  to 
the  bank  of  the  river  opposite  St.  Louis.  Having  not 
the  means  to  purchase  a  locomotive,  they  operated  it 
by  horse-power.  The  next  spring,  however,  the  com- 
pany sold  out,  at  great  sacrifice. 

In  1839  the  ex-Governor  was  appointed  one  of  the 
Canal  Commissioners,  and  authorized  to  borrow 
money  to  prosecute  the  enterprise.  Accord' ngly,  he 
repaired  to  Philadelphia  and  succeeding  in  obtaining 
a  million. dollars,  which,  however,  was  only  a  fourth 
of  ■what  was  wanted.  The  same  year  he  and  his 
wife  made  at  our  of  Europe.  This  year,  also,  Mr. 
Reynolds  had  the  rather  awkward  little  responsibility 
of  introducing  to  President  Van  Buren  the  noted 
Mormon  Prophet,  Joseph  Smith,  as  a  "  Latter-Day 
Saint!" 

In  1S46  Gov.  Reynolds  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Legislature  from  St.  Clair  County,  more  particu- 
larly for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  feasible  charter 
for  a  macadamized  road  from  Belleville  to  St.  Louis, 
a  distance  of  nearly  14  miles.  This  was  immediately 
built,  and  was  the  first  road  of  the  kind  in  the  State. 
He  was  again  elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1852,  when 
he  was  chosen  Speaker  of  the  House.  In  i860,  aged 
and  infirm,  he  attended  the  National  Democratic 
Convention  at  Charleston,  S.  C  ,  as  an  anti-Douglas 
Delegate,  where  he  received  more  attention  from  the 
Southern  Delegates  than  any  other  member.  He 
supported  Breckenridge  for  the  Presidency.  After 
the  October  elections  foreshadowed  the  success  of 
Lincoln,  he  published  an  address  urging  the  Demo- 
crats to  rally  to  the  support  of  Douglas.  Immedi- 
ately preceding  and  during  the  late  war,  his  corre- 
spondence evinced  a  clear  sympathy  for  the  Southern 
secession,  and  about  the  first  of  March,  1861,  he 
urged  upon  the  Buchanan  officials  the  seizure  of  the 
treasure  and  arms  in  the  custom-house  and  arsenal 
at  St.  Louis.  Mr.  Reynolds  was  a  rather  talkative 
man,  and  apt  in  all  the  Western  phrases  and  catch- 
words that  ever  gained  currency,  besides  many  cun- 
ning and  odd  ones  of  his  own  manufacture. 

He  was  married  twice,  but  had  no  children.  He 
died  in  Belleville,  in  May,  1865,  just  after  the  close 
q(  the  war. 


i-IBRARY 
OF   THE 


GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


'*7 


LLIAM  LEE  D.  EVVING, 
*  Governor  of  Illinois  Nov.  3 
figs  to  17,  1834,  was  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  and  probably 
of  Scotch  ancestry.  He  had 
a  fine  education,  was  a  gentle- 
man of  polished  manners  and 
ed  sentiment.  In  1830  John  Rey- 
s  was  elected  Governor  of  the  State, 
Zadok  Casey  Lieutenant  Governor, 
for  the  principal  events  that  followed, 
the  characteristics  of  the  times,  see 
:h  of  Gov.  Reynolds.  The  first  we 
in  history  concerning  Mr.  Ewing,  in- 
s  us  that  he  was  a  Receiver  of  Public 
Moi.eys  at  Var.dalia  soon  after  the  organization  of 
Miis  State,  and  that  the  public  moneys  in  his  hands 
vere  deposited  in  various  banks,  as  they  are  usually 
'  ll).  /resent  day.  In  1823  the  State  Bank  was 
ubbed,  by  which  disaster  Mr.  Ewing  lost  a  thousand- 
dolbr  deposit. 

1'he  subject  of  this  sketch  had  a  commission  as 
Colonel  in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  in  emergencies 
ne  acred  also  as  Major.  In  the  summer  of  1832, 
11  hen  i  <?ras  rumored  among  the  whites  that  Black 
Hawk  ar.d  his  men  had  encamped  somewhere  on 
Rock  River,  Gen.  Henry  was  sent  on  a  tour  of 
reconnoisance,  and  with  orders  to  drive  the  Indians 
from  the  State.  After  some  opposition  from  his 
subordinate  officers,  Henry  resolved  to  proceed  up 
Rock  River  in  search  of  the  enemy.  On  the  19th  of 
July,  early  in  the   morning,  five  baggage   wagons, 


camp  equipage  and  all  heavy  and  cumbersome  arti- 
cles were  piled  up  and  left,  so  that  the  army  might 
make  speedy  and  forced  marches.  For  some  miles 
the  travel  was  exceedingly  bad,  crossing  swamps 
and  the  worst  thickets ;  but  the  large,  fresh  trail 
gave  life  and  animation  to  the  Americans.  Gen. 
Dodge  and  Col.  Ewing  were  both  acting  as  Majors, 
and  composed  the  "  spy  corps  "  or  vanguard  of  the 
army.  It  is  supposed  the  army  marched  nearly  50 
miles  this  day,  and  the  Indian  trail  they  followed 
became  fresher,  and  was  strewed  with  much  property 
and  trinkets  of  the  red-skin-,  that  they  had  lost  or 
thrown  away  to  hasten  their  march.  During  the 
following  night  there  was  a  terrific  thunder-storm,  and 
the  soldiery,  with  all  their  appurtenances,  were  thor- 
oughly drenched. 

On  approaching  nearer  the  Indians  the  next  day. 
Gen.  Dodge  and  Major  Ewing,  each  commanding  a 
battalion  of  men,  were  placed  in  front  to  bring  on  the 
battle,  but  the  savages  were  not  overtaken  this  day 
Forced  marches  were  continued  until  they  reached. 
Wisconsin  River,  where  a  veritable  battle  ensued, 
resulting  in  the  death  of  about  68  of  Black  Hawk's 
men.  The  next  day  they  continued  the  chase,  and 
as  soon  as  he  discovered  the  trail  of  the  Indians 
leading  toward  the  Mississippi,  Maj.  Ewing  formed 
his  battalion  in  order  of  battle  and  awaited  the  order 
of  Gen.  Henry.  The  latter  soon  appeared  on  the 
ground  and  ordered  a  charge,  which  directly  resulted 
in  chasing  the  red  warriors  across  the  great  river. 
Maj.  Ewing  and  his  command  proved  particularly 
efficient  in  war,  as  it  seems  they  were  the  chief  actors 
in  driving  the  main  body  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  in- 


I2S 


WILLIAM  L.  D.  EWING. 


chiding  Black  Hawk  himself,  across  the  Mississippi, 
while  Gen.  Atkinson,  commander-in-chief  of  the  ex- 
pedition, with  a  body  of  the  army,  was  hunting  for 
them  in  another  direction. 

In  the  above  affair  Maj.  Ewing  is  often  referred  Id 
as  a  "General,"  which  title  he  had  derived  from  hi^ 
connection  with  the  militia. 

It  was  in  the  latter  part  of  the  same  year  (1832) 
that  Lieutenant  Governor  Casey  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress and  Gen.  Ewing,  who  had  been  elected  to  the 
Senate,  was  chosen  to  preside  over  that  body.  At 
the  August  election  of  1S34,  Gov.  Reynolds  was  also 
elec'ed  to  Congress,  more  than  a  year  ahead  of  the 
time  at  which  he  could  actually  take  his  seat,  as  was 
then  the  law.  His  predecessor,  Chailes  Slade,  had 
just  died  of  Asiatic  cholera,  soon  after  the  elec- 
tion, and  Gov.  Reynolds  was  chosen  to  serve  out  his 
unexpired  term.  Accordingly  he  set  out  for  Wash- 
ington in  November  of  that  year  to  take  his  seat  in 
Congress,  and  Gen.  Ewing,  by  virtue  of  his  office  as 
President  of  the  Senate,  became  Governor  of  the 
Stat;:  of  Illinois,  his  term  covering  only  a  period  of 
15  da"s.  namely,  from  the  3d  to  the  17th  days,  in- 
clusive, of  November.  On  the  17th  the  Legislature 
met,  and  Gov.  Ewing  transmitted  to  that  body  his 
message,  giving  a  statement  of  the  condition  of  the 
affairs  of  the  State  at  that  time,  and  urging  a  contin- 
uance of  the  policy  adopted  by  his  predecessor;  and 
on  the  same  day  Governor  elect  Joseph  Duncan 
was  sworn  into  office,  thus  relieving  Mr.  Ewing  from 


the  responsible  situation.  This  is  the  only  time  that 
such  a  juncture  has  happened  in  the  history  of  Illi- 
nois. 

On  the  29th  of  December,  1835,  Gen.  Ewing  was 
elected  a  United  States  Senator  to  serve  out  the 
unexpired  term  of  Elias  Kent  Kane,  deceased.  The 
latter  gentleman  was  a  very  prominent  figure  in  the 
early  politics  of  Illinois',  and  a  county  in  this  State  is 
named  in  his  honor.  The  election  of  Gen.  Ewing  to 
the  Senate  was  a  protracted  struggle.  His  competi- 
tors were  James  Semple,  who  afterwards  held  several 
important  offices  in  this  State,  and  Richard  M. 
Young,  afterward  a  United  States  Senator  and  a 
Supreme  Judge  and  a  man  of  vast  influence.  On 
the  first  ballot  Mr.  Semple  had  25  votes,  Young  19 
and  Ewing  18.  On  the  eighth  ballot  Young  was 
dropped;  the  ninth  and  tenth  stood  a  tie;  but  on 
the  121I1  E.ving  received  40,  to  Semple  37,  and  was 
accordingly  declared  elected.  In  1837  Mr.  Ewing 
received  some  votes  for  a  continuance  of  his  term  in 
Cori£»es4f;when  Mr.  Young,  just  referred  to,  was 
electep.  .Jin.  1842.  Mr.  Ewing  was  elected  State 
Auditor  on  the  ticket  with  Gov   Ford. 

Gen.  Ewing  was  a  gentleman  of  culture,  a  lawyer 
by  profession,  and  was  much  in  public  life.  In  person 
he  was  above  medium  height  and  of  heavy  build, 
with  auburn  hair,  blue  eyes,  large-sized  head  and 
short  face.  He  was  genial,  social,  friendly  and 
affable,  with  fair  talent,  though  of  no  high  degree  of 
originality.     He  died  March  25,  1846. 


1/BHAflY 

Of  1M 

UNIVERSITY  <v  it  Umii 


Jb*&/^  2^ 


GO  VERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


'3' 


mm         gostph  Huwcatt.         t§M 


« 


OSEPH  DUNCAN,  Governor 
-^  1S34-8,  was  born  at  Paris, 
Ky.,  Feb.  23,  1794.  At  the 
tender  age  of  19  years  he  en- 
listed in  the  war  against  Great 
Britain,  and  as  a  soldier  he 
acquitted  himself  with  credit.  He 
was  an  Ensign  under  the  daunt- 
less Croghan  at  Lower  Sandusky, 
or  Fort  Stephenson.  In  Illinois 
he  first  appeared  in  a  public  capa- 
city as  Major-General  of  the  Militia, 
a  position  which  his  military  fame 
had  procured  him.  Subsequently 
he  became  a  State  Senator  from 
Jackson  County,  and  is  honorably 
mentioned  for  introducing  the  first  bill  providing  for 
a  free-school  system.  In  1826,  when  the  redoubt- 
able John  P.  Cook,  who  had  previously  beaten  such 
men  as  John  McLean,  Elias  Kent  Kane  and  ex- 
Gov.  Bond,  came  up  for  the  fourth  time  for  Congress, 
Mr.  Duncan  was  brought  forward  against  him  by  his 
friends,  greatly  to  the  surprise  of  all  the  politicians. 
As  yet  he  was  but  little  known  in  the  State.  He  was 
.in  original  Jackson  man  at  that  time,  being  attached 
to  his  political  fortune  in  admiration  of  the  glory  of 
his  militaiy  achievements.  His  chances  of  success 
against  Cook  were  generally  regarded  as  hopeless, 
hut  he  entered  upon  the  campaign  undaunted.  His 
speeches,  though  short  and  devoid  of  ornament,  were 
fuli  of  good  sense.  He  made  a  diligent  canvass  of 
the  State,  Mr.  Cook  being  hindered  by  the  condition  of 
his  health.  The  most  that  was  expected  of  Mr. 
Duncan,  under  the  circumstances,  was  that  he  would 


-t9c— 

obtain  a  respectable  vote,  but  without  defeating  Mr 
Cook.  The  result  of  the  campaign,  however,  was  a 
source  of  surprise  and  amazement  to  both  friends 
and  foes,  as  Mr.  Duncan  came  out  641  votes  ahead! 
He  received  6,321  votes,  and  Mr.  Cook  5,680.  Un- 
til this  denouement,  the  violence  of  party  feeling 
smoldering  in  the  breasts  of  the  people  on  account 
of  the  defeat  of  Jackson,  was  not  duly  appreciated, 
Aside  from  the  great  convention  struggle  of  1824,  no 
other  than  mere  local  and  personal  considerations 
had  ever  before  controlled  an  election  in  Illinois. 

From  the  above  date  Mr.  Duncan  retained  his 
seat  in  Co.igress  until  his  election  as  Governor  in 
August,  1834.  The  first  and  bloodless  year  of  the 
Black  Hawk  War  he  was  appointed  by  Gov.  Rey- 
nolds to  the  position  of  Brigadier-General  of  the 
volunteers,  and  he  conducted  his  brigade  to  Rock 
Island.  But  he  was  absent  from  the  State,  in  Wash- 
ington, during  the  gubernatorial  campaign,  and  did 
not  personally  participate  in  it,  but  addressed  circu- 
lars to  his  constituents.  His  election  was,  indeed, 
attributed  to  the  circumstance  of  his  absence,  be- 
cause his  estrangement  from  Jackson,  formerly  his 
political  idol,  and  also  from  the  Democracy,  largely 
in  ascendency  in  the  State,  was  complete;  but  while 
his  defection  was  well  known  to  his  Whig  friends, 
and  even  to  the  leading  Jackson  men  of  this  State, 
the  latter  were  unable  to  carry  conviction  of  that  fact 
to  the  masses,  as  mail  and  newspaper  facilities  at 
that  day  were  far  inferior  to  those  of  the  present 
time.  Of  course  the  Governor  was  much  abused 
afterward  by  the  fossilized  Jackson  men  who  re- 
garded party  ties  and  affiliations  as  above  all 
other  issues  that  could  arise;  but  he  was  doubtless 


132 


JOSEPH  DUNCAN. 


sincere  in  his  opposition  to  the  old  hero,  as  the  latter 
,:ad  vetoed  several  important  western  measures 
which  were  dear  to  Mr.  Duncan.  In  his  inaugural 
message  he  threw  off  the  mask  and  took  a  bold  stand 
r gainst  the  course  of  the  President.  The  measures 
'.e  recommended  in  his  message,  however,  were  so 
desirable  that  the  Legislature,  although  by  a  large 
majority  consisting  of  Jackson  men,  could  not  refrain 
from  endorsing  them.  These  measures  related 
raainly  to  banks  and  internal  improvements. 

It  was  while  Mr.  Duncan  was  Governor  that  the 
people  of  Illinois  went  whirling  on  with  bank  and  in- 
ternal improvement  schemes  that  well  nigh  bank- 
-upted  the  State.  The  hard  times  of  1837  came  on, 
and  the  disasters  that  attended  the  inauguration  of 
.iiese  plans  and  the  operation  of  the  banks  were  mu- 
tually charged  upon  the  two  political  parties.  Had 
any  ore  man  autocratic  power  to  introduce  and 
carry  on  any  one  of  these  measures,  he  would  proba- 
bly have  succeeded  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  public  ; 
tut  as  many  jealous  men  had  hold  of  the  same  plow 
handle,  no  success  followed  and  each  blamed  the  other 
for  the  failure.  In  this  great  vortex  Gov.  Duncan 
was  carried  along,  suffering  the  like  derogation  of 
character  with  his  fellow  citizens. 

At  the  height  of  the  excitement  the  Legislature 
"provided  for"  railroads  from  Galena  to  Cairo,  Alton 
to  Shawneetown,  Alton  to  Mount  Carmel,  Alton  to  the 
eastern  boundary  of  the  State  in  the  direction  of 
Terre  Haute,  Quincy  via  Springfield  to  the  Wabash, 
Blooniington  to  Pekin,  and  Peoria  to  Warsaw, — in  all 
about  1,300  miles  of  road.  It  also  provided  for  the 
improvement  of  the  navigation  of  the  Kaskaskia, 
Illinois,  Great  and  Little  Wabash  and  Rock  Rivers  ; 
also  as  a  placebo,  $200,000  in  money  were  to  be  dis- 
.ributed  to  the  various  counties  wherein  no  improve- 
ments were  ordered  to  be  made  as  above.  The 
estimate  for  the  expenses  for  all  these  projects  was 
placed  at  a  little  over  $10,000,000,  which  was  not 
aiore  than  half  enough  !  That  would  now  be  equal  to 
saddling  upon  the  State  a  debt  of  $225,000,000!  It 
was  sufficient  to  bankrupt  the  State  several  times 
over,   even   counting  all  the  possible  benefits. 

One  of  the  most  exciting  events  that  ever  occurred 
in  this  fair  State  was  the  murder  of  Elijah  P.  Love- 
ioy  in  the  fall  of  1837,  at  Alton,  during  Mr.  Duncan's 
lerm  as  Governor.  Lovejoy  was  an  "  Abolitionist," 
editing  the  Observer  at  that  place,  and  the  pro- 
slavery  slums  there  formed  themselves  into  a  mob, 


and  after  destroying  successively  three  presses  be- 
longing to  Mr.  Lovejoy,  surrounded  the  warehouse 
where  the  fourth  press  was  stored  away,  endeavoring 
to  destroy  it,  and  where  Lovejoy  and  his  friends 
were  entrenching  themselves,  and  shot  and  killed  the 
brave  reformer! 

About  this  time,  also,  the  question  of  removing  th? 
State  capital  again  came  up,  as  the  20  years'  limit  for 
its  existence  at  Vandalia  was  drawing  to  a  close. 
There  was,  of  course,  considerable  excitement  over 
the  matter,  the  two  main  points  competing  for  it  be- 
ing Springfield  and  Peoria.  The  jealousy  of  the  lat- 
ter place  is  not  even  yet,  45  years  afterward,  fully 
allayed. 

Gov.  Duncan's  term  expired  in  1838.  In  1842 
he  was  again  proposed  as  a  candidate  for  the  Execu- 
tive chair,  this  time  by  the  Whig  party,  against  Adam 
W.  Snyder,  of  St.  Clair  County,  the  nominee  of  the 
;^^"m^crats.  Charles  W.  Hunter  was  a  third  candi- 
date-for  the  same  position.  Mr.  Snyder,  however,  died 
before  the  campaign  had  advanced  very  far,  and  his 
party  substituted  Thomas  Ford,  who  was  elected 
receiving  46,901  votes,  to  38,584  for  Duncan,  and 
909  for  Hunter.  The  cause  of  Democratic  success 
at  this  time  is  mainly  attributed  to  the  temporary 
support  of  the  Mormons  which  they  enjoyed,  and  the 
want  o."  any  knowledge,  on  the  part  of  the  masses, 
that  Mr.  Ford  was  opposed  to  any  given  policy  en- 
tertained in  the  respective  localities. 

Gov.  Duncan  was  a  man  of  rather  limited  educa- 
tion, but  with  naturally  fine  abilities  he  profited 
greatly  by  his  various  public  services,  and  gathered 
a  store  of  knowledge  regarding  public  affairs  which 
served  him  a  ready  purpose.  He  possessed  a  clear 
judgment,  decision,  confidence  in  himself  and  moral 
courage  to  carry  out  his  convictions  of  right.  In  his 
deportment  he  was  well  adapted  to  gain  the  admira- 
tion of  the  people.  His  intercourse  with  them  was 
both  affable  and  dignified.  His  portrait  at  the  Gov- 
ernor's mansion,  from  which  the  accompanying  was 
made,  represents  him  as  having  a  swarthy  complex- 
ion, high  cheek  bones,  broad  forehead,  piercing  black 
eyes  and  straight  black  hair. 

He  was  a  liberal  patron  of  the  Illinois  College  at 
Jacksonville,  a  member  of  its  Board  of  Trustees,  and 
died,  after  a  short  illness,  Jan.  r5,  1844,  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  leaving  a  wife 
but  no  children.  Two  children,  born  to  them,  had 
died  in  infancy. 


UBBMCf 

university  pnt»iNo«s 


■r/o^U^^ 


GO  VERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


'35 


TMw  >  ^|>^<|p  <  ******   >  | 


-.._,.:M.,;->^..     ■ 


gliHOMAS  CARLIN,  the  sixth 
Governor   of  the    State   of 
Illinois,  serving  from   1S38 
to   1S42,   was   also   a    Ken- 
tuckian,    being    born    near 
Frankfort,  that  State,  July 
18,  17S9,  of  Irish  paternity. 
The  opportunities  for  an  education 
being    very   meager  in   his   native 
place,  he,  on  approaching  years  of 
judgment    and    maturity,    applied 
himself  to  those  branches  of  learn- 
ing that  seemed  most  important, 
and  thus  became  a  self-made  man  ; 
and    his    taste    for     reading     and 
yi'^S^f'A.         study  remained  with  him   through 
*w^¥^re*         ]ife_     jn  tg03  his  falher  removed 

10  Missouri,  then  a  part  of  "  New  Spain,"  where  he 
died  in  18 10. 

In  1812  young  Carlin  came  to  Illinois  and  partici- 
pated in  all  the  "ranging"  service  incident  to  the 
war  of  that  period,  proving  himself  a  soldier  of  un- 
daunted bravery.  In  1814  he  married  Rebecca 
Huitt,  and  lived  for  four  years  on  the  bank  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Mis- 
lead, where  he  followed  farming,  and  then  removed 
to  Greene  County.  He  located  the  town  site  of  Car- 
ro'ton,  in  that  county,  and  in  1825  made  a  liberal 
donation  of  land  for  county  building  purposes.  He 
was  the  first  Sheriff  of  that  county  after  its  separate 
organization,  and  afterward  was  twice  elected,  as  a 
Jackson  Democrat,  to  the  Illinois  Senate.  In  the 
Black  Hawk  War  he  commanded  a  spy  battalion,  a 
post  of  considerable  danger.  In  1834  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Jackson  to  the  position  of 
Receiver  of  Public  Moneys,  and  to  fulfill   the  office 


more  conveniently  he  removed  to  the  city  of  Quincy. 
While,  in  1838,  the  unwieldy  internal  improvement 
system  of  the  State  was  in  full  operation,  with  all  its 
expensive  machinery,  amidst  bank  suspensions 
throughout  the  United  States,  a  great  stringency  in 
the  money  market  everywhere,  and  Illinois  bonds 
forced  to  sale  at  a  heavy  discount,  and  the  "  hardest 
times"  existing  that  the  people  of  the  Prairie  State 
ever  saw,  the  general  election  of  State  officers  was 
approaching.  Discreet  men  who  had  cherished  the 
hope  of  a  speedy  subsidence  of  the  public  infatua- 
tion, met  with  disappointment.  A  Governor  and 
Legislature  were  to  be  elected,  and  these  were  now 
looked  forward  to  for  a  repeal  of  the  ruinous  Stale 
policy.  But  the  grand  scheme  had  not  yet  lost  its 
dazzling  influence  upon  the  minds  of  the  people. 
Time  and  experience  had  not  yet  fully  demonstrated 
its  utter  absurdity.  Hence  the  question  of  arresting 
its  career  of  profligate  expenditures  did  not  become 
a  leading  one  with  the  dominant  party  during  the 
campiign,  and  most  of  the  old  members  of  the  Leg- 
islature were  returned  at  this  election. 

Under  these  circumstances  the  Democrats,  in  State 
Convention  assembled,  nominated  Mr.  Carlin  for  *he 
office  of  Governor,  and  S.  H.  Anderson  for  Lieuten- 
ant Governor,  while  the  Whigs  nominated  Cyrus  Ed- 
wards, brother  of  Ninian  Edwards,  formerly  Governor, 
and  W.  H.  Davidson.  Edwards  came  out  strongly 
for  a  continuance  of  the  State  policy,  while  Carli; 
remained  non-committal.  This  was  the  first  time 
that  the  two  main  political  parties  in  this  State  were 
unembarrassed  by  any  third  party  in  the  field.  The 
result  of  the  ele:tion  was:  Carlin,  35,573;  Ander- 
son, 30,335;  Edwards,  29,629;  and  Davidson,   28,- 

7*5- 

Upon  the  meeting  of  the  subsequent  Legislature 

(1839),  the  retiring  Governor  CDuncan)  in    his  roe* 


136 


THOMAS  CARLTN. 


sage  spoke  in  emphatic  terms  of  the  impolicy  of  the 
internal  improvement  system,  presaging  the  evils 
threatened,  and  mged  that  body  to  do  their  utmost 
to  correct  the  great  error ;  yet,  on  the  contrary,  the 
Legislature  not  only  decided  to  continue  the  policy 
but  also  added  to  its  burden  by  voting  more  appro- 
priations and  ordering  more  improvements.  Although 
the  money  market  was  still  stringent,  a  further  loan 
of  $4,000,000  was  ordered  for  the  Illinois  &  Mich- 
igan Canal  alone.  Clvcago  at  that  time  began  to 
loom  up  and  promise  to  be  an  important  city,  even 
the  great  emporium  of  the  West,  as  it  has  since  in- 
deed came  to  be.  Ex-Gov.  Reynolds,  an  incompe- 
tent financier,  was  commissioned  to  effect  the  loan, 
and  accordingly  hastened  to  the  East  on  this  respons- 
ible errand,  and  negotiated  the  loans,  at  considera- 
ble sacrifice  to  the  State.  Besides  this  embarrassment 
x>  Carlin's  administration,  the  Legislature  also  de- 
clared that  he  had  no  authority  to  appoint  a  Secretary 
of  State  until  a  vacancy  existed,  and  A.  P.  Field,  a 
Whig,  who  had  already  held  the  post  by  appointment 
through  three  administrations,  was  determined  to 
keep  the  place  a  while  longer,  in  spite  of  Gov.  Car- 
lin's preferences.  The  course  of  the  Legislature  in 
this  regard,  however,  was  finally  sustained  by  the 
Supreme  Court,  in  a  quo  warranto  case  brought  up 
before  it  by  John  A.  McClernand,  whom  the  Gov- 
ernor had  nominated  for  the  office.  Thereupon  that 
dignified  body  was  denounced  as  a  "Whig  Court!" 
endeavoring  to  establish  the  principle  of  life-tenure 
of  office. 

A  new  law  was  adopted  re-organizing  the  Judici- 
ary, and  under  it  five  additional  Supreme  Judges 
were  elected  by  the  Legislature,  namely,  Thomas 
Ford  (afterward  Governor),  Sidney  Breese,  Walter  B. 
Scates,  Samuel  H.  Treat  and  Stephen  A.  Douglas — 
all  Democrats. 

It  was  during  Cov.  Carlin's  administration  that  the 
noisy  campaign  of  "  Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  too  "  oc- 
curred, resulting  in  a  Whig  victory.  This,  however, 
did  net  affect  Illinois  politics  very  seriously. 

Another  prominent  event  in  the  West  during  Gov. 
Carlin's  term  of  office  was  the  excitement  caused  by 
the  Mormons  and  their  removal  from  Independence, 
Mo.,  to  Nauvoo,  111.,  in  1840.  At  the  same  time 
they  began  to  figure  somewhat  in  State  politics.  On 
account  of  their  believing — as  they  thought,  accord- 
ing to  the  New  Testament — that   they  should   have 


"all  things  common,"  and  that  consequently  "all 
the  earth  "  and  all  that  is  upon  it  were  the"  Lord's  " 
and  therefore  the  property  of  his  "  saints,"  they 
were  suspected,  and  correctly,  too,  of  committing 
many  of  the  deeds  of  larceny,  robbery,  etc.,  that 
were  so  rife  throughout  this  country  in  those  days. 
Hence  a  feeling  of  violence  grew  up  between  the 
Mormons  and  "anti-Mormons."  In  the  State  of 
Missouri  the  Mormons  always  supported  the  Dem- 
ocracy until  they  were  driven  out  by  the  Democratic 
government,  when  they  turned  their  support  to  the 
Whigs.  They  were  becoming  numerous,  and  in  the 
Legislature  of  1840- r,  therefore,  it  became  a  matter 
of  great  interest  with  both  parties  to  conciliate  these 
people.  Through  the  agency  of  one  John  C.  Ben- 
nett, a  scamp,  the  Mormons  succeeded  in  rushing 
through  the  Legislature  (both  parties  not  daring  to 
oppose)  a  charter  for  the  city  of  Nauvoo  which  vir- 
tually erected  a  hierarchy  co-ordinate  with  the  Fed- 
Jgral^Government  itself.  In  the  fall  of  1841  the 
Governor  of- Missouri  made  a  demand  upon  Gov. 
Carlin  for  the  body  of  Joe  Smith,  the  Mormon  leader, 
as  a  fugitive  from  justice.  Gov.  Carlin  issued  tti3 
writ,  but  for  some  reason  it  was  returned  unserved. 
It  was  again  issued  in  1842,  and  Smith  was  arrested, 
but  was  either  rescued  by  his  followers  or  discharged 
by  the  municipal  court  on  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus. 

In  December,  1841,  the  Democratic  Convention 
nominated  Adam  W.  Snyder,  of  Belleville,  for  Gov- 
ernor. As  he  had  been,  as  a  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, rather  friendly  to  the  Mormons,  the  latter 
naturally  turned  their  support  to  the  Democratic 
party.  The  next  spring  the  Whigs  nominated  Ex- 
Gov.  Duncan  for  the  same  office.  In  the  meantime 
the  Mormons  began  to  grow  more  odious  to  the 
masses  of  the  people,  and  the  comparative  prospects 
of  the  respective  parties  for  success  became  very 
problematical.  Mr.  Snyder  died  in  May,  and 
Thomas  Ford,  a  Supreme  Judge,  was  substituted  as 
a  candidate,  and  was  elected. 

At  the  close  of  his  gubernatorial  term,  Mr.  Carlin 
removed  back  to  his  old  home  at  Carrollton,  where 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  as  before  his  ele- 
vation to  office,  in  agricultural  pursuits.  In  1849 
he  served  out  the  unexpired  term  of  J.  D.  Fry  in  the 
Illinois  House  of  Representatives,  and  died  Feb.  4, 
1852,  at  his  residence  at  Carrollton,  leaving  a  wife 
a  id  seven  children. 


UBRAflV 

Of  THE 

UNIVERSITY  Of  ILUNOIJ 


Oi 


'ft-tOTs&^d 


GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


139 


*■     ^i43d|i 


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gHOMAS  FORD,  Governor 
from  1842  to  1846,  and  au- 
thor of  a  very  interesting 
history  of  Illinois,  was  born 
at  Uniontown,  Pa.,  in  the 
year  1 800.  His  mother,  after 
the  death  of  her  first  hus- 
band (Mr.  Forquer),  married  Rob- 
ert Ford,  who  was  killed  in  1802, 
by  the  Indians  in  the  mountains 
of  Pennsylvania.  She  was  conse- 
quently left  in  indigent  circum- 
stances, with  a  large  family,  mostly 
girls.  With  a  view  to  better  her 
condition,  she,  in  1804,  removed  to 
Missouri,  where  it  had  been  cus- 
tomary by  the  Spanish  Govern- 
ment to  give  land  to  actual  settlers;  but  upon  her 
arrival  at  St.  Louis  she  found  the  country  ceded  to 
the  United  States,  and  the  liberal  policy  toward  set- 
tlers changed  by  the  new  ownership.  After  some 
sickness  to  herself  and  family,  she  finally  removed  to 
Illinois,  and  settled  some  three  miles  south  of  Water- 
loo, but  the  following  year  moved  nearer  the  Missis- 
sippi  bluffs.     Here   young   Ford    received    his  first 


schooling,  under  the  instructions  of  a  Mr.  Humphrey, 
for  which  he  had  to  walk  three  miles.  His  mother, 
though  lacking  a  thorough  education,  was  a  woman 
of  superior  mental  endowments,  joined  to  energy 
and  determination  of  character.  She  inculcated  in 
her  children  those  high-toned  principles  which  dis- 
tinguished her  sons  in  public  life.  She  exercised  a 
rigid  economy  to  provide  her  children  an  education; 
but  George  Forquer,  her  oldest  son  (six  years  older 
than  Thomas  Ford),  at  an  early  age  had  to  quit 
school  to  aid  by  his  labor  in  the  support  of  the  family. 
He  afterward  became  an  eminent  man  in  Illinois 
affairs,  and  but  for  his  early  death  would  probably 
have  been  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate. 

Young  Ford,  with  somewhat  better  opportunities, 
received  a  better  education,  though  limited  to  the 
curriculum  of  the  common  school  of  those  pioneer 
times.  His  mind  gave  early  promise  of  superior  en- 
dowments, with  an  inclination  for  mathematics.  His 
proficiency  attracted  the  attention  of  Hon.  Daniel  P. 
Cook,  who  became  his  efficient  patron  and  friend. 
The  latter  gentleman  was  an  eminent  Illinois  states- 
man who,  as  a  Member  of  Congress,  obtained  a  grant 
of  300,000  acres  of  land  to  aid  in  completing  the 
Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  and  after  whom  the 
I   county  of  Cook  was  named.     Through  the  advice  of 


140 


THOMAS  FORD. 


this  gentleman,  Mr.  Ford  turned  his  attention  to  the 
study  of  law;  but  Forquer,  then  merchandising,  re- 
garding his  education  defective,  sent  him  to  Transyl- 
vania University,  where,  however,  he  remained  but 
one  term,  owing  to  Forquer's  failure  in  business.  On 
his  return  he  alternated  his  law  reading  with  teach- 
ing school  for  support. 

In  rS2Q  Gov.  Edwards  appointed  him  Prosecuting 
Attorney,  and  in  1831  he  was  re-appointed  by  Gov. 
Reynolds,  and  after  that  he  was  four  times  elected  a 
Judge  by  the  Legislature,  without  opposition,  twice  a 
Circuit  Judge,  o  ice  a  Judge  of  Chicago,  and  as  As- 
sociate Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  when,  in  1841, 
the  latter  tribunal  was  re-organized  by  the  addition 
of  five  Judges,  all  Democrats.  Ford  was  assigned  to 
the  Ninth  Judicial  Circuit,  and  while  in  this  capacity 
ne  was  holding  Court  in  Ogle  County  he  received  a 
notice  of  his  nomination  by  the  Democratic  Conven- 
tion for  the  office  of  Governor.  He  immediately  re- 
signed his  place  and  entered  upon  the  canvass.  In 
August,  1842,  he  was  elected,  and  on  the  8th  of  De- 
cember following  he  was  inaugurated. 

All  the  offices  which  he  had  held  were  unsolicited 
by  him.  He  received  them  upon  the  true  Jefferson- 
jan  principle, — Never  to  ask  and  never  to  refuse 
office.  Both  as  a  lawyer  and  as  a  Judge  he  stood 
deservedly  high,  but  his  cast  of  intellect  fitted  him 
rather  for  a  writer  upon  law  than  a  practicing  advo- 
cate in  the  courts.  In  the  latter  capacity  he  was  void 
of  the  moving  power  of  eloquence,  so  necessary  to 
success  with  juries.  As  a  Judge  his  opinions  were 
?ound,  lucid  and  able  expositions  of  the  law.  In 
practice,  he  was  a  stranger  to  the  tact,  skill  and  in- 
sinuating address  of  the  politician,  but  he  saw  through 
the  arts  of  demagogues  as  well  as  any  man.  He  was 
plain  in  his  demeanor,  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  at 
one  time  after  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office, 
during  a  session  of  the  Legislature,  he  was  taken  by 
a  stranger  lo  be  a  seeker  for  the  position  of  door- 
keeper, and  was  waited  upon  at  his  hotel  near  mid- 
night by  a  knot  of  small  office-seekers  with  the  view 
of  effecting  a  "  combination  !  " 

Mr.  Ford  had  not  the  "  brass  "  of  the  ordinary 
politician,  nor  that  impetuosity  which  characterizes  a 
political  leader.  He  cared  little  for  money,  and 
hardly  enough  for  a  decent  support.  In  person  he 
was  of  small  stature,  slender,  of  dark  complexion, 
with  black  hair,  sharp  features,  deep-set  eyes,  a 
pointed,  aquiline  nose  having  a  decided  twist  to  one 
side,  and  a  small  mouth. 

The  three  most  important  events  in  Gov.  Ford's 
administration  were  the  establishment  of  the  high 
financial  credit  of  the  State,  the  "  Mormon  War  "and 
.he  Mexican  War. 

In  the  first  of  these  the  Governor  proved  himself 
*x>  be  eminently  wise.  On  coming  into  office  he  found 
the  State  badly  paralyzed  by  the  ruinous  effects  of 
;r.e   notorious  "internal  improvement"   schemes   of 


the  preceding  decade,  with  scarcely  anything  to 
show  by  way  of  "improvement."  The  enterprise 
that  seemed  to  be  getting  ahead  more  than  all  the 
rest  was  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal.  As  this 
promised  to  be  the  most  important  thoroughfare, 
feasible  to  the  people,  it  was  well  under  headway  in 
its  construction.  Therefore  the  State  policy  was 
almost  concentrated  upon  it,  in  order  to  rush  it  on  tc 
completion.  The  bonded  indebtedness  of  the  State 
was  growing  so  large  as  to  frighten  the  people,  and 
they  were  about  ready  to  entertain  a  proposition  for 
repudiation.  But  the  Governor  had  the  foresight  to 
recommend  such  measures  as  would  maintain  the 
public  credit,  for  which  every  citizen  to-day  feels 
thankful. 

But  perhaps  the  Governor  is  remembered  more  for 
his  connection  with  the  Mormon  troubles  than  for 
anything  else;  for  it  was  during  his  term  of  office 
that  the  "  Latter- Day  Saints  "  became  so  strong  at 
Nauvoo,  built  their  temple  there,  increased  their  num- 
bers throughout  the  country,  committed  misdemean- 
ors, taught  dangerous  doctrines,  suffered  the  loss  of 
theirleader,  Jo  Smith,  by  a  violent  death,  were  driven 
"c^fft  6f"Nauvoo  to  the  far  West,  etc.  Having  been  a 
Judge  for  so  many  years  previously,  Mr.  Ford  of 
course  was  no  i-committal  concerning  Mormon  affairs, 
and  was  therefore  claimed  by  both  parties  and  also 
accused  by  each  of  sympathizing  too  greatly  with  the 
other  side.  Mormonism  claiming  to  be  a  system  of 
religion,  the  Governor  no  doubt  was  "between  two 
fires,"  and  felt  compelled  to  touch  the  matter  rather 
"  gingerly,"  and  doubdess  felt  greatly  relieved  when 
that  pestilential  people  left  the  State.  Such  compli- 
cated matters,  especially  when  religion  is  mixed  up 
with  them,  expose  every  person  participating  in 
them  to  criticism  from  all  parties. 

The  Mexican  War  was  begun  in  the  spring  of 
1845,  and  was  continued  into  the  gubernatorial  term 
of  Mr.  Ford's  successor.  The  Governor's  connection 
with  this  war,  however,  was  not  conspicuous,  as  it 
was  only  administrative,  commissioning  officers,  etc. 

Ford's  "  History  of  Illinois  "  is  a  very  readable  and 
entertaining  work,  of  450  small  octavo  pages,  and  is 
destined  to  increase  in  value  with  the  lapse  of  time. 
It  exhibits  a  natural  flow  of  compact  and  forcible 
thought,  never  failing  to  convey  the  nicest  sense.  In 
tracing  with  his  trenchant  pen  the  devious  operations 
of  the  professional  politician,  in  which  he  is  inimit- 
able, his  account  is  open,  perhaps,  to  the  objection 
that  all  his  contemporaries  are  treated  as  mere  place- 
seekers,  while  many  of  them  have  since  been  judged 
by  the  people  to  be  worthy  statesmen.  His  writings 
seem  slightly  open  to  the  criticism  that  they  exhibit 
a  little  splenetic  partiality  against  those  of  his  con- 
temporaries who  were  prominent  during  his  term  of 
office  as  Governor. 

The  death  of  Gov.  Ford  took  place  at  Peoria,  111., 
Nov.  2,  1850. 


OF  TVE 
UNIVFRSITV  Of  r  » I 


GO  VERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


143 


I       Augustus  c.  French.        I 


^iVW/^f 


^5-^5. — o<sS-<«l!Wss»o— 3<— £< 


rtr^ 


UGUSTUS  C.  FRENCH, 
Governor  of  Illinois  from 
1846  to  1852,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Hill,  in  the 
State  of  New  Hampshire, 
Aug.  2,  1808.  He  was  a 
descendant  in  the  fourth 
generation  of  Nathaniel 
French,  who  emigrated  from  England 
in  1687  and  settled  in  Saybury,  Mass. 
In  early  life  young  French  lost  his 
father,  but  continued  to  receive  in- 
struction from  an  exemplary  and 
Christian  mother  until  he  was  19  years 
old,  when  she  also  died,  confiding  to 
his  care  and  trust  four  younger  broth- 
ers and  one  sister.  He  discharged  his  trust  with 
parental  devotion.  His  education  in  early  life  was 
such  mainly  as  a  common  school  afforded.  For  a 
brief  period  he  attended  Dartmouth  College,  but 
from  pecuniary  causes  and  the  care  of  his  brothers 
and  sister,  he  did  not  graduate.  He  subsequently 
read  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1831,  and 
shortly  afterward  removed  to  Illinois,  settling  first  at 
Albion,  Edwards  County,  where  he  established  him- 
self in  the  practice  of  law.  The  following  year  he 
removed  to  Paris,  Edgar  County.  Here  he  attained 
eminence  in  his  profession,  and  entered  public  life 
by  representing  that  county  in  the  Legislature.  A 
strong  attachment  sprang  up  between  him  and  Ste- 
phen A.  Douglas. 

In  1839,  Mr.  French  was  appointed  Receiver  of 
the  United  States  Land  Office  at  Palestine,  Craw- 
ford County,  at  which  place  he  was  a  resident   when 


elevated  to  the  gubernatorial  chair.  In  1844  he  was 
a  Presidential  Elector,  and  as  such  he  voted  for 
James  K.  Polk. 

The  Democratic  State  Convention  of  1846,  meet- 
ing at  Springfield  Feb.  10,  nominated  Mr.  French 
for  Governor.  Other  Democratic  candidates  were 
Lyman  Trumbull,  John  Calhoun  (subsequently  of 
Lecompton  Constitution  notoriety),  Walter  B.  Scates, 
Richard  M.  Young  and  A.  W.  Cavarly, — an  array  of 
very  able  and  prominent  names.  Trumbull  was  per- 
haps defeated  in  the  Convention  by  the  rumor  that 
he  was  opposed  to  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal, 
as  he  had  been  a  year  previously.  For  Lieutenant 
Governor  j.  B.  Wells  was  chosen,  while  other  candi- 
dates were  Lewis  Ross,  Win.  McMurlry,  Newton 
Cloud,  J.  B.  Hamilton  and  W.  W.  Thompson.  The 
resolutions  declared  strongly  against  the  resuscita- 
tion of  the  old  State  Banks. 

The  Whigs,  who  were  in  a  hopeless  minority,  held 
their  convention  June  8,  at  Peoria,  and  selected 
Thomas  M.  Kilpatrick,  of  Scott  County,  for  Governor, 
and  Gen.  Nathaniel  G.  Wilcox,  of  Schuyler,  for 
Lieutenant  Governor. 

In  the  campaign  the  latter  exposed  Mr.  French's 
record  and  connection  with  the  passage  of  the  in- 
ternal improvement  system,  urging  it  against  his 
election ;  but  in  the  meantime  the  war  with  Mexico 
broke  out,  regarding  which  the  Whig  record  was  un- 
popular in  this  State.  The  war  was  the  absorbing 
and  dominating  question  of  the  period,  sweeping 
every  other  political  issue  in  its  course.  The  elec- 
tion in  August  gave  Mr.  French  58,700  votes,  and 
Kilpatrick  only  36,775.  Richard  Eells,  Abolitionist 
candidate  for  the  same  office,   received  5,152    vot*s 


144 


AUGUSTUS  C.  FRENCH. 


By  the  new  Constitution  of  1848,  a  new  election  for 
State  officers  was  ordered  in  November  of  that  year, 
before  Gov.  French's  term  was  half  out,  and  he  was 
re-elected  for  the  term  of  four  years.  He  was  there- 
fore the  incumbent  for  six  consecutive  years,  the 
only  Governor  of  this  State  who  has  ever  served  in 
that  capacity  so  long  at  one  time.  As  there  was  no 
organized  opposition  to  his  election,  he  received  67,- 
453  votes,  to  5,639  for  Pierre  Menard  (son  of  the 
first  Lieutenant  Governor),  4,748  for  Charles  V. 
Dyer,  3/S34  for  W.  L.  D.  Morrison,  and  1,361  for 
James  I,.  D.  Morrison.  But  Wm.  McMurtry,  of 
Knox  County,  was  elected  Lieutenant  Governor,  in 
place  of  Joseph  B.  Wells,  who  was  before  elected 
and  did  not  run  again. 

Governor  French  was  inaugurated  into  office  dur- 
ing the  progress  of  the  Mexican  War,  which  closed 
during  the  summer  of  1847,  although  the  treaty  of 
Guadalupe  Hidalgo  was  not  made  until  Feb.  2, 
1848.  The  policy  of  Gov.  French's  party  was  com- 
mitted to  that  war,  but  in  connection  with  that  affair 
he  was,  of  course,  only  an  administrative  officer. 
During  his  term  of  office,  Feb.  19,  1847,  the  Legisla- 
ture, by  special  permission  of  Congress,  declared  that 
all  Government  lands  sold  to  settlers  should  be  im- 
mediately subject  to  State  taxation;  before  this  they 
were  exempt  for  five  years  after  sale.  By  this  ar- 
rangement the  revenue  was  materially  increased. 
About  the  same  time,  the  distribution  of  Government 
.'and  warrants  among  the  Mexican  soldiers  as  bounty 
threw  upon  the  market  a  great  quantity  of  good 
lands,  and  this  enhanced  the  settlement  of  the  State. 
The  same  Legislature  authorized,  with  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  Governor,  the  sale  of  the  Northern 
Cross  Railroad  (from  Springfield  to  Meredosia,  the 
first  in  the  State  and  now  a  section  of  the  Wabash, 
St.  Louis  &  Pacific).  It  sold  for  $100,000  in  bonds, 
although  it  had  cost  the  State  not  less  than  a  million. 
The  salt  wells  and  canal  lands  in  the  Saline  reserve 
in  Gallatin  County,  granted  by  the  general  Govern- 
ment to  the  State,  were  also  authorized  by  the 
Governor  to  be  sold,  to  apply  on  the  State  debt.  In 
1850,  for  the  first  time  since  1839,  the  accruing  State 
revenue,  exclusive  of  specific  appropriations,  was 
sufficient  to  meet  the  current  demands  upon  the 
treasury.  The  aggregate  taxable  property  of  the 
State  at  this  time  was  over  $100,000,000,  and  the 
population  851,47.-). 


In  1S49  the  Legislature  adopted  the  township  or- 
ganization  law,  which,  however,  proved  defective, 
and  was  properly  amended  in  185  1.  At  its  session 
in  the  latter  year,  the  General  Assembly  also  passed 
a  law  to  exempt  homesteads  from  sale  on  executions 
This  beneficent  measure  had  been  repeatedly  urged 
upon  that  body  by  Gov.  French. 

In  1850  some  business  men  in  St.  Louis  com- 
menced to  build  a  dike  opposite  the  lower  part  of 
their  city  on  the  Illinois  side,  to  keep  the  Mississippi 
in  its  channel  near  St.  Louis,  instead  of  breaking 
away  from  them  as  it  sometimes  threatened  to  do. 
This  they  undertook  without  permission  from  the 
Legislature  or  Executive  authority  of  this  State  ;  and 
as  many  of  the  inhabitants  thera  complained  that 
the  scheme  would  inundate  and  ruin  much  valuable 
land,  there  was  a  slight  conflict  of  jurisdictions,  re- 
;  suiting  in  favor  of  the  St.  Louis  project;  and  since 
■  then  a  good  site  has  existed  there  for  a  city  (East  St. 
Louis),  and  'now  a  score  of  railroads  center  there. 

It  was  in  September,  1850,  that  Congress  granted 
to  this  State  nearly  3,000,000  acres  of  land  in  aid  of 
the  completion  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad, 
which  constituted  the  most  important  epoch  in  the 
railroad — we  might  say  internal  improvement — his- 
tory of  the  State.  The  road  was  rushed  on  to  com- 
pletion, which  accelerated  the  settlement  of  the  in- 
terior of  the  State  by  a  good  class  of  industrious  citi- 
zens, and  by  the  charter  a  good  income  to  the  State 
Treasury  is  paid  in  from  the  earnings  of  the  road. 

In  1851  the  Legislature  passed  a  law  authorizing 
free  stock  banks,  which  was  the  source  of  much  leg- 
islative discussion  for  a  number  of  years. 

But  we  have  not  space  further  to  particularize 
concerning  legislation.  Gov.  French's  administra- 
tion was  not  marked  by  any  feature  to  be  criticised, 
while  the  country  was  settling  up  as  never  before. 

In  stature.  Gov.  French  was  of  medium  height, 
squarely  built,  light  complexioned,  with  ruddy  face 
and  pleasant  countenance.  In  manners  he  was 
plain  and  agreeable.  By  nature  he  was  somewhat 
diffident,  but  he  was  often  very  outspoken  in  his  con- 
victions of  duty.  In  public  speech  he  was  not  an 
orator,  but  was  chaste,  earnest  and  persuasive.  In 
business  he  was  accurate  and  methodical,  and  in  his 
administration  he  kept  up  the  credit  of  the  State. 

He  died  in  1865,  at  his  home  in  Lebanon,  St 
Clair  Co.,  HI. 


IIBRART 
Of  THE 
UN'YH?S|TV  oc  i' 


GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


M7 


!^^T-»^A 


jpel  gw  l&attestf 


was  -  c  l>  ''-XC-^sKi*    -J^f:>^  ""-iC^- 

rwffc'  <sr3ff>  "*ji  G>-.^i>''  er^''C''*ps~  (sr^'V^ 


3 


BsSr 


^-.iJOli    • 


l.OEL    A.    MATTESON,    Governor 

1853-6,  was  born  Aug.  8,  1808, 
in  Jefferson  County,  New  York, 
to  which  place  his  father  had  re- 
moved from  Vermont  three  years 
before.  His  father  was  a  farmer 
in  fair  circumstances,  but  a  com- 
mon English  education  was  all 
that  his  only  son  received.  Young 
Joel  first  tempted  fortune  as  a 
small  tradesman  in  Prescott, 
Canada,  before  he  was  of  age. 
He  returned  from  that  place  to 
his  home,  entered  an  academy, 
taught  school,  visited  the  prin- 
cipal Eastern  cities,  improved  a  farm  his  father  had 
given  him,  made  a  tour  in  the  South,  worked  there 
in  building  railroads,  experienced  a  slorm  on  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  visited  the  gold  diggings  of  Northern 
Georgia,  and  returned  via  Nashville  to  St.  Louis  and 
through  Illinois  to  his  father's  home,  when  he  mar- 
ried. In  1833,  having  sold  his  farm,  he  removed, 
with  his  wife  and  one  child,  to  Illinois,  and  entered 
a  claim  on  Government  land  near  the  head  of  Au 
Sable  River,  in  what  is  now  Kendall  County.  At 
that  time  there  were  not  more  than  two  neighbors 
within  a  range  of  ten  miles  of  his  place,  and  only 
diree  or  four  houses  between  him  and  Chicago.  He 
opened  a  large  farm.     His  family   was  boarded   12 


miles  away  while  he  erected  a  house  on  his  claim, 
sleeping,  during  this  time,  under  a  rude  pole  shed. 
Here  his  life  was  once  placed  in  imminent  peril  by 
a  huge  prairie  rattlesnake  sharing  his  bed. 

In  rS35  he  bought  largely  at  the  Government  land 
sales.  During  the  speculative  real-estate  mania  which 
brokeoutin  Chicagoin  r836  and  spread  over  the  State, 
he  sold  his  lnnds  under  the  inflation  of  that  period 
and  removed  to  Joliet.  In  1838  he  became  a  heavy 
contractor  on  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal.  Upon 
the  completion  of  his  job  in  i84r,  when  hard  times 
prevailed,  business  at  a  stand,  contracts  paid  in  State 
scrip;  when  all  the  public  works  except  the  canal 
were  abandoned,  the  State  offered  for  sale  700  tons 
of  railroad  iron,  which  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Mat- 
teson  at  a  bargain.  This  he  accepted,  shipped  and 
sold  at  Detroit,  realizing  a  very  handsome  profit, 
enough  to  pay  off  all  his  canal  debts  and  leave  him  a 
surplus  of  several  thousand  dollars.  His  enterprise 
next  prompted  him  to  start  a  woolen  mill  at  Joliet, 
in  which  he  prospered,  and  which,  after  successive 
enlargements,  became  an  enormous  establishment. 

In  r842  he  was  first  elected  a  State  Senator,  but, 
by  a  bungling  apportionment,  j'z  in  Pearson,  a  Senator 
holding  over,  was  found  to  be  in  the  same  districr, 
and  decided  to  be  entitled  to  represent  it.  Mat- 
te son's  seat  was  declared  vacant.  Pearson,  however 
with  a  nobleness  difficult  to  appreciate  in  this  day  of 


143 


JOEL  A.  MATTESON. 


greed  for  office,  unwilling  to  represent  his  district 
under  the  circumstances,  immediately  resigned  his 
unexpired  term  of  two  years.  A  bill  was  passed  in  a 
few  hours  ordering  a  new  election,  and  in  ten  days' 
time  Mr.  Matteson  was  relumed  re-elected  and  took 
his  seat  as  Senator.  From  his  well-known  capacity 
as  a  business  man,  he  was  made  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Finance,  a  position  he  held  during 
this  half  and  two  full  succeeding  Senatorial  terms, 
discharging  its  important  duties  with  ability  and  faith- 
fulness. Besides  his  extensive  woolen-mill  interest, 
when  work  was  resumed  on  the  canal  under  the  new 
loan  of  $1,600,000  he  again  became  a  heavy  con- 
tractor, and  also  subsequently  operated  largely  in 
building  railroads.  Thus  he  showed  himself  a  most 
energetic  and  thorough  business  man. 

He  was  nominated  for  Governor  by  the  Demo- 
cratic State  Convention  which  met  at  Springfield 
April  20,  rS52.  Other  candidates  before  the  Con- 
vention were  D.  L.  Gregg  and  F.  C.  Sherman,  of 
Cook;  John  Dement,  of  Lee  ;  Thomas  L.  Harris,  of 
Menard;  Lewis  W.  Ross, of  Fulton  ;  and  D.  P.  Bush, 
of  Pike.  Gustavus  Koerner,  of  St.  Clair,  was  nom- 
inated for  Lieutenant  Governor.  For  the  same  offices 
the  Whigs  nominated  Edwin  B.  Webb  and  Dexter  A. 
Knowlton.  Mr.  Matteson  received  80,645  v°tes  at 
the  election,  while  Mr.  Webb  received  64,408.  Mat- 
teson's  forte  was  not  on  the  stump;  he  had  not  cul- 
tivated the  art  of  oily  flattery,  or  the  faculty  of  being 
all  things  to  all  men.  His  intellectual  qualities  took 
rather  the  direction  of  efficient  executive  ability.  His 
turn  consisted  not  so  much  in  the  adroit  manage- 
ment of  party,  or  the  powerful  advocacy  of  great  gov- 
ernmental principles,  as  in  those  more  solid  and 
enduring  operations  which  cause  the  physical  devel- 
opment and  advancement  of  a  State, — of  commerce 
and  business  enterprise,  into  which  he  labored  with 
success  to  lead  the  people.  As  a  politician  he  was 
just  and  liberal  in  his  views,  and  both  in  official  and 
private  life  he  then  stood  untainted  and  free  from 
blemish.  As  a  man,  in  active  benevolence,  social 
virtues  and  all  the  amiable  qualities  of  neighbor  or 
citizen,  he  had  few  superiors.  His  messages  present 
a  perspicuous  array  of  facts  as  to  the  condition  of  the 
State,  and  are  often  couched  in  forcible  and  elegant 
diction. 

The  greatest  excitement  during  his  term  of  office 
was  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  by  Con- 


gress, under  the  leadership  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas  in 
1S54,  when  the  bill  was  passed  organizing  the  Terri- 
tory of  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  A  large  portion  of 
the  Whig  party  of  the  North,  through  their  bitter  op- 
position to  the  Democratic  party,  naturally  drifted 
into  the  doctrine  of  anti-slavery,  and  thus  led  to  what 
was  temporarily  called  the  "Anti-Nebraska"  party, 
while  the  followers  of  Douglas  were  known  as  "  Ne- 
braska or  Douglas  Democrats."  It  was  during  this 
embryo  stage  of  the  Republican  party  that  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  brought  forward  as  the  "Anti-Nebraska" 
candidate  for  the  United  States  Senatorship,  while 
Gen.  James  Shields,  the  incumbent,  was  re-nom- 
inated by  the  Democrats.  But  after  a  fewballotings 
in  the  Legislature  (1855),  these  men  were  dropped, 
and  Lyman  Trumbull,  an  Anti-Nebraska  Democrat, 
was  brought  up  by  the  former,  and  Mr.  Matteson, 
then  Governor,  by  the  latter.  On  the  nth  ballot 
M.r.'  Trumbull  obtained  one  majority,  and  was  ac- 
cordingly declared  elected.  Before  Gov.  Matteson's 
term  expired,  the  Republicans  were  fully  organized 
as  a  national  party,  and  in  1856  put  into  the  field  a 
full  national  and  State  ticket,  carrying  the  State,  but 
not  the  nation. 

The  Legislature  of  1855  passed  two  very  import- 
ant measures, — the  present  free-school  system  and  a 
submission  of  the  Maine  liquor  law  to  a  vote  of  the 
people.  The  latter  was  defeated  by  a  small  majority 
of  the  popular  vote. 

During  the  four  years  of  Gov.  Matteson's  admin- 
istration the  taxable  wealth  of  the  State  was  about 
trebled,  from  $137,818,079  to  $349,95  1,272  ;  the  pub- 
lic debt  was  reduced  from  $17,398,985  to  $12,843,- 
r44;  taxation  was  at  the  same  time  reduced,  and  the 
State  resumed  paying  interest  on  its  debt  in  New 
York  as  fast  as  it  fell  due ;  railroads  were  increased 
in  their  mileage  from  something  less  than  400  to 
about  3.000 ;  and  the  population  of  Chicago  was 
nearly  doubled,  and  its  commerce  more  than  quad- 
rupled. 

Before  closing  this  account,  we  regret  that  we  have 
to  say  that  Mr.  Matteson,  in  all  other  respects  an 
upright  man  and  a  good  Governor,  was  implicated 
in  a  false  re-issue  of  redeemed  canal  serin,  amount- 
ing to  $224,182.66.  By  a  suit  in  the  Sangamon  Cir- 
cuit Court  the  State  recovered  the  principal  and  all 
the  interest  excepting  $27,500. 

He   died  in    the   winter  of  ^72-3,   at  Chicago. 


IJBRARY 
Of  THE 


}^L^U2£_ 


GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


J51 


IH1 


k? 


H 


'~;-i'v  ir  .'i1.'!'  :"i':-i'.ri'  :."i' '.-i'--:-!1  .•<'"■'  ■' v  ■"  >■  '■>  '•■'>  '■''  '•'■  • '» '■ ''  '■ ''  '■  '•  '■  '■  '■  '■•■'> '■'■'■  ■'<  '■''  '•  M 


ILLIAM  H.  BISSELL,  Gov- 
ernor 1857-60,  was  born 
April  25,  1S11,  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  near 
Painted  Post,  Yates  County. 
His  parents  were  obscure, 
honest,  God-fearing  people, 
who  reared  their  children  under  the  daily 
example  of  industry  and  frugality,  accord- 
ing to  the  custom  of  that  class  of  Eastern 
society.  Mr.  Bissell  received  a  respecta- 
ble but  not  thorough  academical  education. 
By  assiduous  application  he  acquired  a 
knowledge  of  medicine,  and  in  his  early 
manhood  came  West  and  located  in  Mon- 
roe County,  this  State,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  that  profession.  But  he  was  not  enam- 
ored of  his  calling:  he  was  swayed  by  a  broader 
ambition,  to  such  an  extent  that  the  mysteries  of  the 
healing  art  and  its  arduous  duties  failed  to  yield  him 
further  any  charms.  In  a  few  years  he  discovered 
his  choice  of  a  profession  to  be  a  mistake,  and  when 
he  approached  the  age  of  30  he  sought  to  begin 
anew.  Dr.  Bissell,  no  doubt  unexpectedly  to  him- 
self, discovered  a  singular  facility  and  charm  of 
speech,  the  exercise  of  which  acquired  for  him  a 
ready  local  notoriety.     It  §0011  came  to  be  under- 


stood that  he  desired  to  abandon  his  profession  and 
take  up  that  of  the  law.  During  terms  of  Court  he 
would  spend  his  time  at  the  county  seat  among  the 
members  of  the  Bar,  who  extended  to  him  a  ready 
welcome. 

It  was  not  strange,  therefore,  that  he  should  drift 
into  public  life.  In  1840  he  was  elected  as  a  Dem- 
ocrat to  the  Legislature  from  Monroe  County,  and 
was  an  efficient  member  of  that  body.  On  his  re- 
turn home  he  qualified  himself  for  admission  to  the 
Bar  and  speedily  rose  to  the  front  rank  as  an  advo- 
cate. His  powers  of  oratory  were  captivating.  With  a 
pure  diction,  charming  and  inimitable  gestures, 
clearness  of  statement,  and  a  remarkable  vein  of  sly 
humor,  his  efforts  before  a  jury  told  with  irresistible 
effect.  He  was  chosen  by  the  Legislature  Prosecut- 
ing Attorney  for  the  Circuit  in  which  he  lived,  and 
in  that  position  he  fully  discharged  his  duty  to  the 
State,  gained  the  esteem  of  the  Bar,  and  seldom 
failed  to  convict  the  offender  of  the  law. 

In  stature  he  was  somewhat  tall  and  slender,  and 
with  a  straight,  military  bearing,  he  presented  a  dis- 
tinguished appearance.  His  complexion  was  dark, 
his  head  well  poised,  though  not  large,  his  address 
pleasant  and  manner  winning.  He  was  exemplary 
in  his  habits,  a  devoted  husband  and  kind  parent. 
He  was  twice  married,  the  first  time  to  Miss  James, 


'52 


WILLIAM  H.  BISSELI. 


of  Monroe  County,  by  whom  he  had  two  children, 
both  daughters.  She  died  soon  after  the  year  1840, 
and  Mr.  B.  married  for  his  second  wife  a  daughter 
of  Elias  K.  Kane,  previously  a  United  States  Senator 
from  this  State.  She  survived  him  but  a  short  time, 
and  died  without  issue. 

When  the  war  with  Mexico  was  declared  in  1846, 
Mr.  Bissell  enlisted  and  was  elected  Colonel  of  his 
regiment,  over  Hon.  Don  Morrison,  by  an  almost 
unanimous  vote, — 807  to  6.  Considering  the  limited 
opportunities  he  had  had,  he  evinced  a  high  order  of 
military  talent.  On  the  bloody  field  of  Buena  Vista 
he  acquitted  himself  with  intrepid  and  distinguished 
ability,  contributing  with  his  regiment,  the  Second 
Illinois,  in  no  small  degree  toward  saving  the  waver- 
ing fortunes  of  our  arms  during  that  long  and  fiercely 
contested  battle. 

After  his  return  home,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  he 
was  elected  to  Congress,  his  opponents  being  the 
Hons.  P.  B.  Fouke  and  Joseph  Gillespie.  He  served 
two  terms  in  Congress.  He  was  an  ardent  politician. 
During  the  great  contest  of  1850  he  voted  in  favor 
of  the  adjustment  measures;  but  in  1854  he  opposed 
the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  act  and 
therefore  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  of  Douglas,  and 
thus  became  identified  with  the  nascent  Republican 
party. 

During  his  first  Congressional  term,  while  the 
Southern  members  were  following  their  old  practice 
of  intimidating  the  North  by  bullying  language, 
and  claiming  most  of  the  credit  for  victories  in  the 
Mexican  War,  and  Jefferson  Davis  claiming  for  the 
Mississippi  troops  all  the  credit  for  success  at  Buena 
Vista,  Mr.  Bissell  bravely  defended  the  Northern 
troops ;  whereupon  Davis  challenged  Bissell  to  a  duel, 
which  was  accepted.  This  matter  was  brought  up 
against  Bissell  when  he  was  candidate  for  Governor 
and  during  his  term  of  office,  as  the  Constitution  of 
this  State  forbade  any  duelist  from  holding  a  State 
office. 

In  1856,  when  the  Republican  party  first  put  forth 
a  candidate,  John  C.  Fremont,  for  President  of  the 
United  States,  the  same  party  nominated  Mr.  Bissell 
for  Governor  of  Illinois,  and  John  Wood,  of  Quincy, 
for  Lieutenant  Governor,  while  the  Democrats  nomi- 
nated Hon.  W.  A.  Richardson,  of  Adams  County, 
for  Governor,  and  Col.  R.  J.  Hamilton,  of  Cook 
County,  for  Lieutenant  Governor.     The  result  of  th§ 


election  was  a  plurality  of  4.7 29  votes  over  Richard- 
son. The  American,  or  Know-Nothing,  party  had  a 
ticket  in  the  field.  The  Legislature  was  nearly  bal- 
anced, but  was  politically  opposed  to  the  Governor. 
His  message  to  the  Legislature  was  short  and  rather 
ordinary,  and  was  criticised  for  expressing  the  sup- 
posed obligations  of  the  people  to  the  incorporators 
of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company  and  for  re- 
opening the  slavery  question  by  allusions  to  the 
Kansas  troubles.  Late  in  the  session  an  apportion- 
ment bill,  based  upon  the  State  census  of  1855,  was 
passed,  amid  much  partisan  strife.  The  Governor 
at  first  signed  the  bill  and  then  vetoed  it.  A  furious 
debate  followed,  and  the  question  whether  the  Gov- 
ernor had  the  authority  to  recall  a  signature  was 
referred  to  the  Courts,  that  of  last  resort  deciding  in 
favor  of  the  Governor.  Two  years  afterward  another 
outrageous  attempt  was  made  for  a  re-apportionment 
and  to  gerrymander  the  State,  but  the  Legislature 
failedYo  pass  the  bill  over  the  veto  of  the  Governor. 
It  was  during  Gov.  Bissell's  administration  that 
the  notorious  canal  scrip  fraud  was  brought  to  light, 
implicating  ex-Gov.  Matteson  and  other  prominent 
State  officials.  The  principal  and  interest,  aggregat- 
ing $255,500,  was  all  recovered  by  the  State  except- 
ing $27,500.     (See  sketch  of  Gov.  Matteson.) 

In  1859  an  attempt  was  discovered  to  fraudu- 
lently refund  the  Macalister  and  Stebbins  bonds  and 
thus  rob  the  State  Treasury  of  nearly  a  quarter  of  a 
million  dollars.  The  State  Government  was  impli- 
cated in  this  affair,  and  to  this  day  remains  unex- 
plained or  unatoned  for.  For  the  above,  and  other 
matters  previously  mentioned,  Gov.  Bissell  has  been 
severely  criticised,  and  he  has  also  been  most  shame- 
fully libelled  and  slandered. 

On  account  of  exposure  in  the  army,  the  remote 
cause  of  a  nervous  form  of  disease  gained  entrance 
into  his  system  and  eventually  developed  paraplegia, 
affecting  his  lower  extremities,  which,  while  it  left 
his  body  in  comparative  health,  deprived  him  of  loco- 
motion except  by  the  aid  of  crutches.  While  he  was 
generally  hopeful  of  ultimate  recovery,  this  myste- 
rious disease  pursued  him,  without  once  relaxing  its 
stealthy  hold,  to  the  close  of  his  life,  March  18, 
i860,  over  nine  months  before  the  expiration  of  his 
gubernatorial  term,  at  the  early  age  of  48  years.  He 
died  in  the  faith  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  of 
which  he  har\  been  a  member  since  1854, 


LIBRARY 
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GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


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#-# 


p-:OHN  WOOD,  Governor  1 860-1,  and 
[$&*  the  first  settler  of  Quincy,  111., 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Sempro- 
nius  (now  Moravia),  Cayuga  Co., 
N.  Y.,  Dec.  20,  1798.  He  was 
the  second  child  and  only  son  of 
Dr.  Daniel  Wood.  His  mother, 
nee  Catherine  Crause,  was  of 
German  parentage,  and  died 
while  he  was  an  infant.  Dr. 
Wood  was  a  learned  and  skillful 
physician,  of  classical  attain- 
ments and  proficient  in  several 
modern  languages,  who,  after 
serving  throughout  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  as  a  Surgeon,  settled  on  the  land  granted 
him  by  the  Government,  and  resided  there  a  re- 
spected and  leading  influence  in  his  section  until  his 
death,  at  the  ripe  age  of  92  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  impelled  by  the  spirit 
of  Western  adventure  then  pervading  everywhere, 
left  his  home,  Nov.  2,  1818,  and  passed  the  succeed- 
ing winter  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  The  following  sum- 
mer he  pushed  on  to  Illinois,  landing  at  Shawneetown, 
and  spent  the  fall  and  following  winter  in  Calhoun 
County.  In  1820,  in  company  with  Willard  Keyes, 
he  settled  in  Pike  County,  about  30  miles  southeast 
of  Quincy,  where  for  the  next  two  years  he  pursued 
farming.  In  182 1  he  visited  "the  Bluffs"  (as  the 
present  site  of  Quincy  was  called,  then  uninhabited) 
and,  pleased  with  its  prospects,  soon  after  purchased 
a  quarter-section  of  land  near  by,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing fall  (1822)  erected  near  the  river  a  small  cabin, 


18  x  20  feet,  the  first  building  in  Quincy>  of  which 
he  then  became  the  first  and  for  some  months  the 
only  occupant. 

About  this  time  he  visited  his  old  friends  in  Pike 
County,  chief  of  whom  was  William  Ross,  the  lead- 
ing man  in  building  up  the  village  of  Atlas,  of  that 
county,  which  was  thought  then  to  be  the  possible 
commencement  of  a  city.  One  day  they  and  others 
were  traveling  together  over  the  country  between  the 
two  points  named,  making  observations  on  the  com- 
parative merits  of  the  respective  localities.  On  ap- 
proaching the  Mississippi  near  Mr.  Wood's  place, 
the  latter  told  his  companions  to  follow  him  and  he 
would  show  them  where  he  was  going  to  build  a  city. 
They  went  about  a  mile  off  the  main  trail,  to  a  high 
point,  from  which  the  view  in  every  direction  was 
most  magnificent,  as  it  had  been  for  ages  and  as  yet 
untouched  by  the  hand  of  man.  Before  them  swept 
by  the  majestic  Father  of  Waters,  yet  unburdened  by 
navigation.  After  Mr.  Wood  had  expatiated  at 
length  on  the  advantages  of  the  situation,  Mr.  Ross 
replied,  "But  it's  too  near  Atlas  ever  to  amount  to 
anything!" 

Atlas  is  still  a  cultivated  farm,  and  Quincy  is  3 
city  of  over  30,000  population. 

In  1824  Mr.  Wood  gave  a  newspaper  notice, 
as  the  law  then  prescribed,  of  his  intention  to  apply 
to  the  General  Assembly  for  the  formation  of  a  new 
county.  This  was  done  the  following  winter,  result- 
ing in  the  establishment  of  the  present  Adams 
County.  During  the  next  summer  Quincy  was  se- 
lected as  the  county  seat,  it  and  the  vicinity  then 
containing  but  four  adult  male  residents  and  half 


'5° 


JOHN  WOOD. 


that  number  of  females.  Since  that  period  Mr. 
Wood  resided  at  the  place  of  his  early  adoption  un- 
til his  death,  and  far  more  than  any  other  man  was 
he  identified  with  every  measure  of  its  progress  and 
history,  and  almost  continuously  kept  in  public  posi- 
tions. 

He  was  one  of  the  early  town  Trustees,  and  after 
the  place  became  a  city  he  was  often  a  member  of 
the  City  Council,  many  times  elected  Mayor,  in  the 
face  of  a  constant  large  opposition  political  majority. 
In  1850  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate.  In  1856, 
on  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party,  he  was 
chosen  Lieutenant  Governor  of  the  State,  on  the 
ticket  with  Win.  H.  Bissell  for  Governor,  and  on  the 
death  of  the  latter,  March  18,  i860,  he  succeeded  to 
the  Chief  Executive  chair,  which  he  occupied  until 
Gov.  Yates  was  inaugurated  nearly  ten  months  after- 
ward. 

Nothing  very  marked  characterized  the  adminis- 
tration of  Gov.  Wood.  The  great  anti-slavery  cam- 
paign of  i860,  resulting  in  the  election  of  the  honest 
Illinoisan,  Abraham  Lincoln,  to  the  Presidency  of  the 
United  States,  occurred  during  the  short  period 
while  Mr.  Wood  was  Governor,  and  the  excitement 
and  issues  of  that  struggle  dominated  over  every 
other  consideration, — indeed,  supplanted  them  in  a 
great  measure.  The  people  of  Illinois,  during  all 
that  time,  were  passing  the  comparatively  petty  strifes 
under  Bissell's  administration  to  the  overwhelming 
issue  of  preserving  the  whole  nation  from  destruction. 

In  186 1  ex-Gov.  Wood  was  one  of  the  five  Dele- 
gates from  Illinois  to  the  "  Peace  Convention  "  at 
Washington,  and  in  April  of  the  same  year,  on  the 
breaking  out  of  the    Rebellion,   he   was    appointed 


Quartermaster-General  of  the  State,  which  position 
he  held  throughout  the  war.  In  1864  he  took  com- 
mand as  Colonel  of  the  137th  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  with 
whom  he  served  until  the  period  of  enlistment  ex- 
pired. 

Politically,  Gov.  Wood  was  always  actively  identi- 
fied with  the  Whig  and  Republican  parties.  Few 
men  have  in  personal  experience  comprehended  so 
many  surprising  and  advancing  local  changes  as 
vested  in  the  more  than  half  century  recollections  of 
Gov.  Wood.  Sixty-four  years  ago  a  solitary  settler 
0:1  the  "Bluffs,"  with  no  family,  and  no  neighbor 
within  a  score  of  miles,  the  world  of  civilization  away 
behind  him,  and  the  strolling  red-man  almost  his 
only  visitant,  he  lived  to  see  growing  around  him, 
and  under  his  auspices  and  aid,  overspreading  the 
wild  hills  and  scraggy  forest  a  teaming  city,  second 
only  in  size  in  the  State,  and  surpassed  nowhere  in 
beauty,  prosperity  and  promise;  whose  people  recog- 
nize as  with  a  single  voice  the  proverbial  honor  and 
liberality  that  attach  to  the  name  and  lengthened 
life  of  their  pioneer  settler,  "the  old  Governor." 

Gov.  Wood  was  twice  married, — first  in  January, 
1826,  to  Ann  M.  Streeter,  daughter  of  Joshua  Streeter, 
formerly  of  Salem,  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.  They  had 
eight  children.  Mrs.  W.  died  Oct.  8,  1863,  and  in 
June,  1865,  Gov.  Wood  married  Mrs.  Mary  A.,  widow 
of  Rev.  Joseph  T.  Holmes.  Gov.  Wood  died  June  4, 
1880,  at  his  residence  in  Quincy.  Four  of  his  eight 
children  are  now  living,  namely:  Ann  E.,  wife  of 
Gen.  John  Tillson;  Daniel  C,  who  married  Mary  J. 
Abernethy;  John,  Jr.,  who  married  Josephine  Skinner, 
and  Joshua  S.,  who  married  Annie  Bradley.  The 
last  mentioned  now  resides  at  Atchison,  Kansas,  and 
all  the  rest  are  still  at  Quincy. 


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UNIVERSITY  r- 


D 


GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


'Si 


||i«flia^&    ^alf£. 


fffcPMCHARD  YATES,  the  "War 
Governor,"  1861-4,  was  born 
Jan.  18,  1818,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Ohio  River,  at  Warsaw, 
Gallatin  Co.,  Ky.  His  lather 
moved  in  1831  to  Illinois,  and 
after  stopping  for  a  time  in 
Springfield,  settled  at  Island 
Grove,  Sangamon  County.  Here, 
after  attending  school,  Richard  joined 
the  family.  Subsequently  he  entered 
Illinois  College  at  Jacksonville, 
where,  in  1837,  he  graduated  with 
first  honors.  He  chose  for  his  pro- 
fession the  law,  the  Hon.  J.  J.  Har- 
din being  his  instructor.  After  ad- 
mission to  the  Bar  he  soon  rose  to  distinction  as  an 
advocate. 

Gifted  with  a  fluent  and  ready  oratory,  he  soon 
appeared  in  the  political  hustings,  and,  being  a 
passionate  admirer  of  the  great  Whig  leader  of  the 
West.  Henry  Clay,  he  joined  his  political  fortunes  to 
he  party  of  his  idol.  In  1 840  he  engaged  with  great 
mdor  in  the  exciting  "  hard  cider "  campaign  for 
Harrison.  Two  years  later  he  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature  from  Morgan  County,  a  Democratic 
stronghold.  He  served  three  or  four  terms  in  the 
Legislature,  and  such  was  the  fascination  of  his  ora- 
ry  that  by  1850  his  large  Congressional  District, 
extending  from  Morgan  and  Sangamon  Counties 
forth  to  include  LaSalle,  unanimously  tendered  him 
tne  Whig  nomination  for  Congress.  His  Democratic 
opponent  was  Maj.  Thomas  L.  Harris,  a  very  pop- 
v'ar  man  who  had  won  distinction  at  the  battle  of 
Cerro  Gordo,  in  the  Mexican  War,  and  who  had 
aeaten  Hon.  Stephen  T.  Logan  for  the  same  position, 


two  years  before,  by  a  large  majority.  Yates  wa? 
elected.  Two  years  later  he  was  re-elected,  over 
John  Calhoun. 

It  was  during  Yates  second  term  in  Congress  that 
the  great  question  of  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Com- 
promise was  agitated,  and  the  bars  laid  down  for  re- 
opening the  dreaded  anti-slavery  question.  He  took 
strong  grounds  against  the  repeal,  and  thus  became 
identified  with  the  rising  Republican  party.  Conse- 
quently he  fell  into  the  minority  in  his  district,  which 
was  pro-slavery.  Even  then,  in  a  third  contest,  he 
fell  behind  Major  Harris  only  zoo  votes,  after  the 
district  had  two  years  before  given  Pierce  2,000 
majority  for  President. 

The  Republican  State  Convention  of  i860  met  at 
Decatur  May  9,  and  nominated  for  the  office  of  Gov- 
ernor Mr.  Yates,  in  preference  to  Hon.  Norman  B, 
Judd,  of  Chicago,  and  Leonard  Svvett,  of  Blooming- 
ton,  two  of  the  ablest  men  of  the  State,  who  were 
also  candidates  before  the  Convention.  Francis  A. 
Hoffman,  of  DuPage  County,  was  nominated  for 
Lieutenant  Governor.  This  was  the  year  when  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  a  candidate  for  President,  a  period  re- 
membered as  characterized  by  the  great  whirlpool 
which  precipitated  the  bloody  War  of  the  Rebellion. 
The  Douglas  Democrats  nominated  J.  C.  Allen  cf 
Crawford  County,  for  Governor,  and  Lewis  W.  Ross, 
of  Fulton  County,  for  Lieutenant  Governor.  The 
Breckenridge  Democrats  and  the  Bell-Everett  party 
had  also  full  tickets  in  the  field.  After  a  most  fear- 
ful campaign,  the  result  of  the  election  gave  Mr. 
Yates  172,196  votes,  and  Mr  Allen  159,253.  Mr. 
Yates  received  over  a  thousand  more  votes  than  did 
Mr.  Lincoln  himself. 

Gov.  Yates  occupied  the  chair  of  State  during  the 


i6o 


RICHARD    YATES. 


most  critical  period  of  our  country's  history.  In  the 
fate  of  the  nation  was  involved  that  of  each  State. 
The  life  struggle  of  the  former  derived  its  sustenance 
from  the  loyalty  of  the  latter;  and  Gov.  Yates 
seemed  to  realize  the  situation,  and  proved  himself 
both  loyal  and  wise  in  upholding  the  Government. 
He  had  a  deep  hold  upon  the  affections  of  the 
people,  won  by  his  moving  eloquence  and  genial 
manners.  Erect  and  symmetrical  in  person,  of  pre- 
possessing appearance,  with  a  winning  address  and  a 
magnetic  power,  few  men  possessed  more  of  the  ele- 
ments of  popularity.  His  oratory  was  scholarly  and 
captivating,  his  hearers  hardly  knowing  why  they 
were  transported.  He  was  social  and  convivial.  In 
the  latter  respect  he  was  ultimately  carried  too  far. 

The  very  creditable  military  efforts  of  this  State 
during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  in  putting  into  the 
field  the  enormous  number  of  about  200,000  soldiers, 
were  ever  promptly  and  ably  seconded  by  his  excel- 
lency ;  and  the  was  ambitious  to  deserve  the  title  of 
"the  soldier's  friend."  Immediately  after  the  battleof 
Shiloh  he  repaired  to  the  field  of  carnage  to  look 
after  the  wounded,  and  his  appeals  for  aid  were 
promptly  responded  to  by  the  people.  His  procla- 
mations calling  for  volunteers  were  impassionate 
appeals,  urging  upon  the  people  the  duties  and  re- 
quirements of  patriotism;  and  his  special  message 
in  1863  to  the  Democratic  Legislature  of  this  State 
pleading  for  material  aid  for  the  sick  and  wounded 
soldiers  of  Illinois  regiments,  breathes  a  deep  fervor 
of  noble  sentiment  and  feeling  rarely  equaled  in 
beauty  or  felicity  of  expression.  Generally  his  mes- 
sages on  political  and  civil  affairs  were  able  and  com- 
prehensive. During  his  administration,  however, 
there  were  no  civil  events  of  an  engrossing  character, 
although  two  years  of  his  time  were  replete  with 
partisan  quarrels  of  great  bitterness.  Military  ar- 
rests, Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle,  riot  in  Fulton 
County,  attempted  suppression  of  the  Chicago  Times 
and  the  usurping  State  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1862,  were  the  chief  local  topics  that  were  exciting 
during  the  Governor's  term.  This  Convention  assem- 
bled Jan.  7,  and  at  once  took  the  high  position  that 
*he  law  calling  it  was  no  longer  binding,  and  that  it 
l'.ad  supreme  power;  that  it  represented  a  virtual 
assemblage  of  the  whole  people  of  the  State,  and  was 
sovereign  in  the  exercise  of  all   power  necessary  to 

effect  a  peaceable  revolution  of  the  State  Government 


and  to  the  re-establishmentof  one  for  the  "happiness, 
prosperity  and  freedom  of  the  citizens,"  limited  only 
by  the  Federal  Constitution.  Notwithstanding  the 
law  calling  the  Convention  required  its  members  to 
take  an  oath  to  support  the  Constitution  of  the  State 
as  well  as  that  of  the  general  Government,  they 
utterly  refused  to  take  such  oath.  They  also  as- 
sumed legislative  powers  and  passed  several  import- 
ant "laws!"  Interfering  with  the  (then)  present 
executive  duties,  Gov.  Yates  was  provoked  to  tell 
them  plainly  that  "  he  did  not  acknowledge  the  right 
of  the  Convention  to  instruct  him  in  the  performance 
of  his  duty." 

In  1863  the  Governor  astonished  the  Democrats 
by  "  proroguing  "  their  Legislature.  This  body,  after 
a  recess,  met  June  2,  that  year,  and  soon  began  to 
waste  time  upon  various  partisan  resolutions ;  and, 
while  the  two  houses  were  disagreeing  upon  the 
question  of  adjourning  sine  die,  the  Governor,  having 
*  the'authority  in  such  cases,  surprised  them  all  by 
adjourning  ftiem  "  to  the  Saturday  next  preceding  the 
first  Monday  in  January,  1865  !"  This  led  to  great 
excitement  and  confusion,  and  to  a  reference  of  the 
Governor's  act  to  the  Supreme  Court,  who  decided  in 
his  favor.  Then  it  was  the  Court's  turn  to  receive 
abuse  for  weeks  and  months  afterward. 

During  the  autumn  of  1864  a  conspiracy  was  de- 
tected at  Chicago  which  had  for  its  object  the  liber- 
ation of  the  prisoners  of  war  at  Camp  Douglas,  the 
burning  of  the  city  and  the  inauguration  of  rebellion 
in  the  North.  Gen.  Sweet,  who  had  charge  of  the 
camp  at  the  time,  first  had  his  suspicions  of  danger 
aroused  by  a  number  of  enigmatically  worded  letters 
which  passed  through  the  Camp  postofifice.  A  de- 
tective afterward  discovered  that  the  rebel  Gen. 
Marmaduke  was  in  the  city,  under  an  assumed 
name,  and  he,  with  other  rebel  officers — Grenfell, 
Morgan,  Cantrell,  Buckner  Morris,  and  Charles 
Walsh — was  arrested,  most  of  whom  were  convicted 
by  a  court-martial  at  Cincinnati  and  sentenced  to 
imprisonment, — Grenfell  to  be  hung.  The  sentence 
of  the  latter  was  afterward  commuted  to  imprison- 
ment for  life,  and  all  the  others,  after  nine  months' 
imprisonment,  were  pardoned. 

In  March,  1873,  Gov.  Yates  was  appointed  a  Gov- 
ernment Director  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  in 
which  office  he  continued  until  his  decease,  at  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  on  tbe  27th  of  November  following. 


■ 


imikfcf 

Of  THE 


GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


•63 


Michard  J.  Ogles 


— "j- 


«M« 


TCHARD  J.  OGLESBY,  Gov- 
ernor 1865-8,  and  re-elected 
in  1S72  and  1884,  was  born 
July  25,  1824,  in  Oldham  Co., 
Ky., — the  State  which  might 
g;.x,  be  considered  the  "  mother  of 
Illinois  Governors."  Bereft  of 
his  parents  at  the  tender  age 
of  eight  years,  his  early  education 
was  neglected.  When  12  years  of 
age,  and  after  he  had  worked  a  year 
and  a  half  at  the  carpenter's  trade, 
he  removed  with  an  uncle,  Willis 
Oglesby,  into  whose  care  he  had 
been  committed,  to  Decatur,  this 
State,  where  lie  continued  his  ap- 
prenticeship as  a  mechanic,  working  six  months  for 
Hon.  E.  O.  Smith. 

In  1844  he  commenced  studying  law  at  Spring- 
field, with  Judge  Silas  Robbins,  and  read  with  him 
one  year.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1845,  and 
commenced  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession  at 
Sullivan,  the  county  seat  of  Moultrie  County. 

The  next  year  the  war  with  Mexico  was  com- 
menced, and  in  June,  1846,  Mr.  Oglesby  volunteered, 
was  elected  First  Lieutenant  of  Co.  C,  Fourth  Illinois 
Regiment  of  Volunteers,  and  participated  in  the  bat- 
tles of  Vera  Cruz  and  Cerro  Gordo. 

On  his  return  he  sought  to  perfect  his  law  studies 
by  attending  a  course  of  lectures  at  Louisville,  but 
on  the  breaking  out  of  the  California  "gold  fever  "  in 
1849,  he  crossed  the  plains  and  mountains  to  the 
new  Eldorado,  driving  a  six-mule  team,  with  a  com- 


pany of  eight  men,  Henry  Prather  being  the  leader. 

In  1852  he  returned  home  to  Macon  County,  and 
was  placed  that  year  by  the  Whig  party  on  the  ticket 
of  Presidential  Electors.  In  1856  he  visited  Europe, 
Asia  and  Africa,  being  absent  20  months.  On  his 
return  home  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law,  as  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Gallagher,  Wait  &  Oglesby. 
In  1858  he  was  the  Republican  no  ninee  for  the 
Lower  House  of  Congress,  but  was  defeated  by  the 
Hon.  James  C.  Robinson,  Democrat.  In  i860  he 
was  elected  to  the  Illinois  State  Senate  ;  and  on  the 
evening  the  returns  of  this  election  were  coming  in. 
Mr.  Oglesby  had  a  fisticuff  encounter  with  "  Cerro 
Gordo  Williams,"  in  which  he  came  out  victorious, 
and  which  was  regarded  as  "  the  first  fight  of  the 
Rebellion."  The  following  spring,  when  the  war 
had  commenced  in  earnest,  his  ardent  nature 
quickly  responded  to  the  demands  of  patriotism  and 
he  enlisted.  The  extra  session  of  the  Legislature 
elected  him  Colonel  of  the  Eighth  Illinois  Infantry, 
the  second  one  in  the  State  raised  to  suppress  the 
great  Rebellion. 

He  wis  shortly  entrusted  with  important  com- 
mands. For  a  time  he  was  stationed  at  Bird's  Point 
and  Cairo;  in  April  he  was  promoted  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral; at  Fort  Donelson  his  brigade  was  in  the  van, 
being  stationed  on  the  right  of  General  Grant's  army 
and  the  first  brigade  to  be  attacked.  He  lost  500 
men  before  re-inforcements  arrived.  Many  of  these 
men  were  from  Macon  County.  He  was  engaged  in 
the  battle  of  Corinth,  and,  in  a  brave  charge  at  this 
place,  was  shot  in  the  left  lung  with  an  ounce  ball, 
and  was  carried  from  the  field  in  expectation  of  irn- 


164 


RICHARD  J.    OGLESBY. 


mediate  death.  That  rebel  ball  he  carries  to  this 
day.  On  his  partial  recovery  he  was  promoted  as 
Major  General,  for  gillantry,  his  commission  to  rank 
from  November,  1862.  In  the  spring  of  1863  he 
was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  16th  Army 
Corps,  but,  owing  to  inability  from  the  effects  of  his 
wound,  he  relinquished  this  command  in  July,  that 
year.  Gen.  Grant,  however,  refused  to  accept  his 
resignation,  and  he  was  detailed,  in  December  follow- 
ing, to  court-martial  and  try  the  Surgeon  General  of 
the  Army  at  Washington,  where  he  remained  until 
May,  1864,  when  he  returned  home. 

The  Republican,  or  Union,  State  Convention  of 

1864  was  held  at  Springfield,  May  25,  when  Mr. 
Oglesby  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  Governor, 
while  other  candidates  before  the  Convention  were 
Allen  C.  Fuller,  of  Boone,  Jesse  K.  Dubois,  of  Sanga- 
mon, and  John  M.  Palmer,  of  Macoupin.  Wm. 
Bross,  of  Chicago,  was  nominated  for  Lieutenant 
Governor.  On  the  Democratic  State  ticket  were 
James  C.  Robinson,  of  ("lark,  for  Governor,  and  S. 
Corning  Judd,  of  Fulton,  for  Lieutenant  Governor. 
The  general  election  gave  Gen.  Oglesby  a  majority-' 
of  about  3t,ooo  votes.  The  Republicans  had  also  a 
majority  in  both  the  Legislature  and  in  the  repre- 
sentation in  Congress. 

Gov.  Oglesby  was  duly  inaugurated  Jan.  17,  1865. 
The  day  before  the  first  time  set  for  his  installation 
death  visited  his  home  at  Decatur,  and  took  from  it 
his  only  son,  an  intelligent  and  sprightly  lad  of  six 
years,  a  great  favorite  of  the  bereaved  parents.  This 
caused  the  inauguration  to  be  postponed  a  week. 

The  political  events  of  the  Legislative  session  of 

1865  were  the  election  of  ex-Gov.  Yates  to  the 
United  States  Senate,  and  the  ratification  of  the  13th 
amendment  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States, 
abolishing  slavery.  This  session  also  signalized 
itself  by  repealing  the  notorious  "  black  laws,"  part 
of  which,  although  a  dead  letter,  had  held  their  place 
upon  the  statute  books  since  1819.  Also,  laws  re- 
quiring the  registration  of  voters,  and  establishing  a 
State  Board  of  Equalization,  were  passed  by  this  Leg- 
islature. But  the  same  body  evinced  that  it  was  cor- 
ruptly influenced  by  a  mercenary  lobby,  as  it  adopted 
some  bad  legislation,  over  the  Governor's  veto,  nota- 
bly an  amendment  to  a  charter  for  a  Chicago  horse 
railway,  granted  in  1859  for  25  years,  and  now 
sought  to  be  extended  99  years.  As  this  measure 
was  promptly  passed  over  his  veto  by  both  branches 
of  the  Legislature,  he  deemed  it  useless  further  to 
attempt  to  check  their  headlong  career.  At  this 
session  no  law  of  a  general  useful  character  or  public 
interest  was  perfected,  unless  we  count  such  the 
turning  over  of  the  canal  to  Chicago  to  be  deepened. 
The  session  of  1867  was  still  more  productive  of 
private  and  special  acts.  Many  omnibus  bills  were 
proposed,  and  some  passed.  The  contests  over  the 
vocation  of  the  Industrial  College,  the  Capital,  the 


Southern  Penitentiary,  and  the  canal  enlargement 
and  Illinois  River  improvement,  dominated  every- 
thing else. 

Daring  the  year  1872,  it  became  evident  that  i( 
the  Republicans  could  re-elect  Mr.  Oglesby  to  the 
office  of  Governor,  they  could  also  elect  him  to  the 
United  States  Senate,  which  they  desired  to  do. 
Accordingly  they  re-nominated  him  for  the  Execu- 
tive chair,  and  placed  upon  the  ticket  with  him  for 
Lieutenant  Governor,  John  L.  Beveridge,  of  Cook 
County.  On  the  other  side  the  Democrats  put  into 
the  field  Gustavus  Koerner  for  Governor  and  John 
C.  Black  for  Lieutenant  Governor.  The  election 
gave  the  Republican  ticket  majorities  ranging  from 
35,334  to  56,174, — the  Democratic  defection  being 
caused  mainly  by  their  having  an  old-time  Whig  and 
Abolitionist,  Horace  Greeley,  on  the  national  ticket 
for  President.  According  to  the  general  understand- 
ing had  beforehand,  as  soon  as  the  Legislature  met 
it  elected  Gov.  Oglesby  to  the  United  States  Senate, 
whereupon  Mr.  Beveridge  became  Governor.  Sena- 
tor Oglesby 's  term  expired  March  4,  1879,  having 
i  ser.ved  his  party  faithfully  and  exhibited  an  order  of 
statesmanship  beyond  criticism. 

During  the  campaign  of  1884  Mr.  Oglesby  was 
nominated  for  a  "third  term"  as  Executive  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  against  Carter  H.  Harrison,  Mayor 
of  Chicago,  nominated  by  the  Democrats.  Both 
gentlemen  "stumped  "  the  State,  and  while  the  peo- 
ple elected  a  Legislature  which  was  a  tie  on  a  joint 
ballot,  as  between  the  two  parties,  they  gave  the 
jovial  "  Dick"  Oglesby  a  majority  of  15,018  for  Gov- 
ernor, and  he  was  inaugurated  Jan.  30,  1885.  The 
Legislature  did  not  fully  organize  until  this  date,  on 
account  of  its  equal  division  between  the  two  main 
parties  and  the  consequent  desperate  tactics  of  each 
party  to  checkmate  the  latter  in  the  organization  of 
the  House. 

Gov.  Oglesby  is  a  fine-appearing,  affable  man,  with 
regular,  well  defined  features  and  rotund  face.  In 
stature  he  is  a  little  above  medium  height,  of  a  large 
frame  and  somewhat  fleshy.  His  physical  appear- 
ance is  striking  and  prepossessing,  while  his  straight- 
out,  not  to  say  bluff,  manner  and  speech  are  weL 
calculated  favorably  to  impress  the  average  masses. 
Ardent  in  feeling  and  sirongly  committed  to  the  pol- 
icies of  his  party,  he  intensifies  Republicanism 
among  Republicans,  while  at  the  same  time  his  jovial 
and  liberal  manner  prevents  those  of  the  opposite 
party  from  hating  him. 

He  is  quite  an  effective  stump  orator.  With  vehe- 
ment, passionate  and  scornful  tone  and  gestures, 
tremendous  physical  power,  which  in  speaking  he 
exercises  to  the  utmost;  with  frequent  descents  to 
the  grotesque;  and  with  abundant  homely  compari- 
sons or  frontier  figures,  expressed  in  the  broadest 
vernacular  and  enforced  with  stentorian  emphasis, 
he  delights  a  promiscuous  audience  beyond  measure, 


IffiRARV 

OF  THE 

WUVERSITV  p«r  i n« 


Sl^^cl^ 


GO  FERiVORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


John  ML  Pal  web 


•Ji^ 


^,  • — -«— 4 — *swi 

|;OHN  Mc  AULEY  PALMER,  Gov- 
ernor 1869-72,  was  born  on 
Eagle  Creek,  Scott  Co.,  Ky ., 
Sept.  13,  1817.  During  his  in- 
j"  fancy,  his  father,  who  had  been 
a  soldier  in  the  war  of  18 12,  re- 
moved to  Christian  Co.,  Ky., 
where  lands  were  cheap.  Here 
the  future  Governor  of  the  great 
Prairie  State  spent  his  childhood 
and  received  such  meager  school- 
ing as  the  new  and  sparsely  set- 
tled country  afforded.  To  this 
he  added  materially  by  diligent 
reading,  for  which  he  evinced  an 
His  father,  an  ardent  Jackson  man, 
was  also  noted  for  his  anti-slavery  sentiments,  which 
he  thoroughly  impressed  upon  his  children.  In  1831 
he  emigrated  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Madison  County. 
Here  the  labor  of  improving  a  farm  was  pursued  for 
about  two  years,  when  the  death  of  Mr.  Palmer's 
mother  broke  up  the  family.  About  this  time  Alton 
College  was  opened,  on  the  "manual  labor  "  system, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1834  young  Palmer,  with  his 
elder  brother,  Elihu,  entered  this  school  and  remained 
18  months.  Next,  for  over  three  years,  he  tried 
variously  coopering,  peddling  and  school-teaching. 

During    the   summer  of   1838  he  formed  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  then  making  his 


early  aptitude. 


first  canvass  for  Congress.  Young,  eloquent  and  in 
political  accord  with  Mr.  Palmer,  he  won  his  confi- 
dence, fired  his  ambition  and  fixed  his  purpose.  The 
following  winter,  while  teaching  near  Canton,  he  be- 
gan to  devote  his  spare  time  to  a  desultory  reading 
of  law,  and  in  the  spring  entered  a  law  office  at  Car- 
linville,  making  his  home  with  his  elder  brother, 
Elihu.  (The  latter  was  a  learned  clergyman,  of  con- 
siderable orginality  of  thought  and  doctrine.)  On 
the  next  meeting  of  the  Supreme  Court  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Bar,  Douglas  being  one  of  his  examiners. 
He  was  not  immediately  successful  in  his  profession, 
and  wou'd  have  located  elsewhere  than  Carlinville 
had  he  the  requisite  means.  Thus  his  early  poverty 
was  a  blessing  in  disguise,  for  to  it  he  now  attributes 
the  success  of  his  life. 

From  1839  on,  while  he  diligently  pursued  his 
profession,  he  participated  more  or  less  in  local 
politics.  In  1843  he  became  Probate  Judge.  Ip 
1847  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Constitutional  Con 
vention,  where  he  took  a  leading  part.  In  1852  he, 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  and  at  the  special 
session  of  February,  1854,  true  to  the  anti-slaver) 
sentiments  bred  in  him,  he  took  a  firm  stand  in  op 
position  to  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise. 
and  when  the  Nebraska  question  became  a  part] 
issue  he  refused  to  receive  a  re-nomination  for  tin 
Senatorship  at  the  hands  of  the  Democracy,  issuing 
a  circular  to  that  effect.     A    few    weeks   afterward. 


10 


63 


JOHN  MC  A U LEV  PALMER. 


however,  hesitating  to  break  with  his  party,  he  par- 
ticipated in  a  Congressional  Convention  which  nomi- 
T.  L.  Harris  against  Richard  Yates,  and  which 
unqualifiedly  approved  the  principles  of  the  Kansas- 
Nebraska  act.  But  later  in  the  campaign  he  made 
the  plunge,  ran  for  the  Senate  as  an  Anti-Nebraska 
Democrat,  and  was  elected.  The  following  winter 
he  put  in  nomination  for  the  ^United  States  Senate 
Mr.  Trumbull,  and  was  one  of  the  five  steadfast  men 
who  voted  for  him  until  all  the  Whigs  came  to  their 
support  and  elected  their  man. 

In  1S56  he  was  Chairman  of  the  Republican  State 
Convention  at  Bloomington.  He  ran  for  Congress  in 
1859,  but  was  defeated.  In  i860  he  was  Republican 
Presidential  Elector  for  the  State  at  large.  In  1861 
ne  was  appointed  one  of  the  five  Delegates  (all  Re- 
publicans) sent  by  Illinois  to  the  peace  congress  at 
Washington. 

When  the  civil  conflict  broke  out,  he  offered  his 
services  to  his  country,  and  was  elected  Colonel  of  the 
J4th  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  and  participated  in  the  engagements'' 
at  Island  No.  10  ;  at  Farmington,  where  he  skillfully 
extricated  his  command  from  a  dangerous  position  ; 
at  Stone  River,  where  his  division  for  several  hours, 
Dec.  31,  1862,  held  the  advance  and  stood  like  a 
rock,  and  for  his  gallantry  there  he  was  made  Major 
General;  at  Chickamauga,  where  his  and  Van  Cleve's 
divisions  for  two  hours  maintained  their  position 
when  they  were  cut  off  by  overpowering  numbers. 
Under  Gen.  Sherman,  he  was  assigned  to  the  14th 
Army  Corps  and  participated  in  the  Atlanta  campaign. 
At  Peach-Tree  Creek  his  prudence  did  much  to  avert 
disaster.  In  February,  1865,  Gen.  Palmer  was  as- 
signed to  the  military  administration  of  Kentucky, 
which  was  a  delicate  post.  That  State  was  about 
half  rebel  and  half  Union,  and  those  of  the  latter 
element  were  daily  fretted  by  the  loss  of  their  slaves. 
He,  who  had  been  bred  to  the  rules  of  common  law, 
trembled  at  the  contemplation  of  his  extraordinary 
power  over  the  persons  and  property  of  his  fellow 
men,  with  which  he  was  vested  in  his  capacity  as 
military  Governor;  and  he  exhibited  great  caution  in 
the  execution  of  the  duties  of  his  post. 

Gen.  Palmar  was  nominated  for  Governor  of  Illi- 
nois by  the  Republican  State  Convention  which  met 
at  Peoria  May  6,  1868,  and  his  nomination  would 
probably  have  been  made  by  acclamation  had  he  not 
persistently  declared  that  he  could  not  accept  a  can- 


didature for  the  office.  The  result  of  the  ensuing 
election  gave  Mr.  Palmer  a  majority  of  44,707  over 
John  R.  Eden,  the  Democratic  nominee. 

On  the  meeting  of  the  Legislature  in  January, 
1869,  the  first  thing  to  arrest  public  attention  was 
that  portion  of  the  Governor's  message  which  took 
broad  Slate's  rights  ground.  This  and  some  minor 
points,  which  were  more  in  keeping  with  the  Demo- 
cratic sentiment,  constituted  the  e  itering  wedge  fur 
the  criticisms  and  reproofs  he  afterward  received 
from  the  Republican  party,  and  ultimately  resulted 
in  his  entire  aleniation  from  the  latter  element.  The 
Legislature  just  referred  to  was  noted  for  the  intro- 
duction of  numerous  bills  in  the  interest  of  private 
parties,  which  were  embarrassing  to  the  Governor. 
Among  the  public  acts  passed  was  that  which  limited 
railroad  charges  for  passenger  travel  to  a  maximum 
of  three  cents  per  mile ;  and  it  was  passed  over  the 
Governor's  veto.  Also,  they  passed,  over  his  veto, 
t)ie  "tax-grabbing  law"  to  pay  r^.ilror.i  subscriptions, 
the  Chicago  Lake  Front  bill,  etc.  The  riew  State' 
"CcAVstrrutibn  of  1870,  far  superior  to  the  old,  was  a 
peaceful  "  revolution"  which  took  place  during  Gov. 
Palmer's  term  of  office.  The  suffering  caused  by  the 
great  Chicago  Fire  of  October,  1871,  was  greatly 
alleviated  by  the  prompt  responses  of  his  excellency. 

Since  the  expiration  of  Gov.  Palmers's  term,  he  has 
been  somewhat  prominent  in  Illinois  politics,  and 
has  been  talked  of  by  many,  especially  in  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  as  the  best  man  in  the  State  for  a 
United  States  Senator.  His  business  during  life  has 
been  that  of  the  law.  Few  excel  him  in  an  accurate 
appreciation  of  the  depth  and  scope  of  its  principles- 
The  great  number  of  his  able  veto  messages  abun- 
dantly testify  not  only  this  but  also  a  rare  capacity  to 
point  them  out.  He  is  a  logical  and  cogent  reasoner 
and  an  interesting,  forcible  and  convincing  speaker, 
though  not  fluent  or  ornate.  Without  brilliancy,  his 
dealings  are  rather  with  facts  and  ideas  than  with 
appeals  to  passions  and  prejudices.  He  is  a  patriot 
and  a  statesman  of  very  high  order.  Physically  he  is 
above  the  medium  height,  of  robust  frame,  ruddy 
complexion  and  sanguine-nervous  temperament.  He 
has  a  large  cranial  development,  is  vivacious,  social 
in  disposition,  easy  of  approach,  unostentatious  in  his 
habits  of  life,  democratic  in  his  habits  and  manners 
and  is  a  true  American  in  his  fundamental  principle* 
of  statesmanship. 


JJBRARY 
OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  fc  s 


GU  VERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


i7» 


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OHN  LOWRiE  BEVER- 
IDGE, Governor  1873-6,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Green- 
wich, Washington  Co.,  N.  Y., 
July  6,  1824.  His  parents 
were  George  and  Ann  Bever- 
idge.  His  father's  parents,  An- 
drew and  Isabel  Beveridge,  be- 
fore their  marriage  emigrated 
from  Scotland  just  before  the 
Revolutionary  War,  settling  in 
Washington  County.  His  father 
was  the  eldest  of  eight  brothers,  the 
youngest  of  whom  was  60  years  of 
age  when  the  first  one  of  the  num- 
ber died.  His  mother's  parents, 
James  and  Agnes  Hoy,  emigrated 
from  Scotland  at  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  War,  settling  also  in 
:[G  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  with  their 
first-bom,  whose  "  native  land  "  was 
the  wild  ocean.  His  parents  and 
grandparents  lived  beyond  the  time 
allotted  to  man,  their  average  age 
being  over  80  years.  They  belonged  to  the  "  Asso- 
ciate  Church,"   a   seceding   Presbyterian    body    of 


America  from  the  old  Scotch  school ;  and  so  rigid 
was  the  training  of  young  Beveridge  that  he  never 
heard  a  sermon  from  any  other  minister  except  that 
of  his  own  denomination  until  he  was  in  his  19th 
year.  Later  in  life  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  which  relation  he  still 
holds. 

Mr.  Beveridge  received  a  good  common-school  ed- 
ucation, but  his  parents,  who  could  obtain  a  livelihood 
only  by  rigid  economy  and  industry,  could  not  send 
him  away  to  college.  He  was  raised  upon  a  farm, 
and  was  in  his  18th  year  when  the  family  removed 
to  De  Kalb  County,  this  State,  when  that  section  was 
very  sparsely  settled.  Chicago  had  less  than  7,000 
inhabitants.  In  this  wild  West  he  continued  as  a 
farm  laborer,  teaching  school  during  the  winter 
months  to  supply  the  means  of  an  education.  In  the 
fall  of  1842  he  attended  one  term  at  the  academy  at 
Granville,  Putnam  Co.,  111.,  and  subsequently  several 
terms  at  the  Rock  River  Seminary  at  Mount  Morris, 
Ogle  Co.,  111.,  completing  the  academic  course.  At 
this  time,  the  fall  of  1845,  his  parents  and  brothers 
were  anxious  to  have  him  go  to  college,  even  though 
he  had  not  money  sufficient;  but,  njt  willing  to  bur- 
den the  family,  he  packed  his  trunk  and  with  only 
$40   in  money   started    South    to  seek    his  fortune 


r72 


JOHN  L.  BEVERIDGE. 


Toor,  alone,  without  friends  and  influence,  he  thus 
entered  upon  the  battle  of  life. 

First,  he  taught  school  in  Wilson,  Overton  and 
Jackson  Cos.,  Tenn.,  in  which  experience  he  under- 
went considerable  mental  drill,  both  in  book  studies 
and  in  the  ways  of  the  world.  He  read  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar,  in  the  South,  but  did  not  learn 
to  love  the  institution  of  slavery,  although  he  ad- 
mired many  features  of  Southern  character.  In  De- 
cember, 1847,  he  returned  North,  and  Jan.  20,  1848, 
he  married  Miss  Helen  M.  Judson,  in  the  old  Clark- 
Street  M.  E.  church  in  Chicago,  her  father  at  that 
time  being  Pastor  of  the  society  there.  In  the  spring 
of  1848  he  returned  with  his  wife  to  Tennessee, 
where  his  two  children,  Alia  May  and  Philo  Judson, 
were  born. 

In  the  fall  of  1849,  through  the  mismanagement 
of  an  associate,  he  lost  what  little  he  had  accumu- 
lated and  was  left  in  debt.  He  soon  managed  to 
earn  means  to  pay  his  debts,  returned  to  De  Kalb 
Co.,  111.,  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  Sycamore,  the  county  seat.  On  arrival 
from  the  South  he  had  but  one-quarter  of  a  dollar  in 
money,  and  scanty  clothing  and  bedding  for  himself 
and  family.  He  borrowed  a  little  money,  practiced 
i'aw,  worked  in  public  offices,  kept  books  for  some  of 
the  business  men  of  the  town,  and  some  railroad  en- 
gineering, till  the  spring  of  1854,  when  he  removed 
to  Evanston,  12  miles  north  of  Chicago,  a  place  then 
but  recently  laid  out,  under  the  supervision  of  the 
Northwestern  University,  a  Methodist  institution. 
Of  the  latter  his  father-in-law  was  then  financial 
agent  and  business  manager.  Here  Mr.  Beveridge 
prospered,  and  the  next  year  (1855)  opened  a  law 
office  in  Chicago,  where  he  found  the  battle  some- 
what hard;  but  he  persevered  with  encouragement 
and  increasing  success. 

Aug.  12,  1 861,  his  law  partner,  Gen.  John  F. 
Farnsworth,  secured  authority  to  raise  a  regiment  of 
cavalry,  and  authorized  Mr.  Beveridge  to  raise  a 
company  for  it.  He  succeeded  in  a  few  days  in  rais- 
ing the  company,  of  course  enlisting  himself  along 
with  it.  The  regiment  rendezvoused  at  St.  Charles, 
111.,  was  mustered  in  Sept.  1 S,  and  on  its  organiza- 
tion Mr.  B.  was  elected  Second  Major.  It  was  at- 
tached, Oct.  ir,  to  the  Eighth  Cavalry  and  to  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  served  with  the  regiment 
until  November,  1863,  participating  in  some  40  bat- 


tles and  skirmishes  :  was  at  Fair  Oaks,  the  seven  days 
'  fight  around  Richmond,  Fredericksburg,  Chancellors- 
ville  and  Gettysburg.  He  commanded  the  regiment 
the  greater  part  of  the  summer  of  1863,  and  it  was  while 
lying  in  camp  this  year  that  he  originated  the  policy 
of  encouraging  recruits  as  well  as  the  fighting  capac- 
ity of  the  soldiery,  by  the  wholesale  furlough  system 
It  worked  so  well  that  many  other  officers  adopted 
it.  In  the  fall  of  this  year  he  recruited  another  com- 
pany, against  heavy  odds,  in  January,  1864,  was 
commissioned  Colonel  of  the  17th  111.  Cav.,  and 
skirmished  around  in  Missouri,  concluding  with  the 
reception  of  the  surrender  of  Gen.  Kirby  Smith's 
army  in  Arkansas.  In  1865  he  commanded  various 
sub-districts  in  the  Southwest.  He  was  mustered 
out  Feb.  6,  1866,  safe  from  the  casualties  of  war  and 
a  stouter  mar.  than  when  he  first  enlisted.  His  men 
idolized  him. 

'  "'.  He  then  returned  to  Chicago,  to  practice  law,  with 
no  library  and  no  clientage,  and  no  political  experi- 
ence except  to  help  others  into  office.  In  the  fall  of 
1S66  he  was  elected  Sheriff  of  Cook  County,  serving 
one  term;  next,  until  November,  1870,  he  practiced 
law  and  closed  up  the  unfinished  business  of  his 
office.  He  was  then  elected  State  Senator;  in  No- 
vember, 187 1,  he  was  elected  Congressman  at  large; 
in  November,  1872,  he  was  elected  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor on  the  ticket  with  Gov.  Oglesby;  the  latter  be- 
ing elected  to  the  U.  S.  Senate,  Mr.  Beveridge  became 
Governor,  Jan.  21,  1873.  Thus,  inside  of  a  few 
weeks,  he  was  Congressman  at  large,  Lieutenant 
Governor  and  Governor.  The  principal  events  oc- 
curring during  Gov.  Beveridge 's  administration  were: 
The  completion  of  the  revision  of  the  statutes,  begun 
in  1869;  the  partial  success  of  the  "farmers'  move- 
ment;" "  Haines'  Legislature  "  and  Illinois'  exhibit  at 
the  Centennial. 

Since  the  close  of  his  gubernatorial  term  ex-Gov 
Beveridge  has  been  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Bever- 
idge &  Dewey,  bankers  and  dealers  in  commercial 
paper  at  7 1  Dearborn  Street  (McCormick  Block), 
Chicago,  and  since  November,  1881,  he  has  also  been 
Assistant  United  States  Treasurer-  office  in  the 
Government  Building.  His  residence  is  still  at  Ev- 
anston. 

He  has  a  brother  and  two  sisters  yet  residing  in 
De  Kalb  County — James  H.  Beveridge,  Mrs.  Jennet 
Henry  and  Mrs.  Isabel  French. 


i/BBARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITV  f^  i 


GO  VERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


175 


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Sbelb  y  M.  Cullom. 


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HELBY  M.  CULLOM,  Gover- 
nor 1S77— S3,  is  the  sixth  child 
of  the  late  Richard  N.  Cullom, 
and  was  born  Nov.  22,  1829,  in 
Wayne  Co.,  Ky.,  where  his  fa- 
ther then  resided,  and  whence 
both  the  Illinois  and  Tennessee 
branches  of  the  family  originated.  In 
the  following  year  the  family  emi- 
grated to  the  vicinity  of  Washington, 
Tazewell  Co.,  111.,  when  that  section 
was  very  sparsely  settled.  They  lo- 
cated on  Deer  Creek,  in  a  grove  at 
the  time  occupied  by  a  party  of  In- 
dians, attracted  there  by  the  superior 
hunting  and  fishing  afforded  in  that 
vicinity.  The  following  winter  was 
known  as  the  "  hard  winter,"  the  snow  being  very 
deep  and  lasting  and  the  weather  severely  cold;  and 
the  family  had  to  subsist  mainly  on  boiled  corn  or 
hominy,  and  some  wild  game,  for  several  weeks.  In 
the  course  of  time  Mr.  R.  N.  Cullom  became  a  prom- 
inent citizen  and  was  several  times  elected  to  the 
Legislature,  both  before  and  after  the  removal  of  the 
capital  from  Vandalia  to  Springfield.    He  died  about 

'-873- 

Until  about  19  years  of  age  young  Cullom  grew  up 
to  agricultural  pursuits,  attending  school  as  he  had 
opportunity  during  the  winter.  Within  this  time, 
nowever,  he  spent  several  months  teachioo  school- 


and  in  the  following  summer  he  "broke  prairie  "with 
an  ox  team  for  the  neighbors.  With  the  money  ob- 
tained by  these  various  ventures,  he  undertook  a 
course  of  study  at  the  Rock  River  Seminary,  a 
Methodist  institution  at  Mt.  Morris,  Ogle  County; 
but  the  sudden  change  to  the  in-door  life  of  a  stu- 
dent told  severely  upon  his  health,  and  he  was  taken 
home,  being  considered  in  a  hopeless  condition.  While 
at  Mt.  Morris  he  heard  Hon.  E.  B.  Washburne  make 
his  first  speech. 

On  recovering  health,  Mr.  Cullom  concluded  to 
study  law,  under  the  instruction  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
at  Springfield,  who  had  by  this  time  attained  some 
notoriety  as  an  able  lawyer;  but  the  latter,  being  ab- 
sent from  his  office  most  of  the  time,  advised  Mr. 
Cullom  to  enter  the  office  of  Stuart  &  Edwards. 
After  about  a  year  of  study  there,  however,  his  health 
failed  again,  and  he  was  obliged  to  return  once  more 
to  oat-door  life.  Accordingly  he  bought  hogs  for 
packing,  for  A.  G.  Tyng,  in  Peoria,  and  while  he  re- 
gained his  health  he  gained  in  purse,  netting  $400  in 
a  few  weeks.  Having  been  admitted  to  the  Bar,  he 
went  to  Springfield,  where  he  was  soon  elected  City 
Attorney,  on  the  Anti-Nebraska  ticket. 

In  1856  he  ran  on  the  Fillmore  ticket  as  a  Presi- 
dential Elector,  and,  although  failing  to  be  elected  as 
such,  he  was  at  the  same  time  elected  a  Representa- 
tive in  the  Legislature  from  Sangamon  County,  by  a 
local  coalition  of  the  American  and  Republican  par- 
tics.  On  the  organization  of  the  House,  he  received 
the  vote  of  the  Fillmore  men  for  Speaker.    Practicir^ 


176 


SHELB  V  M.    CULLOM. 


law  until  i860,  he  was  again  elected  to  the  Legisla- 
ture, as  a  Republican,  while  the  county  went  Demo- 
cratic on  the  Presidential  ticket.  In  January  follow- 
ing he  was  elected  Speaker,  probably  the  youngest 
man  who  had  ever  presided  over  an  Illinois  Legis- 
lature. After  the  session  of  1S61,  he  was  a  candidate 
for  the  State  Constitutional  Convention  called  for 
that  year,  but  was  defeated,  and  thus  escaped  the 
disgrace  of  being  connected  with  that  abortive  party 
scheme  to  revolutionize  the  State  Government.  In 
1862  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  State  Senate,  but 
was  defeated.  The  same  year,  however,  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Lincoln  on  a  Government 
Commission,  in  company  with  Gov.  Boutwell  of 
Massachusetts  and  Cnarles  A.  Dana,  since  of  the 
New  York  Sun,  to  investigate  the  affairs  of  the 
Quartermaster's  and  Commissary  Departments  at 
Cairo.     He  devoted  several  months  to  this  duty. 

In  1864  he  enteied  upon  a  larger  political  field, 
being  nominated  as  the  Republican  candidate  for 
Congress  from  the  Eighth  (Springfield)  District,  in. 
opposition  to  the  incumbent,  JohnT.  Stuart,  who  had 
been  elected  in  1862  by  about  1,500  majority  over 
Leonard  Swett,  then  of  Bloomington,  now  of  Chicago. 
The  result  was  the  election  of  Mr.  Cullom  in  Novem- 
ber following  by  a  majority  of  1,785.  In  1866  he 
was  re-elected  to  Congress,  over  Dr.  E.  S.  Fowler,  by 
the  magnificent  majority  of  4  103!  In  1868  he  was 
again  a  candidate,  defeating  the  Hon.  B.  S.  Edward;, 
another  of  his  old  preceptors,  by  2,884  votes. 

During  his  first  term  in  Congress  he  served  on  the 
Committee  on  Foreign  Affairs  and  Expenditures  in 
the  Treasury  Department;  in  his  second  term,  on 
the  Committees  on  Foreign  Affairs  and  o:i  Territories  ; 
and  in  his  third  term  he  succeeded  Mr.  Ashley,  of 
Ohio,  to  the  Chairmanship  of  the  latter.  He  intro- 
duced a  bill  in  the  House,  to  aid  in  the  execution  of 
law  in  Utah,  which  caused  more  consternation  among 
the  Mormons  than  any  measure  had  previously,  but 
which,  though  it  passed  the  House,  failed  to  pass  the 
Senate. 

The  Republican  Convention  which  met  May  25, 
1876,  nominated  Mr.  Cullom  for  Governor,  while  the 
other  contestant  was  Gov.  Beveridge.  For  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor they  nominated  Andrew  Shuman,  editor 
of  the  Chicago  Journal.  For  the  same  offices  the 
Democrats,  combining  with  the  Anti-Monopolists, 
olac&d    in    nomination   Lewis   Steward,   a  wealthy 


farmer  and  manufacturer,  and  A.  A.  Glenn.  The 
result  of  the  election  was  rather  close,  Mr.  Cullom 
obtaining  only  6,800  majority.  He  was  inaugurated 
Jan.  8,  1877. 

Great  depression  prevailed  in  financial  circles  at 
this  time,  as  a  consequence  of  the  heavy  failures  of 
1S73  and  afterward,  the  effect  of  which  had  seemed 
to  gather  force  from  that  time  to  the  end  of  Gov. 
Cullom's  first  administration.  This  unspeculative 
period  was  not  calculated  to  call  forth  any  new 
issues,  but  the  Governor's  energies  were  at  one  time 
put  to  task  to  quell  a  spirit  of  insubordination  that 
had  been  begun  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  among  the  laboring 
classes,  and  transferred  to  Illinois  at  Chicago,  East 
St.  Louis  and  Braidwood,  at  which  places  laboring 
men  for  a  short  time  refused  to  work  or  allow  others 
to  work.  These  disturbances  were  soon  quelled  and 
the  wheels  of  industry  again  set  in  motion. 

In  May,  1880,  Gov.  Cullom  was  re-nominated  by 
the  Republicans,  against  Lyman  Trumbull,  by  the 
Democrats.  ;  .and  although  the  former  party  was  some- 
what handicapped  in  the  campaign  by  a  zealous 
faction  opposed  to  Grant  for  President  and  to  Grant 
men  for  office  generally,  Mr.  Cullom  was  re-elected 
by  about  314.5651  to  277,532  for  the  Democratic  State 
ticket.  The  Greenback  vote  at  the  same  time  was 
about  27,000.  Both  Houses  of  the  Legislature  again 
became  Republican,  and  no  representative  of  the 
Greenback  or  Socialist  parties  were  elected.  Gov. 
Cullom  was  inaugurated  Jan.  10,  1S81.  In  his  mes- 
sage he  announced  that  the  last  dollar  of  the  State 
debt  had  been  provided  for. 

March  4,  1883,  the  term  of  David  Davis  as  United 
States  Senator  from  Illinois  expired,  and  Gov.  Cul- 
lom was  chosen  to  succeed  him.  This  promoted 
Lieutenant-Governor  John  M.  Hamilton  to  the  Gov- 
ernorship. Senator  Cullom's  term  in  the  United 
States  Senate  will  expire  March  4,  1889. 

As  a  practitioner  of  law  Mr.  C.  has  been  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Cullom,  Scholes  &  Mather,  at  Spring- 
field ;  and  he  has  also  been  President  of  the  State 
National  Bank. 

He  has  been  married  twice, — the  first  time  Dec. 
12,  1855,  to  Miss  Hannah  Fisher,  by  whom  he  had 
two  daughters;  and  the  second  time  May  5,  1863, 
t-j  Julia  Fisher.  Mrs.  C  is  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  with  which  religious  body  Mr. 
C.  is  also  in  sympathy, 


IJBRARY 

OF  THE 
UN1VER8»TV  f  -  ; 


GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


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OHN  MARSHALL  HAMIL- 
TON, Governor  1883—5,  was 
born  May  28,  1847,  in  a  log 
house  upon  a  farm  about  two 
miles  from  Richwood,  Union 
County,  Ohio.  His  father  was 
Samuel  Hamilton,  the  eldest  son 
( I  Rev.  Wm.  Hamilton,  who,  to- 
gether with  his  brother,  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Hamilton,  was  among  the 
early  pioneer  Methodist  preachers  in 
Ohio.  The  mother  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was,  before  her  marriage, 
Mrs.  Nancy  McMorris,  who  was 
born  and  raised  in  Fauquier  or  Lou- 
doun County,  Va.,  and  related  to  the 
two  large  families  of  Youngs  and  Marshalls,  well 
known  in  that  commonwealth;  and  from  the  latter 
family  name  was  derived  the  middle  name  of  Gov. 
Hamilton. 

In  March,  1854,  Mr.  Hamilton's  father  sold  out 
his  little  pioneer  forest  home  in  Union  County,  O., 
and,  loading  his  few  household  effects  and  family 
(of  six  children)  into  two  emigrant  covered  wagons, 
moved  to  Roberts  Township,  Marshall  Co.,  111.,  being 
21  days  on  the  route.  Swamps,  unbridged  streams 
and  innumerable  hardships  and  privations  met  them 
on  their  way.  Their  new  home  had  been  previously 
selected  by  the  father.  Here,  after  many  long  years 
of  toil,  they  succeeded  in  paying  for  the  land  and 
making  a  com  for' a'1'"  home.    John  was,  of  course, 


brought  up  to  hard  manual  labor,  with  no  schooling 
except  three  or  four  months  in  the  year  at  a  common 
country  school.  However,  he  evinced  a  capacity 
and  taste  for  a  high  order  of  self-education,  by 
studying  or  reading  what  books  be  could  borrow,  as 
the  family  had  but  very  few  in  the  house.  Much  of 
his  study  he  prosecuted  by  the  light  of  a  log  fire  in 
the  old-fashioned  chimney  place.  The  financial 
panic  of  1857  caused  the  family  to  come  near  losing 
their  home,  to  pay  debts ;  but  the  father  and  two 
sons,  William  and  John,  "buckled  to''  and  perse 
vered  in  hard  labor  and  economy  until  they  redeemed 
their  place  from  the  mortgage. 

When  the  tremendous  excitement  of  the  political 
campaign  of  i860  reached  the  neighborhood  of  Rob- 
erts Township,  young  Hamilton,  who  had  been 
brought  up  in  the  doctrine  of  anti-slavery,  took  a  zeal- 
ous part  in  favor  of  Lincoln's  election.  Making  special 
efforts  to  procure  a  little  money  to  buy  a  uniform,  he 
joined  a  company  of  Lincoln  Wide-Awakes  at  Mag- 
nolia, a  village  not  far  away.  Directly  after  the 
ensuing  election  it  became  evident  that  trouble 
would  ensue  with  the  South,  and  this  Wide-Awake 
company,  like  many  others  throughout  the  country, 
kept  up  its  organization  and  transformed  itself  into  a 
military  company.  During  the  ensuing  summer  they 
met  often  for  drill  and  became  proficient;  but  when 
they  offered  themselves  for  the  war,  young  Hamilton 
was  rejected  on  account  of  his  youth,  he  being  then 
but  14  years  of  age.  During  the  winter  of  1863-4  lie 
attended  an  academy  at  Henry,  Marshall  County; 


t8o 


JOHN  MARSHALL  HAMILTON. 


and  in  the  following  May  he  again  enlisted,  for  the 
fourth  time,  when  he  was  placed  in  the  141st  111. 
Vol  Inf.,  a  regiment  then  being  raised  at  Elgin,  111., 
for  the  100-day  service.  He  took  with  him  13  other 
lads  from  his  neighborhood,  for  enlistment  in  the 
service.  This  regiment  operated  in  Southwestern 
Kentucky,  for  about  five  months,  under  Gen.   Paine. 

The  following  winter,  1864-5,  Mr.  Hamilton  taught 
school,  and  during  the  two  college  years  1865-7,  he 
went  through  three  years  of  the  curriculum  of  the 
Ohio  Wesleyan  University  at  Delaware,  Ohio.  The 
third  year  he  graduated,  the  fourth  in  a  class  of  46, 
in  the  classical  department.  In  due  time  he  received 
the  degree  of  M.  A.  For  a  few  months  he  was  the 
Principal  of  Marshall  "  College  "  at  Henry,  an  acad- 
emy under  the  auspices  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  By 
this  time  he  had  commenced  the  study  of  law,  and 
after  earning  some  money  as  a  temporary  Professor 
of  Latin  at  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University  at. 
B'.oomington,  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Weldonu^ 
Tipton  &  Benjamin,  of  that  city.  Each  member  of 
this  firm  has  since  been  distinguished  as  a  Judge. 
Admitted  to  the  Bar  in  May,  1870,  Mr.  Hamilton 
was  given  an  interest  in  the  same  firm,  Tipton  hav- 
ing been  elected  Judge.  In  October  following  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  J.  H.  Rowell,  at  that  time 
Prosecuting  Attorney.  Their  business  was  then 
small,  but  they  increased  it  to  very  large  proportions, 
practicing  in  all  grades  of  courts,  including  even  the 
U.  S.  Supreme  Court,  and  this  partnership  continued 
unbroken  until  Feb.  6,  1883,  when  Mr.  Hamilton 
was  sworn  in  as  Executive  of  Illinois.  On  the  4th 
of  March  following  Mr.  Rowell  took  his  seat  in  Con- 
gress. 

In  July,  187  1,  Mr.  Hamilton  married  Miss  Helen 
M.  Williams,  the  daughter  of  Prof.  Win.  G.  Williams, 
Professor  of  Greek  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  have  two  daughters  and  one  son. 

In  1876  Mr.  Hamilton  was  nominated  by  the  Re- 
publicans for  the  State  Senate,  over  other  and  older 
competitors.  He  took  an  active  part ,:  on  the  stump  " 
in  the  campaign,  for  the  success  of  his  party,  and  was 
elected  by  a  majority  of  1,640  over  his  Democratic- 
Greenback  opponent.  In  the  Senate  he  served  on 
the  Committees  on  Judiciary,  Revenue,  State  Insti- 
tutions, Appropriations,  Education,  and  on  Miscel- 
lany ;  and  during  the  contest  for  the  election  of  a 
U.  S.  Senator,  the  Republicans  endeavoring  to  re 


elect  John  A.  Logan,  he  voted  for  the  war  chiet  on 
every  ballot,  even  alone  when  all  the  other  Republi- 
cans had  gone  over  to  the  Hon.  E.  B.  Lawrence  and 
the  Democrats  and  Independents  elected  Judgf 
D.ivid  Davis.  At  this  session,  also,  was  passed  the 
first  Board  of  Health  and  Medical  Practice  act,  of 
which  Mr.  Hamilton  was  a  champion,  again:'  . 
much  opposition  that  the  bill  was  several  times 
"  laid  on  the  table."  Also,  this  session  authorized 
the  location  and  establishment  of  a  southern  pel 
tentiary,  which  was  fixed  at  Chester.  In  l\<2  session 
of  1879  Mr.  Hamilton  was  elected  President/™  (em. 
of  the  Senate,  and  was  a  zealous  supporter  of  John 
A.  Logan  for  the  U.  S.  Senate,  who  wan  this  time 
elected  without  any  trouble. 

.In  May,  1880,  Mr.  Hamilton  was  nominated  on 
the  Republican  ticket  for  Lieutenant  Governor,  his 
principal  competitors  before  the  Convention  being 
How.  Wm.  A.  James,  ex-Speaker  of  the  House  of 
.-Representatives,  Judge  Robert  Bell,  of  Wabash 
Colt rit'y;r Hon.  T.  T.  Fountain,  of  Perry  County,  and 
Hon.  M.  M.  Saddler,  cf  Marion  County.  He  engaged 
actively  in  the  campaign,  and  his  ticket  was  elected 
by  a  majority  of  41,200.  As  Lieutenant  Governor, 
he  presided  almost  continuously  over  the  Senate  111 
the  32d  General  Assembly  and  during  the  early  days 
of  the  33d,  until  he  succeeded  to  the  Governorship. 
When  the  Legislature  of  1883  elected  Gov.  Cullom 
to  the  United  States  Senate,  Lieut.  Gov.  Hamilton 
succeeded  him,  under  the  Constitution,  taking  the 
oath  of  office  Feb.  6,  1883.  He  bravely  met  all  the 
annoyances  and  embarrassments  incidental  upon 
taking  up  another's  administration.  The  principal 
events  with  which  Gov.  Hamilton  was  connected  as 
the  Chief  Executive  of  the  State  were,  the  mine  dis- 
aster at  Braidwood,  the  riots  in  St.  Clair  and  Madison 
Counties  in  May,  1883,  the  appropriations  for  the 
State  militia,  the  adoption  of  the  Harper  high-licens2 
liquor  law,  the  veto  of  a  dangerous  railroad  bill,  etc. 
The  Governor  was  a  Delegate  at  large  to  the 
National  Republican  Convention  at  Chicago  in  June, 

1884,  where  his  first  choice  for  President  was  John 
A.  Logan,  and  second  choice  Chester  A.  Arthur;  but 
he  afterward  zealously  worked  for  the  election  of  Mr 
Blaine,  true  to  his  party. 

Mr.  Hamilton's  term  at  Governor  expired  Ja;:.  30. 

1885,  when  the  great  favorite  "Dick"  Oglesby  was 


inaugurated. 


IJBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSfTV  f  ^ ) 


1/  *i-^U^ 


GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


183 


-o*o.-@^AxJ@-o«o.. 


JOSEPH  WILSON  FIFER.  This 
distinguished  gentleman  was 
\$&w  elected  Governor  of  Illinois 
November  6,  1888.  He  was 
popularly  known  during  the 
campaign  as  "Private  Joe."  He 
had  served  with  great  devotion 
to  his  country  during  the  Re- 
bellion, in  the  Thirty-third 
Illinois  Infantry.  A  native  of 
Virginia,  he  was  born  in  1840. 
His  parents,  John  and  Mary 
(Daniels)  Fifer,  were  American 
born,  though  of  German  de- 
scent. His  father  was  a  brick 
and  stone  mason,  and  an  old 
Henry  Clay  Whig  in  politics.  John  and  Mary 
Fifer  had  nine  children,  of  whom  Joseph  was  the 
sixth,  and  naturally  with  so  large  a  family  it  was 
all  the  father  could  do  to  keep  the  wolf  from  the 
door;  to  say  nothing  of  giving  his  children  any- 
thing like  good  educational  advantages. 

Young  Joseph  attended  school  some  in  Vir- 
L'inia,  but  it  was  not  a  good  school,  and  when 
his  father  removed  to  the  West,  in  1857,  Joseph  had 
not  advanced  much  further  than  the  -'First  Reader." 


Our  subject  was  sixteen  then  and  suffered  a  great 
misfortune  in  the  loss  of  his  mother.  After  the  death 
of  Mrs.  Fifer.  which  occurred  in  Missouri,  the 
family  returned  to  Virginia,  but  remained  only  a 
short  time,  as  during  the  same  year  Mr.  Fifer 
came  to  Illinois.  He  settled  in  McLean  County  and 
started  a  brickyard.  Here  Joseph  and  his  broth- 
ers were  put  to  work.  The  elder  Fifer  soon 
bought  a  farm  near  Bloomington  and  began  life  as 
an  agriculturalist.  Here  Joe  worked  and  attended 
the  neighboring  school.  He  alternated  farm-work, 
brick-laying,  and  going  to  the  district  school  for 
the  succeeding  few  years.  It  was  all  work  and  no 
play  for  Joe,  yet  it  by  no  means  made  a  dull  boy 
of  him.  All  the  time  he  was  thinking  of  the  great 
world  outside,  of  which  he  had  caught  a  glimpse 
when  coming  from  Virginia,  yet  he  did  not  know 
just  how  he  was  going  to  get  out  into  it.  He 
could  not  feel  that  the  woods  around  the  new 
farm  and  the  log  cabin,  in  which  the  family  lived, 
were  to  hold  him. 

The  opportunity  to  get  out  into  the  world  was 
soon  offered  to  young  Joe.  He  traveled  a  dozen 
miles  barefoot,  in  company  with  his  brother  George, 
and  enlisted  in  Company  C,  33d  Illinois  Infantry; 
he  being  then  twenty  years  old.      In  a   few   days 


184 


JOSEPH  W.  FIFER. 


the  regiment  was  sent  to  Camp  Butler,  and  then 
over  into  Missouri,  and  saw  some  vigorous  service 
there.  After  a  second  time  helping  to  chase  Price 
out  of  Missouri,  the  33d  Regiment  went  down 
to  Milliken's  Bend,  and  for  several  weeks  "  Private 
Joe"  worked  on  Grant's  famous  ditch.  The  regi- 
ment then  joined  the  forces  operating  against  Port 
Gibson  and  Vicksburg.  Joe  was  on  guard  duty  in 
the  front  ditches  when  the  flag  of  surrender  was 
run  up  on  the  4th  of  July,  and  stuck  the  bayonet 
of  his  gun  into  the  embankment  and  went  into  the 
city  with  the  vanguard  of  Union  soldiers. 

The  next  day,  July  5,  the  33d  joined  the  force 
after  Johnston,  who  had  been  threatening  Grant's 
rear:  and  finally  an  assault  was  made  on  him  at 
Jackson,  Miss.  In  this  charge '-Private  Joe"  fell,  ter- 
ribly wounded.  He  was  loading  his  gun  when  a 
minie-ball  struck  him  and  passed  entirely  through 
his  body.  lie  was  regarded  as  mortally  wounded. 
Hii  brother,  George,  who  had  been  made  a  Lieu- 
tenant, proved  to  be  the  means  of  saving  his  life. 
TheSuTgeon  told  him  unless  he  had  ice  his  brother 
Joe  could  not  live.  It  was  fifty  miles  to  the  nearesl 
point  where  ice  could  be  obtained,  and  the  roads 
were  rough.  A  comrade,  a  McLean  county  man,  who 
had  been  wounded,  offered  to  make  the  trip.  An 
ambulance  was  secured  and  the  brother  soldier 
started  on  the  journey.  He  returned  with  the  ice, 
but  the  ti'ip.  owing  to  the  roughness  of  the  roads. 
was  very  hard  on  him.  After  a  few  months'  care- 
fid  nursing  Mr.  Fifer  was  able  to  come  home.  The 
33d  came  home  on  a  furlough,  and  when  the 
boys  were  ready  to  return  to  the  tented  field, 
young  Fifer  was  ready  to  go  with  them;  for  he  was 
determined  to  finish  his  term  of  three  years.  Ik- 
was  mustered  out  in  October,  1804,  having  been 
in    the   service    three  years  and  two  months. 

•■  Private  Joe"  came  out  of  the  army  a  tall, 
tanned,  and  awkward  young  mail  of  twenty-four. 
About  all  he  possessed  was  ambition  to  be  some- 
body— and  pluck.  Though  at  an  age  when  most 
men  have  finished  their  college  course,  the  young 
soldier  saw  that  if  he  was  to  be  anybody  he  must 
have  an  education.  Yet  he  had  no  means  to  ena- 
ble him  to  enter  school  as  most  young  men  do. 
He  was  determined  to  have  an  education,  however, 
and  that  to  him  meant  success.     For  the  following 


four  years  he  struggled  with  his  books.  He  entered 
Wesleyan  University  Jan.  1.  1865.  He  was  not  a 
brilliant  student,  being  neither  at  the  head  nor  the 
foot  of  his  class.  He  was  in  gi-eat  earnest,  how- 
ever, studied  hard  and  came  forth  with  a  well- 
stored  and  disciplined  mind. 

Immediately  after  being  graduated  he  entered 
an  office  at  Bloomington  as  a  law  student.  He  had 
already  read  law  some,  and  as  he  continued  to  work 
hard,  with  the  spur  of  poverty  and  promptings  of 
ambition  ever  witli  him,  he  was  ready  to  hang  out 
his  professional  shingle  in  18G9.  Being  trust- 
worthy he  soon  gathered  about  him  some  influen- 
tial friends.  In  1871  he  was  elected  Corporation 
Counsel  of  Bloomington.  In  1872  he  was  elected 
State's  Attorney  of  McLean  County.  This  office 
he  held  for  eight  years,  when  he  took  his  seat  in 
the  State  Senate.  Here  he  served  for  four  years. 
His  ability  to  perform  abundance  of  hard  work 
made  him  a  most  valued  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture. 

Mr.  Fifer  was  married  in  1870  to  Gertie,  daugh- 
ter of  William  J.  Lewis,  of  Bloomington.  Mr. 
Fifer  is  six  feet  in  height  and  is  spare,  weighing 
only  150  pounds.  He  has  a  swarthy  complexion, 
keen  black  eyes,  quick  movement,  and  possesses  a 
frank  and  sympathetic  nature,  and  naturally  makes 
friends  wherever  he  goes.  During  the  late  Guber- 
natorial campaign  his  visits  throughout  the  Statf 
proved  a  great  power  in  bis  behalf.  His  happy 
faculty  of  winning  the  confidence  and  good  wishes 
of  those  witli  whom  he  comes  in  personal  contact  is  a 
sou  ice  of  great  popularity,  especially  during  a  polit- 
ical battle.  As  a  speaker  he  is  fluent,  his  language 
is  good,  voice  clear  and  agreeable,  and  manner 
forcible.  His  manifest  ^earnestness  in  what  he  says 
as  well  as  his  tact  as  a  public  speaker,  and  his  elo- 
quent and  forceful  language,  makes  him  a  most 
valuable  campaign  orator  and  a  powerful  pleader 
at  the  bar.  At  the  Republican  State  Convention. 
held  in  May,  1888,  Mr.  Fifer  was  chosen  as  its  candi- 
date for  Governor.  He  proved  a  popular  nominee, 
and  the  name  of  '•  Private  Joe  "  became  familiar 
to  everyone  throughout  the  State.  He  waged  a 
vigorous  campaign,  was  elected  by  a  good  majority, 
and  in  due  time  assumed  the  duties  of  the  Chief 
Executive  of  Illinois. 


TRANSPORTATION, 


w~ 


g^NE  of  the  most  important  fac- 
Wl       tors  in  the  business  develop- 
ment and    prosperity    of  a 

sf^    eitv,  county  or   State,  is  its 


i 


railroad  communications.  A 

retrospection  of  the  history 
of  Macoupin  County  since  the  ad- 
vent of  railroad  facilities,  will  con- 
vince tlie  careful  observer  of  the 
immense  benefit  resulting  from  Lhc 
introduction  of  this  essential  adjunct 
of  commercial  enterprise.  The  fol- 
lowing brief  sketches  of  the  leading 
railroads  of  this  section  of  the  great 
commonwealth  will  form  an  interesting  feature  of 
this  Recokd.  It  may  be  remaiked  in  this  connec- 
tion that  the  roads  referred  to  are  not  only  the  im- 
portant corporations  of  Illinois,  but  stand  among 
the  first  in  the  Nation. 

Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railway, 

OPULARLY  known  as  the  Santa  Ke  Route. 
The  initial  lines  of  this  great  system  were 
first  built  from  Atchison  to  Topeka,  in 
1869,  and  for  many  years  the  former  city 
was  the  Eastern  terminus  of  the  road.  The  man- 
agement of  the  Santa  Fe,  with    wonderful  energy, 


pushed  out  its  lines  in  every  direction  into  the 
young  and  growing  State  of  Kansas,  and  in  the 
majority  of  instances  preceding  settlement  and 
civilization.  This  road  was  the  first  to  penetrate 
across  the  southern  part  of  Colorado,  via  Pueblo 
and  Trinidad  into  New  Mexico,  until  its  lines  pen- 
etrated the  old  adobe  town  of  Santa  Fe,  whose  cit- 
izens were  half  Spanish  and  half  Mexican.  As  its 
course  penetrated  the  wilderness  it  sometimes  fol- 
lowed the  old  Santa  Fe  Trail-,  and  generally  not  far 
distant  at  any  time  from  the  "trail"  which  had 
been  made  famous  years  before  by  trappers  and 
also  by  the  Government  freighters.  The  mar- 
velous growth  and  development  of  the  State  of 
Kansas  is  in  a  great  measure  due  to  the  enterprise 
and  public  spirit  of  the  managers  of  the  Santa  Fe 
System.  Not  only  did  they  devote  their  energ}- 
to  the  upbuilding  of  the  road,  but  at  great  expense 
they  maintained  emigration  and  Colonial  agents  in 
the  various  countries  of  Europe,  as  well  as  in  the 
Eastern,  Middle  and  Southern  States,  thereby  ad- 
vertising the  Stale  of  Kansas  as  no  other  State  has 
heretofore  been  done.  Its  climate,  its  soil  and 
great  advantages  to  the  home  seeker  were  at  times 
fully  portrayed  by  the  enterprise  of  this  road — 
every  fostering  care  was  given  to  the  stock  and 
ranchmen,  to  the  merchant,  the  mechanic  and  the 
manufacturer,  to  settle  in  Kansas — as  a  result  we 
have  here  a  State  in  the  center  of  the  Union,  of 
boundless  agricultural   resources,  settled  by  a  wide 


TRANSPORTATION. 


awake,  enterprising  and  prosperous  people.  The 
Santa  Fe  owns  and  operates  more  miies  of  road  in 
Kansas  than  any  oilier  line,  with  its  vast  system  of 
East  and  West,  North  and  South  lines  reaching 
every  important  town  in  the  State,  and  penetrating 
sixty-three  counties  in  Kansas.  The  magnitude  of 
its  business  is  immense.  Its  lines  beginning  at  the 
Missouri  River  towns  in  Kansas  are  St.  Joseph,  Atch- 
ison, Leavenworth  and  Kansas  City;  extends  south 
to  Coffey ville,  Arkansas  City,  Hunnewell,  Caldwell, 
New  Kiowa  (thence  to  the  Pan  Handle  of  Texas), 
and  north  to  Superior,  in  Nebraska;  Concordia, 
Clay  Center,  Minneapolis,  and  other  Northern 
Kansas  cities.  Its  main  lines  and  branches  reach 
nearly  everj'  important  city  in  the  State.  St.  Jo- 
seph, on  the  Missouri  side  of  the  river,  "has  a  popu 
lation  of  nearly  one  hundred  thousand,  and  its 
wholesale  trade  is  heavy  throughout  the  West. 
Atchison  is  a  growing  city  of  about  twenty  thous- 
and people;  the  Soldiers'  Orphans  Home  of  the 
State  is  located  here.  Leavenworth,  with  he,-  thirty 
thousand  people,  is  an  important  manufacturing 
center.  Leavenworth  was  tiie  earliest  famous  city 
of  Kansas,  as  it  was  the  original  outfitting  point 
for  travel  and  traffic  across  the  plains.  The  Kansas 
s\stein  may  be  described  as  a  main  east  and  wesl 
line,  over  four  hundred  miles  in  length,  with  branch 
lines  extending  in  every  direction  where  an  area  of 
particularly  rich  country,  or  some  other  special 
advantages  invited  a  line  of  rails. 

The  road  from  Topeka,  after  1869,  was  expended 
west  and  south,  and  then  east  to  Kansas  City  by 
purchase  of  a  line  built  by  another  company.  From 
Kansas  City,  in  1887-88,  the  line  was  extended  to 
Chicago,  under  the  name  of  the  Chicago,  Santa  Fe 
&  California  Road;  in  1887,  also  the  purchase  of 
the  Gulf,  Colorado  &  Santa  Fe  Road,  and  the  ex- 
tension of  the  Kansas  lines  through  the  Indian 
Territory  to  Texas,  gave  the  company  a  line  to  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  So  that  at  the  present  time  the 
Santa  Fe  System  proper  begins  at  Chicago,  passes 
through  Illinois,  Iowa,  Missouri.  Kansas,  Colorado, 
Indian  Territory,  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Arizona 
and  California,  and  has  for  its  Southern  terminals 
Galveston,  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  El  Paso,  on 
the  Mexican  frontier;  and  for  its  Western  terminals 
San  Diego  and  Lof  Angeles,    on  the  Pacific  Coast, 


(San  Francisco  being  practically  a  Pacific-Coast 
terminal,  as  it  is  reached  via  Mojave,  over  the 
tracks  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railway);  and  for 
its  Northern  terminals  Chicago,  St.  Joseph,  Mo., 
Superior,  Neb.,  and  Denver,  the  capital  of  Colo- 
rado. 

Chicago  to  Kansas  City  is  practically  an  air  line, 
being  the  most  straight  and  direct  of  any  road 
between  the  two  cities.  It  passes  through  a  large 
number  of  important  towns  in  Illinois,  including 
Joliet,  with  its  great  steel  works,  and  other  manu- 
facturing interests.  The  next  important  place  is 
Streator,  a  few  miles  south  of  the  latter  place;  a 
branch  extends  to  the  thriving  city  of  Pekin,  on 
the  Illinois  River.  From  Streator  the  main  line 
crosses  the  Illinois  at  Cliillicothe,  and  extends 
through  Peoria  and  Knox  Counties  to  the  beauti- 
ful and  enterprising  city  of  Galesburg,  here  it 
ciimes  m  competition  with  several  lines  of  the 
Burlington  System;  thence  running  in  southwest- 
erly direction  through  a  rich  and  populous  section, 
(•Kissing  the  Mississippi  at  Ft.  Madison,  on  a  mag- 
nificent steel  bridge.  Here  the  company  have 
established  shops,  that  being  the  terminus  of  the 
two  operating  divisions  of  the  road.  From  Ft. 
Madison  by  a  spur  Keokuk  is  reached.  The  line 
through  .Missouri  shows  very  heavy  construction 
woik.  made  to  secure  what  was  desired  in  the  way 
of  distances  and  grades.  Along  the  Santa  Fe  new- 
towns  are  springing  up.  and  new  industries  are  be 
ing  developed.  Twenty  miles  east  of  Kansas  City 
the  Missouri  River  is  crossed  by  a  steel  bridge,  so 
that  the  line  enters  Kansas  City  on  the  south  side 
of  the  river.  From  Kansas  City  to  Topeka  the 
line  runs  on  the  South  bank  of  the  Kansas  River: 
at  Wilder  and  Holliday  are  points  for  the  depart- 
ure of  branch  line — one  northwest  to  Atchison, 
and  the  other  southwest  through  Ottawa  anil  South- 
ern Kansas,  being  known  as  the  Southern  Kansas 
division  of  the  Santa  Fe  S\stem.  From  Lawrence 
to  Topeka  the  road  is  still  in  the  Kansas  Valley, 
through  a  veritable  garden.  Native  trees  of  great 
height  overhang  the  railway  here  and  there,  and  in 
the  spring  and  summer  the  crops  look  green  and 
luxuriant.  The  approach  to  Topeka  is  through  the 
long  yards,  and  by   the  vast   machine  shops  of  the 


TRANSPORTATION. 


Santa  Fe  Company,  across  various  broad  streets  to 
a  commodious  brick  station. 

The  genera]   offices  of  the  road   are  in  Topeka, 
and  occupy  a  handsome  and  commodious  building 

near  the  State   Capitol.     From  Topeka   to  Denver 
the  Santa   Fe  Route  runs   for  about  seventy-five 
miles  in  a  southwesterly  direction  to  the  upper  wa- 
ters of  Neosho  River,  at  Emporia,  passing  through 
Osage  Count}',  where  are  found  some  of  the  richest 
coal  fields  of    the   West..    At  Newton  the  line  di- 
verges south  through  Southern  Kansas,   the  Indian 
Territory    and    Texas    to    Galveston;  continuing 
west  from   Newton    the    first    city   of   importance 
reached  is  Hutchinson;  here  are  some  of  the  heaviest 
salt  works  in    the    United  States,   besides  other  ex- 
tensive manufacturing   interests.     West  of  Hutch- 
inson the  line  extends  through  a  fertile,  prosperous 
and  rapidly  growing  district.  The  line  is  beautified 
here  and  there  by  many  thriving  cities  and  villages. 
At  La  Junta,  in  Colorado,  the  line   for   New  Mex- 
ico.   Arizona  and    beyond,  turns  south.      Pueblo, 
sixty-five  miles  due  west  of  La  Junta,  for  years  the 
terminus    of   the  Santa   Fe     System,   is  a  growing 
manufacturing  city.     It  is  admirably  located  with 
reference  to  the  great  ore-producing  canons  of  Col- 
orado.    All  roads   leading  to  it,  coal,  iron,  silver, 
gold,  lead,  copper,   building  stone,  everything  in 
fact  which  is  produced  in  the  greatest  mining  State 
in  the  Union,  roll  naturally   down   hill  to  Pueblo. 
Beyond  Pueblo  to  the  west  are  many  thriving  cities 
founded  on  mining  and  agriculture,  notably:   Lead 
ville,  the  greatest  mining  camp  in  Colorador  while 
forty  miles  north,  on  the  line    of  the  Santa  Fe,  are 
the  lovely  villages  of  Colorado  Springs  and  Mani- 
tou,  nestling  at  the  foot  of  Pike's  Peak.     Manilou 
is  at  the  mouth  of  a  deep    canon,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  lovely  summer  resorts  in  America.  Near  here 
is  the  famous  "Garden   of  the  Gods,"  whose  won 
drous  beauty  and  grandeur  is  unsurpassed.     From 
Colorado  Springs  westward,   through  Manitou  and 
up  the  canon    beyond   Pike's   Peak,    the  Colorado 
Midland  Railway  is  pushing  its  way  far  toward  the 
western  borders  of  the  State.     Eighty  miles  north 
of  Colorado  Springs  the    Santa    Fe    line  terminates 
at  Denver,    a    magnificently    built  city  of  nearly 
two    hundred     thousand     people.     It  is  probable 
that    no    American  city   has  so  many    features  of 


unique  beauty  as  Denver.  Its  splendid  public  build- 
ings, and  its  broad  avenues  lined  with  beautiful 
residences  cozily  located  at  the  foot  of  the  snow- 
capped mountains  of  the  Rocky  range,  render  it 
unlike  any  other  city  of  its  size  in  the  world.  The 
ride  from  Pueblo  to  Denver  along  the  foot  of  the 
mountains  is  one  never  to  be  missed.  The  snow- 
covered  peaks,  the  many  combinations  of  sun  and 
cloud,  and  rain  and  snow:  the  marvelous  atmos- 
phere, all  combine  to  surprise  and  charm  the  be- 
holder. 

From  Newton  to  Galveston,  the  line  leaving  the 
main  cast  and  west  line  in  Kansas  at  Newton,   runs 
directly  south   to   Galveston.     The    first    place   of 
importance  reached  is  the  phenomenal  city  of  Wich- 
ita, located  on  the  Big  and  Little  Arkansas  Rivers, 
a  city  of  thirty-five  thousand  people,  where  only  a 
few  years  ago  was  an  Indian  trading-post.   Wichita 
is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  cities  in  the  West.    It 
has  a   heavy   and    growing  wholesale   trade,  and  a 
large  amount  of  manufacturing  business,  including 
the  Burton  Slock    far   Works,   the  Dodd  &  Whit- 
aker    meat-packing   establishments.     The    city    is 
handsomely  laid  out,  and  has  many  handsome  pub 
lie   buildings,    commodious    business     houses  and 
spacious    residences,    situated    on     broad   avenues, 
lined  with  beautiful  shade  trees.     South  of  Wichita 
is  a  cluster  of  growing  cities,  comprising  Winfield, 
Wellington,  Arkansas  City  and  Caldwell.      Wichita 
and    Arkansas    City    have    profited   much  by  the 
opening  up  of  Oklahoma   to  settlement.     Entering 
the    Indian    Territory    the   line    passes   through   a 
magnificent  agricultural    country,    as    yet  almost 
wholly  undeveloped.    In  Texas  the  principal  cities 
on   the  line  between  the  Indian  Territory  and  Gal- 
veston, are  Gainesville,  Pans,  Ft.  Worth,  Cleburne, 
Dallas,   Morgan,   Temple,   Brenham,   Houston  and 
Richmond.     Galveston,   the   terminus,  is  a  rapidly 
growing  city  of  fifty   thousand    inhabitants.     It  is 
charmingly  situated  on  the  Gulf  Coast,  and  has  an 
unsurpassed  climate  in  both  summer  and  winter. 

From  La  Junta  to  El  Paso,  the  line  leaving  La 
Junta  climbs  to  the  summit  of  the  Raton  Range, 
seventy-six  hundred  and  twenty-two  feet  above  the 
sea.  On  the  way  up  it  parses  through  the  impor- 
tant Colorado  towns  of  El  Moro  and  Trinidad.  The 
village  of  Raton  is  an  important  division  point  for 


TRANSPORTATION. 


the  railway,  and  then  comes  Las  Vegas  and  its 
famous  hot  springs,  six  miles  distant  from  the  main 
line,  but  connected  with  it  by  a  short  line  with 
good  equipments.  At  the  Hot  Springs  is  the  Phoe- 
nix Hotel.  The  springs  are  unsurpassed  anywhere 
in  the  world,  and  the  hotel  is  conducted  by  the 
company  in  the  most  generous  manner  imaginable. 
The  springs  are  forty-two  in  number,  and  are  hot 
and  cold,  and  have  a  variety  of  mineral  properties 
which  render  them  remarkably  strong  in  their  cura- 
tive power.  South  of  Las  Vegas  the  line  passes 
through  fertile  valleys,  heavy  forests,  and  black 
and  rugged  canons,  until  the  valley  of  the  Rio 
Grande  is  reached.  A  branch  line  from  Lainy  ex- 
tends up  the  mountain  to  Santa  Fe,  the  capital  of 
New  Mexico,  next  to  St.  Augustine,  the  oldest  city 
in  America.  Santa  Fe  has  a  new  State  House,  and 
its  quaint  old  churches  and  dwellings  are  inter- 
spersed with  modern  structures.  It  should  he  seen 
before  the  peculiar  charm  of  its  antiquity  has  been 
entirely  destroyed.  Albuquerque,  Socorro  and  San 
Marcial  are  the  chief  points  between  Santa  Fe  and 
El  Paso.  All  are  important  points  for  the  business 
of  mining,  cattle  -aising  and  general  commerce. 
From  Rincon  a  branch  line  leads  to  Deming,  where 
junction  is  made  with  the  Southern  Pacific  Rail- 
way, and  to  Silver  City,  and  to  the  other  mining 
towns  of  Southern  New  Mexico.  It.  is  the  fortunate 
destiny  of  New  Mexico  generally,  and  the  Rio 
Grande  Valley  particularly,  to  soon  lake  front  rank 
in  the  line  of  fruit  production.  The  grapes  produced 
in  the  Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley  are  not  surpassed 
in  either  quality  or  quantity  by  the  product  of  any 
part  of  the  Continent. 

From  Albuquerque  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  i  1  the 
heart  of  New  Mexico,  due  west,  the  Atlantic  & 
Pacific  Railroad  forms  the  main  Santa  Fe  Route  to 
California.  The  line  passes  through  a  great  mining 
and  stock-raising  country,  where  the  climate  is  per- 
fect. Prescott,  the  capital  of  Arizona,  is  reached 
by  a  branch  from  Prescott  Junction.  Constant 
changes  of  scenery  characterize  the  line,  and  the 
crossing  of  tiie  Colorado  Canon  is  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  accomplishments  known  in  the  railroad 
world.  In  Southern  California  the  lines  of  the 
California  Central  &  Southern  reach  every  impor- 
tant city.     Barstow,  San    Bernardino,   Colton,  San 


Diego,  National  City,  Los  Angeles,  and  a  hundred 
other  beautiful  towns  offer  unequalled  inducements 
to  the  seeker  after  health,  wealth  and  pleasure. 
San  Francisco  and  other  cities  of  Central  and 
Northern  California  are  reached  by  the  lines  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  by  virtue  of  a  special  arrangement 
for  traffic.  Between  Chicago  and  Kansas  City 
meals  are  served  on  the  finest  dining  cars;  on  the 
other  lines  and  branches  are  superb  eating-houses 
and  hotels.  No  expense  is  spared  in  securing  ele- 
gant accommodations;  the  supplies  are  secured 
from  the  best  markets  East  and  West. 

From  the  resume  thus  given  of  the  facilities  pos- 
sessed by  the  Santa  Fe  Railway,  for  interchanging 
traffic  at  its  termini  and  various  junctions,  it  must 
lie  apparent  to  the  readi  r  that  the  line  is  admirably 
situated,  and  that  in  many  respects  it  occupies  a 
strategic  position,  superior  to  that  of  other  trans- 
Missouri  and  Mississippi  railroads.  These  advan- 
tages have  been  utilized  in  the  past,  as  they  will  he 
in  the  future,  in  developing  the  localities  through 
which  the  various  branches  extend,  and  to  build 
up  the  permanent  prosperity  of  the  property  whose 
history  is  so  closely  interwoven  with  the  settlement, 
development  and  prosperity  of  the  West  beyond 
the  Missouri  River.  Its  local  traffic  compares  fa- 
votably  with  that  of  other  competing  lines.  To 
this  purely  local  traffic  must  be  added  the  contri- 
butions of  its  several  termini,  all  large  cities  and 
prominent  trade  centers  in  the  Missouri  and  Mis- 
sissippi Valleys.  With  the  growth  and  steady 
development  of  the  manufacturing  and  other  indus- 
tries of  Chicago,  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph.  Atchi- 
son, Leavenworth,  Topeka,  Wichita,  Galveston. 
El  Paso,  Pueblo  and  Denver,  the  Santa  Fe  Rail- 
way must  materially  make  corresponding  strides 
toward  attaining  that  proud  financial  position  which 
has  been  the  life  dream  of  its  originators  and  pres- 
ent owners.  Under  the  present  progressive  and 
conservative  management,  all  advantages  of  geo- 
graphical position,  and  all  the  resources  of  the 
through  line  will  be  constantly  utilized  in  building 
up  the  future  prosperity  of  the  road  itself,  and  in 
developing  the  extended  area  of  Chicago's  com- 
mercial supremacy.  The  Land  Grant  from  the 
Government  amounted  substantially  to  three  mill- 
ion acres.     In  brief  its    commanding  geographical 


TRANSPORTATION. 


position,  coupled  with  its  direct  Eastern  alliance 
for  through  business,  must  render  the  Santa  Fe 
eventually  one  of  the  most  remunerative  of  our 
Western  railroads. 


* 


The  Wabash. 

*-  ^sO  the  public  and  our  thousands  of  readers 
n  general : — It  will  no  doubt  be  interesting 
•  to  all  if  we  give  a  brief  description  of  this 
road.  The  Wabash,  as  now  known,  has  been  oper- 
ated under  several  names  from  time  to  time.  It  is 
the  offspring,  as  it  were,  of  the  first  line  of  road 
projected  in  Illinois,  then  known  as  the  Northern 
Cross  Railroad,  extending  from  Danville  to  Quincy. 
This  was  chartered  in  1837,  and  upon  iv,  the  first 
locomotive  was  placed  in  the  winter  of  1838-39, 
running  from  Meredosia,  on  the  Illinois  River,  to 
Jacksonville.  In  1842  the  road  was  completed 
from  Jacksonville  to  .Springfield,  and  three  trips 
wore  made  per  week.  The  track  was  of  the  old 
Hat  rail  style,  which  was  made  by  nailing  thin  strips 

i  of  iron  on  two  parallel  lines  of  limbers  placed  at 
the  proper  distance  apart,  and  running  lengthways 

'of  the  road.  The  engine  as  well  as  the  road  soon 
became  so  impaired  that  the  former  had  to  be 
abandoned,  and  mules  substituted  as  the  motor 
power.  However,  such  locomotion  was  destined 
to  be  of  short  duration,  for  the  State  soon  after 
sold  the  entire  road  for  a  nominal  sum,  and  thus 
for  a  short  time  was  suspended  one  of  the  first  rail- 
road enterprises  in  Illinois.  But  in  the  West  a 
new  era — one  of  prodigious  industrial  activity  and 

j  far-reaching  results  in  the  practical  arts — was  dawn- 
ing, and  within  thirty  years  of  the  temporary  fail- 

;  ure  of  the  road  mentioned,  Illinois  had  outstripped 
all  others  in  gigantic  internal  improvements,  and 
at  present  has  more  miles  of  railroad  than  any 
other  State  in  the  Union. 

The  Great  Western,  whose  name  has  been  suc- 
cessively changed  to  Toledo,  Wabash  &  Western. 
Wabash,  and  Wabash,  St.  Louis  &  Pacific,  and 
Wabash  Railroad,  and  The  Wabash,  the  last  of 
which  it  still  bears,  was  an  extension  of  the  North- 
ern Cross  Railroad,  above  mentioned,  and  traverses 


Some  of  the  finest  portions  of  Illinois,  Indiana  and 
Ohio.  It  soon  became  the  popular  highway  of 
I  ravel  and  traffic  between  the  East  and  the  West. 
Through  a  system  of  consolidation,  unparalleled  in 
American  railways,  it  has  become  a  giant  among 
them,  and  has  added  many  millions  of  dollars  to 
the  value  of  bonds  and  shares  of  the  various  com- 
panies now  incorporated  in  the  Wabash  system. 
The  road  takes  its  title  from  the  river  of  that  name, 
a  tributary  of  the  Ohio,  which  in  part  separates  the 
States  of  Illinois  and  Indiana.  In  looking  over  the 
map  of  the  Wabash  Railroad  it  will  be  Been  that 
the  line  extends  through  the  most  fertile  and 
wealthy  portions  of  the  center  of  the  United  States, 
having  termini  at  more  large  cities  than  any  other 
Western  road.  It  was  indeed  a  far-reaching  sagac- 
ity which  consolidated  these  various  lines  into  the 
Wabash  system,  forming  one  immense  chain  of 
great  commercial  activity  and  power.  Its  terminal 
facilities  are  unsurpassed  by  any  competing  line. 
Its  home  offices  are  established  in  commodious 
quarters  in  St.  Louis.  The  lines  of  the  road  are 
co-extensive  with  the  importance  of  the  great  trans- 
portation facilities  required  for  the  products  of  the 
Mississippi  Valley.  This  line  passes  through  the 
States  of  Iowa,  Missouri,  Illinois,  Indiana,  Ohio 
and  Michigan. 

The  various  lines  of  road  may    be   divided   into 
the  following: 

Miles. 

St.  Louis  to  Chicago 286 

Toledo  to  Kansas  City 602 

St.  Louis  to  Dea  Moines 360 

Logansport  to  Detroit 207 

Chicago  to  Laketon  Junction 123 

Clayton  to  Keokuk 42 

Bluffs  to  ( fcuincy 105 

Streator  to  Forest 37 

Attica  to  Covington 15 

Champaign  to  Sidney 12 

Edwardsville  to  Edwardsville 

Crossing '■' 

Bement  to  Altamont  and  Effingham       63 

Brunswick  to  Omaha 225 

Roseberry  to  Clarinda 21 

Salisbury  to  Glasgow 15 

Centralia  to  Columbia 22 


Miles  of  main  lines  and  branches. .    2204 
From   the  above  main   line  and   branches   as  in- 


TRANSPORTATION. 


dicated,  it  will  readily  be  seen  that  the  Wabash 
connects  with  more  large  cities  and  great  marts  of 
trade  than  any  other  line,  bringing  Omaha,  Kansas 
City,  Des  Moines.  Keokuk,  Quincy,  St.  Louis,  Chi- 
cago, Toledo  and  Detroit  together  with  one  contin- 
uous line  of  steel  rails.  This  road  has  an  immense 
freight  traffic  of  the  cereals,  live-stock,  various 
productions  and  manufactured  articles  of  the  West 
and  the  Stales  through  which  it  passes.  Its  facili- 
ties for  rapid  transit  for  the  vast  productions  of 
the  packing  houses  of  Kansas  City  and  St.  Louis, 
to  Detroit,  Toledo  and  the  Eastern  marls  of  trade, 
is  unequalled.  A  large  portion  of  the  grain  pro- 
ductions of  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Iowa,  Missouri,  Illi- 
nois and  Indiana,  finds  its  way  to  the  Eastern  mar- 
kets over  the  lines  of  this  road.  The  Wabash  has 
always  taken  an  advanced  position  in  tariffs,  and 
its  course  toward  its  patrons  has  been  just  and 
liberal,  so  that  it  has  always  enjoyed  the  commen- 
dation of  the  business  and  traveling  public.  The 
road  bed  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  country,  and  is 
ballasted  with  gravel  and  stone,  well  tied  and  laid 
with  steel  rails.  The  bridges  along  the  various 
lines  and  branches  are  substantial  structures.  The 
depots,  grounds  and  genual  property  of  the  road 
are  in  good  condition.  The  management  of  the 
Wabash  is  fully  abreast  of  the  limes.  The  road 
is  progressive  in  every  respect.  The  finest  pas- 
senger cars  on  the  continent  are  run  on  its  lines, 
and  every  effort  made  to  advance  the  interests  <if 
its  patrons.  The  passenger  department  is  unex- 
celled for  the  elegant  and  substantial  comfort 
afforded  travelers.  On  several  of  the  more  im- 
portant branches  of  the  system,  dining  cars  are 
run. 

Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad. 

bHLS  road  traverses  some  of  the  best  territory 
of  Illinois  and  Missouri,  with  its  western 
terminus  in  Kansas  City  and  southern  in  St. 
Louis,  and  the  principal  terminus  and  headquarters 
in  Chicago.  It  is  one  of  the  most  important  roads 
of  the  great  system  of  railroads  in  the  Mississippi 
Valley.  The  air-line  between  St.  Louis  and  Chi- 
cago, the  most  prominent  cities  of  the  Great  West, 
and  the  most  pronounced  commercial  rivals,  occu- 


pies a  prominent  position  among  the  trans-Missis- 
sjppi  Railroads.  This  may  be  attributed  partly  to 
the  manner  in  which  the  management  has  fostered 
and  developed  the  local  business  along  the  line  of 
the  road  since  its  organization  in  1862.  Its  man- 
agement has  always  kept  abreast  of  the  times. 

The  length  of  the  system  is  practically  nine  hun- 
dred miles.  In  brief  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Rail- 
road has  by  a  judicious  system  of  permanent  im- 
provement, and  by  the  introduction  of  modern 
appliances  which  tend  to  the  preservation  of  life 
and  property,  placed  itself  in  such  a  condition, 
materia  ly  and  physically,  that  its  financial  condi- 
tion is  not  easily  affected.  Its  success  as  one  of  the 
great  highways  of  the  West  is  an  assured  reality. 
It  might,  be  appropriately  noted  here  that  while 
much  of  this  road's  success  may  be  attributed  to  its 
admirable  geographical  location,  embracing  a  very 
rich  section  of  the  country  for  local  traffic,  and 
with  termini  on  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Mississippi 
ami  Missouri  Rivers,  yet  equally  as  much  is  due  to 
the  wisdom  and  stability  of  the  management. 


Chicago,  Burlington  «V  Quincy  Railroad. 

f^p^HE  Quincy  &  Louisiana  branch  of  this  ex- 
///SS^  tensive  system  passes  through  a  portion  of 
X\$S0'  Pike  County.  It  strikes  the  county  at  See- 
horn,  running  in  a  southeasterly  direction  to  Rock- 
port,  where  it  diverges  in  a  southwesterly  direction 
to  the  Mississippi  River,  and  crosses  the  Chicago 
&  Alton  Railroad  bridge  to  Louisiana,  Mo.  At 
Hulls  it  crosses  the  Wabash  Railroad.  The  prin- 
cipal stations  on  this  line  in  the  county  are  New 
Canton  and  Rockport.  It  furnishes  an  excellent 
feeder  for  the  system,  and  is  an  important  auxiliary 
to  the  transportation  facilities  for  the  people  of  the 
west  side  of  the  county. 


^C 


Els^- 


Big  Four, 

ORMERLY  known  as   Indiana  &  St.  Louis 
Railroad,  is  one  of  the  Great  Trunk  lines  of 
the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  Valleys,   connects 
the  four  important  cities  of  Cincinnati,  Indianapo- 


TRANSPORTATION. 


lis,  Chicago  and  St.  Louis,  and  it  affords  direct 
communication  for  the  citizens  of  the  south  part 
of  Macoupin  County,  with  these  great  marts  of 
trade  as  well  as  direct  connection  with  the  Vander- 
bilt  system  leading  to  the  seaboard.    The  road-bed 


is  well  ballasted,  and  of  a  substantial  character.  The 
rolling  stock  is  first-class.  The  principal  stations 
in  this  county  are  Bunker  Hill,  Gillespie  and  Dor- 
chester. 


mr 


£amupm  {Q&unvvf^ 


inois* 


INTRODUCTORY. 


SHE  time  has  arrived  when  it 
becomes  the  duty  of  the 
people  of  this  county  to  per- 
petuate the  names  of  their 
pioneers,  to  furnish  a  record 
of  their  early  settlement, 
and  relate  the  story  of  their 
progress.  The  civilization  of  our 
day,  the  enlightenment  of  the  age 
and  the  duty  that  men  of  the  pres- 
ent time  owe  to  their  ancestors,  to 
themselves  and  to  their  posterity, 
demand  that  a  record  of  their  lives 
and  deeds  should  be  made.  In  bio- 
graphical history  is  found  a  power 
to  instruct  man  by  precedent,  to 
enliven  the  mental  faculties,  and 
to  waft  down  the  river  of  time  a 
afe  vessel  in  which  the  names  and  actions  of  the 
leopie  who  contributed  to  raise  this  country  from  its 
•rimitive  state  may  be  preserved.  Surely  and  rapidly 
lie  great  and  aged  men,  who  in  their  prime  entered 
he  wilderness  and  claimed  the  virgin  soil  as  their 
leritage,  aie  passing  10  their  graves.  The  number  re- 
naming who  cm  relate  the  incidents  of  the  first  days 
if  settlement  is  becoming  small  indeed,  so  that  an 
ictual  necessity  e\isis  for  the  collection  and  preser- 
ation  of  events  without  delay,  before  all  the  earlv 
eltlers  are  cut  dow.i  by  the  scythe  of  Time. 
To  I  ie  forgotten  has  been  the  great  dread  of  mankind 
rom  remotest  ages.  All  will  be  forgotten  soon  enough, 
it  spite  of  their  best  works  and  the  most  earnest 
floits  of  their  friends  to  perserve  the  memory  of 
heir  lives.  The  means  employed  to  prevent  oblivion 
i  id  to  perpetuate  their  memory  has  been  in  propor- 
ion  to  the  amount  of  intelligence  they  possessed. 
I'll  .'  pyramids  of  Rgvpt  were  built  to  perpetuate  the 
lames  and  deeds  of  their  great  rulers.  The  exhu- 
naiions  made  by  the  areheologists  of  Egypt  from 
juried  Memphis  indicate  a  desire  of  those   people 


to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  their  achievements 
The  erection  of  the  great  obelisks  were  for  the  same 
purpose.  Coming  down  to  a  later  period,  we  find  the 
Greeks  and  Romans  erecting  mausoleums  and  monu- 
ments, and  carving  out  statues  to  chronicle  their 
great  achievements  and  carry  them  down  the  ages. 
It  is  also  evident  that  the  Mound-budders,  in  piling 
up  their  great  mounds  of  earth,  had  but  this  idea — 
to  leave  something  to  show  that  they  had  lived.  All 
t'.iese  works,  though  many  of  them  costly  in  the  ex- 
treme, give  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  lives  and  charac- 
ters of  those  whose  memory  they  were  intended  to 
perpetuate,  and  scarcely  anything  of  the  masses  of 
the  people  that  then  lived.  The  great  pyramids  and 
some  of  the  obelisks  remain  objects  only  of  curiosity; 
the  mausoleums,  monuments  and  statues  are  crum- 
bling into  dust. 

It  was  left  to  modem  ages  to  establish  an  intelli- 
gent, undecaying,  immutable  method  of  perpetuating 
a  full  history — immutable  in  that  it  is  almost  un- 
limited in  extent  and  perpetual  in  its  action;  and 
this  is  through  the  art  of  printing. 

To  the  present  generation,  however,  we  are  in- 
debted for  the  introduction  of  the  admirable  system 
of  local  biography.  By  this  system  every  man,  thougl 
he  has  not  achieved  what  the  world  calls  greatness, 
his  the  means  to  perpetuate  his  life,  his  history, 
through  the  coming  ages. 

The  scythe  of  Time  cuts  down  all  ;  nothing  of  the 
physical  man  is  left.  The  monument  which  Ins  chil- 
dren or  friends  may  erect  to  his  memory  in  the  ceme- 
tery will  crumble  into  dust  and  pass  away;  but  his 
life,  his  achievements,  the  work  he  has  ac<  omplished, 
which  otherwise  would  be  forgotten,  is  perpetuated 
by  a  record  of  this  kind. 

To  preserve  the  lineaments  ot  oar  companions  we 
<  ngl  ave  their  portraits,  for  the  sune  reason  we  col- 
lect the  attainable  facts  of  their  history.  Nor  do  we 
think  it  necessarv,  as  wespeak  only  truth  of  them,  to 
wait  until  they  are  dead,  or  until  those  who  know 
them  are  gone:  to  do  this  we  are  ashamed  only  to 
publish  to  the  world  the  history  of  those  whose  livef= 
are  unworthy  of  public  record. 


i/BRABT 
OF  THE 


f? 


- 


.^tafc 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RKCORI). 


191 


■■»:>*<* 


JOSEPH     B11H).      The    annals    of 
American  biography  are  filled  with 
Jtl^wrecords  of   heroic    endeavors   on 
the  part  of   brave  hoys   who  at 
the    same   time    that    they    were 
hardened  by   poverty,  cherished 
a    burning  ambition    to  excel   in 
some  branch  of  human  knowledge 
or  skill.     Many  a  noble   boy  has 
not  only  tenderly  cared  for    the 
dear  ones   who    have    been    left 
destitute    by  their  father's   death 
jut  has    also  planned  for  the  ac- 
quisition  of  a  liberal  education 
that  he  might  become  fitted   for 
the  work  to  which  he  looked  for- 
ward.    Such  an  experience   has  been  his  of  whom 
we  write,  and  success  has  crowned  his  efforts,  as  it 
usually"  rewards  the  industrious  and  judicious.   Mr. 
Bird,  whose  portrait  appears  on  the  opposite  page, 
is  a  wealthy  capitalist  of  Carlinville.     His  riches 
have  enabled  him  to  do  much  for  the  benefit  of  his 
adopted    city  and  county,  and  his  name  is  closely 
associated  with  various  enterprises  that   have  ma- 
terially advanced  their  interests.   He  is  well-known 
as  the  President  of  the  Macoupin  County  Agricul- 
tural Board. 

A  native   of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  Mr.  Bird 


was  born  on  a  farm  in  Butler  County,  May  4,  1828. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  Joseph  Bird,  was  of  Eng- 
lish birth  and  spent  his  entire  life  in  his  native 
land.  But  two  of  his  children  ever  came  to  Amer- 
ica, William,  the  father  of  our  subject,  and  Mary, 
who  married  William  Potter  and  died  in  Butler 
County,  Pa.  William  Bird  was  born  in  London, 
England,  and  passed  his  early  life  in  his  English 
home,  but  soon  after  marriage  came  to  this  country 
and  located  in  Butler  County,  Pa  .  where  he  bought 
a  tract  of  land  three  miles  north  of  Harmony.  He 
resided  there  until  1836,  when  he  sold  his  property 
and  came  to  Illinois,  traveling  with  a  team  to  Pitts- 
burg, thirty  miles  distant.  There  he  embarked  on 
the  Ohio  River,  and  voyaged  on  the  waters  of  that 
and  the  Mississippi  and  Illinois  Rivers  to  Co'um- 
biana.  Greene  County,  this  State.  He  rented  land 
there,  and  was  in  a  fair  way  to  prosper  when  death 
cut  short  his  career  in  August,  1837,  the  county 
thus  losing  a  practical,  hard-working  pioneer.  His 
widow  was  left  in  limited  circumstances  with  three 
children  to  care  for. 

Our  subject  was  only  nine  years  old  when  he 
was  thus  sadly  bereft  of  his  father's  care,  and  as  he 
was  the  only  son,  he  had  to  commence  at  once  to 
help  support  the  family.  He  was  a  bright,  sturdy 
little  lad  and  the  twenty-five  cents  a  day  that  he 
earned  working  on  a  farm  during  the   busy  season 


192 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


was  a  welcome  addition  to  the  family  income.  In 
1839  and  1810  he  worked  during  the  summer  sea- 
son for  $6  a  month  and  his  board.  In  1839  his 
mother  removed  toCarroIlton,and  there  be  worked 
out  in  1840  and  1841.  Then,  his  mother  having 
bought  a  farm,  he  assisted  her  in  its  management, 
and  was  thus  engaged  until  1849,  when  he  rented 
the  place  of  his  mother  and  carried  it  on  until  1851. 
In  that,  year  he  came  to  this  county  and  purchased 
three  hundred  and  five  acres  of  hind  in  what  is  now 
Bird  Township,  paying  $5  an  acre  for  it.  One  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  were  under  cultivation,  and  a 
small  frame  house  and  a  log  stable  stood  in  the 
place. 

Mr.  Bird  resided  on  that  farm  until  1879,  and 
in  the  meantime  sold  a  part  of  the  land,  but  as  his 
means  accumulated  he  bought  other  land  in  the 
same  township,  and  finally  had  one  thousand  and 
twenty-six  acres  of  valuable  land  in  his  possession. 
In  1879  he  came  to  Carlinville  and  bought  his 
present  elegant  residence,  which  is  pleasantly  lo- 
cated on  the  corner  of  Last  Main  anil  High  Streets. 
With  its  well-kept  grounds,  handsome  interior  and 
rich  and  tasteful  furnishings  it  is  one  of  the  most 
attractive. homes  in  the  city. 

Mr.  Bird  generously  attributes  a  share  of  his 
prosperity  to  the  capable  assistance  of  his  wife, 
who  is  endowed  with  those  attributes  of  character 
.that  make  her  wise  in  counsel,  an  efficient  house- 
wife, and  a  true  helpmate  to  her  husband.  They 
began  their  wedded  life  more  than  folly  .year 
in  1819.  They  have  had  children,  of  whom  these 
three  are  spared  to  bless  their  declining  years: 
Carrie,  who  married  Forrest  Gore  and  resides 
near  Girard;  Mary  Olive,  wife  of  Coy  Roach, 
of  Girard;  and  Daisy  Mabel,  who  lives  at  home 
•with  her  parents.  The  following  is  the  n 
of  the  children  of  our  subject  and  his  wife 
who  have  departed  this  life:  Morris  Edwin, 
their  only  son,  born  July  9.  1858,  died  February 
6,  1877;  Ida  Alice,  boni  September  16,  1864,  mar- 
ried Ellsworth  Childs,  and  died  June  3,  1890;  Ada 
E.,  their  first  child,  born  August  11.  1856,  died  in 
December,  1858;  Anna  C,  born  May  22,  1860,  died 
at  the  age  of  ten  months. 

Mrs.  Bird's  name  previous  to  her  marriage  was 
Eliza  Ann   Laster.     She    is    a    native'    of  Greene 


County.  III.,  ami  a  daughter  of  Enoch  and  Charily 
■(Hill)  Easier,  pioneers  of  that  county.  Her  father 
was  born  near  Murfreesborough,  Tenn.,  and  was  a 
sou  of  Hardy  Laster,  one  of  the  pioneer  farm- 
ers of  that  section,  who  died  in  that  State, 
Enoch  Laster  came  to  this  Stale  when  a  young 
man  as  early  as  1829,  and  was  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers of  Greene  County,  locating  eight  miles  east  of 
Carrollton,  where  he  improved  a  farm,  upon  which 
he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days.  lie  was  quite 
prominent  in  the  community.  He  was  the  Justice 
of  tin-  Peace  for  many  years,  and  in  his  politics  he 
was  a  sturdy  Democrat.  The  Rev.  Abner  Hill,  the 
maternal  gravid  father  of  Mrs.  Bird,  was  a  native  of 
North  Carolina,  whence  he  removed  lo  Tennessee. 
In  1830  he  c:iinc  from  there  to  Illinois,  and  was  a 
pioneer  Baptist  preacher  of  Greene  County.  He 
was  famous  in  his  da}'  in  that  section  of  the  coun- 
try, preached  in  different  places,  ami  helped  to  or- 
ganize several  churches.  He  developed  a  farm  mi 
.suing  Prairie,  and  lived  on  it  until  1850,  when  lie 
si ild  it.  and  thereafter  made  his  home  with  his 
children  in  this  county,  dying  at  the  home  of  his 
daughter.  Tlie  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Annie 
Hill.  Mis.  Bird's  mother  married  a  second  time 
after  the  death  of  her  first  husband,  becoming  the 
wife  of  John  Courtney,  and  she  died  in  Bird 
Tow  nship. 

Mr.  Bird  is  eminently  a  self-made  man,  as  he  be- 
gan life  on  his  own  account  with  no  othe/  capital 
than  his  mental  and  physical  endowments,  but 
these  have  served  him  well,  and  he  has  accumu- 
lated a  handsome  fortune  by  a  determined  effort  to 
overcome  al!  obstacles  in  the  pathway  of  complete 
success,  and  by  the  exercise  of  a  quick,  unerring 
judgment  in  regard  to  the  best  means  of  making 
money.  A  man  of  strong,  firm  character  and  of 
large  enterprise,  he  has  been  influential  in  various 
ways  in  pushing  forward  undertakings  of  import- 
ance that  have  been  useful  in  furthering  the  rise 
and  progress  of  the  county.  Especially  is  this  true 
in  regard  to  his  connection  with  the  Macoupin 
County  Agricultural  Board,  of  which  he  is  one  of 
the  leading  members.  He  was  one  of  its  organizers 
and  as  its  President  for  the  last  six  years  he  has 
gnaily  helped  lo  make  it  one  of  our  most  servic- 
able  institutions,  which  lias  done  much  to  introduce 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1!)3 


the  best  modern  methods  <>f  fanning  and  stock  rais- 
ing to  the  notice  of  the  people.  Mr.  Bird  was  also 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Carlinvillc  National 
Bank  in  May,  1890,  of  which  he  was  then  elected 
Director. 


•        r      *  .;_ 


JN^ 


<a  ItelLLIAM  K.  TAYLOR,  a  prosperous  farmer 
\/\/if  °^  Bushy  Mound  Township,  is  a  native  of 
Wyj  Macoupin  County,  born  in  one  of  its  early 
pioneer  homes  in  Gillespie  Township,  July  20, 
1837.  Ilis  father,  Arthur  Taylor,  was  a  native  of 
South  Carolina,  horn  in  Greenville  district  in  1813. 
He  in  turn  was  the  son  of  William  Taylor,  a  farmer, 
who  is  supposed  to  have  been  born  in  South  Caro- 
lina and  died  in  Georgia. 

Arthur  Taylor  was  young  when  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Georgia  and  there  his  youth  was  passed. 
When  he  was  a  young  man  he  came  to  Illinois  in 
1831  and  spent  the  "winter  of  the  deep  snow"  in 
this  county.     The  following  spring  he  returned  to 

1  Georgia  and  when  he  heard  of  the  Black  Hawk 
War  he  came  back  to  Illinois  to  take  part  in  it. 
For  his  services  he  received  a  land  warrant,  which 
he  sold.  lie  homestcaded  Government  land  in 
Gillespie  Township,  upon  wliich  some  improve- 
ments had  been  made.  He  afterward  sold  that  tract 
and  bought  another  in  the  Northwestern  pail  of 
the  same  township.  He  immediately  proceeded  to 
build  a  log  house,  riving  the  boards  for  a  roof, 
making  a  puncheon  floor  and  an  earth  and  stick 
chimney.  The  remaining  years  of  his  long  and 
useful  life  were  passed  on  his  homestead,  where  he 

1  died  at  a  ripe  old  age,  December  25.  187i).  His 
widow  is  still  living  in  the  old  home  at  a  vener- 
able age.  Her  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Ann  Rose, 
and  she  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  a  daughter  of 
Enos  and  R.iehael  (Scott)  Rose.  She  is  the  mother 
of  the  following  children:  William  E.,  Andrew  J., 
Louisa,  Albert,  Asa,  Ezra  and  Jane. 

He  of  whom  we  write  was  reared  in  iiis  native 
township  and  received  his  education  in  the  pioneer 
schools  that  were  taught  in  log  houses,  furnished 
with  seats  made  by  splitting  small  logs,  with  wooden 
pins  for  legs  and  without   desks   in    front.      When 


he  was  a  boy,  our  subject  remembers  seeing  deer 
and  wolves  quite  frequently,  and  wild  game  often 
proved  a  welcome  addition  to  the  fare  of  the  pio- 
neers. He  resided  with  his  parents  until  he  was 
twenty-one,  and  then  in  1858  set  out  from  the  old 
home  to  seek  fortune's  favors  in  California,  going 
by  way  of  New  York  and  the  Isthmus  to  San  Fran- 
cisco. He  engaged  in  both  ranching  and  mining 
in  that  State  and  in  Nevada  until  18(11. 

In  that  year  Mr.  Taylor  returned  to  his  native 
county,  and  buying  land  in  Brushy  Mound  Town- 
ship engaged  in  farming.  At  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage in  1865  he  bought  a  small  farm  on  Spanish 
Needle  Prairie,  which  remained  in  his  possession 
until  1869,  when  he  sold  it  and  purchased  land  on 
the  southeastern  part  of  section  21,  the  same  town- 
ship. He  resided  there  several  years  and  devoting 
himself  assiduously  to  agricultural  pursuits  was 
much  prospered.  In  1880  he  pin  chased  his  pres- 
ent farm  in  Brushy  Mound  Township, where  he  has 
since  made  his  home,  and  has  two  finely  cultivated, 
well-improved  farms  that  compare  with  the  best  in 
this  locality. 

Mr.  Taylor's  marriage  with  Miss  Martha  Keltner 
was  celebrated  March  25,  1865,  and  it  has  been 
blessed  to  them  by  the  birth  of  the  following  six 
children — Lucy,  Lydia,  Annie,  Willie,  Ella  and 
Leroy.  Mrs.  Taylor  is,  like  her  husband,  a  native 
of  this  county,  born  in  Brushy  Mound  Township, 
September  12,  1817.  She  is  also  a  descendant  of 
an  old  pioneer  family.  Her  father,  William  S. 
Keltner,  was  born  in  Tennessee  in  180!)  and  was  a 
son  of  Henry  Keltner, who  was  a  Virginian  by  birth 
and  he  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Tennessee, 
lie  carried  on  farming  there  until  1818  when  he 
came  to  Illinois  and  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  pioneers 
of  Morgan  County.  He  resided  there  many  years, 
but  finally  removed  to  Iowa  when  it  was  still  a 
Territory  and  located  in  Jefferson  County,  buying 
quite  a  large  tract  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Fair- 
field and  passing  his  remaining  days  in  that  town. 
The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Sarah  Smith. 
She  was  also  born  in  Virginia  and  died  at  Fairfield. 

Mrs.  Taylor's  father  was  nine  years  old  when  he 
came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents,  and  his  youth  was 
passed  in  Morgan  County.  In  1832  he  came  to 
Macoupin  County  ami  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of 


194 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Brushy  Mound  Township,  whore  lie  bought  Gov- 
ernment land  on  section  28.  He  built  there  and  in 
the  course  of  years  improved  an  excellent  farm, 
which  remained  his  home  until  he  closed  his  eyes 
in  death,  June  1,  1866. 

Mrs.  Taylor's  mother  is  living  at  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty  years,  and  makes  her  home  with  her. 
Notwithstanding  the  burden  of  many  years  she 
enjoys  very  good  health,  and  her  mind  is  still 
blight  and  active.  Brought  up  amid  pioneer  sur- 
roundings in  the  early  years  of  the  settlement  of 
this  State  she  still  has  a  vivid  recollection  of  those 
times  and  can  trace  back  to  their  origin  the  many 
wonderful  transformations  that  have  been  wrought 
since  she  was  young,  and  she  naturally  thinks  that 
the   rising  generation  will  not  live  to  see  as  many 

s it  changes   as   she  has  seen.      When  she  was  a 

chihl  there  were  no  railways  or  canals,  and  but  few 
manufactories  of  any  kind  in  the  United  States. 
She  was  taught  to  card, spin  and  weave,  and  in  her 
early  married  life  made  all  the  cloth  used  by  her 
family.  Then  all  grain  was  sown  by  hand  and 
reaped  by  a  sickle,  and  instead  of  being  threshed 
by  a  machine  was  trampled  out  by  cattle  or  a  Hail 
was  used.  Mrs.  Keltner's  maiden  name  was  Matilda 
Hughes,  and  she  was  born  in  Monroe  County,  Ky.. 
December  10,  1811.  Her  father  was  Thomas 
Hughes,  a  Virginian  by  birth,  and  he  was  a  son  of 
Hugh  Hughes. 

Thomas  Hughes  was  reared  and  married  in  Ken- 
tucky and  in  1827  came  to  Illinois  accompanied  by 
his  wife  and  six  children,  making  the  journey  with 
teams,  taking  all  the  household  goods  along  and 
cooking  and  camping  by  the  way  at  night.  He 
located  in  Morgan  County,  whence  he  came  in 
the  year  1832  to  Brushy  Mound  Township.  lie 
first  settled  on  Spanish  Needle  Prairie,  where  he 
improved  a  tract  of  land,  which  he  afterward  sold, 
and  bought  land  east  of  the  Mound  in  the  same 
township.  He  built  and  resided  there  until  his 
demise.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Susan 
Moore.  She  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  died  there 
in  1821. 

The  life  record  of  our  subject  as  a  practical 
farmer  and  as  a  man  and  a  citizen,  is  alike  honor- 
able to  himself  and  creditable  to  his  native  county. 
He  has  taken  part  in  the  management  of  public  af- 


fairs, and  the  same  traits  of  character  that  have 
made  him  successful  in  his  vocation  have  made 
him  a  good  civic  official.  In  1888  and  1889  he 
represented  Brushy  Mound  Township  as  a  member 
of  the  County  Board  of  Supervisors.  Mr.  Taylor's 
social  relations  are  with  the  Spanish  Needle  Lodge, 
F.  M.  B.  A.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  Baptists  in 
faith,  and  generously  contribute  of  their  means  for 
religious  objects,  and  are  constant  attendants  at 
church,  though  not  members  thereof. 


osias  R.  RIPLEY  is  a  prominent  business 

man  of  Staunton.  He  now  holds  the  posi- 
I  tion  of  express  agent,  is  connected  with 
yj)  several  of  the  old  lire  insurance  companies, 
is  Notary  Public  and  ex-Police  Magistrate.  He 
has  been  conducting  his  business  as  at  present 
for  a  good  many  years,  having  been  a  resident  of 
Staunton  for  over  sixteen  years.  Almost  his  entire 
life  has  been  passed  in  this  vicinity.  He  was  born 
in  Alton,  III.,  June  18.  1836,  and  is  a  son  of  George 
Ripley,  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  of  Virginian  pa- 
rents. The  grandfather  of  our  subject  died  when 
George  was  an  infant,  and  he  grew  up  on  a  farm 
under  the  care  of  his  maternal  grandfather,  with 
whom  he  emigrated  to  Illinois  when  quite  young, 
the  family  settling  in  St.  Clair  County.  After  he 
had  attained  his  majority,  he  was  married  in  Madi- 
son County  to  Miss  Martha  P.  Randall,  a  native  of 
Georgia,  who  came  with  her  parents,  when  a  child, 
to  Illinois.  The  family  settled  at  Edwardsville 
when  it  was  yet  a  fort,  the  year  being  1818,  the 
same  in  which  Illinois  was  admitted  to  the  Union. 
Her  father,  Josias  Randall,  was  the  first  Recorder 
of  Deeds,  and  with  the  political  and  official  history 
of  the  county  he  was  prominently  connected.  He 
and  his  wife  spent  their  last  days  in  Madison 
County,  and  lived  to  an  advanced  age. 

George  Ripley*  and  his  wife  began  their  domestic 
life  in  St.  Clair  County,  and  afterward  removed  to 
Alton,  but  returned  to  St.  Clair  in  about  1837, 
making  their  home  at  that  place  until  1849,  when 
they  again  located  in  Madison  County,  not  far 
from  Staunton.     The  mother  is  still  living  at  the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


195 


age  of  eighty-four  years,  and  is  yet  bright  and  act- 
ive. She  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church 
and  a  most  estimable  lady.  George  Ripley  died 
on  the  farm  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years.  He 
was  a  Whig  in  polities  ami  a  life-long  member  of 
the  Methodist  Church.  Our  subject  was  the  second 
in  order  of  birth  in  their  family  of  five  children, 
two  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  the  sons 
and  one  daughter  are  yet  living. 

Josias  Ripley  was  reared  to  manhood  in  Madison 
County,  and  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  that  and 
Macoupin  County,  except  a  few  years  when  he  was 
temporarily  absent.  His  educational  advantages 
were  limited,  but  by  reading  he  has  become  a  well- 
informed  man,  having  an  excellent  knowledge  con- 
cerning topics  of  general  interest.  He  is  one  of 
the  promiueiit  men  of  Staunton  and  a  leader  in  all 
local  affairs.  He  was  prominently  connected  with 
Hie  organization  of  the  Republican  party,  of  which 
he  has  since  been  a  stalwart  supporter.  A  number 
of  local  offices  he  has  held,  having  served  as  .Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace,  Police  Magistrate,  a  member  of 
the  Town  Council,  and  at  present  is  Notary  Public. 
In  March,  1803,  he  entered  the  Government  service 
as  clerk  in  the  Quartermaster's  Department,  with 
headquarters  at  Little  Rock  and  Halls  Bluff.  Aik., 
where  he  remained  until  July,  186fi,  when,  the  war 
being  over,  he  was  discharged  and  returned  to 
Illinois.  Since  that  time  he  has  resided  in  Staunton 
or  vicinity. 

Mr.  Ripley  was  married  in  Montgomery  County 
to  Miss  Sarah  M.  Sturgis,  who  was  born  in  Ches- 
terfield, Macoupin  County,  September  4,  1847.  and 
under  the  parental  roof  was  reared  to  womanhood. 
She  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  a  fe- 
male college  at  Galesburg,  and  is  an  intelligent  and 
cultured  lady.  Her  father,  Isaac  S.  Sturgis,  a  na- 
tive of  Ohio,  became  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Ma- 
coupin County,  and  here  married  Miss  Nancy 
Chapman,  who  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  white 
child  born  in  the  county,  her  parents  having  come 
to  this  State  in  an  early  day.  Mr.  Sturgis  is  a 
farmer  and  followed  that  occupation  in  Illinois 
until  about  fifteen  years  ago,  when  with  his  wife  he 
removed  to  Elk  County,  Kan.,  where  they  still 
make  their  home.  Mrs.  Ripley  is  the  third  in  order 
of  birth  of  their  six  children,  all  of  whom  are  now 


married  and  are  prospering.  By  the  union  of  our 
subject  and  his  wife  have  been  burn  live  children 
—  Mary  M.,  wife  of  E.  Friedman,  a  banker  of 
Staunton;  George  P.,  who  is  employed  as  salesman 
in  the  general  store  of  II.  A.  Jones;  Walter,  an 
employe  in  the  train  dispatcher's  office  at  Litch- 
field; Grace  I.  and  Albert  F.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ripley  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church,  in 
which  he  is  an  officer,  and  are  active  workers. 
In  the  social  world  they  rank  high,  and  their 
friends  throughout  the  community  arc  many. 

t^Ml  MOS  INGOLD.  Among  the  many  prom- 
inent farmers  and  citizens  of  Shaw's  Point 
Township,  Macoupin  County,  none  arc 
more  favorably  mentioned  by  their  ac- 
quaintances than  Mr.  lngold,  who  with  his  inter- 
esting family,  lives  on  section  20.  He  is  the  sou  of 
Jonathan  and  Mary  M.  (Michaels)  lngold,  and  was 
burn  in  Marion  County,  Ind..  November  19,  1834. 
His  parents,  who  were  natives  of  North  Carolina 
came  to  Madison  County,  III.,  in  L840  and  upon  the 
farm  which  they  purchased  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives.  They  had  a  family  of  sixteen  children, 
to  whom  they  gave  as  good  an  education  as  oppor- 
tunity permitted,  and  taught  them  many  things  not 
found  in  text-books  but  necessary  to  prosperity 
and  happiness. 

Our  subject  who  was  one  of  the  younger  mem- 
bers of  the  family  circle,  grew  to  manhood  in  Mad- 
ison County,  III.,  and  while  still  quite  young 
learned  how  to  carry  on  a  farm  and  develop  the 
resources  of  the  land.  When  it  was  possible,  he 
attended  the  pioneer  schools  and  gained  what 
knowledge  he  could  under  the  circumstances,  but 
was  necessarily  obliged  to  be  content  with  a  lim- 
ited amount  or  to  add  to  it  by  self-effort.  He 
chose  the  latter,  and  by  reading  has  kept  himself 
in  touch  with  the  world  at  large.  In  1856  he  left 
his  home  in  Madison  County  and  going  to  Minne- 
sota, sojourned  there  one  year.  He  then  returned 
to  this  State,  of  which  he  has  since  been  a  resident. 

For  three  years  Mr.  lngold  resided  in  Bond 
County,  this  State,   and   it   was   during    this   time 


11)6 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


that  be  was  married  in  December,  18(33,  to  Miss 
Malinda  Kingsbury.  Mrs.  Ingokl  was  born  in  In- 
diana, June  16,  1839,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Ira 
and  Hannah  Kingsbury,  natives  of  Ohio,  who  came 
to  Illinois  at  an  early  day  anil  died  in  Bond  Coun- 
ty. Mrs.  Ingokl  was  the  next  to  the  youngest  in 
their  family  of  seven  children,  and  under  the  pa- 
rental roof  she  was  trained  to  a  noble  womanhood, 
learning  those  lessons  which  have  enabled  her  to 
preside  over  her  cozy  home  with  hospitality  and 
refinement  They  mourn  the  loss  of  six  children, 
all  of  whom  died  in  infancy  excepting  a  daughter, 
Mary,  who  was  taken  from  them  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen. However  three  children  remain  to  brighten 
the  home — John,  Oren  and   Flora. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Ingold  located  in  St. 
Clair  County,  where  he  followed  farming  pursuits 
until  187C,at  that  time  he  came  to  Macoupin  Coun- 
ty, and  purchasing  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in 
Shaw's  Point  Township,  has  devoted  his  attention 
since  to  its  cultivation  and  improvement.  Mr.  In- 
gold  believes  it  the  duty  of  every  man  to  keep 
himself  well  informed  in  matters  of  political  and 
general  importance  and  to  be  assured  of  his  stand- 
ing on  every  question  of  national  or  local  interest. 
He  has  decidedly  in  favor  of  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  supports  them  with  his  vote 
and  influence.  He  takes  special  interest  in  educa- 
tional matters  and  has  served  efficiently  as  School 
Director.  He  has  also  been  Highway  Commis- 
sioner, but  has  never  sought  ollice,  caring  little  for 
the  plaudits  of  the  crowd,  and  feeling  that  the  re- 
sponsibilities would  far  outweigh  the  pleasures. 


fl^ON.  GEORGE  J.  CASTLE,  who  is  inti- 
mately associated  with  the  prosperity  of 
this  section  of  the  State  as  one  of  the  most 
active  and  progressive  members  of  the 
Macoupin  County  Board  of  Agriculture,  of  which 
he  is  Secretary,  and  who  has  been  otherwise  iden- 
tified with  the  business  interests  of  the  county  in 
former  years,  was  a  gallant  officer  in  the  late  war, 
in  which  he  won  a  distinguished  reputation  for 
high  military  qualities.     Since  taking   up  bis  resi- 


dence here,  lie  lias  held  several  important  civic 
. offices,  and  has  proved  a  valuable  acquisition  to 
the  citizenship  not  only  of  Carlinville,  where  lie 
has  his  present  home  as  Postmaster  at  this  city,  hut 
to  the  county  at  large 

Mr.  Castle  is  of  New  England  biithand  anteced- 
anls.  born  at  Watertown,  Litchfield  County,  Ct., 
March  22,  1839.  His  father,  John  Castle  and  his 
grandfather,  Isaac  Castle,  were  natives  of  that 
State.  The  latter  was  a  machinist  and  followed 
\i'\>  calling  many  years,  the  last  part  of  his  life 
being  spent  at  Waterbury. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  amid  the 
pleasant  surroundings  of  his  native  State.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  was  prosperously  engaged  in 
farming,  but  the  closing  years  of  his  life  were 
passed  in  retirement  at  Waterbury,  Cquii.,  where 
he  died  in  1852.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was 
Clarinda  VVelton.  She  was  born  in  Litchfield 
County.  Conn.,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Jonathan 
Welton.  She  married  a  second  time,  becoming  the 
wife  of  Samuel  Holt,  and  now  resides  at  New 
Haven,  Conn. 

lie  of  whom  this  biography  is  written  was  the 
Only  son  of  his  parents,  and  he  was  thirteen  years 
old  when  he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  father. 
He  obtained  a  practical  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Connecticut,  which  he  attended  until  he 
was  fourteen  years  old.  He  then  came  to  Illinois 
with  his  uncle,  Capt.  Samuel  Welton,  and  resid- 
ed with  him  in  Carli.iville  Township,  assisting  on 
the  farm  until  1851),  when  he  returned  to  the  East, 
and  ambitious  to  extend  his  education,  he  attend- 
ed school  at  Watertown.  He  devoted  himself  assi- 
duously to  his  books  until  1861,  making  rapid 
progress  in  his  studies.  The  great  civil  strife  be- 
Iween  the  North  and  the  South  broke  out,  and  he 
watched  its  course  with  intense  interest,  aad  in  the 
opening  years  of  a  promising  manhood,  animated 
by  the  noble  and  self-sacrificing  patriotism  that 
characterized  both  the  old  and  the  young  men  of 
that  day,  he  enlisted  in  the  service  of  his  country, 
bis  name  being  enrolled  as  a  member  of  Co.  D.,  1st 
Connecticut  Squadron,  in  August,  1861.  His  com- 
pany was  mustered  in  the  same  month  at  Hartford, 
Conn.,  and  was  immediately  attached  to  the  Second 
New  York  Cavalry,  to  which  our  subject,  belonged 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


197 


until  May,  1863.  He  was  then  promoted  to  the 
position  of  Second  Lieutenant,  and  was  transferred 
to  the  Thirteenth  New  York  Cavalry.  He  was 
subsequently  made  First  Lieutenant  of  his  com- 
pany, and  later  was  commissioned  its  Captain,  and 
commanded  the  company  the  last  twelve  months 
of  his  service. 

Our  subject  distinguished,  himself  in  various 
encounters  with  the  enemy,  and  won  his  spurs  on 
many  a  hard  fought  battlefield,  where  he  gave 
ample  proof  of  intrepidity,  cool  daring  and  de- 
votion to  the  cause  of  the  In  ion.  seconded  by 
tact  as  a  leader  and  quick  wit  and  sagacity  in  case 
of  emergencies.  He  was  serving  under  Gen.  Kil- 
patrick  during  Stoneman's  raid,  and  it  was  his 
regiment  that  got  inside  the  works  around 
Richmond,  captured  a  few  prisoners,  including 
some  rebel  officers,  and  dated  their  paroles  from 
that  city.  Captain  Castle  was  with  the  advanced 
corps  at  the  battle  of  Falmouth,  his  regiment  being 
the  first  to  cross  the  river  into  Fredericksburg,and 
it  guarded  the  rear  of  Pope's  army  dining  the  re- 
treat from  Rapidan  to  Fairfax  Court  House.  He 
was  with  Sheridan  in  his  campaign  in  the  Shenan- 
doah Valley,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  battle 
of  Winchester.  January  11,  18G5,  the  captain 
resigned  his  commission  and  bade  farewell  to  mili- 
tary life  on  account  of  disability. 

Our  subject  returned  to  Connecticut  after  he 
left  the  army,  and  then  came  once  again  to  Carlin- 
ville.  He  gave  his  attention  io  farming  until 
1873,  and  then  engaged  in  the  livery  business 
which  lie  conducted  until  1890.  In  February  of 
that  year  he  was  appointed  Postmaster,  and  has 
ever  since  been  at  the  head  of  the  postoffice  in  this 
city.  He  is  managing  the  affairs  entrusted  to  his 
care,  methodically,  promptly,  and  in  a  business 
like  manner,  so  as  to  satisfy  all  concerned,  and  his 
courtesy  and  geniality  render  him  very  popular. 
He  has  held  other  prominent  positions,  and  in 
every  case  has  displayed  that  true  public  spirit 
that  seeks  to  promote  the  highest  welfare  of  the 
country  regardless  of  personal  aggrandizement. 
He  was  a  member  of  Hie  Board  of  Aldermen,  of 
Carlinville,  from  the  First  Ward  one  term,  and  in 
1878  he  was  elected  Mayor  of  the  city.  In  licit 
capacity    he  used    his     influence    to    forward    all 


schemes  for  the  benefit  of  the  public,  and  gave 
hearty  support  to  all  measures  calculated  to  pro- 
mote the  growth  of  the  municipality. 

In  1884  Mr.  Cattle  was  elected  lo  the  State 
Legislature,  and  he  look  an  active  part  in  that 
memorable  contest  that  lasted  from  January  until 
May,  ami  terminated  in  the  election  of  John  A. 
Logan  to  the  United  States  Senate,  he  standing 
firmly  by  the  General  from  first  to  last.  Politic- 
ally, the  Republican  party  has  always  found  in  him 
a  stanch  adherent  since  he  cast  his  first  Presidential 
vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  has  been  identified 
with  the  Macoupin  County  Board  of  Agriculture 
for  many  years,  has  served  it  as  Director  and  Pres- 
ident, and  for  six  years  he  has  been  Secretary  of 
Hie  board, that  owes  much  to  his  zeal  in  its  behalf. 
Socially,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Dan  Messick  Post, 
No.  339,  G.  A.  R.;of  Mt.  Nebo  Lodge,  No.  76,  A. 
F.  A-  A.  M.;of  Orient  Lodge,  No.  95,  K.  P.;  of 
Silver  Lodge,  No.  325,  K.  of  H.;  and  of  Carlinville 
Camp,  No.  125,  M.  W.  A. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  September  8,  1868, 
with  Miss  Emma  B.  Fish  back,  a  native  of  Ala- 
bama, and  a  daughter  of  William  II.  and  Margaret 
Fishback,  has  been  one  of  mutual  happiness.  They 
have  three  children  living  — William  II.,  Louisa  R. 
and  George  J.  Their  youngest  child,  Clara  Belle, 
died  at  the  age  of  seven  years. 


■:■%•*•%* 


«-"7^»HA\TS  M.  MITCHELL,  who  resides  on  his 
(r~\  pleasant  farm  on  section  36,  Brushy  Mound 
vfy  Township,  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being 
the  oldest  native-born  citizen  of  said  township. 
His  birth  took  place  in  his  father's  log  cabin  on  sec- 
tion 24,  February  13,  1833,  he  being  the  second 
son  born  to  Elijah  and  .lane  (Moore)  Mitchell. 
See  sketch  of  William  T.  Mitchell  for  parental  his- 
tory. 

Travis  M.  attended  the  pioneer  schools  of  this 
locality,  which  were  taught  in  a  log  house  on  the 
subscription  plan,  each  family  paying  in  proportion 
lo  the  number  of  scholars  sent.  The  teacher 
'■'hoarded  around"  with  the   parents  of    the    pupils 


198 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RKCORD. 


throughout  the  district.  Our  subject  was  clothed 
in  homespun  manufactured  by  the  deft  hands  of 
his  mother,  and  the  food  that  he  and  the  rest  of  the 
family  ate  was  cooked  by  her  before  an  open  fire- 
place. Before  the  advent  of  the  railways  the  peo- 
ple lived  principally  on  the  products  of  the  farm. 

Our  subject  remained  at  home  until  1854  with 
his  parents,  and  his  father  then,  oil  his  attain- 
ing his  majority-  gave  him  a  horse  and  saddle, 
which,  with  about  $20  in  cash,  comprised  his  entire 
capital  with  which  to  begin  life  on  his  own  ac- 
count. But  that  was  sufficient  for  a  young  man 
of  his  calibre  and  wide-awake  activity,  and  in  the 
course  of  time  he  has  increased  it  many  fold,  and 
is  one  of  the  wealthy  men  of  his  township.  In  the 
fall  of  the  same  year  that  he  left  the  parental  abode, 
after  engaging  for  awhile  in  driving  a  team  to 
break  prairie,  receiving  half  the  profits,  he  rented 
of  John  Moore  a  tract  of  land  in  Honey  Point 
Township,  and  put  in  a  crop  of  wheat.  In  1876 
his  father  gave  him  seventy  acres  of  prairie  on  the 
western  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  36, 
Brushy  Mound  Township,  and  which  is  included  in 
his  present  farm.  The  same  year  he  bought  twenty 
acres  of  land  adjoining  his  place,  and  ten  acres  of 
which  were  timber.  He  has  developed  his  estate 
into  a  fine  farm,  which  is  replete  with  all  modern 
improvements,  including  a  neat  and  commodious 
set  of  frame  buildings,  and  his  well  kept  fields  and 
pastures  yield  him  a  handsome  income.  He  has  in- 
creased the  acreage  of  his  farm  until  he  has  four 
hundred  and  ninety-five  acres  of  realty  that  is  in  a 
fine  condition. 

On  the  15th  of  April,  1858.  Mr.  Mitchell  mar- 
ried Miss  Sarah  Eliza  Jackson,  a  native  of  Honey 
Point  Township,  where  she  was  born  November  25, 
1840.  Their  pleasant  wedded  life  has  brought  to 
them  one  son,  Frederick  Elijah.  Our  subject  and 
his  estimable  wife  enjoy  to  a  marked  degree  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  all  who  know  them,  as  in 
their  daily  lives  they  show  themselves  to  be  kindly, 
warm-hearted  people,  who  are  thoughtful  and  geu- 
erous  toward  others,  and  are  in  every  sense  of  the 
word  Christians.  Religiously,  they  are  valued 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

Mrs.  Mitchell  comes  of  one  of  the  old  and  well- 
known  pioneer  families  of  this  county.    Her  father, 


Frederick  A.  Jackson,  was  born  in  Claysville,  Har- 
rison County,  Ky.,  October  1,  1818,  and  was  a  son 
of  William  Jackson,  a  native  of  the  same  county. 
The  father  of  the  latter,  great-grandfather  of  Mrs. 
Mitchell,  was  Jonathan  Jackson.  He  was  a  native 
of  Virginia,  where  he  was  reared  and  married, 
Eliza  Olds  becoming  his  wife.  She  was  also  a  Vir- 
ginian, and  was  a  daughter  of  Jesse  Olds,  a  native 
of  the  same  State.  Mr.  Olds  removed  from  Vir- 
ginia to  the  Northwest  Territory  in  the  early  days 
of  the  settlement  of  that  part  of  the  country,  and 
.stopped  fur  a  time  on  the  present  site  of  Vincennes, 
which  was  then  a  trailing  post.  From  there  he 
went  to  Harrison  County,  Ky.,  and  taught  in  dif- 
ferent seminaries  and  academies  in  that  State,  hav- 
ing previously  taught  at  Vermont  and  Vincennes. 
He  was  a  graduate  of  Yale  College,  and  a  line 
scholar.  He  also  seems  to  have  been  a  thorough 
business  man,  for.  coming  to  Macoupin  County  in 
18:54,  he  settled  in  Honey  Point  Township,  buying 
with  his  son  Augustus  quite  a  tract  of  land;  he  be- 
came wealthy,  and  at  one  time  owned  upward  of 
thirty  thousand  acres  in  this  county.  He  taught  a 
few  terms  in  Honey  Point  Township  when  he  first 
located  there,  and  he  resided  there  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife,  great- 
greal-grandmother  of  Mrs.  Mitchell,  was  Mercy 
Taft.  She  was  born  in  Massachusetts  and  died  in 
Madison  County,  this  State. 

After  his  marriage,  Jonathan  Jackson  went  to 
Kentucky  and  was  a  pioneer  of  Harrison  County, 
where  he  bought  land  and  improved  a  farm,  his 
death  taking  place  there.  His  son  William  Jack- 
son, was  a  blacksmith,  and  carried  on  his  trade  in 
connection  with  farming,  his  entire  life  being 
passed  in  Harrison  County,  when;  he  died  in  1849. 
His  wife  survived  him  many  years,  her  death  finally 
occurring  at  Claysville,  Ky.,  in  July,    1887. 

Frederick  A.  Jackson  was  reared  in  his  native 
county,  and  when  eighteen  years  old  left  the  pa- 
rental home  and  came  to  Illinois  by  the  way  of  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers  to  Alton,  and  thence 
on  foot  to  his  destination  in  this  county.  He  found 
employment  on  a  farm,  working  by  the  month.  At 
the  time  of  his  marriage  he  settled  on  a  wild  tract 
of  land  he  had  purchased  in  Honey  Point  Town- 
ship.    He  erected  a  log  house  in  which  he  and  his 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


199 


bride  commenced  housekeeping,  and  lived  there 
about  seventeen  years.  He  then  sold  his  property 
in  this  county,  and  went  back  to  Kentucky,  and  re- 
mained there  three  years.  He  then  returned  to 
Macoupin  County,  where  he  has  since  resided,  pur- 
chasing the  farm  he  now  occupies  in  Brushy  Mound 
Township. 

Mr.  Jackson  was  married  March  7,  1839,  to  Miss 
Sarah  Scott,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Martha  Scott,  also  natives 
of  that  State,  and  pioneers  of  this  county.  After  a 
marriage  of  more  than  half  a  century  Mrs.  Jackson 
departed  this  life  June  6,  1890,  leaving  behind  her 
the  record  of  many  well -spent  days. 


ESHACH  SIIULTZ,  one  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  Shipman,  who  is  now  a  retired 
farmer,  is  the  gentleman  whose  name  is  at 
the  head  of  this  biographical  notice.  His 
father  was  Adam  Shultz  who  was  born  in  Somerset 
County,  Pa.,  about  the  year  1789.  His  mother 
trad  Nancy  Shockey,  who  was  also  a  native  of  the 
same  portion  of  the  country  as  her  husband,  her 
birth  year  being  1802.  After  marriage  they  set- 
tled in  their  native  county  and  in  the  course  of 
time  removed  from  there  to  Alleghany  County, 
Md.,  in  May,  1836,  and  lived  there  until  his 
death  which  occurred  in  1864  when  he  was  in  his 
seventy-sixth  year.  His  widow  came  to  Illinois 
about  1866  and  still  resides  in  Shipman  with  her 
daughter.  They  had  a  large  family  of  fourteen 
children  of  whom  our  subject  was  the  seventh  in 
order  of  birth. 

Mr.  Shultz  was  born  in  Somerset  County,  Pa., 
May  28,  1831.  He  was  about  five  years  of  age 
when  his  parents  removed  to  Alleghany  County, 
Md.  There  he  grew  to  manhood  under  the  mild 
influences  incident  to  farm  life.  Arriving  at  years 
of  manhood  he  was  united  in  marriage  in  bis 
adopted  State  March  20,  1853  to  Miss  Charlotte 
Augustine,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  F.  R.  and  Jus- 
dinah  (Null)  Augustine.  The  former  was  a  native 
of  Somerset  County,  Pa.,  and  the  latter  was  born 
near  Hagerstown,  Md.     They  settled    in    Somerset 


County,  Pa.,  and  there  lived  until  he  died,  when 
about  forty  years  of  age.  The  mother  still  sur- 
vives, at  an  advanced  age.  They  had  ten  children 
of  whom  Mrs.  Shultz  is  the  third.  She  was  born 
in  Somerset  County,  Pa.,  April  80,  1835.  There 
she  grew  to  womanhood  and  lived  until  her  mar- 
riage. 

The  original  of  this  life  record  with  his  wife, 
spent  the  first  years  of  married  life  in  Alleghany 
County,  Md.,  and  Somerset  County-,  Pa.,  until  1869 
when  they  came  to  this  county  and  settled  in  Ship- 
man  Township  on  section  24,  where  they  continued 
to  live  until  the  spring  of  1891,  when  our  subject 
retired  from  the  active  duties  of  farm  life  which 
he  had  so  long  pursued  and  removed  to  the  village 
of  Shipman  where  with  his  amiable  and  most 
worthy  wife  he  intends  to  pass  the  afternoon  of  a 
life  that  has  been  occupied  with  the  affairs  and 
business  of  an  energetic  career. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shultz  have  welcomed  to  their 
hearthstone  eight  children.  They  are:  Marshall  A. 
Alonzo  M.,  Jennie,  Franklin  S-,  Cora  M.,  Herman 
J.,  Alice  L.,  and  Chester  A.  The  eldest  child  died 
when  only  four  years  of  age.  Alonzo  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Margaret  Mitchell.  Jennie 
is  the  wife  of  William  A.  Fisher.  Franklin  mar- 
ried Miss  Jessie  F.  Talley ;  Cora  is  the  partner  of 
the  joys  and  sorrows  of  F.  M.  Dodson;  Herman 
was  united  to  Miss  Winifred  Smith.  All  of  the 
children  are  bright  and  intelligent  and  hold  pro- 
minent positions  in  the  social  life  of  the  commu- 
nity. 

The  original  of  this  sketch  has  filled  the  office  of 
Supervisor  of  Shipman  Township  for  three  years 
and  has  been  a  School  Director  for  three  years. 
He  is  now  serving  as  Supervisor.  He  is  a  man  who 
takes  an  active  interest  in  all  local  affairs.  He  af- 
filiates with  the  Democratic  party  with  whom  he 
casts  the  weight  of  his  influence  and  vote.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shultz  are  active  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  being  generous  supporters  of  the 
same.  The  greater  part  of  our  subject's  life  has 
been  spent  in  farming  although  for  two  years  he 
was  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  at  Grantsville, 
Md.  The  farm  which  he  owned  for  so  many  years 
boasts  many  fine  buildings.  The  home  farm  con- 
sisted of  three    hundred  and    twenty    acres  and  he 


200 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


also  owned  an  adjoining  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  both-  located  in  Shipman  Township.  He 
is  a  member  in  good  standing  of  the  Knights  of 
Honor. 

SS*§3 


ERNST  A.  BFX'HTEL,  proprietor  of  the 
Staunton  Nursery,  which  is  located  on  sec- 
_!  tion  29,  in  the  town  of  .Staunton,  is  num- 
bered among  the  early  settlers  of  the  county  of 
1856,  his  residence  here  comprising  a  period  of 
thirty-five  consecutive  years.  Of  German  birth, 
he  first  opened  his  eves  to  the  light  of  day  in  the 
city  of  Bremen,  January  24,  1830,  and  before  he 
had  attained  his  majority  he  came  to  this  country. 
His  father,  Cornelius  Bechtel,  was  also  a  native  of 
Bremen,  and  became  a  leading  wholesale  merchant 
of  that  city,  where  he  successfully  carried  on  oper- 
ations, becoming  a  wealthy  man.  He  grew  to 
manhood  under  the  care  of  an  elder  sister,  for  his 
father  had  died  when  he  was  ten  years  of  age.  In 
Aldenburg,  Germany,  he  wedded  Miss  Sophia 
Gelher,  a  native  of  that  city.  His  death  occurred 
in  1850,  at  the  age  of  sixty  three  years.  She  long 
survived  her  husband  ami  died  November  30, 
1887,  when  nearly  eighty-three  years  of  age.  Both 
were  members  of  the  German  Reformed  Church 
and  were  people  of  prominence  in  Bremen,  where 
they  occupied  a  high  social  position.  By  their 
marriage  were  born  two  sons — our  subject  and  his 
brother  Heniy,  who  died  in  Germany  when  a  young 
man.  By  a  former  marriage  Mr.  Bechtel  iiad  be- 
come the  father  of  six  children,  three  daughters 
and  three  sons.  The  latter  all  came  to  America 
and  two  became  prominent  merchants  of  New  York 
City.  The  other  son  returned  and  succeeded  to 
his  father's  wholesale  business  in  Bremen.  He  died 
some  years  ago. 

As  his  father  was  well  off,  our  subject  was  en 
abled  to  secure,  a  good  education,  and  was  thus 
fitted  for  life's  duties.  At  the  age  of  nineteen,  in 
1849,  he  bade  good-by  to  home  and  friends,  took 
passage  upon  the  sailing-vessel  "Gaston,"  com- 
manded by  Capt.  Blanke,  and  at  length  arrived  in 
New  York.  He  spent  one  year  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  Empire  State  and  then  went  to  Washing- 


ton, I).  G.  where  h<:  lived  until  he  had  attained 
his  majority  and  wedded  Miss  Mary  L.  Gilde- 
meister,  who  was  born  in  Prussia,  January  17, 
1835,  and  comes  of  a  very  prominent  and  cultured 
family.  Among  her  relatives  was  one  famed  tor 
his  literary  productions.  He  was  also  a  diplomat 
and  served  as  State  Ambassador.  He  was  killed  by 
the  hand  of  an  assassin.  Otto  Gildemeister,  a  cousin 
of  Mrs.  Bechtel,  is  a  prominent  German  author 
and  translator,  who  has  translated  into  his  na 
live  tongue  the  works  of  Shakespeare  and  Byron 
Mrs.  Bechtel  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Wilhel- 
mina  (Simonetti)  Gildemeister,  natives  of  Ger- 
many, and  they  were  descended  from  families  of 
note  and  worth.  Among  their  relatives  were  those 
who  held  high  positions  under  the  Government. 
The  mother  was  the  daughter  of  an  Italian  musi- 
cian who  became  the  leader  of  a  celebrated  or- 
chestra. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gildemeister  began  their  domestic 
life  in  Bremen  and  alter  some  time  he  accepted  a 
position  as  professor  in  a  leading  agricultural  col- 
lege of  Prussia,  his  situation  being  for  life,  but, 
desiring  to  give  his  children  better  opportunities, 
he  decided  to  come  to  America  and  in  1848,  with 
his  family,  sailed  across  the  Atlantic.  He  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  the  District  of  Columbia  ami 
nine  years  later,  with  his  wife  and  children,  some 
of  whom  were  already  married,  came  to  Macoupin 
County.  111.,  locating  in  Bunker  Hill  Township, 
where  they  resided  until  their  removal  to  Bunker 
Hill  to  live  retired.  Mrs.  Gildemeister  died  in 
1870,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  Mr.  Gilde- 
meister is  still  living  in  Bunker  Hill,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety-seven  years.  His  mental 
faculties  are  still  unimpaired,  but  he  now  suffers 
from  a  paralytic  stroke.  He  belongs  to  the  Ger- 
man Reformed  Church.  <  f  which  his  wife  was  also 
a  member. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bechtel  have  been  born  five 
children.  Wilhclmina  Minnie  became  the  wife  of 
John  W.  Turk,  who  died  in  Staunton  Township, 
in  1885,  leaving  his  widow  and  a  daughter,  Bertha, 
to  mourn  his  loss.  They  now  reside  with  her 
parents.  Henry  C.  is  engaged  in  the  wholesale 
grocery  business  in  Springfield,  Mo.;  August  It. 
is  extensively   engaged    in   business  as  a   nursery- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


201 


man;  Mary  L.  is  the  wife  of  Samuel  Payne,  an 
attomey-at-law  residing  in  Greenfield,  Mo.;  Theo- 
dore is  assist  inn  Ins  brother  in  the  nursery  busi- 
ness.  The  Bechtel  family  is  numbered  among  the 
prominent  people  of  Macoupin  County  and  well 
deserve  to  occupy  that  rank. 

Mr.  Bechtel,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  .1  Re- 
publican in  politics,  and  in  all  that  pertains  to  the 
welfare  and  upbuilding  of  the  community  he  has 
ever  borne  his  part.  He  made  farming  his  busi- 
ness until  he  engaged  in  li is  present  line  of  t'-ade. 
On  coming  to  this  county,  he  located  upon  a  farm 
in  Dorchester  Township,  about  half  way  between 
Staunton  and  Bunker  Hill,  where  he  carried  on 
agricultural  pursuits  for  six  years,  lie  then  estab- 
lished a  nursery  and  vineyard,  and  has  since  car- 
ried mi  that  business.  His  home  is  now  on  sec- 
tion 29,  where  eight  years  ago  lie  established  the 
Staunton  Nursery.  He  carries  all  kinds  of  nur- 
sery  plants,  shrubbery  and  vegetables  of  excellent 
varieties,  and  has  now  a  large  wholesale  and  retail 
trade.  The  home  comprises  fifteen  acres  of  line  land 
and  is  beautifully  adorned  with  trees  anil  shrubs. 
Willi  Mr.  Bechtel  in  business  the  sons  are  associ- 
ated, and  they  now  do  the  principal  part  of  the 
work,  relieving  their  father  of  the  more  arduous 
labors. 


Vj/OIIN  T.  CAIN,  who  is  engaged  in  farming 
on  section  f>,  Honey  Point  'township,  is  a 
Southerner  by  birth,  the  place  of  his  nativ- 
ity being  Grayson  County,  Ivy.,  and  the 
date,  May  3,  184G.  lie  is  a  son  of  Abraham  P. 
Cain,  who  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  native  of  the 
same  county.  The  father  of  the  latter,  Patrick 
:  Cain,  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  on  coming  to  Amer- 
ica settled  among  the  pioneers  of  Grayson  County, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  there  spent  his 
i  last  years. 

Abraham  P.  Cain  was  reared  on  a  Kentucky  farm, 
and   continued    to    live  in   his  native   State    until 
I  1850,  when   he  came  to  Illinois,  accompanied   by 
:  his  wife  and  three  children.     They  made    Jie  jour- 
ney with  a  team,  bringing  all   their   household    ef- 
|  fects  with  them  and    cooking    and   camping    often 


by  the  way.  A  tier  arriving  in  this  State,  Mr.  Cain 
located  in  Jersey  County,  residing  a  short  time  on 
Hawkin's  Prairie,  then  removed  to  Kemper's  sta- 
tion, where  he  lived  two  years.  He  next  rented  a 
farm  south  of  there,  and  dwelt  upon  it  until  1860, 
when  became  to  Macoupin  County,  and  purchased 
a  tract  of  partly  improved  land  in  Shipman  Town- 
ship. At  that  time  Alton  was  the  nearest  market 
and  depot  for  supplies,  there  being  no  railways  here 
then.  He  engaged  in  the  improvement  of  his  farm, 
and  made  his  home  here  until  his  death.  The  name 
of  his  wife  before  marriage  was  Nancy  Downs. 
She  is  a  Kentuckian  by  birth,  and  a  daughter  of 
Israel  Downs.  She  is  living  at  a  venerable  age, 
making  her  home  on  the  home  farm,  and  is  the 
mother  of  seven  children,  namely, —  Margaret  A., 
John  T.,  Sarah  C.  Israel  Taylor,  James  W.,  Mary 
E.  and  J.  Hardin. 

John  T.  Cain,  of  whom  these  lines  are  written 
was  bin  live  years  old  when  the  family  came  to  Ill- 
inois, and  lie  remembers  well  the  incidents  of  pio- 
neer life  in  Jersey  County,  during  his  boyhood. 
At  the  time  that  they  settled  there  the  country 
still  retained  much  o!  its  primitive  condition,  and 
dter  and  other  wild  game  were  numerous.  He  was 
reared  on  a  farm,  assisting  in  its  manifold  duties, 
and  gaining  a  good  practical  knowledge  of  agricul- 
ture'hat  has  been  of  value  to  him  since  he  began 
his  independent  career  as  .1  farmer.  In  1872  he 
rented  land  in  Brushy  Mound  Township,  which  he 
cultivated  very  profitably,  and  he  continued  to  re- 
side in  that  township,  until  1882,  when  he  bought 
and  removed  to  the  farm  he  now  occupies  in  Honey 
Point  Township.  This  farm,  with  its  carefully 
tilled  acres,  its  productive  soil,  and  its  excellent 
improvements,  is  a  valuable  piece  of  property,  and 
yields  its  owner  a  comfortable  income. 

November  4,  1875,  Mr.  Cain  married  Miss  Mary 
E.  Morgan,  a  native  of  this  county,  East  Oarlinvillc 
Township,  her  birthplace.  Their  pleasant  wedded 
life  has  been  blessed  to  them  by  the  birth  of  six 
children,  namely:  Edward  R.,  Leola,  Ruby  C,  Ina 
H.,  John  R.  and  Margaret  A. 

Mrs.  Cain's  father,  Thomas  Morgan,  was  born  in 
Shropshire,  England.  February  21,  L829.  He  re- 
mained in  his  native  land  until  he  was  twenty  foul- 
years  old.  when  he  came  to  America,    crossing    the 


202 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ocean  in  a  sailing-vessel,  and  landing  at  New  Or- 
leans. From  that  city  he  came  northward  as  far 
as  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and  after  tarrying  there  a  year, 
he  came  to  this  county.  He  resided  for  two  years 
at  Carlinville,  and  then  settled  at  South  Otter 
Township,  of  which  he  has  since  been  a  resident. 
He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  worked  on  some 
of  the  first  frame  houses  ever  erected  at  Carlinville. 
He  followed  his  trade  for  a  time  after  locating  in 
South  Otter  Township,  but  for  many  years  has  de- 
voted himself  to  farming,  and  owns  a  good  farm 
of  forty  acres. 

Mr.  Morgan  was  married  in  this  county  July  10, 
1851,  to  Miss  Harriet  Walton,  who  was  born  in  New 
York  City,  February  20,  1832.  They  have  five 
children  as  follows, — Mary  E.,  Florence,  William 
L.,  Minnie  II.  and  Thomas  E. 


— Ht-gt^gg^g  i.  ;■> 


^4  Rs-  CLAKA   M.  (RICE)  STEIDLEY,  was 

born  in  South  Palmyra  Township,  April 
17,  1841.  Her  father,  Richard  Rice,  was  a 
Virginian  and  was  born  April  30,  1795. 
His  father,  Edwin  Rice,  also  spent  his  entire  days 
as  far  as  is  known  in  Virginia.  The  father  of  Airs. 
Steidley  was  reared  and  married  in  his  native 
State,  and  removed  thence  to  Kentucky,  and  in 
1830  to  Illinois  where  he  made  his  home  in  Mac- 
oupin County.  This  removal  was  made  by  team 
and  he  brought  with  him  not  only  his  wife  and 
five  children  but  also  all  his  household  goods  and 
possessions.  He  settled  in  what  is  now  South  Pal- 
myra Township  and  made  claim  to  a  tract  of  Gov- 
ernment land. 

The  same  fall  Mr.  Rice  returned  to  Kentucky  on 
horseback  and  brought  back  with  him  to  Illinois 
his  brother  and  family  as  well  as  two  other  fam- 
ilies. He  returned  to  Illinois  in  time  to  encounter 
the  severities  of  the  winter  of  1830,  which  is  noted 
as  the  season  of  deep  snow.  He  and  his  family 
lived  during  that  winter  in  a  log  cabin  of  one 
apartment.  Nothing  daunted  by  this  experience 
which  must  have  been  a  severe  one  to  people  coming 
from  the  southland,  he  went  to  work  in  the  spring 


to  put  his  farm  in   condition   for  cultivation,  and 
'  made  his  residence  there  until   his  death   in   1856. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Clara  Ann  Cave.  She  was  born  in  Virginia  and 
was  the  daughter  of  Thomas  Cave,  who  spent  his 
last  days  in  Kentucky  and  died  in  1878.  The 
mother  of  Mrs.  Steidley  reared  eleven  children, 
five  of  whom  are  now  living.  In  the  early  settle- 
ment of  this  county  the  farmers  were  obliged  to 
live  entirely  upon  the  products  of  the  farm  as  they 
were  so  far  removed  from  any  market  and  Mrs. 
Rice  and  her  children  weie  clothed  from  material 
manufactured  by  her  own  hand.  They  raised  tlax 
and  sheep  upon  the  farm  and  she  was  accustomed 
to  card  and  spin  the  wool  and  to  spin  the  flax  and 
from  these  materials  to  weave  cloth  for  their 
clothing. 

Clara  Rice    resided   with   her   mother    until    her 
marriage  in  1861  to  Solomon  J.  Steidley,  who  was 
born  in  Virginia,  and  was  the  son    of  Joseph  and 
Elvira  Steidley.      After   marriage   Mr.  and    Mrs. 
Steidley  resided  upon  the  old    Steidley    homestead 
in  South    Palmyra  Township   for  some   time  and 
then  bought  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  North 
Palmyra  Township  adjoining  the  village  of  Palmy- 
ra and  partly  situated  within  its  bounds.  He  carried 
on  agriculture  and  was  also  engaged  in  the  sale  of 
farming  implements  until  his  death,  but  he  was  not 
destined  to  a  long  life  for  he  was  called  from  earth  in 
June  1878,  leaving  a  widow  and  three  children    to 
mourn  his  loss.     The  children  are  named   Charles 
L.,  Rosa  B.  and  Mary  E.     In  early   life   both   Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Steidley  became  members  of  the  Method- 
ist  Episcopal    Church  and  ever  found  in  it  a  broad 
field  of  labor  and  influence.      Mr.   Steidley  served 
his  church  as  both  Steward  and   Class  Leader  and 
was  an  active  worker  in  the    Sunday-school.     In 
his    death  his  brethren  realized  that  they  met  <i 
loss  which  was  irreparable.     He  was  a  member  of 
Palmyra  Lodge,  No.  163  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Palmyra 
Lodge  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and   in   politics   easts  his   vote 
and  uses  his  influence   for  the   promotion    of    tbe 
Republican    party.     He  has  been  a  traveler  to  a 
considerable  extent  and  in  1852  went  to  California, 
making  the  journey  across  the  plains  with  a  team. 
Two  of  his    brothers,  Samuel   and    James,    served 
their  country   during   the   War  of  the  Rebellion. 


i/BRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVntfrry  r-  i 


t      !»'/-    •' 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


20') 


John  Rice,  Mrs.  Steidley's  brother,  was  out'  of  the 
"one  hundred  days'  boys"  who  went  out  in  1864 
and  .lames  who  belonged  to  the  Thirty-second  Illi- 
nois Infantry,  fell  mortally  wounded  at  Shiloh, 
April  6,  1862.  Mrs.  Steidley's  brother,  Joseph 
Bice,  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  He  was 
First  Lieutenant. 


EN.   RICHARD  ROWETT.     At.  no  time  in 
the  history  of  our  nation    were  the  grand- 
est qualities  of    heroism   SO    brilliantly    dis- 
played as  during  the  Civil  War,  and    high  on    the 

roll  of  honor  we  place  the  name  of  those  who  main- 
tained unsullied  the  glory  of  this  mighty  nation. 
When  gloomy  war  with  all  its  horrors  rent  in  twain 
a  once  united  people,  there  were  not  wanting  brave 
men  to  offer  their  lives  in  defense  of  liberty,  to 
dare,  and  do  and  die  before  the  altar  of  patriotism. 
In  hours  of  peril  no  one  faltered,  but  all.  generals 
and  privates,  military  and  civilians,  fought  with  an 
intrepidity  which  never  failed  them.  In  dire  dis- 
aster they  became  individually  heroic,  and  fought 
for  that  prosperity  which  in  civic  life  they  had 
achieved. 

The  residents  of  Macoupin  County  and  of  the 
Stale  of  Illinois,  point  with  pride  to  the  record 
made  in  the  Civil  War  by  the  late  lien.  Rowett, 
whose  portrait  accompanies  this  sketch.  Imbued 
with  an  intense  love  for  the  land  of  his  adoption, 
and  fired  with  a  determination  to  uphold  her  in 
stitutions,  he  enlisted  at  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war,  and  served  valiantly  on  many  a  hard-fought 
battlefield.  Asa  private  citizen  and  as  a  public 
Official  his  career  was  alike  stainless  and  honorable; 
hi  bis  home,  surrounded  by  a  devoted  wife  and  lov- 
ing children,  he  enjoyed  a  needed  relaxation  from 
Lhc  duties  of  public  life  and  there  found  his  great- 
!Sl  pleasures.  Although  removed  from  the  scenes 
>f  earth  ere  yet  old  age  had  come  to  him.  he  had 
•von  a  reputation  which  was  not  bounded  by  any 
nbitrary  divisions  of  county  or  Suite.  A  grateful 
lountry  honors  his  memory,  and  generations  vet 
o  come  will  revere  his  name. 

Although  not  a  native  of  the  1'nited  States,   in 
*liefs,  ideas  and    principles    he    was   intensely 


American.       The  place  of  his  nativity  was  England, 
and  he  was  born  in  East  Looo,  Cornwall,   in    1830. 
In  far-famed   Britain  he  grew  to  manhood,  and  hav- 
ing early  laid  the  foundation  of  an  upright  charac- 
ter and  possessing  an  intellect  of  a  very  high  order, 
there  was  everything  in  his  personal  qualities  to 
indicate    a    career   of    usefulness.      The   knowledge 
which  he  gained  from  the  Inst   literature  of  the  day 
was   of    inestimable    value   to   him.      History,   bio- 
graphy   and    oratory     gradually    enkindled     in    his 
heart  a  desire  to  be  something  more  than  a   mere 
worker  with  his  hands,  and  he  became,  almost   un- 
known to  himself,  a  well-informed,   elucated  man. 
When   twenty-one  years  of  age  he  left  his  home 
and  crossed  the  broad  Atlantic- and  sought  in  Amer- 
ica, what  the  future  might  hold  in  keeping  for  him. 
In  the  State  of  Indiana  he    passed  three  years  in  a 
buggy,    harness  and    trimming  establishment.      In 
1854  he  removed  to  this  county  where  he  remained 
until  called  hence.      The  first  years  of  his  residence 
here  were  times  to  try  the  souls  of   men;   war    was 
threatening   and    danger     lurked    on    every    hand. 
Finally  affairs  reached  a  crisis,  and  the  gun  fired  at 
Ft.   Sumter    echoed    round    the    world.      When    the 
war  broke  out  in  lotil  he  was   commissioned    Cap- 
tain of  Company  K,  Seventh  Illinois  Infantry.    His 
skill  as  commander  soon  attracted  attention,  and  he 
was  promoted  to    Major,    Lieutenant-Colonel,    Col- 
onel and  was  lnvvetled  Brigadier-General  for  spec- 
ial acts  ,,;'  gallantry  at  Allatoona.     In  three  differ- 
ent engagements  he  received  as  many  severe  wounds, 
at  Shiloh.  Corinth  and  Allatoona. 

Impressed  with  the  ability  and  attainments  of 
Gen.  Rowett.  Gov.  Palmer  appointed  him  Canal 
Commissioner,  and.  in  1871  he  accepted  the  appoint- 
ment of  Penitentiary  Commissioner.  In  1876  he 
took  his  scat  in  the  Thirtieth  General  Assembly  as 
a  representative  from  Macoupin  County.  Though 
never  radical  in  politics,  his  vote  and  sympathies 
weic  with  the  Republican  party,  and  the  testimony 
comes  from  all  his  acquaintances  that  his  ability 
and  integrity  won,  to  a  very  unusual  degree,  the 
respect  of  his  associates.  His  popularity  obtained 
for  him  the  office  of  Internal  Revenue  Commis- 
sioner for  the  Fourth  District  the  appointment  be- 
ing made  by  President  Garfield.  Hire  as  elsewhere, 
he    nobly    discharged  the  duties  incumbent    upon 


206 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


him,  and  the  efficiency  which  characterized  his 
every  effort  was  noticeable  in  this  important  posi- 
tion. 

Notwithstanding  the  many  official  duties  which 
devolved  upon  him,  he  pursued  the  interests  of  his 
farm,  which  consisted  of  two  hundred  acres  on  sec- 
tion 17,  and  gave  especial  attention  to  the  bleeding 
of  thoroughbred  horses.  His  death  was  very  sud- 
den and  occurred  in  Chicago,  this  State,  at  Wash- 
ington Park,  July  13,  1887.  Since  his  demise  his 
widow  has  superintended  the  affairs  of  the  farm  be- 
side guarding  the  interests  of  her  three  children — 
Mary,  Edith  K.  and  Richard.  Archibel  died  when 
three  years  old.  Gen,  Rowett  was  twice  married, 
and  by  his  first  wife  had  one  son,  Charles.  His 
widow  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Ella  Braley,  and 
grew  to  womanhood  among  the  people  of  Macou- 
pin County,  of  which  she  is  still  an  honored  resi- 
dent. Her  father,  Ellison  Braley,  is  spoken  of  at 
length  elsewhere  in  his  volume;  her  mother  Cath- 
erine (Coon)  Braley.  was  a  native  of  New  York. 
The  parents  were  married  in  New  York  City,  aim 
emigrating  to  Illinois  in  1840,  settled  in  Collinsville. 
Madison  County,  where  Mrs.  Rowett  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1848.  Some  years  afterward  they  re- 
moved to  Macoupin  County,  and  are  now  residents 
of  Carlinville.  Of  the  six  children  born  to  them, 
Mrs.  Rowett  was  the  third.  The  uneventful  years 
of  her  maidenhood  were  passed  in  her  father's  home 
where  she  enjoyed  the  educational  advantages  of  a 
common  school.  On  February  12,  1874,  she  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Gen.  Richard  Rowett,  in 
Carlinville,  and  their  happy  wedded  life  was  ter- 
minated by  the  death  of  the  Genera]  in  l*s7. 


x.R.  ROBERT  J.  HORNSBT  is  the  owner 
of  one  of  the  beautiful  residences  of 
Bunker  Hill,  and  it  will  probably  continue 
to  be  his  home  during  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  He  has  been  identified  with  the  history 
of  the  county  for  about  forty-five  years  and  is 
numbered  among  its  wealthy  citizens.  He  was 
born  in  Shelby  County,  Ky..  September  13,  1819, 
and  is  of  English  descent,  the  family  having  been 


founded  in  America  by  Joseph  Hornshy,  the  grand- 
father of  our  subject,  who  left  his  English  home 
and  emigrated  to  America  (Albemarle  County, Ya..) 
prior  to  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  had  followed 
merchandising  in  his  native  land  and  acquired  a 
good  property,  but  upon  coming  to  this  country 
he  became  a  large  landowner.  The  British  learn- 
ing that  he  was  possessed  of  considerable  silver- 
ware, through  some  slaves  who  had  deserted  him, 
threatened  to  burn  his  home  if  he  did  not  reveal 
its  hiding-place  and  to  save  a  shelter  for  his  fam- 
ily he  revealed  the  hidden  treasure,  which  he  had 
buried  in  a  hole  beneath  the  smokehouse  in  order 
to  keep  il  safe.  After  the  death  of  his  wife  he 
removed  with  his  children  to  Kentucky,  in  1801, 
locating  in  Shelby  County,  where  he  entered  land 
from  the  Government  and  engaged  in  farming  until 
his  death  at  a  ripe  old  age. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  Joseph  Hornsby.  Jr.. 
moved  with  his  father  to  Kentucky,  where  he  lo- 
cated, and  spent  his  entire  life  upon  the  old  home- 
Stead,  his  death  occurring  at  the  age  of  sixty-four 
years  lie  was  a  successful  farmer,  owned  a 
number  of  slaves  and  his  landed  possession! 
aggregated  thirteen  hundred  acres.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Whig  and  one  of  the  great  admirers  of 
Henry  Clay.  In  Kentucky  he  met  and  married 
Miss  Cynthia  Allen,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  belonged  to  the  old  Allen  family,  which  for 
man\  generations  had  resided  in  this  country.  She 
was  but  a  child  when  her  parents  emigrated  to 
Shelby  County  and  there  she  grew  to  womanhood. 
She  survived  her  husband  some  years  and  after  his 
death  went  to  live  with  her  son,  D.  C,  near  St. 
Louis,  where  she  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-three 
years.  She  was  a  faithful  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  hut  Mr.  Hornsby  was  a  believer  in 
the  doctrine  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 

The  Doctor  was  the  sixth  child  and  fifth  son  in  a 
family  of  ten  children,  numbering  eight  boys  and 
two  girls,  of  whom  all  but  one  lived  to  be  grown 
while  three  yet  survive.  In  the  usual  manner  of 
farmer  lads  he  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and 
youth,  until  twelve  years  of  age,  after  which  he 
was  sent  by  his  father  to  school  in  Jefferson  County, 
Ky.,  for  two  years,  after  that  to  Danville  College, 
for    a    short  time,   and   then    to    college    at    Shel- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


207 


byville,  Shelby  County.  Having  determined  to 
make  the  practice  of  medicine  his  life-work  he 
entered  the  office  of  Dr.  Benjamin  W.  Dudley,  of 
Lexington,  Ky.,  a  prominent  physician  with  a 
world-wide  reputation  as  a  surgeon.  After  study- 
ing under  his  direction  for  two  years,  and  graduat- 
ing, Dr.  Hornsby  began  the  practice  of  medicine 
in  Kentucky,  where  he  remained  three  years.  From 
Shelby  County,  he  came  to  Illinois  and  entered 
some  tracts  of  land  from  the  Government  in  Madi- 
son County,  and  purchased  other  lands,  settling 
near  what  is  now  Prairie  Town,  in  1846.  The 
country  round  about  was  all  wild  and  unimprove  '. 
He  also  saw  the  advantage  of  buying  cattle  and 
feeding  them  upon  the  succulent  grasses  which 
covered  the  prairies  and  in  this  way  also  realized  a 
handsome  profit.  From  November,  1849,  until 
1KG2,  the  Doctor  made  his  home  near  Jefferson 
Barracks,  St.  Louis,  where  he  was  actively  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  having  at  that 
time  bought  land  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Louis,  which 
he  still  owns.  In  1854  he  laid  out  and  founded 
the  town  of  Clyde,  Macoupin  Count)'.  Four  years 
later  in  connection  with  L.  L.  Dorsey,  he  laid  out 
the  village  of  Prairie  City  and  his  land  at  that 
place  soon  sold  for  a  good  profit.  At  one  time  he 
owned  over  twelve  hundred  acres  in  Madison 
County,  but  as  values  have  increased  he  has  dis- 
posed of  the  greater  pan  of  it.  He  still  owns 
two  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  near  Prairie 
City,  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Dorchester 
Township,  Macoupin  County,  and  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres  near  Clyde,  III.  Most  of  his  land  is 
well  improved  an  I  is  under  the  charge  of  enter- 
prising farmers. 

Dr.  Hornsby  wedded  Miss  Frances  Cordelia 
Dorsey,  a  native  of  Jefferson  County,  Ky.,  born 
December  1,  1825,  and  a  daughter  of  Elias  and 
Martha  R.  (Booker)  Dorsey.  Mrs.  Dorsey  was  the 
daughter  of  Col.  Richard  Hooker,  who  served  in 
the  War  of  1812.  Elias  Dorsey  enlisted  under 
him  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years  and  on  the 
promise  of  good  behavior,  the  Colonel  promised 
to  give  him  one  of  his  daughters  in  marriage  on 
his  return,  which  promise  was  fulfilled.  Elias 
Dorsey  and  his  wife  were  natives  of  Maryland  and 
Kentucky  respectively  ami    their    married    life  was 


spent  in  Jefferson  County  of  the  latter  State.  They 
went  on  a  prospecting  tour  to  Illinois,  preparatory 
to  determining  whether  they  would  make  that  State 
their  home  and  while  on  the  return  trip  Mrs.  Dor- 
sey was  thrown  from  a  carriage  while  crossing  a 
bridge  in  Indiana.  A  limb  was  fractured  and  the 
accident  resulted  in  the  loss  of  her  life.  Mr.  Dor- 
sey continued  his  residence  in  Kentucky  and  after- 
ward married  Mrs.  Williamson,  a  lady  of  Balti- 
more, Md.,  after  whose  death  he  came  to  Illinois 
and  died  at  the  home  of  his  son- in  law,  Edward  C. 
Winchester,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six.  He  was 
one  of  the  largest  landowners  in  this  part  of  the 
S'.ate,  bring  the  possessor  of  more  than  twenty 
thousand  acres  of  good  land.  He  was  very  suc- 
cessful in  all  his  business  undertakings  and  although 
he  had  little  when  he  started  out  in  life  he  became 
very  wealthy.  In  politics  he  was  a  strong  Jackson- 
ian  Democrat. 

Mrs.  Hornsby  was  one  of  thirteen  children  and 
her  education  was  acquired  in  a  Catholic  school 
near  Beardstown,  Ky.  She  hr.s  proved  a  good 
helpmate  to  her  husband  and  this  honored  and 
worthy  couple  have  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all 
with  whom  they  have  come  in  contact.  Loth  are 
members  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  In  politics  he 
is  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  is  well-informed  con- 
cerning the  political  history  of  the  country  but  has 
never  been  an  office-seeker.  The  Hornsby  house- 
hold numbers  the  following  members:  The  Doctor 
and  his  wife,  Robery  .1.  and  Martha  I).  Four  chil- 
dren of  the  family  are  now  deceased,  William 
Walker,  Thomas  Levin,  Elias  Dorsey  and  Robert 
Henry.  The  eldest  of  the  surviving  daughters  is 
Julia  B.,  who  is  married  and  resides  in  Bunker 
Hill;  and  Carmelite  W.  is  the  wife  of  Prof.  Sliver, 
whose  sketch  appears  on  another  page  of  this  work. 

Dr.  Hornsby  located  in  Gillespie,  Macoupin 
County,  in  1862,  where  for  four  years  hecairied 
on  a  successful  practice  and  then  came  to  Bunker 
Hill,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  Only  a 
short  time  had  elapsed  before  he  was  again  engaged 
in  attending  to  a  huge  practice  and  he  always  had 
all  that  he  could  take  care  of.  often  more  than  he 
wished  for,  until  he  announced  that  he  intended  to 
retire  and  would  no  longer  engage  in  practice.  He 
deserves  the   greatest  credit  for  his  success  in    life, 


208 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


which  is  due  not  to  good  luck  but  to  li is  own  en- 
terprise  and  sagacity.  He  knew  how  to  make  the 
most  of  every  opportunity,  was  industrious  and 
enterprising  and  possessing  good  management  and 
much  natural  ability  be  worked  his  way  upward 
until  he  had  attained  a  position  among  the  wealth- 
iest of  Macoupin  County's  citizens.  His  life  has 
been  characterized  by  honesty  and  fair  dealing  and 
is  well  worthy  of  emulation  in  many  respects.  Mr. 
Hornsby  is  now  an  old  man  of  seventy-two  years 
but  in  appearance  seems  hardly  past  the  prime  of 
life  as  he  possesses  both  a  mental  and  physical 
vigor  which  accompany  younger  years. 


<ips«)  DWARD  H.  DAVIS,  a  retired  fanner  living 
Is)  on  a  farm  which  adjoins  the  city  limits  of 
l*^—^  Bunker  Hill,  is  numbered  among  the  hon- 
ored pioneers  of  the  county,  few  having  longer  re- 
sided in  this  locality.  He  has  not  only  been  an 
eyewitness  of  the  growth  and  progress  of  the 
county  but  has  also  taken  an  active  part  in  its  up- 
building, especially  has  he  been  prominently  con- 
nected with  its  agricultural  interests.  He  has  seen 
its  once  wild  lands  transformed  into  beautiful 
farms,  its  cabin  homes  replaced  by  substantial  and 
beautiful  residences,  towns  and  villages  spring  up 
and  has  witnessed  the  introduction  of  many  manu- 
factures and  industries,  also  the  advent  of  the  rail- 
road, the  telegraph  and  telephone.  But  we  will 
speak  more  of  his  pioneer  experiences  in  the  re- 
cital of  his  life  work. 

Mr.  Davis  was  born  in  Concord,  N.  II..  Febru- 
ary 25,  1821,  and  belongs  to  one  of  the  prominent 
families  of  the  Granite  State.  His  grandparents, 
natives  of  England,  emigrated  to  America  prior  to 
the  Revolutionary  War,  and  when  the  Colonies  re- 
solved to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  British  tyranny  the 
grandfather,  David  Davis,  enlisted  as  a  musician 
and  became  a  notable  patriot.  The  father  of  our 
subject,  Robert  Davis,  was  a  jeweler  of  Concord. 
in  which  city'  he  spent  his  entire  life,  dying  at  the 
age  of  seventy-one  years.  He  was  a  prominent 
politician  and   as  such    gained  a  State    reputation. 


He  served  as  Postmaster  of  Concord  and  was  also 
Quartermaster  General  for  the  State  Militia.  His 
political  views  were  those  of  the  Democracy. 

Our  subject  is  the  eldest  son  anil  second  child 
born  unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  Davis.  He  ac- 
quired an  excellent  education  in  the  schools  of  Con- 
cord and  Pembroke.  X.  II.,  and  under  his  father's 
direction  learned  the  jeweler's  trade,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  three  years  in  Savannah,  Ga.,  before 
coming  to  Illinois.  The  year  1839,  witnessed  his 
arrival  in  Macoupin  County,  since  which  time  he 
has  been  numbered  among  the  leading  and  influ- 
ential citizens  of  the  community.  Farming  has 
been  his  life  work  and  at  his  present  home  he  has 
resided  since  1852  engaged  in  general  farming  and 
stock-raising,  whereby  he  has  acquired  a  handsome 
competence.  Although  he  has  led  a  busy  life  lie 
ha-  vet  found  time  to  devote  to  public  interests 
and  upon  the  Democratic  ticket,  being  a  standi 
supporter  of  the  Democracy,  he  has  been  elected 
to  various  public  offices.  He  was  the  first  Clerk 
elected  after  the  organization  of  his  township,  for 
the  period  of  live  years  was  Deputy  Assessor  of 
the  county  and  for  a  term  of  eight  years  served  as 
Deputy  Sheriff.  Every  enterprise  calculated  hi 
benefit  the  community  receives  his  hearty  support 
and  co-operation  and  no  man  has  done  more  for 
the  upbuilding  of  the  community  in  which  lie 
makes  his  home. 

It  was  after  his  arrival  in  this  county  that  Mr. 
Davis,  on  the  5th  of  October,  1840,  was  united  in 
mairiage  with  Miss  Jane  H.  Cavender.  For  more 
than  half  a  century  they  have  traveled  life's  jour- 
ney together,  sharing  with  each  other  the  joys  and 
sorrows,  the  adversity  and  prosperity  which  check 
ers  the  lives  of  all.  Their  union  has  been  blessed 
with  ten  children  and  only  one  has  been  called 
away — Eliza  .1.  who  died  in  childhood.  Henry, 
the  eldest,  wedded  Minnie  Fansteil  and  resides  in 
Si.  Paul,  Mini.;  Charles  who  wedded  Catherine 
Eullerton  of  Minnesota,  is  now  an  engineer  of 
Minneapolis;  Frank  led  to  the  marriage  altar  Miss 
Margaret  Colman  and  they  are  living  in  Nevada. 
Mo.,  where  he  is  employed  as  an  engineer:  Calista 
is  the  wife  of  Harry  Winder,  a  farmer  of  Anoka, 
Minn.;  Albert  operates  the  home  farm;  Walter  is  a 
resident  of  Nevada,    Mo.;  Rebecca   is  the  wife  of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


209 


Henry  Sneeringer,  a  resident  farmer  (if  Bunker 
Hill  Township;  Lucy  is  the  vvife  of  Charles  Oliver, 
a  painter  of  Bunker  Hill;  and  Fred,  who  wedded 
Julia  Alexander,  makes  his  home  in  Bunker  Hill. 

Mrs.  Davis,  the  mother  of  this  family,  was  born 
in  llillsboro  County,  N.  II.,  May  22,  1823,  and  is 
a  daughter  of  Charles  Cavender,  who  was  bom  and 
reared  in  New  Hampshire  and  early  in  the  spring 
of  1838,  Uft  that  Stale  in  company  with  his  daugh- 
ter and  emigrated  Westward  to  Illinois,  settling  on 
an  unbroken  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  just  west  of  Hunker  Hill,  where  he  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying  at  the  age  of  eighty - 
three  years.  He  was  a  prominent  Democrat,  a 
member  of  the  Christian  Church,  and  one  of  Hie 
leading  citizens  of  the  community.  Mis.  Davis 
was  only  a  child,  when  with  her  father  she  came  to 
this  county.  She  has  now  resided  in  the  vicinity 
of  Bunker  Hill  longer  than  any  other  lady  resident 
of  this  locality.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Congregational  Church.  They  are 
numbered  among  Macoupin  County's  best  citizens 
and  are  held  in  universal  esteem. 


AMUKL  CLARK,  who  carries  on  general 
funning  and  stock-raising  on  section  28, 
Staunton  Township,  is  a  representative  of 
one  of  the  carl}'  families  of  the  county. 
lie  now  lives  upon  a  part  of  the  old  homestead 
where  almost  his  entire  life  has  been  passed,  having 
been  brought  to  this  State  when  a  child  of  only  a 
tew  months.  He  was  born  in  County  Dare,  Ire- 
land, on  the  8th  of  June,  1842,  of  whi  h  county  his 
parents,  William  and  Eliza  (Little)  Clark,  were 
also  natives.  The  Clark  family  is  of  Sc  itch-Irish 
origin  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  birth  the 
father  of  our  subject  grew  to  manhood  and  was 
married.  Some  year.-,  later,  with  their .  family, 
numbering  three  children,  they  started  for  Amer- 
ica, crossing  the  Atlantic  in  a  sailing  vessel,  which 
after  several  weeks  reached  New  York  Harbor  in 
safely.  They  at  once  came  on  to  Illinois,  travel- 
ing by  water  to  Alton,  and  thence  across  the  prai- 
rie with  teams  to  Staunton    Township,  Macoupin 


County,  where  Mr.  Clark  entered  eighty  acres  of 
land  from  the  ( iovci  nment.  The  family  began  life 
in  true  pioneer  Style  in  a  little  log  cabin  which  the 
father  had  built  and  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Clark  and 
his  miiis  were  devoted  to  clearing  and  improving 
tie  land.  He  sold  after  eighteen  years  and  made 
purchase  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  sec- 
tions 27  and  2.S,  Staunton  Township,  part  of  which 
is  now  occupied  by  our  subject.  Again  he  per- 
formed  the  arduous  task  of  converting  raw  prairie 
into  rich  and  fertile  fields  and  the  pleasant  home 
which  lie  then1  made  continued  to  be  his  place  of 
abode  until  his  deatii.  which  occurred  .January  17. 
1878,  at  the  very  advanced  age  of  ninety-seven 
yea's.  He  had  been  very  successful  in  his  business 
operations  and  in  the  second  farm  which  he  devel- 
oped owned  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  valu- 
able laud.  A  honest  and  industrious  man.  he  lived 
m  harmony  with  his  professions  as  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  and  when  called  to  his 
final  rest  many  sincere  friends  mourned  his  loss. 
In  politics  he  was  a  supporter  of  Republican  prin- 
ciples. His  wife,  who  still  survives  him,  is  likewise 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  is  living 
with  her  younger  son  at  the  age  of  seventy  five 
years. 

The  early  life  of  our  subject  passed  unevent- 
fully. As  soon  as  old  enough  he  began  work  upon 
the  farm  and  during  the  summer  months  labored 
at  home,  while  in  I'll'  winter  season  heattended  the 
district  schools  of  the  neighborhood  where  his  ed- 
ucation was  acquired.  Having  arrived  at.  years  of 
maturity  he  began  business  on  his  own  account 
ami  as  a  helpmate  on  life's  journey  chose  Miss  El- 
eanor Williamson,  their  wedding  being  celebrated 
in  Madison  County  The  lady  was  born  in  County 
Donegal.  Ireland,  in  1846,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Mary  (Gallagher)  Williamson,  natives  of 
the  same  country,  and  both  descendants  of  Pro- 
testant  families.  At  length  they  bade  good-by  to 
their  native  land  and  in  1857  with  their  live  child- 
ren crossed  the  broad  ocean  to  America,  landing  in 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  whence  they  went  to  St.  Louis, 
coining  on  to  Macoupin  County  immediately  after- 
wards. Upon  a  small  farm  in  Ml.  Olive  Township 
they  began  life  in  the  New  World  and  there  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Williamson  resided    until  having  become 


210 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


too  old  to  work  they  went  to  the  home  of  their 
children  in  Olive  Township,  Madison  County, 
where  the  father  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four 
years.  There  the  mother  is  still  living  with  her 
three  sons  at  the  age  of  seventy-five.  They  united 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  early  life  and  are 
numbered  among  the  respected  citizens  of  this 
community. 

Only  one  child  has  been  born  of  the  union  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark.  Alice  B.,  who  is  a  bright 
young  maiden.  The  mother  is  a  member  of  the 
Covenanters'  Presbyterian  Church  and  to  its  sup- 
port Mr.  Clark  contributes,  although  he  does  not 
belong.  In  politics  be  is  a  Republican  and  what- 
ever tends  to  elevate  or  upbuild  the  community  is 
sure  of  his  hearty  sympathy  and  co-operation.  He 
is  numbered  among  the  practical  and  progressive 
farmers  of  Staunton  Township  and  owns  one  hund- 
red and  twenty  acres  of  good  land,  a  part  of  the 
old  homestead  which  he  developed  from  its  primi- 
tive condition.  His  pleasant  and  tasty  residence 
lias  in  the  rear  good  barns  and  outbuildings  and 
surrounding  these  are  well  tilled  fields,  while  an 
additional  forty  acres  of  timber  land  in  Staunton 
Township  is  also  the  properly  of  Mr.  Clark. 


R.  JOHN*  ASH,  who  stands  in  the  front 
0  rank  among  his  professional  brethren  of 
l{gJy?  this  county,  is  now  engaged  in  practice 
in  Brighton,  where  he  has  made  his  home 
since  1853,  He  cla'ms  Pennsylvania  as  the  State 
of  his  nativity,  having  been  born  in  West  Callen 
Township,  Chester  County.  November  29,  1818. 
The  family  is  of  German  origin  and  was  founded 
in  America  by  the  great  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
Joseph  Ash,  who  emigrated  from  Germany  prior  to 
the  Revolutionary  War.  He  lived  in  the  city  of 
Philadelphia  for  a  short  time  and  there  married 
a  German  lady,  after  which  he  removed  to  a  farm 
in  Chester  County,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of 
ninety-seven  years.  He  was  a  nan  small  of  stat- 
ure but  very  wiry  and  only  a  few  years  before  his 
death  worked  as  a  hand  in  the  harvest  field.  Our 
subject  is  one  of  the  four  great-grandchildren  who 


attended  his  funeral  as  pallbearers.  His  wife 
reached  the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety-five  and  both 
she  and  Mr.  Ash  were  members  of  the  Luth- 
eran Church.  William  Ash,  the  grandfather 
of  our  subject,  was  born  and  reared  on  his  father's 
faun  in  Chester  County,  Pa.,  and  there  spent  his 
entire  life.  He  died  in  1850,  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years,  from  a  cancer  on  the  lip.  In  the  county  of 
his  nativity  he  had  married  Nancy  Stepler,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends  and  lived 
to  an  advanced  age. 

Joseph  Ash,  father  of  the  Doctor,  was  also  born 
in  Chester  County,  Pa.,  where  members  of  the  fam- 
ily are  still  living.  He  married  Miss  Elizabeth 
Xigler,  daughter  of  Tilchman  and  Catherine  Zigier, 
who  were  natives  of  Germany  but  spent  the  greater 
part  of  their  lives  in  Chester  County,  Pa.,  where 
they  passed  away  when  well  advanced  in  years. 
Joseph  Ash  and  li  is  wife  emigrated  Westward  in 
1853,  locating  in  Brighton,  where  the  lady  died  at 
the  age  of  sixty -six  years.  Mr.  Ash  long  survived 
her  and  was  called  to  his  final  rest  when  ninety 
years  of  age.  In  the  East  they  had  both  united 
with  the  Baptist  Church,  but  after  coming  to  this 
county  joined  the  Methodist  Cnurch.  They  lived 
(••insistent  lives  and  were  numbered  among  the 
highly  respected  people  of  the  community. 

We  now  take  up  the  personal  history  of  the  Doc- 
tor, who  is  the  second  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family 
of  six  children,  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  of 
whom  are  living,  are  married,  have  families  and 
are  prospering.  Our  subject  acquired  his  literary 
education  in  the  public  schools  and  having  deter- 1 
mined  to  make  the  practice  of  medicine  his  life 
work,  he  entered  the  Pennsylvania  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Philadelphia,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  the  spring  of  1851.  He  also  attended  the  Straws- 
burg  Academy  for  two  years.  Believing  in  the 
West  there  were  better  openings  than  in  the  more 
thickly  settled  States  of  the  East,  he  came  at  once 
to  Illinois,  locating  in  Delphi,  Jersey  County,  but 
the  same  year  removed  to  Piasa,  where  he  remained 
until  coming  to  Brighton  in  1853.  He  hung  out 
his  shingle,  opened  an  office  and  announced  that  he 
was  ready  to  attend  to  any  in  need  of  medical  ser- 
vices. From  the  beginning  his  business  constantly 
increased   and   it  was  not  long  before  Dr.  Ash  was 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


•ill 


considered  one  of  the  best  physicians  of  the  county. 
In  Brighton  the  Doctor  wedded    Miss   Mary    E. 

I.ovcland,  who  was  born  in  Rhode  Island,  in  1830, 
Mini  came  to  this  Stale  when  a  child,  with  ber  par- 
ents. Leonard  and  Elizabeth  Loveland,  who  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  lives  in  Brighton  Township, 
Macoupin  County.  She  is  a  lady  of  culture  and 
intelligence,  having  been  educated  in  Monticello 
Seminary  and  Jackson  Female  College.      Unto  the 

I tor  and    his  wife  have  been  born  four  children. 

but  Charles  died  in  childhood;  Lena  and  Dora  are 
both  graduates  of  Monticello  Seminary;  the  latter 
is  now  the  wile  of  Dr.  James  Mason,  a  leading 
dental  surgeon  of  the  town  of  Carlinville;  and 
John  R.,  who  graduated  from  the  Vermont  Hospital 
Medical  College  of  St.  Louis,  is  now  engaged  in  prac- 
tice with  his  fathe.'  and  is  a  leading  and  enterprising 
young  physician.  Mrs.  Ash  is  a  prominent  and  ac- 
|  tive  member  of  the  Methodist  Church  and  the  Doctor 
holds  membership  with  the  Baptist  Church.  He  is 
also  a  Knight  Templar  Mason,  belonging  to  Belvi- 
dere  Commandery,  No.  2,  K.  T.  of  Alton,  and  in 
politics  he  and  his  son  arc  Republicans.  His  skill 
and  ability  are  recognized  by  his  fellow-practition 
en  and  the  liberal  patronage  which  he  receives  is 
well  merited.  He  is  still  a  student  of  the  profes- 
|  sion,  keeping  abreast  with  every  discovery  con- 
;  nected  with  the  science  of  medicine  and  in  his  forty 
re'  experience  he  has  gained  a  practical  knowl- 
edge which  classes  him  high  in  the  ranks  of  his 
profession.  During  the  late  war  he  served  for 
some  months  as  surgeon  in  Memphis,  Tcnn. 


-^m- 


_5T**~ -*1- 


1IARLKS  J.  C.  FISCHER.  M.  D.  Carlin- 
he  home  of  professional  men  of 
In ise  success  in  their  various  lines 
has  been  commendable  to  them  and  satisfactory  to 
the  people  whom  they  have  aided.  In  the  ranks 
of  medicine  Dr.  Fischer  is  numbered  as  one  of  the 
most  successful  in  the  city.  He  was  liberally  edu- 
cated, and  from  his  early  youth  applied  himself  to 
those  studies  which  would  be  of  benefit  in  the  field 
of  labor  which  he  desired  to  enter.  Not  content 
with  that  which  he  learned  in  books,  he  has  thought 


deeply  and  observed  carefully,  making  of  the 
human  form  and  its  needs  a  book  in  which  to  find 
continual  interest.  In  the  work  of  various  medical 
societies  he  finds  opportunity  to  further  advance 
his  theoretical  knowledge  and  with  a  practical 
mind  he  applies  every  principle  learned  to  good 
purpose. 

Dr.  Fischer  is  of  German  parentage,  being  a  son 
of  Jacob  and  Catherine  (Furch)  Fischer,  who  were 
born  in  Wurtcmberg,  Germany.  His  father  came 
to  America  when  a  young  man  and  joined  an  uncle 
who  had  located  in  New  York  many  years  before. 
He  lived  in  that  city  for  a  time  and  while  there 
learned  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith.  He  then  went 
to  Rochester,  but  returned  to  the  metropolis  and 
thence  removed  to  Missouri  in  1838.  He  established 
a  home  in  Perry  County  and  engaged  in  farming, 
but  after  a  residence  of  six  years  removed  to  Coll- 
insville,  Madison  County,  this  State,  and  opened  a 
wagon  and  blacksmith  shop.  At  a  later  period  he 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits.  His  death  occurred 
in  that  place  in  1879.  Mrs.  Fischer  came  to  this 
country  with  her  sister  Rosa,  when  fourteen  years 
old.  She  now  makes  her  home  in  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
She  reared  nine  children,  named  respectively: 
Caroline,  Mary.  Martha,  George,  Charles,  Gustavus, 
Harry.  William  and    Albert, 

Dr.  Fischer  was  born  in  Collinsville,  Madison 
County,  January  28,  1854.  When  ready  to  take 
up  studies  beyond  the  family  circle  he  attended  a 
private  school  in  his  native  place,  but  later  entered 
the  public  school.  When  sixteen  years  old  he  be- 
o-an  the  study  of  Latin  and  Oerman  under  a  private 
tutor  and  pursued  those  languages  most  industri- 
ously two  years.  Soon  after  these  branches  were 
completed  he  began  reading  medicine  under  the 
guidance  of  Dr.  A.  M.  Powell,  and  when  a  good 
foundation  had  been  laid  he  attended  lectures  in 
the  st  Louis  Medical  College,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  March,  1877.  In  May  following  he 
opened  an  office  in  Carlinville,  and  ere  long  he  had 
gained  a  good  following  and  become  known  as  a 
young  man  well  versed  in  therapeutical  science, 
careful  and  sympathetic  in  the  diagnosis  and  treat- 
ment of  disease,  and  successful  in  alleviating  dis- 
tress. 

An  event  of    much   importance  to  Dr.   Fischer 


212 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RKCORI). 


occurred  January  28,  1879.  It  was  his  marriage  to 
Sophia  E.  Schurieht,  a  young  lady  who  was  horn  in 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  of  German  parents,  and  who  had  a 
good  education,  had  been  carefully  instructed  in 
domestic  arts  and  possessed  an  estimable  character. 
The,  union  has  been  blest  by  the  birth  of  three 
daughters,  who  are  named  respectively,  Eleanor, 
Elfrida  and   Annie. 

Dr.  Fischer  has  not  been  without  his  share  in 
promoting  the  civic  interests  of  the  city,  lie  rep- 
resented  the  Fourth  Ward  as  Alderman  in  1885, 
and  in  1887  was  elected  to  the  Mayor's  chair.  In 
both  capacities  he  showed  an  interest  in  tiie  im- 
provement of  the  city  and  the  progress  of  her  citi- 
zens in  all  that  pertains  to  the  best  civilization. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  The  religious  home 
of  himself  and  family  is  in  /.ion's  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church.  He  is  connected  with  the  .Ma- 
coupin County  Society  for  Medical  Improvement, 
Illinois  Medical  Society  and  Mississippi  Valley 
Medical  Association.  In  educated  circles  he  is  cor- 
dially greeted,  as  he  is  a  line  scholar  and  is  always 
interested  in  scholarly  themes. 


»"f=M§< 


IkM  ARTIN  H-  HEAD.  M.  D  .  one  of  the  lead- 
///      111    'nS    physicians    of   the    county,   has    been 
///        111   practicing  his  profession  for  many  years  at 
®  Carlinville,  where  he  is  held  in  honor  and 

esteem  by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquain- 
tances. He  was  born  May  3,  1827.  about  ten  miles 
east  of  Louisville,  Ky„  a  son  of  Benjamin  Head, 
who  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  The  grandfather  of 
our  subject.  Iladley  Head,  was.  it  is  thought,  born 
in  Virginia  of  Welsh  ancestry,  and  so  far  as  known 
spent  his  whole  life  in  his  native  State. 

Benjamin  Head  was  reared  and  educated  in  the 
Old  Dominion,  and  when  a  young  man  went  to 
Kentucky,  and  for  come  years  he  was  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business  at  Middleton,  Jefferson 
County.  He  subsequently  purchased  a  farm  ten 
miles  east  of  Louisville,  upon  which  he  dwelt  in 
comfort  the  remainder  of  his  life,  devoting  himself 
to  agriculture,  his  death  occurring  in  1837.  He 
had  been  twice  married,  the   maiden   name  of   his 


second  wife,  mother  of  our  subject  being  Margaret 
>>\  Brengman.  She  is  still  living  at  the  venerable 
.age  of  eighty-five  years,  and  makes  her  home  at 
Middleton.  She  is  a  native  of  Jefferson  County, 
Ky.,  and  a  daughter  of  Martin  Brengman.  The 
latter  was  born  in  Germany,  whence  he  came  to 
America  and  resided  for  a  lime  in  Maryland.  From 
there  he  went  to  Kentucky,  and  purchased  a  farm 
near  Middleton,  where   n  he  lived  until  his  demise. 

Dr.  Head  was  but  ten  years  old  when  he  was  be- 
refl  of  a  father's  care  ami  counsel.  He  continued 
to  make  his  Inime  with  his  mother,  assisting  on  the 
farm  and  attending  school.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr. 
J.  M.  Bemiss,  of  Middleton,  and  he  subsequently 
attended  medical  lectures  at  Louisville,  being  grad- 
uated from  the  Louisville  Medical  College  in  1851. 
The  same  year  he  came  to  Carlinville  and  opened 
an  office  and  has  been  in  continuous  practice  in  this 
city  since.  At  that  time  it  had  but  a  few  hundred 
inhabitants,  and  the  surrounding  country  was  still 
ill  the  hands  of  the  pioneers  and  was  hut  sparsely 
settled,  the  people  living  on  the  edge  of  the  timber, 
while  deer  and  other  wild  game  roamed  over  the 
prairies,  the  land  all  being  open  around  and  on  the 
site  of  the  village. 

Dr.  Head  continued  in  active  practice  until  the 
commencement  of  the  war,  and  he  then  offered  his 
professional  services  to  the  Government  in  May, 
lsc  I.  and  became  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  Four- 
teenth Illinois  Infantry,  remaining  with  that  regi- 
ment one  year,  and  doing  valuable  work  in  reliev- 
ing the  wounded  and  sick  soldiers.  In  18G2  lie 
entered  hospital  service  at  Memphis,  Teun.,  and  in 
April,  1865  was  transferred  to  Crittenden  Hospital 
at  St.  Louis,  where  he  was  stationed  until  the  fol- 
lowing October,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged. 
He  returned  to  Carlinville  and  to  the  quiet  routine 
of  professional  life  in  village  and  country,  bringing 
with  him  a  valuable  experience  gathered  during 
those  sad  years  among  the  sick  and  dying  defend- 
ers of  our  country,  and  a  high  record  for  services 
rendered  while  acting  as  a  military  surgeon  and 
physician.  He  has  since  conducted  a  successful  and 
lucrative  practice  here. 

In  1853  the  Doctor  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Margaret  I.  Blackburn.     Mrs.  Head   is   a   na- 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 


/lpfnM£sv\dtsn  (//,$, t/n-icAjsu? 


Cry^, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


215 


live  of  Versailles,  Ky  ,  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  John 
Bnd  Catherine  (Edwards)  Blackburn,  her  father  a 
Presbyterian  minister.  Dr.  and  .Mrs.  Hear]  arc  the 
parents  of  two  children,  Eugene  S..  a  physician :  ami 
Hadley.  Both  our  subject  and  his  amiable  wife 
nix'  consistent  and  devoted  members  of  the  Episco- 
pal Church.  Fraternally,  the  Doctor  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Ml.   Nebo  Lodge,  No.  7G,  A.    F.  A  A.  M. 


\m 


r. 


RITTENDEN  H.  C.  A  N  D  K  R SO  N .  No  nam e 
is  more  intimately  associated  with  the  rise 
and  development  of  Macoupin  County  and 
its  financial  prosperity  than  that  of  the  late  lamented 
Crittenden  II.  C.  Anderson,  who  was  for  many 
years  one  of  its  most  prominent  business  men  and 
valued  citizens.  It  gives  us  pleasure  to  place  in 
this  volume  his  portrait,  and  the  following  review 
of  his  life  and  work  which  has  been  lovingly  and 
carefully  prepared  by  his  nephew,  W.  E.  P.  Ander- 
son, at  the  request  of  the  publishers,  and  is  an  elo- 
quent and  just  tribute  to  the  great  worth  and.  abil- 
ity of  the  departed. 

Crittenden  H.  C.  Anderson  was  born  near  Hop- 
kinsville.  Christian  County,  Ky.,  January  26,  1819. 
He  was  the  eldest  son  and  child  in  a  family  of  eight 
children  of  Col.  James  C.  and  Ann  R.  Anderson, 
who  were  of  Irish  and  Scotch  descent.  He  came 
to  Illinois  with  his  parents  when  he  was  about  six- 
teen years  old,  arriving  at  Cariinville  (which  was 
then  a  mere  hamlet)  October  27,  1834.  camping 
out  on  the  first  night  after  his  arrival  with  his  fa- 
ther, mother,  brothers  and  sisters,  on  the  lot  where 
the  residence  of  .Judge  Tap  pen  is  now  located  on 
First  South  Street,  one  block  southeast  of  the 
Court  House,  the  site  of  which  was  then  covered 
with  timber  and  hazel  brush.  Dining  their  first 
winter  here  the  family  lived  at  Cariinville  in  a  log 
house,  standing  upon  the  lot  where  the  present 
post-office  is  now  located  on  the  east  side  of  the 
public  square. 

In  the  spring  of  1835  his  father,  having  entered 
four  hundred  acres  of  land  on  section  11,  Cariin- 
ville Township,  the  family  removed  to  it,  and  our 
subject  made  himself  generally    useful    in   bringing 


the    farm   into  cultivation,  and   in   improving  the 

home  with  such  facilities  as  were  afforded  at  that 
early  day.  The  elder  Anderson,  with  the  vigor, 
energy  and  push  characteristic  of  l he  early  pioneer, 
desiring  to  improve  the  opportunities  afforded  in  a 
country  indicating  a  rapid  growth  and  rise  in  the 
value  of  the  unbroken  prairie  soil,  at  once  exten- 
sively entered  into  buying  and  selling  land  and 
Stock,  driving  the  stock  to  the  nearest  market.  St. 
Louis.  For  a  couple  of  years  or  so,  the  manage- 
ment of  the  farm  and  looking  after  the  family  gen- 
erally fell  upon  young  Crittenden.  At  the  early 
age  <>f  nineteen,  however,  as  he  developed  an  apt- 
ness tor  trading,  and  displayed  good  judgment  as 
to  the  quality  and  value  of  land,  he  became  the 
companion  and  business  associate  of  his  father  in 
dealing  in  land  and  in  stock  generally.  They  trav- 
ersed the  country  in  all  directions,  and  for  long  dis- 
tances, for  the  purpose  of  buying  hogs  and  cattle, 
frequently  going  together  on  horseback  and  driv- 
ing cattle  as  far  north  as  Wisconsin  and  Michigan 
tn  a  market,  and  also  driving  stock  of  all  kinds 
overland  to  the  St.  Louis  market.  At  one  lime 
they  were  offered  forty  acres  of  land  now  in  the 
heart  of  the  city  of  Chicago  for  a  cow,  which  was 
declined. 

On  April  14.  1840,  our  subject  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mary  .1.  Glass,  a  sister  of  the  late 
Robert  W.  Glass.  Taking  his  wife  to  the  home  of 
his  parents,  they  continued  to  reside  there  until  the 
spring  of  1841.  when  they  settled  upon  the  farm 
given  to  him  by  his  father;  this  is  now  known  as 
the  homestead  of  Malcolm  M.  Anderson,  and  is  the 
south  half  of  section  II.  Cariinville  Township. 
The  happiness  of  their  union  was  of  brief  duration, 
his  wife  dying  .May  1,  1841,  leaving  to  his  care  an 
infant  son.  James  Henrj  Anderson,  who  died  Octo- 
ber 28,  1854,  aged  thirteen  years,  live  months  and 
twenty-four  days.  Together  with  his  little  son 
Mr.  Anderson  again  became  a  member  of  the  home 
circle  under  the  parental  roof,  where  he  continued 
to  oversee  his  farm,  and  to  deal  in  stock  and  land 
as  previously,  residing  there  until  his  marriage  No- 
vember 14,  1850,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Cole.  He  again 
look  up  his  residence  on  his  farm,  where  he  con- 
ducted agricultuial  pursuits  and  trading  generally. 

In    the  summer    of    1851    the   dreaded    disease 


216 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


cholera  struck  this  neighborhood,  from  which  Mr. 
Anderson's  father  died  August  1  I;  the  wife  of  Ins 
brother  Erasmus  S.  Anderson.  August  16,  Erasmus 
himself  August  26;  and  his  mother,  August  27. 
This  was  a  period  which  tried  men's  hearts;  but 
with  unswerving  fidelity  and  love  for  his  kindred 
which  knew  no  fear,  our  subject  nursed  and  cared 
for  each  one  of  these  during  their  last  sickness; 
taking  his  brother  Erasmus  and  his  little  hoy.  W. 
E.  P.  Anderson,  then  only  fifteen  months  old,  to 
his  own  house  and  ministering  to  the  wants  of  each. 
On  account  of  the  scarcity  of  help,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  assist  in  the  sad  duty  of  digging  the  graves 
and  depositing  the  remains  of  each  of  these  loved 
ones  in  their  last  resting  place. 

In  the  month  of  November,  1852,  our  subject 
removed  to  the  farm  now  owned  by  Henry  C.  An- 
derson, near  the  fair-grounds.  Here  he  still  con- 
tinued his  old  business  until  the  month  of  May, 
1853.  when  lie  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brother-in-law,  Dr.  R.  W.  Glass.  Under  the  firm 
name  of  Anderson  &  Glass,  they  opened  the  first 
exclusive  drug  store  at  Carlinville,  in  :>  little  frame 
building,  located  on  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
public  square,  when'  now  stands  the  three-story 
brick  building  erected  by  Capl.  W.  11.  Dugger  in 
1868. 

In  1855-56,  Mr.  Anderson,  in  connection  with 
William  II.  Rider,  erected  the  three-story  brick 
building  on  the  east  side  of  the  public  square,  re- 
cently known  as  the  "Duplex  Building."  and  which 
was  the  first  three-story  building  ever  erected  in 
the  city  or  county.  To  the  lower  floor  of  this 
building,  the  stock  of  drugs  was  removed  the  spring 
of  185G,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  Mr.  Anderson 
removed  his  family  to  it,  occupying  the  second  and 
third  stories  as  a  residence.  Here  January  20, 
In.'iT  his  wife  died,  leaving  to  him  the  care  of  their 
only  child,  John  C.  who  was  'hen  only  two  and  a 
half  years  old,  having  been  born  August  31,  1854. 
On  October  20,  1857,  our  subject  was  married  to 
Mary  J.  Stratton,  the  only  child  of  Marshall  II. 
and  Rebecca  (Blackburn)  Stratton.  By  this  mar- 
riage three  children  were  born:  Mary  J.,  born  De- 
(  ember  27.  1858,  died  August  19,  I860;  Virginia, 
bore  August  21,  1861, died  February  25.  1867;  and 
Effie  M..  born  June  18,  1864,  now  the  wife  of  Will- 


iam L.  Mounts,  to  whom  she  was  married  June  18, 
1884.  After  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson 
boarded  with  the  family  of  Dr.  Glass  until  the 
month  of  April,  1858,  when  he  purchased  and  re- 
moved to  the  property  on  East  Main  Street,  adjoin- 
ing the  residence  of  Joseph  Bird. 

In  the  year  1860  Mr.  Anderson  retired  from  the 
drug  business,  having  sold  his  interest  to  his  part- 
ner, and  again  engaged  in  farming,  feeding  and 
grazing  cattle,  and  general  trading.  Having  de- 
voted much  of  his  life  to  the  buying  and  selling  of 
real-estate,  he  became  quite  familiar  with  the  title 
to  the  same  for  many  miles  around  the  county -scat, 
and  could  with  great  accuracy  repeat  from  memory 
the  descriptions  and  the  various  transfers  of  the 
land.  In  1868  he  opened  an  abstract  and  real- 
estate  office  in  a  room  in  the  Chestnut  and  Dubois 
building,  adjoining  the  law  office  of  the  Hon.  C.  A. 
Walker.  He  continued  in  that  business,  until  Feb- 
ruary, 1870,  when  he  opened  a  banking  house  un- 
der the  name  of  the  Henderson  Loan  and  Real- 
estate  Association.  This  was  a  private  corporation, 
hi'  being  the  sole  stockholder  and  he  continued  the 
same  in  its  corporate  capacity  until  April  :!0,  1878, 
when  he  surrendered  the  charter  of  the  corpora- 
tion and  organized  the  business  as  a  private  bank, 
under  the  name  of  the  Banking  House  of  C.  H.  C. 
Anderson. 

He  was  exceedingly  fortunate  in  his  selection  of 
a  cashier  and  confidential  business  manager,  and 
that,  together  with  his  own  business  conservatism 
and  caution,  served  to  increase  the  business  from  a 
capital  of  15,000,  the  amount  required  by  the  char- 
ter of  the  corporation  when  he  established  the 
bank,  to  a  paid  up  capital  of  $100,000,  with  a  sur- 
plus of  $5,000,  exclusive  of  losses  incident  to  any 
banking  business,  which  had  prior  thereto  been 
charged  to  the  expense  account,  July  10,  1889, 
when  he  associated  with  himself  his  two  children, 
John  C.  Anderson  and  Effie  Anderson  Mounts. 
The  banking  business  is  still  carried  on  by  them, 
under  the  supervision  of  the  same  faithful  cashier 
and  business  manager  selected  by  their  father.  Mr. 
Anderson  was  eminently  successful  as  a  financier) 
and  left  to  his  heirs  an  estate  valued  at  nearly  a 
quarter  of  a  million  dollars.  In  the  accumulation 
of  this  vast  property  lie  displayed  business  talents 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RKCORD. 


■.'17 


of  a  rare  order,  that  were  inherent  in  himself,  and 
were  not  the  results  of  education.  Hi'  was  not  an 
educated  man  in  (lie  ordinary  acceptation  of  the 
word,  as  his  early  advantages  for  schooling  were 
limited,  being  confined  to  acquiring  a  common 
km. wledge  of  reading,  spelling,  writing  and  cipher- 
ing to  the  ''Rule  of  Three." 

While  our  subject  was  more  than  ordinarily  suc- 
cessful as  a  business  man  in  gathering  together  this 
world's  goods,  yet  his  financial  career  met  with 
many  obstacles  and  reverses  in  its  pathway,  and 
frequently  caused  him  to  do  his  share  of  "'floor 
walking."  His  plans,  like  those  of  many  other 
Often  miscarried,  and  many  for  whose  prompt  pay- 
ment he  pledged  himself  failed  to  meet  their  obliga- 
tions, and  threw  the  burden  upon  him.  He  wit- 
nessed four  of  the  financial  panics  which  swept  our 
country,  and  felt  effectively  the  force  of  three  of 
them,  viz:  those  of  1857.  1873  and  1878.  In  1857. 
the  safe  of  lis  drug  store,  which  was  the  depository 
(there  being  no  bank  in  that  town  then)  of  must  of 
the  citizens  and  business  men  of  Carlinville,  was 
taken  into  the  street,  blo.vn  open  and  robbed  of 
several  thousand  dollars,  entailing  a  heavy  loss 
upon  himself  as  well  as  upon  others  at  a  very  criti- 
cal time. 

In  1873.  although  his  bank  was  in  its  infancy,  it 
had  to  withstand  the  ordeal  of  a  several  days'  run. 
On  the  morning  of  January  15,  1878.  immediately 
after  opening  his  bank  for  the  day's  business,  he 
received  notice  that  the  oldest  bank  of  the  city  bad 
assigned.  Conscious  of  the  fact  that  the  excite- 
ment and  fear  of  panic  to  follow  would  result  in 
temporarily  closing  his  doors,  nevertheless,  know- 
ing his  solvency  and  trusting  to  a  confiding  public, 
he  promptly  met  the  withdrawal  of  his  depositors 
during  the  day.  At  closing  time,  when  waited  upon 
by  three  of  his  principal  mercantile  depositors  to 
ascertain  his  ability  to  stand  a  precipitated  '•run," 
he  frankly  informed  them  that  his  depositors  could 
close  his  doors,  but  that  they  could  not  -break 
him;"  upon  invitation  from  him  to  go  behind  the 
counter  and  make  a  thorough  examination  of  his 
assets  and  liabilities,  the  investigation  resulted  in 
twelve  of  the  depositors  of  the  bank,  whose  finan- 
cial standing  gave  satisfaction,  executing  to  Samuel 
T.  Mayo  a  power  of  attorney,   authorising  him    to 


sign  their  individual  names  as  guarantors  for  the 
payment  of  any  claim  against  iii>  bank.  So  great, 
however,  was  the  confidence  and  faith  of  bis  deposi- 
tors in  his  integrity  and  in  the  solidity  of  his  bank. 
that  only  :i  few  availed  themselves  of  this  security. 

During  his  active  business  life  Mr.  Anderson  oc- 
cupied many  positions  of  trust  in  the  settlement  of 
estates  in  the  capacity  of  executor,  administrator 
ami  guardian,  without  his  honesty  or  integrity  ever 
being  (-tilled  into  question,  with  one  exception 
which  terminated  in  the  Presiding  Judge  dismissing 
the  bill  and  paying  him  a  high  tribute  from  the 
Bench  for  a  seventeen  years'  faithful,  successful 
and  honest  service  to  his  wards.  In  dealing  with 
his  fellow  men  in  all  the  ups  and  downs  of  a  busi- 
ness life,  it  was  no',  a  question  with  him  as  to  his 
individual  action  what  is  legally  right  or  wrong, 
but  what  is  right  between  man  and  man,  and  lie  was 
governed  accordingly,  frequently  refusing  to  avail 
himself  of  legal  defenses  in  order  to  escape  liability. 
He  acted  upon  the  principle  that  a  man's  word 
ought  to  be  his  bond  on  all  occasions,  lb'  insisted 
on  what  was  his  <\uv.  but  adhered  stronglj  to  the 
principle  of  "live  and  lei  live,"  and  so  long  as  a 
debtor  manifested  a  disposition  of  honesty  and  fair 
dealing,  he  was  never  pushed  to  the  wall,  unless  :i^ 
a  last  re.surt.  in  order  to  protect  himself  against 
other  creditors. 

While  no  man  felt  a  keener  pleasure  and  enjoy- 
ment in  the  respect,  trust  and  confidence  tendered 
him  by  his  friends  and  fellow-men,  yet  our  subject 
was  averse  to  pushing  himself  forward  in  an\  man- 
ner for  the  purpose  of  gaining  applause  or  notoriety. 
In  his  charities,  though  not  demonstrative,  yet  he 
appreciated  the  fact  that  out  of  the  abundance  with 
which  he  was  blessed,  he  owed  a  share  to  the 
unfortunate,  and  he  always  responded  in  some 
measure  to  the  solicitations  made  upon  him  for  be- 
nevolent purposes.  In  his  personal  habits  and  ex- 
penditures, while  not  penurious  in  any  sense,  he 
practiced  rigid  simplicity,  and  indignantly  repelled 
any  act  which  had  the  appearance  of  ostentation  or 
display;  so  regardful  was  he  for  the  feelings  of  his 
friends  and  patrons  with  whom  he  came  in  daily 
contact,  that  it  was  his  constant  aim  to  refrain  from 
any  act  which  indicated  distinction.  He  lilt  that 
he  was  only  one  of  a  great  ma>s   of  humanity,  that 


218 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RKCORD. 


it  was  not  wealth  or  position  alone  which  made  the 
man,  and  the  greatest  satisfaction  that  prosperity 
afforded  him  was  the  fact  that  it  enabled  him  to  be 
of  that  much  more  service  and  benefit  to  the  com- 
munity generally.  As  a  friend,  he  was  loyal  and 
unflinching  with  his  heart  and  purse,  often  running 
the  risk  of  financial  embarrassment  to  himself  in 
order  to  oblige  or  help  a  friend  or  patron  in  need. 
Socially,  it  afforded  him  enjoyment  and  pleasure  to 
have  his  friends  and  acquaintances  partake  of  his 
hospitality,  and  he  was  especially  fond  of  having 
young  people  around  hira.  He  had  his  faults  and 
eccentricities,  but  they  were  in  a  large  measure 
overshadowed  by  the  promptings  of  a  noble  and 
sympathetic  heart,  and  he  left  to  his  children  the 
enduring  inheritance  of  a  name  and  memory  re- 
spe<  ted,  honored  and  revered  by  all  who  knew  him 
and  a  life  record  worthy  of  the  emulation  of  his 
posterity. 

In  1855,  during  the  Pitner  revival.  Mr.  Ander- 
son connected  himself  with  the  Carlinville  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church;  and  while  not  an  active 
participant  in  the  inside  work  of  the  church,  he 
served  many  years  upon  the  Board  of  Trustees,  was 
a  large  contributor  to  its  support  and  to  the  erec- 
tion of  its  present  house  of  worship  in  this  city. 
His  social  relations  were  with  the  Masonic  frafcr. 
nity,  and  for  twenly-eight  years  he  was  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Mt.  Nebo  Lodge,  No.  78,  serving 
for  many  years  as  its  Treasurer;  always  insisting 
that  if  the  principles  of  the  order  were  lived  up  to 
by  its  members,  man  would  attain  as  near  perfec- 
tion as   possible  on  this  earth. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Anderson  was  originally  a  Whig, 
casting  his  Hist  vote  in  1840  for  William  Henry 
Harrison,  and  upon  the  disruption  of  that  party  he 
identified  himself  with  the  Democratic  party,  with 
which  he  affiliated  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
was  strong  in  his  parly  convictions,  though  not  in 
any  sense  a  politician,  and  always  accorded  the 
greatest  respect  to  the  opinions  of  his  opponents. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  first  City  Council  of  Car- 
linville upon  its  organization  as  a  municipality. 

In  the  spring  of  1871  our  subject  purchased  and 
removed  to  his  late  home  in  the  north  part  of  the 
city  near  the  Fair  grounds.  Although  living  some 
distance  from  his  business,  unless  confined  hy  sick- 


ness, he  was  always  the  first  one  to  arrive  at  the 
.bank  in  the  morning,  ami  the  last  to  leave  at  night. 
It  was  in  this  attractive  home,  surrounded  by  lov- 
ing friends,  that  be  calmly  awaited  life's  great  end, 
anil  from  it  his  spirit  at  length  took  flight  when  re 
leased  from  the  weary  body.  July  2,  1889,  after 
suffering  for  several  months  from  a  gradual  break- 
ing down  of  his  system,  he  was  stricken  with  a  slight 
attack  of  paralysis.  In  a  few  days,  however,  he 
had  materially  recovered  from  its  effects;  but  real- 
izing that  his  time  on  earth  was  near  at  an  end,  he 
faced  the  situation  bravely,  and  expressed  himself 
freely  as  thinking  that  he  had  out-lived  his  useful- 
ness, that  he  could  no  longer  be  of  assistance  to  him- 
self or  his  fellow-men,  and  saying  that  he  was  not 
only  willing  but  anxious  for  the  final  summons. 
Though  confined  to  the  house  for  several  months, 
he  was  free  from  suffering,  and  retained  his  mental 
faculties  until  a  few  days  prior  to  his  decease.  Re- 
ceiving  all  the  care  and  attention  in  ministering  to 
his  needs  that  a  loving  and  devoted  family  could 
render,  January  10,  18110,  at  mid-day,  he  peacefully 
dropped  into  the  sleep  that  knows  no  awakening, 
surrounded  by  his  family.  Surviving  him  are  his 
widow,  Mary  .1.  Anderson;  his  son,  John  C.  An- 
derson; his  daughter, Effie  A.  Mounts;  his  nephew, 
William  E.  P.  Anderson;  his  brothers,  Malcolm 
M.  and  Henry  C.  Anderson;  and  his  sister,  Mary 
Ann  Anderson,  the  wife  of  William  C.  Anderson, 
of  Shaw's  Point  Township.  A  sister,  Maria  C. 
Adams,  wife  of  Austin  Adams,  died  a  few  days 
prior  to  his  demise. 

Such  is  the  private  history  of  one  who  was  an 
active  participant  for  fifty -six  years  in  the  growth 
and  development  of  Macoupin  County;  he  coming 
here  when  it  was  a  vast  wilderness,  but  thinly  set- 
tled. In  this  tribute  to  his  memory,  there  has  been 
no  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  writer  to  misrepre- 
sent or  overdraw  the  facts  embodied  in  this  bio- 
graphical sketch,  and  as  far  as  possible  he  has  en- 
deavored to  avoid  inaccuracies  or  the  appearance 
of  giving  any  statement  a  "varnished  character." 
The  facts  are  such  as  he  has  been  able  to  gather 
from  the  recollections  of  others,  and  his  individual 
knowledge  of  many  of  the  occurrences  mentioned, 
derived  by  an  intimate  association  wi'h  the  subject 
of  thirty  years'  duration  ;  all  of  which  are  prompted 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


219 


!>y  a  heart  overflowing  with  gratitude,  and  in  order 
to  give  to  the  descendants  of  the  subject  an  oppor- 
tunity to  avail  themselves  of  such  traLs  in  his 
Character  as  are  worthy  of  adoption. 

/\y\  ARTIN  N.  Gl' LICK,  who  owns  and 
operates  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred 
!  and  sixty  acres  on  section  10,  Hilyard 
Township,  is  numbered  among  the  pioneers 
of  the  county  of  1841,  his  residence  here  covering 
a  period  of  half  a  century.  He  was  born  in  Clark 
County.  Ind..  August  16,  1815.  and  comes  of  an 
old  family  of  New  Jersey.  His  grandfather,  Nicho- 
las Gulick,  was  born  in  that  State,  and  was  of  Hol- 
land extraction,  the  family  having  been  founded 
in  tiiis  country  by  Holland  emigrants,  who  crossed 
the  water  in  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury. Nicholas  Gulick  grew  to  manhood  as  a 
fanner,  and  married  Elizabeth  Gano,  daughter  of 
William  Gano,  one  of  the  colony  of  French  Hu- 
guenots, who  emigrated  from  Europe  prior  to  the 
Revolutionary  War.  He  lived  and  died  in  Hun- 
terdon County,  N.  J.,  where  the  colony  first  set- 
tled. It  was  after  the  birth  of  a  part  of  their 
children  that  Nicholas  Gulick  and  his  wife,  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  removed  to 
New  York,  settling  on  the  banks  of  Seneca  Lake, 
in  Seneca  County,  where  he  developed  a  good  farm, 
making  it  his  home  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-eight  years.  His  wife  had  attained  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety-two  years  at  her  death.  They 
were  connected  with  the  German  Reformed  Church, 
and  were  prominent  people  in  the  community 
where  they  made  their  home.  They-  lived  at 
the  time  of  the  Revolution,  and  it  is  thought 
Nicholas  Gulick  served  his  country  in  that 
struggle. 

William  Gulick,  father  of  our  subject,  was  also 
a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  the  third  in  a  large 
family.  He  grew  to  manhood  upon  the  banks  of 
Seneca  Lake,  and  remained  with  his  parents  until 
he  began  life  on  his  own  account,  when  he  went 
into  the  pine  regions  of  Pennsylvania.  As  he  lost 
money    in    that   section,  he  removed  to  Cincinnati, 


Ohio,  wheie  he  engaged  in  teaching  and  surveying 
until  he  joined  William  MeFarland,  then  Sheriff  of 
Hamilton  County,  and  went  to  Scott  County,  Ind., 
where  he  laid  out  and  founded  the  town  of  Lexing- 
ton in  the  early  part  of  the  present  century.  It 
became  the  seat  of  justice  and  its  growth  was 
rapid.  Some  years  later  .Mr.  Gulick  went  to  Clark 
County,  Ind..  where  he  engaged  in  surveying  and 
teaching, and  subsequently  embarked  in  the  milling 
business  on  Fourteen  Mile  (.'reek,  his  being  one 
of  the  first  mills  of  that,  part  of  the  State.  He 
married  Miss  Sarah  Adams,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
and  a  daughter  of  Martin  and  Jane  (Matthews) 
Adams,  who  were  natives  of  Maryland  and  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent.  Some  years  after  their  mar- 
riage they  removed  from  Maryland  to  Kentucky. 
and  in  later  years  went  to  Clark  County,  Ind.. 
where  Mr.  Adams  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-six 
years,  his  wife's  death  occurring  at  the  age  of 
ninety-five.  They  both  died  on  the  old  homestead. 
They  were  well  known  people  of  Clark  County, 
and  were  members  of  the  Seceder  Presbyterian 
Church.  In  1820  Mr.  Gulick  failed  in  his  milling 
enterprise  and  about  the  same  time  he  lost  his  wife, 
who  at  her  death  left  three  children,  one  of  whom 
has  since  passed  away,  Elizabeth,  wife  of  James  M. 
Carson.  Our  subject  and  Mrs.  Mary  Bain,  of 
Albia.   Monroe   County,   Iowa,  are  still  living. 

William  G.  Gulick  was  a  second  lime  married  in 
Clark  County,  Ind..  the  lady  of  his  choice  being 
Martha  Richie,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  but 
reared  in  Ohio,  and  went  to  Indiana  after  she  was 
grown,  her  parents  having  died  in  the  Buckeye 
State.  Following  his  second  marriage,  Mr.  Gulick 
removed  with  his  family  in  1821  to  Cincinnati. 
Ohio,  where  his  death  occurred  in  July,  1832,  dur- 
ing the  cholera  epidemic.  His  wife  survived  hint 
many  years  and  at  lenghth  passed  away  in  Dela- 
ware County ,  Ohio.  In  polities  he  always  voted 
the  Whig  ticket,  and  during  the  War  of  1812  he 
served  as  a  soldier  under  Gen.  Harrison.  He  filled 
the  office  of  Territorial  Magistrate  for  four  years. 
and  again  served  in  the  saute  capacity  after  the 
State  was  admitted  to  the  Union,  lie  was  a  prom- 
inent and  well-known  man  in  Southern  Indiana,  and 
his  loss  was  the  occasion  of  deep  regret  to  many 
friends. 


220 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Our  subject  is  the  second  in  order  of  birth  of 
three  children.  His  educational  advantages  were 
extremely  limited  in  his  youth,  but  by  extensive 
and  varied  reading  he  has  gained  a  practical  know- 
ledge and  become  a  well-informed  man.  He  was 
first  married  in  Clark  County,  End.,  to  Miss  Eleanor 
Welch,  who  was  born  in  that  county,  and  was  a 
daughtei  of  Patrick  and  Eleanor  (Kelly)  Welch, 
who  were  natives  of  Kentucky,  but  spent  the 
greater  part  of  their  life  in  Indiana.  Mrs.  Gulick 
died  fit  her  home  in  this  county  in  the  spring  of 
1848.  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight  years,  leaving 
three  children:  Mary,  wife  of  Lewis  R.  Phelps, 
Lincoln.  Neb.;  .Tames  EL,  who  wedded  Laura 
Palmer,  and  is  a  farmer  id'  Orange  County,  Cal. ; 
and  Eleanor,  wife  of  C.  J.  Davidson,  who  is  also 
engaged  in  farming  in  Orange  County.  Mr.  Gu- 
lick's  second  marriage  was  celebrated  in  Carrollton, 
Greene  County.  Miss  -lane  Vanarsdall  becoming 
his  wife.  She  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  with  her 
parents  removed  to  Greene  County,  III.,  where  she 
remained  until  her  marriage.  Her  father,  Peter 
Vanarsdall,  subsequently  removed  to  Brighton, 
where  both  he  and  his  wife  died.  They  were  Pres- 
byterians. Mr.  Gulick  was  again  married  in  Jer- 
seyville.  leading  to  the  marriage  altar  Mi*s  Anna 
C.  Phelps,  who  was  born  in  Westford,  Otsego 
County,  N.  Y.,  September  11,  1827,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Joshua  and  Annis  (Curtis)  Phelps, 
natives  of  Connecticut  and  the  Empire  Slate  re- 
spectively. Her  father  was  first  married  in  Con- 
necticut to  Betsy  Peek,  who  died  in  New  York, 
leaving  nine  children.  His  second  wife  survived 
her  marriage  seven  years,  and  at  her  death  left 
only  one  daughter,  Mrs.  Gulick.  A  third  time 
Mr.  Phelps  was  married,  when  he  wedded  Sarah 
Buckley,  of  New  York,  who  accompanied  him  to 
the  AVest.  They  located  in  Jersey  County.  III. 
Mr.  Phelps,  who  was  horn  in  the  year  1775,  died  in 
1853,  in  Brown  County,  III.  His  wife  died  in 
Jersey ville.  in  1889,  at  the  age  of  eighty  nine 
years. 

Mrs.  Gulick  is  a  lady  of  intelligence  and  culture, 
and  for  some  \  ears  before  her  marriage  she  success- 
fully engaged  in  teaching.  Their  union  has  been 
blessed  with  four  children — Alice,  the  wife  of  John 
B.  Gooch,  a   farmer   of   Plain  view;  Sarah,  wife  of 


Arthur  II.  Iluniston,  of  Aurora,  111.;  Olive  N..  who 
is  engaged  in  teaching;  and  M  attic  R.,  tiie  young- 
est who  is  still  at  home. 

Mr.  and  M.S.  Gulick  are  leading  members  and 
active  workers  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  are 

pi incut  people  of  the  community.     In   politics 

he  was  an  old  line  Whig,  and  cast  his  first  vote  for 
William  Henry  Harrison,  and  his  second  vote  was  for 
tiie  same  man.  On  the  organization  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  he  joined  its  ranks,  and  cast  his  last 
ballot  for  the  grandson  of  the  Tippecanoe  hero, 
President  Benjamin  Harrison.  Mr.  Gulick.  since 
coming  to  this  county,  has  been  numbered  among 
the  representative  and  progressive  citizens  of  Hil- 
yard  Township,  and  has  a  host  of  warm  friends 
among  the  pioneers  of  the  county  and  those  of 
later  arrivals.  Our  subject's  grandfather,  Adams, 
on  his  mother's  side,  went  from  Kentucky,  in  com- 
pany with  others,  in  1811.  to  where  Terrc  Haute, 
End.,  now  stands,  and  put  in  a  crop  of  corn,  then 
went  hack  to  Kentucky,  expecting  to  return  in  the 
tall,  hut  the  Indian  troubles  prevented  their  doing 
so. 

w  OSEPH  M.  CASTLEL,  a  prominent  and 
highly  respected  farmer  residing  on  section 
5,  Bird  Township,  belongs  to  an  old  Ten- 
nessee family.  His  father,  James  M.  Casteel, 
and  his  mother  Susan  (Lnderwood)  Casteel,  came 
from  Tennessee  to  this  county  in  1854,  and  made 
their  home  in  Bird  Township.  The  father  died 
not  many  years  after  coming  to  the  new  home,  but 
the  mother  survives  and  now  at  an  advanced  age 
makes  her  home  with  her  children.  These  worthy 
parents  had  a  family  of  eleven  children,  six  of 
whom  grew  to  maturity,  and  took  their  places  in 
life,  being  an  honor  to  their  parents,  and  of  use  in 
the  community  where  they  live. 

Our  subject  was  one  of  the  older  members  of  the 
family.  He  was  born  in  Blount  County,  Tenn., 
March  10,  1835.  When  his  parents  migrated  to 
Macoupin  County,  this  State,  he  came  with  them 
and  made  his  home  with  them  until  his  marriage. 
This  interesting  and  momentous  event  occurred 
April  8,  1859,  and  the  ceremony  took  place  in  Mis- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


221 


Bouri.  The  young  man  routed  land  in  Macoupin 
County  until  1864,  when  he  bought  a  small  farm 
near  Chiln  Church  in  Bird  Township.  There  they 
lived  for  two  years,  when  he  sold  this  land  and 
somewhat  later  bought  the  farm  where  lie  now  re- 
sides on  section  5,  of  the  same  county.  He  owns 
one  hundred  and  twenty-one  acres  of  excellent  soil 
and  upon  it  was  placed  all  necessary  improve- 
ments. 

Mrs.  Casteel  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Minerva 
A.  I. aster.  Her  parents  were  Enoch  and  Charity 
(Hill )  Caster,  who  came  to  this  county  from  Greene 
County  at  quite  an  early  day  and  made  their  home 
in  Bird  Township,  until  called  hence  by  death. 
They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  five  sons  and 
five  daughters.  Their  daughter,  Minerva,  who  be- 
came Mrs.  Casteel,  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth. 
She  was  born  in  Nashville,  Tenn.,  May  13,  184-1. 
To  tier  have  been  given  nine  children,  who  were 
named  as  follows:  Douglas  A.,  who  married  Miss 
Phoebe  Cald win;  Eudora  A.,  who  became  the  wife 
of  Thomas  E.  Joiner;  Robert  E.,  who  married 
Irene  Dundon ;  Jennie  E.,  who  is  Mrs.  Isaac 
Vaughn;  Minnie  A..  Joseph  E.,  Lula  M.,  who  died 
when  an  infant;  Mollie  A.  and  Samuel  J.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Casteel  are  both  earnest  and  efficient  members 
of  the  Baptist  Church,  in  which  they  find  a  broad 
field  for  labor  and  influence,  and  all  the  family 
find  comfort  in  the  same  church,  in  the  faith  of 
which  they  are  bringing  up  their  household.  His 
political  views  are  embodied  m  the  declarations  of 
of  the  Democratic  party  in  the  support  of  which 
he  is  earnest  and  aggressive. 


-m 


fL^  ENRY  L.  FAHRENKROG,  who  is  engaged 
\  in  farming  and  dairying  on  section  30,  Hil- 
yard  Township,  is  of  German  birth.  He 
was  born  in  Iiolstein,  June  30,  1831,  and 
is  a  son  of.  Henry  and  Christina  Fahrenkrog,  who 
wore  also  born  and  reared  in  the  same  province 
where  they  began  their  domestic  life  anil  resided 
until  the  death  of  the  husband  and  father,  which 
occurred  in  1833.  His  widow  was  a  second  time 
married,  becoming  the  wife  of  Henry  Kardell,  an 
ex-Prussian     soldier,    with    whom    she    afterward 


came  to  the  United  States  in  1855.  They  first 
settled  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  but  after  two  years  took 
up  '.heir  residence  in  Madison  County.  111.,  where 
Mr.  Kardell  died  al  the  age  of  sixtj  years.  Hi- 
wife  survived  him  some  years  and  passed  away 
at  the  age  of  seventy-three,  she  was  the  mother 
of  live  children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters,  all 
born  of  her  first  marriage. 

Our  subject   was   reared   ami    educated    in    his 
native  province  and   when  about  twenty-two  years 
of  age  started    for  America,  determined   to  seek  his 
fortune  in  the  New  World.      He  has  never   had  oc- 
casion to  regret  so  doing  for  he  lias  prospered  and 
acquired   a  good    property.      He   sailed   from  Ham- 
burg and  after  a  long  and  tedious  voyage  of  eleven 
weeks   landed   in  New  York   City  from    whence   he 
made  his  way  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  August,  1855. 
The  following  spring  witnessed    his  arrival  in  Mac- 
oupin County,  and  shortly  afterward   in   the    city 
of    Blinker  Hill  he  led  to  the   marriage  altar  Miss 
Fredericka  Herbst,  who  was  born  in  Holstein.  tier- 
many,  January   28,   1841.     Her  parents  lived  and. 
died    there,  her  mother    departing   this   life    when 
Mrs.  Fahrenkrog  was  quite  young.      Her  father  was 
married  a  second  time  and  died  at  an  advanced  age. 
The   wife  of  our  subject  was  only  sixteen  years 
of  age  when  she  ami  an  older  sister  stalled   alone 
for  America.     They   came   to    Macoupin  County, 
settling  in   Bunker   Hill,  where   two  years   later  she 
gave   her   hand    in    marriage   to   Mr.    Fahrenkrog. 
They    have  resided   upon   their   present   farm   since 
1868,  covering  a  period   of    twenty-three    consec- 
utive  years.      Before    thai    lime    Mr.    Fahrenkrog 
worked  as  a  farm  hand  and  lived  upon  rented  land 
until  by  his  industry  and  economy  he  had  acquired 
a  sufficient  capital  to  purchase    his  present  home- 
stead.     His   landed  possessions  aggregate  one  hun- 
dred and   sixty  acres,  all  of    which  is    under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.      He   raises  such   cereals  as  are 
adapted   to  this  climate  and    m  addition  docs  quite 
an  extensive   business  as  a   dairy  farmer,  keeping 
about    twenty-five    milch    cows    for    this     purpose. 
lie    also   raises   other   slock   of    good  grades   and  is 
regarded  as  one  of  the  enterprising  and  progressive 
farmers  of   the   township.      lie    has  ever    been    true 
to   his  duties  of   citizenship  and    lakes  a  C mend- 
able  interest  in  everything  pertaining  to  the   wel- 


222 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


fare  of  the  community.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican and  be  find  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fahrenkrog  have  been  born 
the  following  children:  William  J.  IL,  who  aids 
his  father  in  operating  the  home  farm  and  has 
served  as  Township  Assessor  and  Collector  for  two 
years,  being  a  leading  citizen  of  the  community; 
Augusta  L.  M..  wife  of  .Andrew  Iluber,  whose 
sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work:  Dora  .1.  F.. 
at  home;  Henry  L.  F.,  who  is  employed  as  salesman 
in  the  mercantile  establishment  of  Andrew  Iluber; 
Joseph  F.  W.  and  Amelia  \V.  F.,  who  are  still  un- 
der the  parental  roof.  They  have  lost  two  child- 
ren, Bertha  and  Charlie,  both  of  whom  died  in 
childhood. 

fcg*S3— -■ 

-j  ERDINAND  STRATMANN  is  a  representa- 
tive and  successful  fanner  of  Honey  Point 
Township,  his  farm  consisting  of  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  of  well-improved  land. 
He  is  a  native  of  Prussia,  the  date  of  his 
birth  being  November  11,  1828.  His  father. grand- 
father and  great-grandfather  were  all  natives  of 
the  German  Fatherland.  The  latter.  William  Strat- 
mann,  was  a  farmer,  and  was  a  member  of  the  mil- 
ilia.  He  was  a  life-long  resident  of  Prussia.  His 
son  John,  grandfather  of  our  subject,  also  followed 
farming,  and  likewise  belonged  to  the  militia.  His 
life  was  wholly  passed  in  the  land  of   his   nativity. 

Joseph  Stratmann.  father  of  Ferdinand,  was 
reared,  married  and  always  lived  in  Prussia.  For  a 
time  he  served  in  the  regular  army.  He  bought  a 
tract  of  land  near  the  village  of  Burarn,  and  there 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  death  closed 
his  mortal  career.  He  was  the  father  of  live 
children. 

Ferdinand  Stratmann  was  the  only  one  of  the 
family  who  came  to  America.  He  attended  school 
from  the  age  of  seven  until  he  was  fourteen  years  old 
and  then  gave  his  father  his  assistance  on  the  farm. 
In  1849  he  enlisted  in  the  Prussian  army,  and 
after  serving  faithfully  three  years  was  honorably 
discharged  with  a  good  record  as  a  soldier.  He 
was  offered  a  commission  if  lie  would  continue  in 
the  service,  but  he  refused.      His  thoughts  had   al- 


ready turned  toward  the  United  Stales  of  America, 
the  Mecca  of  so  many  of  his  countrymen,  and  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1853,  he  set  sail  for  this  country  on  the 
ship  '•Rebecca,"  and  landed  at  New  Orleans  the  7th 
of  the  following  May.  His  entire  wealth  at  that 
time  consisted  of  $50,  but  he  had  health,  muscle 
and  good  habits  to  rely  upon,  and  was  therefore 
well  prepared  to  ecounter  whatever  might  befall 
nini  in  the  struggle  to  better  his  condition.  From 
the  Crescent  City  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  the  trip 
consuming  one  week's  time,  and  from  there  he 
went  to  Alton,  where  he  hired  out  as  a  teamster  at 
a  pottery  for  three  years.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  time  he  rented  his  employer's  farm  for  a  terra 
of  nine  years.  In  1865  he  bought  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  acres  in  Montgomery  County,  but  after 
living  on  it  two  years  he  sold  it,  and  purchased  a 
farm  of  eighty  acres  on  section  .'111,  Honey  Point 
Township.  He  was  very  successful  in  his  farming 
operations  anil  made  money  enough  to  buy  another 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  the  same 
seel  ion.  Later  he  traded  the  first  farm  for  the  one 
he  now  occupies  on  section  25,  of  the  same  town- 
ship, which  compares  favorably  in  point  of  culti 
vation  and  improvement  with  any  in  its  vicinity. 
September  21,  1856,  Mr.  Stratmann  was  married 
to  Miss  Dina  Bartman.  who  was  also  a  native  of 
Prussia.  Five  sons  were  born  of  their  happy  union, 
a3  follows, — loseph,  Charles,  John,  William  and 
Tony.  November  27.  1*72.  death  crossed  the 
threshold  of  the  home  of  our  subject  and  took 
from  it  the  beloved  wife  and  mother.  Though  her 
life  was  closed  ere  it  had  passed  its  meridian  she 
left  behind  her  a  goodlv  record  in  all  the  relations 
that  she  sustained  towards  others,  and  her  memory 
is  cherished  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  knew  and 
loved  her.  Mr.  Stratmann  has  always  been  a  great 
reader,  and  as  he  possesses  a  clear  brain  is  well 
posted  on  general  subjects.  He  is  both  a  good 
German  and  English  scholar,  and  appreciating  the 
value  of  a  good  education  has  given  his  children 
every  advantage  in  his  power  to  secure  one.  be- 
sides assisting  them  financially  to  start  in  the  bat- 
tle of  life.  He  bears  a  line  character  among  his 
neighbors  and  associates  for  the  undoubted  pro- 
bity of  his  character  and  in  him  the  St.  Aloysius 
Catholic  Church  at  Litchfield  finds  one  of  its  most 
valued  members. 


IIBRARY 
OF  THE 

HNIVF^itv  f  -  • 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


225 


OL.   J.  R.   MILES,  who   is  living  at  Miles 
Station,   is  one  of  the  most  prominent  citi- 
zens in  the  county,  the  active  part  which 
be  lias  taken  in  the  upbuilding  and  development  of 

its  best  interests  and  his  service  in  the  late  war, 
having  made  him  widely  and  favorably  known. 
This  work  would  be  incomplete  without  this  sketch, 
and  with  pleasure  we  present  it  and  his  portrait  to 
the  readers  of  the  Record.  A  native  of  Kentucky 
he  was  born  in  1820,  and  in  his  youth  came  to  Illi- 
nois with  his  parents,  who  in  1832,  settled  in  Ma- 
coupin County,  becoming  pioneers  of  Brighton 
Township,  where  the}'  lived  until  called  to  their 
final  rest. 

His  father,  Alex  Miles,  was  born  in  North  Caro- 
lina, whence  he  went  to  Kentucky.  He  became  a 
successful  farmer  of  this  State  and  died  at  an  ad- 
vanced age.  In  Tennessee  he  was  joined  in  wedlock 
with  Miss  Mary  Irvin,  a  native  of  Georgia,  who 
went  to  Tennessee  with  her  parents,  where  they 
spent  their  remaining  days.  Her  father  was  a  hero 
of  the  Revolution,  having  served  for  seven  years 
in  that  struggle  for  independence.  Mrs.  Mary 
Miles  died  in  this  county  when  well  advanced  in 
years,  and  like  her  husband  was  descended  from 
good  English  ancestry.  Roth  were  members  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  and  Alex  Miles  was  also  a  faith- 
ful soldier  of  his  country.  Although  young  he 
served  for  six  months  in  the  Colonial  Army  when 
the  Colonies  were  trying  to  throw  off  the  3rokc  of 
British  oppression,  and  throughout  the  War  of 
1812,  followed  the  stars  and  stripes. 

We  now  take  up  the  personal  history  of  the  Col- 
onel, who  for  sixty  years  has  resided  in  Macoupin 
County.  He  can  remember  when  there  were  no 
roads  here,  there  being  an  unbroken  prairie  over 
which  one  could  ride  for  miles  without  fence  or 
house  intercepting  his  progress.  Jerseyville,  Alton 
and  Carlinville  were  then  all  mere  hamlets,  and  it 
often  required  a  week  to  make  a  trip  to  mill.  Wild 
game  of  all  kinds,  including  deer  was  seen  in  abund- 
ance and  supplied  the  table  with  meat.  With  the 
history  of  this  part  of  the  county.  Col.  Miles  has 
been  prominently  identified,  aiding  in  its  growth 
and  progress  in  many  ways.  He  built  the  first  mill 
in  this  part  of  the  county,  and  in  October,  18C7, 
founded  the    village   which  in  his  honor  bears  his 


name.  It  was  largely  through  his  influence  that 
the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  was  built  through 
the  town,  and  in  fact  few  enterprises  have  been  es- 
tablished in  this  part  of  the  county  without  receiv- 
ing his  aid  and  support.  Much  land  he  has  devel- 
oped and  he  still  owns  large  tracts  of  valuable 
prairie  Burrounding  Miles  Station,  which  he  cleared, 
developed  and  improved,  placing  it  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  Enterprising  and  industrious 
he  had  not  long  engaged  in  business  before  he  was 
reaping  a  good  income  as  the  reward  of  his  labors, 
and  a  successful  business  career  has  made  him  a 
wealthy  man. 

For  his  brilliant  career  as  a  soldier,  Col.  Miles 
deserves  great  honor.  He  formed  a  company  in 
the  beginning  of  the  late  war,  which  on  the  Uth 
of  August.  18G1,  was  organized  as  Company  F,  of 
the  Twenty-Seventh  Illinois  Infantry.  After 
drilling  for  a  time  at  Camp  Butler,  the  troops  went 
to  Cairo,  111.,  and  later  met  the  enemy  in  battle  at 
Belmont,  Mo.,  where  the  regiment  showed  that  its 
men  were  of  true  mettle.  On  their  return  to  Cairo 
liny  were  assigned  to  the  Fleet  Brigade,  and  orders 
came  to  move  on  to  Island  No.  10.  The  Colonel's 
regiment  was  the  first  to  reach  the  Island  on  the 
morning  of  the  engagement.  After  the  battle  they 
went  with  Commodore  Foote  down  the  river  to 
Ft.  Pillow  and  later  to  Corinth,  where  they  re- 
mained until  after  the  evacuation  of  that  place. 

In  1862,  Mr.  Miles  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
Colonel.  In  the  campaign  of  that  year  he  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  of  Chickamauga,  Mission  Ridge 
and  Chattanooga,  and  then  went  to  relieve  Gen. 
Sherman,  having  participated  in  some  of  the  hard- 
est fought  battles  of  the  war.  I  lis  men  conducted 
themselves  with  credit,  reflecting  honor  upon  their 
commander  and  his  tactics.  He  continued  in  com- 
mand of  the  regiment  until  his  term  of  service 
expired  and  was  then  discharged.  He  escaped 
without  wounds  or  injury,  and  although  his  service 
was  often  arduous  he  never  succumbed  to  sickness, 
but  each  day  reported  for  duty  and  when  the  bugle 
rang  out  its  call  for  battle  was  found  in  the  saddle 
at  the  head  of  his  men.  At  the  battle  of  Chatta- 
nooga he  had  many  narrow  escapes,  and  at  Chicka- 
mauga  his  field  glass  and  sword  handle  were  shot 
off,  and    his    horse  was  shot  from  under  him.      His 


226 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


clothes  were  several  times  pierced  with  bullets  but 
lie  seemed  to  wear  a  charmed  life  and  at  the  head 
of  his  troop  often  led  the  regiment  to  victory.  The 
brigade  to  which  he  belonged  was  never  driven  off 
the  field  of  battle  after  having  once  taken  its  stand, 
and  the  Twenty-Seventh  Illinois  Infantry  was  es- 
pecially commended  for  meritorious  conduct. 

In  this  county,  Col.  Miles  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Eliza  A.  Stratum,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
who  when  a  child  came  with  her  mother  to  Illinois. 
Her  father,  Robinson  Stratton,  died  in  Kentucky. 
Her  mother  survived  him  for  some  time  and  at 
length  passed  away  in  this  State.  In  1889,  the 
Colonel  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his 
wife,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fifty  seven  years.  She 
was  a  most  estimable  lady,  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church,  and  together  they  had  traveled  life's 
journey  for  many  years,  sharing  its  joys  and  sor- 
rows, its  adversity  and  its  pleasure.  She  left  three 
children:  Samuel  who  married  -Miss  olive  Copley, 
and  is  a  merchant  of  Vilas,  Wilson  County,  Kan.; 
J.  R.  Frank,  who  married  Miss  Carra  Bailey,  and 
is  a  real  estate  dealer  of  St.  Louis,  and  Charlotte 
M.,  widow  of  James  Moffet,  who  lives  with  ber 
father. 

In  politics,  the  Colonel  is  a  stanch  supporter  of 
Republican  principles,  and  takes  deep  interest  in 
the  success  of  his  party,  bin  has  never  sought  polit- 
ical preferment  for  himself.  Few  men  have  so  long 
been  identified  with  the  county's  history,  for  most 
of  those  who  came  about  the  time  that  he  located 
here,  have  removed  hence  or  else  have  been  called 
to  the  land  whence  no  traveler  returns.  His  life 
is  well  worthy  of  perpetuation  in  this  volume,  for 
to  the  pioneers  is  due  a  debt  of  gratitude  which 
can  never  be  repaid  in  coming  generations.  His 
army  record  is  one  of  which  he  and  his  may  well 
be  proud,  for  the  part  which  he  bore  in  the  si  nig- 
gle to  preserve  the  union  was  no  sinecure. 


-4- 


-3*e— -*— 


WILLIAM  M.  SMITH.  Many  families  of 
Macoupin  County  are  of  Southern  stock 
and  birth,  having  come  to  this  State  from 
Kentucky  in  the  early  days,  as  they  sought  in  Illi- 
nois a  new  home  upon  the  untrodden   prairies  of  a 


free  State.  James  Smith,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Lincoln  County,  Ky.,  and  the  mother, 
l'enninah  Smith,  was  also  a  native  of  the  same  lo- 
cality. Their  first  Northern  home  was  in  Orange 
County,  lnd..  and  from  there  they  came  to  Greene 
County,  this  State  in  1831,  and  here  the  father  died. 
The  mother  still  survives  and  has  now  reached  a 
very  advanced  age. 

The   subject   of  this   sketch    was   the  eldest  in  a 
family  of  five  children,  his  natal  day  being  January 
20„  1828.     He   was   born   in  Orange  County,  lnd  , 
but  grew  to  manhood   in  Greene  County,  111.,  and 
lived  with  his  parents  until  his  marriage  which  took 
place  in  Greene  County.  March  3d,  1853.      His  wife 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Sarah  M.  Smith,  daughter 
of 'Daniel   and  Lucy  Ann  (Face)  Smith,  natives  of 
Virginia    and    Kentucky    respectively,    who     came 
from    Kentucky   to  Greene  County,  111.,    in    1834. 
Here  the  father  died    but  the  mother  still  survives. 
Mrs.  Sarah  Smith  was  the  second  in  a  large  fam- 
ily  of    eleven    children,    and    was    born   in  Greene 
County.  111.,  August.  8,  1836.     After  ber  marriage 
with  our  subject  they  made  their   home  in  Greene 
County  and  resided  there  until  March,  1805,  when 
they    settled   on   section   7,  Barr  Township,    where 
they    have  since  been    residents.     Substantial  im- 
provements and  good   buildings  have  been  placed 
upon  the  farm   by  Mr.  Smith    who  now   owns  one 
hundred   and    thirty-one   acres  all  of   which  is  in  a 
fine  condition  for  agriculture. 

The  domestic  life  of  this  happy  couple  was 
crowned  by  the  birth  of  three  children,  all  of  whom 
grew  to  maturity  and  established  homes  of  their 
own.  Martha  E.  is  the  wife  of  J.  C.  Howell,  and 
they  have  four  living  children,  namely:  Maud  M., 
Ilallie  R.,  Bertie  1'..  and  Eva  G.  These  grand- 
children are  the  darlings  of  their  grandparents  who 
delight  to  re-icw  their  youth  in  the  lives  of  these 
little  oaes.  Frederick  grew  to  manhood  and  mar- 
ried Miss  P.  B.  Reynolds,  but  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-three  years.  Charles  H.  is  married  to  Miss 
Emma  Melvin. 

Mr.  Smith  has  been  School  Director  and  in  this 
capacity  has  exercised  a  strong  influence  in  favor 
of  progress  and  a  liberal  education.  His  political 
views  ally  him  with  the  Democratic  party.  During 
the  war   he   was    drafted,  but  as  he  felt  that   his 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RKCoKI). 


227 


young  family  then  needed  a  father's  care  lie  fur- 
nished a  substitute.  In  the  United  Baptist  Church 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  are  active  and  useful  members, 
the  latter  being  especially  useful  in  Sunday-school 
and  in  all  religious  work.  She  is  a  lady  of  unu- 
sually strong  and  lovely  character  and  of  great 
capabilities  and  is  most  highly  esteemed  by  all  who 
have  the  honor  to  be  her  friends.  The  pleasant 
home  of  the  Smiths  is  the  scene  of  true  hospitality 
and  genial  true  fellowship  and  all  who  visit  it  once 
wish  to  come  again  within  the  pleasant  sphere  of 
its  influence. 

U|>J 


*= 


^  HARLES   I'.LACK.     'I 
II  owner  of  the  farm  loc 

^^&y    Shipman  Township,  is 


HARLES  I5LACK.  The  resident  on  and 
located  on  section  17,  of 
ip,  is  the  gentleman  whose 
name  is  at  the  head  of  this  sketch.  His  father  was 
Robert  Black  who  was  probably  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. His  mother  was  Isabella  (Skelton)  Black. 
They  came  from  Pennsylvania  to  Ohio  aTid  settled 
in  the  Hocking  Valley  where  both  died  after  a  life 
of  usefulness,  the  mother  rearing  a  family  of  six 
children,  imbuing  their  young  minds  with  an  early 
sense  of  honor  and  uprightness  that  has  served 
them  well  in  their  relations  both  business  and  social 
throughout  their  career. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Hocking  County,  Ohio, 
April  3,  1838.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  con- 
tinued to  live  in  his  native  State  anil  county  until 
he  grew  to  manhood.  He  left  Ohio  in  1850,  and 
went  to  Pettis  County,  Mo.,  remaining  there  about 
thirteen  months,  during  which  lime  he  was  engaged 
in  farming.  He  then  came  to  Greene  County,  III., 
anil  worked  out  by  the  month  until  1863. 

Soon  after  coming  here  he  was  attracted  by  the 
sweet  face  and  pleasant  manners  of  Miss  Martha  J. 
Baldwin,  and  in  the  words  of  Burns  "To  see  her 
was  to  love  her,"  and  August  16,  1863,  the  .young 
couple  were  married.  The  lady  was  a  daughter  of 
Benjamin  ami  Martha  (Vcrner)  Baldwin,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  latter  of  Ohio. 
They  became  residents  of  Greene  Count}*  in  1850, 
where  they  lived  until  the  time  of  their  death.  A 
large  family  of  thirteen  children  came  to  bless  and 


brighten  the  evening  of  their  life  and  to  encircle  the 
hearthstone.  Of  these  Mrs.  Black  was  one  of  the 
younger  members.  She  was  born  in  Warren  County 
Ohio,  April  3,  1839.  Soon  after  the  marriage  of 
our  subject  and  his  lady  the}-  came  to  Macoupin 
County,  in  September,  1863,  and  settled  in  Shipman 
Township  on  section  17,  where  they  have  since 
resided. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Black  are  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren, Charles  W.  and  Eva  A.  She  is  the  wife  of 
C.  A.  Andrews.  The  original  of  this  sketch  has 
always  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
is  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-one  acres 
of  land,  that  has  rewarded  his  efforts,  by  producing 
large  crops,  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  acres 
cultivated.  He  has  erected  a  fine  house  surrounded 
with  pleasant  piazzas  from  which  a  charming  view 
may  be  had  of  the  surrounding  country,  that  in 
itself  is  a  picture  which  only  a  Corot  would  be 
worthy  of  attempting  to  reproduce  on  canvas.  The 
other  buildings  upon  the  place  are  all  well-appointed 
and  in  good  condition.  He  has  added  every  im- 
provement within  his  means  to  make  the  place 
homelike  and  comfortable.  Politically  he  is  a 
Democrat,  affiliating  with  that  party  on  eveiy  tenet 
of  its  platform. 


ICIIARD  DUCKELS  came  to  this  county 
while  it  was  still  in  its  infancy,  and  casting 
M\i  in  his  lot  with  its  pioneer  farmers,  has 
been  no  unimportant  factoi  in  develop- 
ing its  agricultural  resources.  He  has  acquired 
wealth  by  unremitting  and  well-directed  toil  and 
a  few  years  ago  he  retired  from  active  business 
to  his  present  home  in  Western  Mound  Township, 
though  he  still  retains  possession  of  his  extensive 
and  well-ordered  farm. 

Mr.  Duckels  was  born  in  the  village  of  Goole, 
Yorkshire,  England,  July  4,  1811.  Thomas  Duck- 
els was  the  name  of  his  father,  and  he  was  a  native 
of  the  same  village,  born  in  1770.  He  in  turn  was 
a  son  of  Richard  Duckels,  who  was  born  in  York- 
shire in  1734,  and  there  spent  his  entire    life,  car- 


228 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


rying  on  his  trade  as  a  blacksmith.  The  father  of 
our  subject  was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
was  a  life-long  resident  of  his  native  shire,  dying 
at  the  ripe  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  wife,  a  native  of  Armein,  Yorkshire, 
was  Ann  Golton.  She  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two  years.  She  and  her  husband  were  both  devout 
Christians  and  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church.  They  had  a  family  of  eight  children, 
three  of  whom  came  to  America — Nancy,  who 
married  John  Leach;  William,  who  is  dead;  and 
our  subject. 

The  latter  of  whom  we  write  passed  his  boyhood 
and  early  manhood  on  his  native  soil.  Deeming 
that  he  could  better  his  condition  by  emigration  to 
America,  in  1835  he  set  sail  for  these  shores  from 
Hull  in  the  month  of  May,  and  landed  at  New 
York  City  after  a  voyage  of  seven  weeks.  He 
came  directly  to  Illinois  by  the  way  of  the  Hudson 
River  to  Albany,  thence  by  Erie  Canal  to  Buffalo, 
from  there  by  the  lakes  to  Chicago,  whence  he  con- 
tinued on  his  journey  by  team  to  La  Salle,  where  he 
embarked  on  the  Illinois  River  for  Naples,  and 
from  that  point  he  proceeded  by  team  to  Jackson- 
ville, that  long  and  tiresome  route  being  the  most 
expeditious  in  those  days.  He  was  a  single  man 
at  that  time  and  not  ready  to  make  a  permanent 
settlement.  He  therefore  remained  some  three 
months  at  Jacksonville,  and  then  after  visiting  this 
county  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Alton,  where  he 
obtained  employment  in  the  store  of  Godfrey  & 
Gilman,  general  merchants.  In  1841  he  returned 
to  England  and  revisited  the  scenes  of  his  youth  a 
few  months. 

Coming  back  to  this  country  in  1842, Mr.  Duckels 
bought  a  farm  one  mile  south  of  Chesterfield,  and 
dwelt  upon  it  three  years.  He  next  bought  a  farm 
three  miles  west  of  the  village,  upon  which  he 
lived  until  1889.  In  that  year  he  took  possession 
of  his  present  cozy  and  well-appointed  home, 
where  he  and  his  estimable  wife  live  retired  from 
active  labor,  as  they  have  accumulated  a  goodly 
amount  of  property  and  are  well  fortified  against 
want,  so  that  they  can  pass  the  sunset  of  life  se- 
renely, untrammelled  by  the  cares  and  anxieties 
that  beset  their  earlier  years.  Our  subject  has 
bought  land  from  time  to  time  until  he  now   owns 


seven  hundred  acres  of  as  fine  fanning  land  as  can 
be  found  in  this  section,  and  by  his  industr}-  he  has 
placed  himself  among  the  most  substantial  citizens 
of  the  county.  Mr.  Duckels  was  married  Febru- 
ary 23,  1843,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Morris,  and  their 
wedded  life  has  been  blessed  by  the  following  chil- 
dren: Mahilda,  their  eldest  born,  who  married 
Jefferson  Lee,  and  died  at  the  age  of  forty-seven 
years;  Edwin,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nine  years; 
Richard,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years;  George; 
John;  Henry  C. ;  Oscar;  Ann  Lovelace;  Laura; 
Rollie:  Clara  and  Grant. 

Mrs.  Duckels  was  born  near  Thorne,  Yorkshire, 
England,  January  18,  1827.  Her  father,  John 
Morris,  who  was  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  this 
county,  was  also  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  and  was 
there  reared  and  married,  Ann  Sextz,  likewise  of 
that  shire,  becoming  Ins  wife.  He  resided  near 
Thorne  in  that  old  English  shire  until  1832,  when 
he  and  his  wife  and  nine  children  set  sail  from  Liv- 
erpool in  an  American-bound  vessel,  and  after  a 
voyage  of  seven  weeks  landed  at  New  York.  They 
came  directly  to  Illinois,  and  locating  in  what  is 
now  Western  Mound  Township,  Mr.  Morris  bought 
a  squatter's  claim  to  a  tract  of  Government  land, 
which  he  entered  at  the  land  office  at  Edwardsville. 
There  was  a  small  cabin  on  the  place  at  the  time  of 
purchase,  which  the  family  occupied  the  succeed- 
ing nine  years,  when  the  father  replaced  it  by  a 
substantial  frame  house  in  which  he  resided  a 
number  of  years.  He  then  removed  to  Chester- 
field and  lived  retired  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
both  he  and  his  good  wife  dying  in  their  home 
there  at  a  ripe  old  age. 


SipOHN  M.  AHRENS  is  now  living  a  retired 
life  in  Staunton.  Of  the  citizens  whom 
Germany  has  furnished  to  this  county  none 
are  more  worthy  of  a  representation  in  this 
volume  than  the  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this 
sketch.  He  was  born  in  the  Province  of  Holstein, 
German}-,  November  30,  1828,  and  in  that  country 
his  parents,  John  and  Antje  (Lucks)  Ahrens,  spent 
their  entire   lives.     They  were  hard-working  yet 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


229 


respected  German  people  and  both  lived  to  about 
the  age  of  four-score  years.  Throughout  their 
lives  they  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church 
and  to  gain  a  livelihood  Mr.  Ahrens  followed  farm- 
ing. The  family  numbered  seven  children,  four 
sons  and  three  daughters,  and  live  of  that  number 
came  to  the  United  States.  Matilda,  now  Mrs. 
Runge,  was  the  first  to  cross  the  water  and  is  now 
living  in  Nokoui's,  111.,  where  her  husband,  Fred 
Ruuge,  now  deceased,  followed  blacksini thing  for 
some  years.  Peter  is  now  married  and  resides  in 
Gillespie,  where  he  is  engaged  in  merchandising. 
John  M.  was  the  third  to  cross  the  water.  Lena 
was  married  in  Germany  to  Fritz  Barnholdt,  who 
died  after  they  came  to  America  and  she  is  now 
the  wife  of  John  Sievers,  of  Grand  Island,  Neb. 
Catherina  was  married  in  Holstein  to  John  Muller, 
who  there  died,  after  which  she  came  to  America. 
Her  home  is  now  in  Cleveland,  <  )hio. 

Our  subject  is  a  self-made  man  and  whatever 
success  he  has  met  with  in  life  is  due  to  his  own 
efforts.  Since  the  early  age  of  sixteen  he  had  been 
dependent  upon  his  own  resources.  He  then  began 
to  learn  the  cabinet-maker's  trade  and  when  he  had 
mastered  the  business  he  sailed  from  Hamburg  in 
June,  1855,  on  the  vessel  '-Christian  VIII, "  which 
after  a  voyage  of  forty-two  days  dropped  anchor 
in  the  harbor  of  New  York.  He  entered  upon 
his  business  career  in  this  country  as  a  cabinet- 
maker, following  that  trade  until  18C2,  when  he 
embarked  in  otlier  pursuits. 

In  1858  Mr.  Ahrens  formed  a  matrimonial  alli- 
ance with  Miss  Elizabeth  Ruther,  who  was  born  in 
Hanover,  Germany,  December  14,  1841,  and  when 
a  child  of  six  summers  was  brought  to  America 
by  her  parents,  Frederick  and  Dora  (Grim)  Ruther, 
who  took  passage  from  Bremen,  sailed  to  New  York, 
and  thence  came  to  Illinois,  settling  on  a  farm  near 
Alton.  In  1851  the  family  came  to  Macoupin 
County,  locating  in  Staunton  Township,  where  Mr. 
Ruther  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years. 
His  wife  died  in  Fostersburg  in  1848,  at  a  com- 
paratively early  age.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  with  which  her  husband  has  al- 
ways been  identified.  Mrs.  Ahrens  remained  with 
her  parents  until  her  marriage.  She  has  proved  a 
true    helpmate    to  him   and    has    made   for  him  a 


pleasant  home.  Their  union  has  been  blessed  with 
twelve  children,  two  of  whom  are  now  deceased. 
Dora,  who  became  the  wife  of  Edgar  Golightly, 
died  at  the  birth  of  her  first  child,  a  son,  when 
twenty  six  years  of  age.  Louis  died  in  April, 
1S72.  The  surviving  members  of  the  family  are 
John  C,  who  married  Cora  Gray,  of  St.  Louis, 
and  is  now  a  lumber  merchant  of  Rivcrdalc,  111. 
Peter,  who  wedded  Gertrude  Jacobs,  and  is  now 
operating  the  lumber-yard  at  this  place  with  his 
brother.  Henry  A.  operates  a  lumber-yard  in 
Effingham,  111.;  Albert  E.,  a  partner  of  Peter; 
Mary  E..  Emma  M.,  Ada  L.,  Sophia  C,  Walter  L. 
and  Carrie  B.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ahrens  have  also 
given  a  home  to  their  grandson,  Lester  E.  Golightly 
who  has  resided  with  his  grandparents  from 
infancy. 

No  family  in  Staunton  has  been  more  promi- 
nently connected  with  the  business  interests  of  the 
place  than  the  Ahrens.  Our  subject,  in  18G2, 
opened  a  furniture  store  and  about  the  same  time 
established  a  lumber-yard,  the  first  in  the  place  and 
these  two  lines  of  business  he  successfully  carried 
on  until  April  24,  1.S74,  when  he  sold  out  the  fur- 
niture store  to  Jacob  Moebrman,  the  present  pro- 
prietor. He  continued  the  lumber  business  and 
afterward  associated  with  him  his  son,  P.  F.,  while 
in  connection  with  another  son  Lc  established  a 
lumber-yard  in  Worden,  111.  Soon  John  C.  became 
sole  proprietor  and  sold  out  in  1888,  removing  to 
Effingham,  where  he  again  established  business  in 
the  same  line.  The  lumber-yard  in  Staunton  be- 
came under  the  control  of  P.  F.  and  A.  E.,  in  1887, 
and  they  are  now  doing  a  good  business.  In  July, 
1888,  II.  A.  Ahrens  and  W.  I.  Gates  purchased  a 
stock  of  general  merchandise  continuing  business 
until  March,  1889,  when  Mr.  Gates  sold  out  to  our 
subject,  who  continued  a  member  of  the  firm  until 
September,  1.S90,  when  he  turned  over  the  business 
to  his  son.  Mr.  Ahrens  came  to  Staunton  when  it 
was  a  small  town  and  with  its  development  and 
growth  he  has  been  prominently  identified.  His 
business  interests  have  been  extensive  and  he  has 
thereby  acquired  a  handsome  property,  yet  he  has 
also  found  time  to  devote  to  public  interests  and 
has  frequently  served  his  fellow-townsmen  in  offi- 
cial positions.     He  filled  the  office  of  Councilman, 


230 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  REBORD. 


was  one  terra  President  of  the  Board,  for  four 
terms  was  Township  Clerk  and  for  the  long  period 
of  fifteen  years  has  served  on  the  School  Board. 
In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  the  duties 
of  the  offices  he  ever  faithfully  discharged.  Both 
lie  and  his  wife  are  leading  members  and  active 
workers  in  the  Methodist  Church  in  which  he  has 
served  as  Class  Leader,  Sunday  school  Superin- 
tendent and  is  now  Trustee.  His  upright,  life  has 
been  such  as  to  win  the  confidence  and  regard  of 
all  and  the  prosperity  which  has  crowned  his  efforts 
is  but  the  just  reward  of  a  well-spent  life. 


^C 


c*l  IVILLIAM  T.  BEEBY.  It  is  pleasing  to  see 
\f\//l  a  man  wuo'  liavin8  attained  years  that  en- 
tyy/  title  him  to  the  rest  and  enjoyment  of  a 
retrospective  view  of  life,  can  retire  from  the 
active  pursuits  and  enjoy  the  afternoon  of  his  ex- 
istence in  the  peace  and  serenity  consequent  upon 
a  knowledge  that  he  has  made  his  struggle  well 
and  bravely,  and  that  the  results  are  the  award  of 
his  present  peaceful  condition.  The  gentleman 
whose  name  is  at  the  head  of  this  sketch,  after  a 
long  life  spent  in  agricultural  pursuits,  is  now  en- 
joying the  fruits  of  his  labor  in  his  pleasant  home 
at  Piasa. 

Mr.  Beeby,  who  is  a  retired  farmer,  is  of  English 
birth  and  parentage,  his  advent  into  this  world 
being  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  March  27,  1833. 
His  father  belonged  to  the  class  of  mechanics, 
being  a  plumber  and  glazier,  and  having  but  little 
else  with  which  to  endow  his  son  he  early  taught 
him  his  own  trade,  and  by  working  with  his  father, 
our  subject  soon  became  an  expert. 

William  Beeby  disposed  of  a  small  farm  which 
he  had  owned  in  the  Mother  Country  and  with  the 
proceeds  emigrated  to  America  in  December,  1851. 
After  landing  he  proceeded  at  once  to  Piasa  where 
he  arrived  two  weeks  before  Christmas.  He  first 
made  his  living  by  working  out  by  the  month  at 
farm  labor  which  course  he  pursued  for  eight 
years.  By  that  lime  his  attachment  to  a  bright 
young  lady  whose  name  was  Mary  Ann  Ballett,  a 
fellow-countrywoman    of   his    own,  caused  him  to 


look  forward  anxiously  for  a  home  of  his  own. 
The  young  couple  were  married  March  27,  1859, 
and  they  immediately  settled  on  section  31,  where 
he  had  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty 
acres.  Mrs.  Beeby  as  before  said  was  born  in  Eng- 
land, her  birthplace  being  Dorsetshire,  and  her 
birthday  being  July  11,  1838.  She  was  about 
eleven  years  old,  when  with  her  parents  she  came 
to  America  in  the  spring  of  1851.  They  belonged 
to  the  farming  class  and  made  their  living  in  this 
way. 

Our  subject  carried  on  his  farm  for  over  twenty 
years,  making  it  pay  handsomely  for  the  care  that 
he  bestowed  upon  it.  At  the  end  of  this  time  he 
sold  his  place  and  free  from  business  cares  he  paid 
a  visit  to  his  native  land,  being  gone  about  six 
months.  He  could  not,  however,  make  up  his 
in i ml  to  remain  there,  so  strong  was  the  hold  that 
his  adopted  country  hail  upon  him.  He  settled  in 
Piasa  in  the  spring  of  1881  where  he  has  since 
lived  a  retired  life.  The  issues  of  the  day  as  to 
local  and  national  government  are  of  great  inter- 
est to  Mr.  Beeby  and  his  preference  in  politics  is 
with  the  Republican  party.  Mrs.  Beeby  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Church.  The  parents  of  our 
subject  lived  and  died  in  Lincolnshire,  England. 
The  father  was  Caesar  Jones  Beeby.  His  mother 
was  Elizabeth  (Kew)  Beeby.  Mrs.  Beeby's  parents 
emigrated  to  this  country  in  the  spring  of  1851 
and  passed  away  in  Shipman  Township.  Her 
father  was  William  Ballett  and  her  mother  was 
Elizabeth  (Cobb)   Ballett. 


!JG^ 


m 


^fH)HN  JASPER  COX,  a  prominent  citizen 
and  business  man  of  Virden  Township,  was 
born  in  Illinois,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
Gilliam's  Mound  in  Jersey  County,  January 
20,  1835.  His  father,  Henry  Cox,  was  a  Kentuck- 
ian,  born  near  Lexington,  and  a  son  of  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  that  State,  who  was  murdered  by  the 
Indians.  Being  left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age, 
Henry  Cox  was  reared  by  strangers,  and  learned 
the  trade  of  a  brickmaker,  which  he  followed  at 
various  places  in  Kentucky  and  Ohio  until  1834, 


PORTRAIT  AND   BI(  ><;i.',\  PHICAL  RECORD. 


23  1 


when  lie  removed  to  Illinois.  He  waa  accompanied 
in  his  journey  by  his  wife  and  six  children,  and 
they  came  by  team,  camping  out  on  the  <vay. 

Henry  Cox  purchased  a  tract  of  land  near  Gil- 
barn's  Mound,  and  there  built  the  house  in  which 
our  subject  was  horn,  lie  developed  his  farm  and 
at  the  same  time  worked  at  his  trade.  In  1837  he 
went  to  Calhoun  County,  and  settled  four  miles 
south  of  Harden,  buying  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land.  Here  he  built  a  log  house  ana  made 
it  his  home  until  his  death  in  1846.  The  maiden 
name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject  was  Louisa 
I'tt.  She  was  horn  in  Scioto  County,  Ohio,  and 
her  father,  Jacob  UU,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  of  German  ancestry.  She  died  in  Calhoun 
County,  about  the  year  184'.)  having  reared  and 
given  faithful  training  to  eight  children. 

Being  left  an  orphan,  John  Cox  went  to  reside 
with  his  uncle,  Jacob  I'tt,  of  Jersey  County,  and 
attended  the  first  public  school  which  was  estab- 
lished in  the  log  school  house.  The  seats  were  made 
of  split  logs,  one  side  being  hewn  smooth,  ami  with 
wooden  pins  for  legs.  There  were  no  desks  in 
front  and  no  support  for  the  backs  of  these  primi- 
tive seals.  He  assisted  his  uncle  on  the  farm  and 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  began  to  learn  the  trade  of 
a  blacksmith  at  Waverly,  Morgan  County,  and 
Yirden,  this  county.  A  fie"  some  five  months  he 
came  to  this  county,  in  1853,  and  settled  in  Yirden 
where  he  worked  for  Aaron  Maulsbury  for  two 
years,  and  then  engaged  in  farming  which  he  car- 
ried on  successfully  until  18G2. 

During  the  second  year  of  the  war  this  young 
man  was  deeply  stirred  by  the  repeated  calls  of 
President  Lincoln  for  more  troops  to  carry  on  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion,  and  he  finally  decided  to  en- 
list February  13,  18G2,  in  Company  F,  First  Illi- 
nois Light  Artillery  in  which  he  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  For  two  weeks  this  company  was 
guarding  prisoners  at  Cam))  Butler,  and  in  March 
was  sent  to  St.  Louis,  and  then  on  to  Shiloh,  arriv- 
ing there  on  April  7,  the  day  after  the  battle.  From 
there  these  brave  boys  were  sent  forward  to  Cor- 
inth to  guard  the  supply  trains,  and  spent  the  sum- 
mer in  the  vicinity  of  Memphis.  In  November, 
1862.  they  started  on  the  Yieksburg  Campaign  and 
wintered  at  Grand  Junction,    Tenn.     Continuing 


their  march  in  the  spring  toward  Yieksburg,  they 
participated  in  that  campaign.  At  the  time  of  the 
'all  of  Vicksburg  they  were  guarding  the  Black 
River  at  Oak  Ridge.  They  took  part  in  the  battle 
of  Jackson,  Miss.,  and  then  returned  to  Oak  Ridge 
ami  camped  there  before  returning  to  Vicksburg 
and  .Memphis,  whence  they  marched  to  Chattanooga 
and  took  part  in  the  tight  at  Missionary  Ridge. 
They  were  sent  forward  to  Knoxville  to  relieve 
Burnside,  and  finding  the  rebels  had  retreated,  re- 
turned to  Scottsborough,  Ala.,  and  spent  the  winter 
there  guarding  railroads. 

The  Atlanta  campaign  next  engaged  the  services 
of  this  valiant  body  of  artillery,  as  in  1864  they 
joined  Sherman's  forces  and  took  part  in  the  battles 
of  Resaca,  Buzzard's  Roost,  Kencsaw  Mountain. 
Rome,  ami  other  encounters.  They  were  engaged 
in  the  conflicts  around  Atlanta  and  the  battle  of 
Jonesboro.  They  returned  to  Nashville  in  time  to 
be  present  at  Hood's  defeat,  after  which  they  did 
garrison  duty  at  that  city  until  March,  1865,  when 
they  were  discharged  and  returned  home. 

The  brave  soldier  was  ready  to  settle  down  to 
more  peaceful  pursuits,  and  now  resumed  his  old 
trade  of  lilaeksmithing,  and  soon  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  Lafayette  Kiggins  to  do  general 
lilaeksmithing  and  farm  work.  This  connection 
lasted  until  1872  when  our  subject  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Messrs.  A.  C.  Hutchinson  and  Richard 
hall  with  the  firm  name  of  Cox,  Hutchinson  & 
Ball.  Mr.  Hutchinson's  death  in  1880  removed  him 
from  the  firm  which   is  now  known  as  Cox  A-  Ball. 

The  happy  marital  union  of  John  J.  Cox  and 
Mary  A.  Emerson  was  solemnized  at  the  home  of 
the  bride's  parents  in  1SC7.  This  lady  is  English 
by  birth,  her  natal  day  being  July  16,  1847,  and 
her  parents  being  William  and  Elizabeth  Emerson. 
She  was  three  years  old  when  she  came  with  them 
to  the  United  States,  and  was  a  child  of  seven  years 
when  she  reached  this  county.  For  a  more  ex- 
tended history  of  this  family  the  reader  will  con- 
sult the  sketch  of  Mr.  William  Emerson  in  this 
volume. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cox  arc  earnest  Christian 
workers,  the  former  in  connection  with  the  Baptist 
Church,  where  he  labors  in  Sunday-school,  and  for 
three  years  was  the  Superintendent,  and  his  wife  in 


232 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


connection  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
He  cherishes  the  memories  and  associations  of  war 
times,  and  is  a  charter  member  of  the  John  Baird 
Post,  No.  285,  G.  A.  R.,  in  which  he  is  Past  Com- 
mander. He  is  well-known  in  tins  vicinity  as  the 
author  of  a  series  of  sketches  entitled  "The  Sol- 
diers' Experience."  These  were  written  from  mem- 
ory and  were  published  in  the  Virden  Reporter, 
where  they  were  read  with  great  interest,  not  only 
by  his  neighbors  but  by  all  who  had  participated 
in  the  trying  scenes  of  the  Civil  War. 

<«l        felLLIAM  MASON,  who  is  extensively  en- 
\/\/l!    SaS^  in     farming    and    stock-raising    in 
Wvj      Brighton  Township,  his  home  being  on  sec- 
tion 15,  claims  New  York  as  the  State  of  his  nativ- 
ity.    He  was  born  in  Potsdam  on  the  15lh  of  Aug- 
ust, 1830,  and  comes   from    one   of   the  prominent 
New   England  families.     His    father,   Lawrence  S. 
Mason,  a  native  of  Connecticut,   had    learned  the 
trade  of  a  cabinet-maker  and    wheelwright   when    a 
young  man,  and  following    those    occupations  met 
with  excellent  success.     He  was  a  first  time   mar- 
ried in  the  State  of  his  nativity  but  after  the  birth 
of  two  children,  that  wife  died,  and   in  the  Green 
Mountain  State,  he   was  joined   in    wedlock    with 
Miss  Sarah  French,  who  was    born  in  New  Haven, 
Vt.     Her  father,  Nathaniel   French,    was  a  promi- 
nent farmer  and  honored   early  settler  of  Addison 
County,  where  in  the  midst  of  the  forest  he  devel- 
oped a   farm,  upon  which   he   resided   more    than 
sixty  years,  his  death   occurring  when  pas1  the  age 
of  eighty  years.      His   wife,    whose   maiden    name 
was  Beulah  Champion,  passed  away  some  time  be- 
fore at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.     After  Law- 
rence Mason  was  a  second  time  married  he  lemoved 
with  his  wife  to  Potsdam,  N.    Y.,  where  three  sons 
and  two  daughters  were  born   unto  them.     Of  that 
family  all  are  yet  living  and   are  married.     They 
recently  held  a  re-union  in  New  Haven,  Vt.,  where 
for  the  first  time  in  more  than    forty  years  the  live 
children  had   been    together.     They   are   all   now 
well-to-do  and  prosperous  people  and  have  become 
respected    members  of    society.     Mr.  Mason,   the 


father,  spent  his  last  years  in  Potsdam,  N.  Y., 
where  for  so  long  he  had  made  his  home  and  fol- 
lowed his  trade.  He  passed  away  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two  years,  after  which  his  widow  returned 
to  her  father's  old  homestead  in  New  Haven,  Vt., 
where  she  remained  until  called  to  her  final  rest  in 
1S77,  or  about  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  She 
was  a  life-long  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  and 
a  noble  Christian  lady  who  won  the  love  of  all 
with  whom  she  came  in  contact.  The  old  home- 
stead in  New  Haven,  upon  which  she  was  born  and 
died,  is  now  owned  by  her  son,  C.  W.  Mason. 

In  the  St&te  of  his  nativity,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  carefully  reared  and  received  a  good 
practical  education.  Believing  that  the  West  fur- 
nished better  opportunities  for  young  men,  he 
started  for  Illinois,  when  twenty-two  years  of  age 
and  in  October,  1852,  became  a  resident  of 
Brighton  Township,  Macoupin  County.  Two  years 
later  be  purchased  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  a 
part  of  his  present  farm  and  built  thereon  a  dwell- 
ing. His  arrangements  for  a  home  were  further 
completed  by  his  marriage  with  Miss  Nancy  M. 
Hoyt,  an  old  acquaintance  whom  he  had  known  in 
the  East,  but  who  was  then  living  in  Kendall 
County,  111.  She  was  born  in  New  Haven,  V*., 
July  2,  1833,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Harvey  and 
Hanna  L.  (Wynn)  Hoyt.  She,  too,  belongs  to  an 
tarly  family,  her  grandfather  being  Dr.  Jacob 
Hoyt,  who  lived  and  died  in  New  Haven,  Conn. 
Her  parents  were  natives  of  the  Green  Moun- 
tain State,  and  her  mother  died  at  the  age  of 
thirty-two  years,  when  Mrs.  Mason  was  a  young 
girl  of  only  uine  summers.  The  father  died  at  the 
home  of  his  daughter  at  the  age  of  seventy -one 
years.  He  was  four  times  married  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  Church. 

Mrs.  Mason  came  to  Illinois  with  her  family  in 
1850,  the  family  first  locating  in  Kendall  County. 
By  her  marriage  there  liave  been  born  six  children 
— Clara  E.,  wife  of  John  Jones,  a  resident  farmer 
of  Brighton  Township;  Flora  M.,  wife  of  John  A. 
Bennett,  a  farmer  living  in  Princeton,  Franklin 
County,  Kan.;  Charles  A.,  a  prominent  stock  dealei 
living  near  Denver,  Col.,  on  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad;  William  II.,  Albert  L.,  and  Franklin 
E.,  at  home.     They  also  lost  one  child,  Lucius  H., 


UBBAXY 

or  v 


&tt^es2st — 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


235 


who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  months.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mason  are  numbered  among  the  prominent 
people  in  this  part  of  the  county,  ranking  high  in 
the  social  world  and  holding  an  enviable  position 
in  the  esteem  of  their  man}'  friends.  In  the  Meth- 
odist Church  they  are  active  workers  and  Mr.  Ma- 
son has  for  many  years  been  Steward  and  Class 
leader,  serving  in  the  former  capacity  at  the  pres- 
ent time.  In  polities  he  is  a  warm  advocate  of 
Republican  principles  but  prefers  to  devote  his  at- 
tention to  his  business  rather  than  engage  in  strife 
for  public  office.  He  has  been  eminently  success- 
ful in  his  business  career,  being  now  numbered 
among  the  substantial  farmers  of  the  community. 
He  owns  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  valua- 
ble land  in  Brighton  Township,  and  in  connection 
with  its  cultivation  is  extensively  engaged  in  stock 
raising,  making  a  specialty  of  the  breeding  of 
Merino  sheep,  which  he  has  shipped  in  large  num- 
bers throughout  the  West.  Ample  shelter  is  pro- 
vided for  his  stock  and  grain  in  large  barns  and 
other  outbuildings,  and  in  1883,  his  first  home  was 
replaced  by  one  of  the  finest  farm  resiliences  in  the 
county,  built  in  the  most  modern  style,  tastefully 
furnished  and  supplied  with  all  the  conveniences 
and  comfort  which  goto  make  life  worth  the  liv- 
ing. The  Mason  family  are  people  of  intelligence 
and  worth,  well  deserving  of  a  representation  in 
this  volume. 


* 


ON.  BALFOUR  COWEN,  of  Yirden,  is 
fljj  held  in  distinction  for  the  loyalty  of  his 
citizenship,  and  for  his  worth  as  a  man  of 
of  unblemished  character.  As  a  member 
of  the  bar  his  legal  attainments  have  placed  him 
among  the  most  successful  of  his  profession  now 
practicing  before  the  courts  of  this  and  adjoining 
counties.  It  is  therefore  with  pleasure  that  we 
invite  the  attention  of  the  reader  to  his  portrait  on 
the  opposite  page,  and  the  following  brief  account 
of  his  life  and  lineage. 

Our  subject  comes  of  sterling  New-  England 
stock,  and  is  a  native  of  that  part  of  the  country, 
born  at  Bath,  N.  EL,  June  30,  1832.     His  father, 


Zachariah  Cowen,  was  a  native  of  the  same  state, 
ami  was  a  son  of  another  Zachariah  Cowen,  who  is 
thought  to  have  been  born  in  New  England  and 
to  have  been  of  Welsh  descent.  Grandfather 
Cowen  was  a  carpenter  and  millwright,  and  fol- 
lowed those  trades  some  years  in  his  early  man- 
hood. He  had  a  decided  talent  for  music,  and 
Anally  turned  his  attention  to  teaching  that  art, 
being  an  instructor  in  both  vocal  and  instrumental 
music.  His  last  years  were  passed  in  New  Hamp- 
shire. 

The  father  of  our  subject  learned  the  trade  of 
a  bricklayer  in  his  youth,  and  was  engaged  at 
that  trade  in  his  native  State  until  1835.  In  that 
year  he  left  his  old  home  among  the  Granite  hills 
of  New  Hampshire  to  seek  a  new  one  on  the  fer- 
tile prairies  of  this  Slate,  being  accompanied 
hither  by  his  wife  and  three  sous.  The  momen- 
tous journey  was  made  entirely  by  land  with  a  pair 
of  horses  and  a  wagon,  in  which  were  carried  a 
portion  of  the  household  goods.  After  three 
months  the  little  family  arrived  at  its  destination 
in  that  part  of  Greene  County  now  included  in 
Jersey  County.  The  father  entered  a  quarter  of  a 
section  of  land  from  the  Government,  four  and 
one-half  miles  northeast  of  Jerseyville,  and  also 
bought  eighty  acres  of  land  on  Hawkins  Prairie, 
eight  miles  northeast  of  Jerseyville.  In  the  double 
log  cabin  that  stood  on  the  latter  place  tiie  fam- 
ily took  up  its  abode,  occupying  one-half  of  it, 
while  Mr.  Cowen's  brother  William  took  posses- 
sion of  the  other  part.  At  that  time  the  surround- 
ing country  was  in  its  primitive  condition,  with 
the  exception  of  the  few  improvements  made  by 
the  handful  of  settlers  that  had  located  here  and 
there;  deer,  wild  turkeys,  wolves  and  other  wild 
animals  still  lingered  in  abundance  on  the  prairies 
and  in  the  timber.  There  were  no  railways,  no 
canals,  and  no  good  roads,  travelers  passing  from 
settlement  to  settlement  over  trackless  prairies  or 
following  some  Indian  trail. 

Mr.  Cowen  busied  himself  in  preparing  land  and 
in  putting  in  a  crop  in  tin:  spring  of  1886,  and 
then  worked  at  his  trade.  In  July  of  the  same 
year  he  was  stricken  by  typhus  fever,  and  on  the 
29th  of  that  month  death  cut  short  his  career 
while  he   was  yet  in  life's    prime,  thus    depriving 


236 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


his  family  of  a  kind  husband  and  wise  father,  and 
the  community  of  a  valuable  pioneer,  whose  place 
it  was  hard  to  fill.  His  brother,  William,  had  died 
three  days  previous  of  the  same  dread  disease,  and 
both  were  buried  in  the  old  cemetery  at  Jersey- 
ville. 

The  mother  of  our  subject,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Mary  Titus,  was  reared  in  Colebrook, 
N.  11.,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Eleazer  and  Martha 
(Cleveland)  Titus.  Eleazer  Titus  was  born  at 
Attleboro,  Mass.,  whence  his  parents  removed  to 
Landaff,  N.  II.,  in  1764,  with  their  two  children, 
he  being  borne  in  the  arms  of  his  mother,  who 
rode  on  horseback,  with  the  other  child  behind 
her.  The  great-grandfather  of  our  subject  had 
visited  that  part  of  the  country  before,  and  had 
marked  the  way  by  blazing  trees.  He  improved 
a  farm  at  Landaff,  and  there  died  in  the  fullness 
of  years.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject  passed 
his  early  life  there,  but  at  the  time  of  his  marriage 
settled  on  a  tract  of  forest  land  in  Colebrook. 
He  developed  a  tine  farm  from  the  wilderness, 
which  is  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  C.  B.  Libby,  and  her  family.  He  and 
his  wife  are  reposing  side  by  side  in  the  little  fam- 
ily cemetery  on  the  home  farm  where  they  spent 
their  wedded  life  and  toiled  hand  in  hand  to  build 
up  a  home. 

By  the  death  of  the  father  the  mother  of  our 
subject  was  left  a  widow  with  three  small  children 
to  care  for.  January  8,  1831),  she  married  Ezekiel 
Gillham,  a  native  of  South  Carolina  and  a  pioneer 
of  Jersey  County.  At  that  lime  he  was  living 
nine  miles  north  of  Alton,  on  the  Grafton  road, 
and  there  the  mother  made  her  home  until  Mr. 
Gillham's  death  in  1848.  She  had  two  children 
by  that  marriage — Henry  Clay  and  Maria.  The 
former  died  at  the  age  of  twenty  years.  Maria 
married  Maj.  John  W.  Lawrence  at  Carbondale, 
111.,  and  both  are  now  deceased.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  was  married  a  third  time,  October  23, 
1855,  becoming  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  William  Jer- 
ome, a  native  of  New  York  and  a  minister  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  They  removed  to 
Carbondale,  Jackson  County,  where  he  died  June 
15,  1865. 

Mrs.  Jerome  then  came   to  Virden,  and  resided 


with  her  son  Lewellyn  until  her  death,  September 
■25,  1877.  She  had  three  children  by  her  first  mar- 
riage— Llewellyn,  Norredden  and  Balfour.  Llew- 
ellyn (dwen  was  for  a  time  a  teacher,  and  then 
engaged  in  mercantile  business.  He  enlisted  March 
8,  1862,  in  Company  D,  Ninth  Illinois  Cavalry, 
and  was  promoted  to  the  First  Lieutenancy,  and 
then  to  be  Captain  of  his  company.  He  served 
with  honor  with  his  regiment  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  and  after  that  resumed  his  business  as  a 
merchant  at  Virden,  carrying  it  on  until  1878.  In 
that  year  he  disposed  of  his  mercantile  interests 
and  opened  a  Home  for  commercial  travelers  at 
Virden,  which  he  managed  until  his  death,  April 
29,  1881. 

Norrendcn  Cowen  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Jersey  County.  After  selling  his  interest  in  his 
father's  estate  to  his  brothers,  he  entered  Govern- 
ment land  near  Walsh  ville,  Montgomery  County, 
lie  improved  a  farm,  and  was  a  resident  there  at 
the  time  of  his  enlistment,  in  August,  1861,  in 
Company  L.  Third  Illinois  Cavalry.  He  was 
soon  commissioned  First  Lieutenant  of  his  com- 
pany, and  was  subsequently  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  Captain.  In  the  winter  of  1861-62  he  was 
Judge  Advocate  of  a  court  martial  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Missouri.  He  was  wounded  in  a  skir- 
mish, and  on  that  account  was  oblige!  to  resign 
his  commission  in  May,  1864.  As  soon  as  he  re- 
covered from  his  injuries  he  engaged  in  milling  at 
Litchfield  with  Messrs.  Best  and  Sparks.  Subse- 
quently he  went  to  Cailyle,  Clinton  County,  to 
engage  in  the  same  business  with  the  same  linn, 
of  which  he  became  a  member,  and  resided  there 
until  his  death,  October  12,  1872.  His  wife,  Mel- 
vina  J.,  died  in  Carlyle  Febuary  12,  1890. 

Balfour  Cowen  was  but  three  years  old  when 
his  parents  brought  him  from  his  New  England. 
birthplace  to  the  frontier  wilds  of  Illinois.  The 
first  school  that  he  attended  was  a  free  school  estab- 
lished by  old  Dr.  Hamilton  at  Otterville,  and  en- 
dowed by  him.  That  was  before  the  era  of  public 
schools  in  this  State,  as  then  the  schools  were  con- 
ducted on  the  subscription  plan.  After  the  death 
of  his  stepfather,  Gillham,  his  mother  removed 
with  her  children  to  the  land  which  his  father  had 
entered    from    the    Government,    and    she     built 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOG RAPII1CAL  RECORD. 


2.37 


thereou.  The  brothers  farmed  the  place  together 
until  I s.j2,  when  our  subject  bought  out  the  inter 

ests  of  his  brothers  and  continued  to  till  the  soil 
until  1857.  In  that  year  he  sold  the  <>hl  home- 
stead  and  in  February,  1858,  came  to  Virden  to 
devote  himself  to  mercantile  pursuits  with  his 
brothers. 

Mr.  Cowen  continued  actively  engaged  in  busi- 
ness here  until  1802,  when  he  left  his  partner, 
Gordon  Evans,  in  charge,  in  order  that  he  might 
offer  his  services  to  his  country  to  aid  in  subdu- 
ing the  great  rebellion  that  was  threatening  the 
very  life  of  the  Union.  He  enlisted  August  13, 
18G2.  in  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
second  Illinois  Infantry,  and  was  honored  by 
being  elected  Captain  of  his  company.  He  was 
captured  December  20,  1 8 ( i 2 ,  at  Trenton,  Tenn., 
by  Forest's  command  in  a  raid  on  the  Ohio  & 
Mobile  Railroad,  lie  was  marched  under  guard 
one  week  and  was  then  paroled  and  sent  North, 
where  he  was  exchanged  in  the  spring  of  1863. 
Our  gallant  Captain  then  joined  his  company  at 
Salisbury,  Tenn.,  and  was  with  his  regiment  in  all 
its  subsequent  campaigns  and  battles  until  peace 
was  declared.  He  did  good  service  at  the  battle 
of  Tupelo,  inspired  his  company  to  do  brave  deeds 
at  Nashille,  and  again  gave  proof  of  his  excel- 
lent soldierly  qualities  and  worth  as  a  leader  before 
Ft.  Blakely,  Ala.  He  was  honorably  discharged 
with  his  regiment  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  July  15,  1865, 
but  mustered  out  at  Springfield,  111.,  August  :), 
the  same  year. 

At  the  close  of  his  military  life  Capt.  Cowen  re- 
turned to  Virden  and  at  once  commenced  the  stud)' 
of  law.  April  5,  1867,  he  was  examined  before 
the  Supreme  Bench  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
after  passing  the  crucial  test  successfully,  Judges 
P.  II.  Walker,  Sidney  Breeze  and  C.  1>.  Lawrence 
signing  his  certificate.  He  immediate!)'  opened  an 
office  at  Virden,  and  has  been  in  active  practice 
here  since,  lie  has  an  extensive  clientage  to  whose 
interest  he  pays  the  closest  attention,  and  has  thus 
secured  the  undounded  confidence  of  all  who  ap- 
peal to  him  for  legal  advice,  or  who  have  entrusted 
to  him  the  management  of  important  affairs.  His 
standing  as  one  of  our  best  lawyers  is  too  well- 
known  to  need  comment  here. 


Mr.  Cowen  and  Miss  Amanda  Bartlett  were 
united  in  marriage  March  29,  L 855,  and  they  have 
been  eminently  happy  in  their  domestic  relations. 
Mrs.  Cowen  is  a  native  of  Wellsville,  Me.,  born 
December  28,  1833,  and  a  daughter  of  Joseph  W. 
and  Mary  (Twombley)  Bartlett.  For  her  parental 
history  see  sketch  of  Dr.  Bartlett.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cowen  have  five  children — Nora,  Amanda,  Blanche 
B..  Elmer  A.,  Henry  II.  and  Mary  A.  Nora  is  the 
wife  of  the  Rev.  Eben  C.  Sage,  Ph.  D.,  a  gradu- 
ate of  Yale  College,  and  pastor  of  the  Grand  Ave- 
nue Baptist  Church,  New  Haven,  Conu.  They  have 
three  children — Nora  A.,  Eben  Balfour  and  Tru- 
man Bartlett.  Elmer  married  Miss  Nettie  Reed, 
and  they  have  one  child.  They  are  residents  of 
Si.  Joseph,  Mo. 

Although  chiefly  aborbed  in  his  profession,  our 
subject  has  given  some  of  his  time  and  talent  to 
public  service,  and  has  filled  positions  of  trust  with 
dignity  ami  ability.  He  was  the  first  Police  Mag- 
istrate of  Virden,  and  has  served  several  terms  as 
City  Attorney.  His  fellow-citizens  honored  him 
him  and  themselves  by  electing  him  to  represent 
this  district  iu  the  Thirty-second  Legislative  As- 
sembly of  the  State  of  Illinois.  He  cast  his  first 
vote  for  J.  C.  Fremont,  and  has  ever  since  been  a 
stanch  supporter  of  the  Republican  party.  Socially 
he  is  a  valued  member  of  John  Baird  Post,  No. 
285,  G.  A.  ]$.,  and  of  Virden  Lodge,  No.  161, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M. 


LIVER  C.  FORWOOD.  The  name  at  the 
head  of  this  sketch  is  that  of  a  worthy  mem- 
ber of  a  family  that  has  held  an  honorable 
position  for  centuries  past,  its  members  counting 
among  them  the  distinguished  professional  men  as 
well  as  agriculturists  who  have  done  much  to  im- 
prove the  general  condition  of  the  community  in 
which  they  respectively  live.  The  scion  of  this 
family  whose  history  it  is  our  pleasure  to  here 
chronicle,  resides  on  section  21,  of  Sllipman  Town- 
ship, where  he  has  a  fine  farm  in  an  enviable  state 
of  productiveness. 

Our  subject's    father   was   Dr.    Parker  Forwood 


238 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


who  was  a  native  of  Maryland.  He  was  a  practic- 
ing physician  in  his  native  State  for  many  years, 
and  there  owned  a  large  farm.  Our  subject's  pater- 
nal grandfather  was  John  Forwood,  who,  like  his 
grandson,  devoted  himself  to  cultivating  the  gifts 
that  God  allows  to  spring  up  from  mother  earth. 
He  died  in  Harford  County,  Md.  Our  subject's 
mother  was  Mollie  Smithson  in  her  maiden  years. 
She  was  born  in  Harford  County,  Md.,  where  she 
was  married  and  where  her  husband  died  in  Janu- 
ary, 1866,  the  mother  still  surviving. 

Mr.  Forwood  is  one  of  thirteen  children,  he  being 
the  ninth  in  order  of  birth.  Like  his  parents  he 
was  born  and  reared  in  Harford  County,  Md.,  his 
natal  day  being  February  6,  1847.  He  continued 
to  live  in  Maryland  until  February,  1865,  when  he 
came  to  Shipman  Township.  On  his  arrival  in  this 
State  he  made  his  daily-bread  until  1870  by  work- 
ing by  the  month  for  the  farmers  in  the  vicinity. 
He  found  his  wife  in  Shipman  Township,  and  was 
married  October  12,  1870.  His  wife's  maiden  name 
was  Miss  Emma  Jolly,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Jolly. 
Her  birth  place  was  Shipman  Township,  Macoupin 
County,  111.,  and  her  birth  occurred  on  October  1, 
1857.  Mrs.  Forwood's  mother  was  Marian  I  lay- 
craft.  Previous  to  her  marriage  she  was  the  widow 
of  Joel  Parker,  who  died  in  Shipman  Township, 
November  28,  1843.  Mr.  Parker  and  his  young 
wife  were  married  in  Kentucky,  and  came  from 
there  to  Macoupin  County  in  1835,  settling  in 
Shipman  Township.  The  wife  became  the  mother 
of  seven  children  by  that  marriage.  They  are 
Elizabeth,  Mary,  Sarah,  Frances  H.,Elmira,  Benja- 
min E.,  and  Luvinia  N.  The  eldest  daughter  is 
now  the  widow  of  John  L.  Rhoads;  Mary  is  the 
wife  of  F.  B.  Simpson;  Sarah  is  the  widow  of  Jack- 
son Calvard;  Frances  H.,  is  the  widow  of  William 
M.  Simpson;  Almira  is  the  widow  of  James  L. 
Sherman;  Luvinia  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  B.  For- 
wood. 

Mrs.  Marian  Parker  was  married  to  Henry  Jolly 
in  Shipman  Township,  October  10,  1850.  But  one 
child  came  to  grace  this  marriage,  that  is  the  wife 
of  the  gentleman  of  whom  we  are  writing.  She 
was  born  in  Shipman  Township,  October  1,  1851. 
Soon  after  the  marriage  of  our  subject  he  settled 
in  Brushy  Mound  Township,  where  he  lived  from 


the  years  1871  to  1876  inclusive,  after  which  time 
•he  removed  to  Shipman  Township,  and  settled  on 
section  21,  where  he  has  since  been  a  resident.  The 
chief  occupation  of  his  life  has  been  farming,  and 
he  has  brought  to  bear  a  native  energy  and  stick- 
to-ativeness  that  have  insured  him  a  success.  He 
owns  eighty  acres  and  has  good  buildings  on  his 
farm.  Mr.  Forwood  has  held  the  ollice  of  Town- 
ship Assessor.  His  temperance  principles  are  evi- 
dent in  the  fact  that  he  is  a  voter  with  the  Prohib- 
itionists, and  adds  to  that  party  his  influence.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Forwood  are  active  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church,  taking  a  conspicuous  [tart  in  every 
good  word  and  work  that  is  there  done. 


FREDERICK  STEIDLEY,   one  of   the  best 
,,„&  known  of  the  old  settlers  of  Barr  Township, 

'l\  is   a  son   of  Solomon   Steidley,  who  was  a 

Marylander,  and  Rachel  Barr  who  was  born  in  New 
Jersey.  They  came  from  Frederick  County,  Va., 
to  this  county  in  1831,  and  settled  in  the  township 
which  is  known  as  Barr  Township,  and  there  lived 
until  their  death.  He  passed  away  in  1818  and  his 
good  wife  followed  him  eight  years  later. 

Our  subject  is  the  third  in  a  large  family  of  nine 
children,  being  born  in  Virginia,  July  8.  1817.  He 
came  to  tins  county  with  his  father  in  1834,  and 
has  lived  in  Barr  Township  and  in  Greene  County, 
III.,  from  that  time  to  this.  His  first  marriage 
united  him  with  Catherine  Heater,  by  whom  he  had 
two  children,  who  with  their  moiher  have  passed 
to  the  other  world.  She  died  while  they  were  liv- 
ing in  Gieene  County.  His  second  marriage  gave 
him  as  a  wife  Mary  C.  Martin,  who  bore  him  eleven 
children,  namel}r:  Joseph,  Martin,  James,  Anna 
(deceased,)  Mary,  George,  Rebecca,  Rachel  and 
John  (deceased,)  Charlie  and  Minnie  (deceased). 
Mrs. Mary  C.  Steidley  died  in  Barr  Township,  Jan- 
uary 20,  1885. 

Mr.  Steidley  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which 
he  has  followed  in  connection  with  farming,  al- 
though agriculture  has  been  his  principal  pursuit 
in  life.     He   owns  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


239 


rich  and  arable  soil  which  he  has  placed  in  excel- 
leni  condition  and  lias  rendered  doubly  productive. 
He  is  looked  up  to  as  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  in 
the  township,  and  his  knowledge  of  the  early  days 
makes  him  an  attractive  companion,  as  he  can  en- 
tertain the  younger  generation  with  many  narra- 
tions of  the  pioneer  days. 


VfACOI?  MOEHRMAN,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  furniture  and  undertaking  business  on 
Main  Street  in  Staunton,  where  he  opened 
his  doors  for  public  custom  April  24,  1874, 
was  born  in  Wurtemburg,  Germany,  on  the  23d  of 
March,  1839,  and  for  many  generations,  as  far 
back  as  history  tells  us,  his  ancestors  were  resi- 
dents of  that  land.  His  father,  Jacob  Moehrman, 
Sr.,  was  also  a  native  of  the  same  province,  where 
he  lived  and  died,  passing  away  at  the  age  of  six- 
ty-live years.  He  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade  and 
had  followed  that  occupation  throughout  his  busi- 
ness career.  He  married  a  Wurtemburg  lady-,  Miss 
Margaret  Herb,  who  grew  to  womanhood  in  the 
same  locality  as  her  husband.  After  his  death  she 
came  to  America  and  is  now  living  with  a  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Rosin  Jochim,  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-three  years.  She  is  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  to  which  Mr. 
Moehrman  also  belonged.  In  their  family  were 
seven  children,  five  of  whom  came  to  this  country, 
while  one  is  yet  living  in  the  Fatherland. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  eldest.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  fifteen  years  of  age  and  then 
started  out  in  life  for  himself,  since  which  time  he 
has  been  dependent  upon  his  own  resources.  He 
began  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  cabinet-maker  at 
which  he  served  a  full  apprenticeship.  Also  (luring 
his  residence  in  his  native  land  he  was  a  member 
of  the  regular  army,  serving  as  a  soldier  in  1S60, 
1801  ami  1862.  Subsequently,  in  1806,  he  served 
in  the  rebellion  which  was  then  in  progress  in  his 
country,  being  on  active  duty  for  fourteen  weeks, 
dining  which  time  he  participated  in  the  battle  of 
Tauberbischofscheim. 

Mr.    Moehrman    was    united    in    marriage    with 


Catherine  Grossmann,  who  was  born  and  reared 
near  the  childhood  home  of  our  subject.  They 
began  their  domestic  life  in  the  Fatherland,  where 
one  child  came  to  bless  their  union  and  then  they 
started  for  America,  taking  passage  at  Antwerp 
upon  a  steamer  which  sailed  May  21,  1869.  They 
landed  in  New  York  and  thence  made  their  way  to 
Alton,  where  they  spent  two  and  a  half  years, 
Mr.  Moehrman  working  at  his  trade  of  a  cabinet- 
maker. He  also  worked  in  the  same  line  and  for  a 
similar  length  of  time  in  Maltoon,  whence  he  came 
to  Staunton  and  here  purchased  the  furniture  es- 
tablishment of  John  M.  Ahrens.  Seventeen  years 
have  since  passed  during  which  time  he  has 
met  with  signal  success.  His  stock  is  full  and 
complete  and  in  addition  to  the  store  located  on 
Main  Street  he  has  a  large  wareroom  well  filled. 
He  also  carries  on  the  undertaking  business  and  by 
enterprise  and  ability  has  succeeded  in  building 
up  a  good  trade.  Although  he  had  no  capital 
when  he  came  to  this  country  he  has  succeeded  in 
acquiring  a  handsome  competence  and  is  num- 
bered among  the  substantial  citizens  of  the  commu- 
nity. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moehrman  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church.  They  now  have  a  family  of 
three  children,  the  eldest  of  whom,  Charles  F.,  was 
educated  both  in  the  English  and  German  lan- 
guages and  is  now  associated  with  his  father  in 
the  furniture  store,  being  a  promising  young  man 
possessed  of  excellent  business  qualifications.  Em- 
ma and  Elizabeth,  the  daughters,  are  still  at  home. 
Mr.  Moehrman  and  his  son  are  Republicans  in 
politics. 


*E 


E^^- 


^|/OHN  L.  SOLOMON,  who  resides  on  section 
17,  North  Palmyra  Township,  is  a  son  of 
Judge  Lewis  Solomon,  deceased,  and  a 
nephew  of  1).  N.  Solomon,  of  Palmyra. 
The  father  was  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of  Macou- 
pin County  and  was  intimately  identified  with  the 
history  of  this  part  of  the  State.  He  was  born 
April  1,  1812,  in  Muhlenberg  County,  Ky.,  and 
came   of  Welsh  and   English    origin.     His   grand- 


240 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


father,  who  bore  the  name  of  Lewis  Solomon,  took 
part  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  being  one  of  that 
daring  band  who,  under  the  gallant  Marion,  did 
such  good  service  in  the  campaigns  in  South  Caro- 
lina. Judge  Solomon's  grandmother  was  a  woman 
of  remarkable  bravery  and  determination  and  on 
one  occasion  drove  the  British  out  of  her  house 
with  a  poker. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject  removed  from 
Kentucky  to  Illinois  in  1825.  The  mother  and 
three  youngest  children  rode  in  the  cart  with  the 
household  goods  and  the  remainder  of  the  family 
trudged  on  foot.  The  family  fortunes  had  been 
sadly  impaired  b37  the  breaking  of  the  Common- 
wealth Lank  of  Kentucky  and  they  had  no  money 
with  which  to  purchase  land.  Their  first  settle- 
ment was  in  Morgan  County,  but  in  the  spring  of 
1827  the  family  removed  to  Macoupin  County  and 
located  two  miles  north  of  Palmyra.  The  grand- 
parents died  here  in  1819  and  1850. 

Judge  Solomon  was  in  his  fifteenth  year  when  he 
came  to  Ibis  county.  He  had  attended  a  subscrip- 
tion school  in  Kentucky  for  a  few  months  only  ami 
herein  the  summer  of  1829  he  attended  a  school 
kept  by  his  brother-in.Iaw.  James  Howard.  He 
was  a  boy  of  bright  faculties  and  learned  rapidly, 
excelling  in  mathematics.  In  the  year  1832,  when 
twenty  years  old,  Lewis  Solomon  volunteered  in 
the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  during  this  two  months' 
campaign  experienced  considerable  hardship.  He 
was  in  the  engagement  twenty  miles  from  Dixon 
and  at  one  time  the  men  in  his  regiment  were  five 
days  without  bread.  On  starting  out  he  weighed 
one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  and  lost  twenty-five 
during  service.  Subsequent  to  this  active  experi- 
ence he  was  made  Major  of  the  Sixty-second  regi- 
ment of  State  Militia  and  was  considered  one  of 
the  best  militia  officers  in  Illinois. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  Nancy  Ann  Fink'. 
a  native  of  Kentucky  and  a  daughter  of  John  Fink. 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Bair  Township.  Her 
marriage  to  Lewis  Solomon  was  solemnized  June 
23,  1856.  By  hard  work  and  untiring  enterprise 
the  young  man  accumulated  a  few  hundred  dollars 
and  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death  purchased  the 
interest  of  the  other-  heirs  to  the  estate  and  moved 
onto  the  homestead  farm,  but  two  years   previous 


to  his  marriage  he  had  purchased  three  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  North  Palmyra  Town- 
ship, where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  is 
the  owner  of  the  largest  body  of  land  in  the  pos- 
session of  one  man  in  this  township.  His  first  wife 
died  September  18,  1863.  She  was  the  mother  of 
twelve  children,  of  whom  nine  grew  to  maturity. 
His  second  marriage  was  with  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  (Ba- 
ker) Butcher. 

During  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  the  father  of 
our  subject  was  a  prominent  war  Democrat  and  as- 
sisted in  sending  to  the  South  forty-three  men  from 
Palmyra  precinct,  two  of  whom  he  placed  in  the 
field  with  his  own  means.  He  has  ever  adhered  to 
the  party  which  was  made  illustrious  by  the  names 
of  Jefferson  and  Jackson.  He  received  numerous 
tokens  of  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  people 
and  at  different  times  served  as  Constable,  Assessor, 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  member  of  the  Legislature 
and  County  Judge.  In  18C1  he  was  made  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Constitutional  Convention,  the  nomina- 
tion io  which  was  entirely  unsought.  In  1870  he 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  and  while  in  the 
Legislature  he  was  an  active  and  efficient  member, 
devoting  his  attention  to  such  legislation  as  would 
secure  the  best  interests  of  the  people.  In  the 
Senate  he  served  on  three  or  four  important  com- 
mittees and  his  views  commanded  the  respect  of 
even  his  political  opponents,  lie  was  the  author 
of  a  bill  giving  landowners  a  right  to  redeem  lands 
sold  at  tax  sales  at  twenty-five  per  cent,  addition 
the  first  six  months,  fifty  per  cent,  the  first  twelve 
months,  one  hundred  per  cent,  for  two  years  and 
after  that  no  redemption;  the  previous  law  required 
an  addition  of  one  hundred  per  cent,  penalty  any 
time  after  the  sale.  Scarcely  a  man  in  the  county 
held  so  many  positions  nor  received  so  many  marks 
of  public  favor.  Upon  his  character  for  honesty 
and  integrity  a  suspicion  was  never  breathed.  His 
life  was  open  to  the  view  of  the  citizens  of  the 
county  and  not  a  stain  can  be  found  on  his  record 
as  a  public  officer  or  as  a  private  citizen. 

Our  subject  was  one  of  the  youngest  members  of 
his  father's  family,  being  born  in  North  Palmyra 
Township,  March  0,  1852.  Here  he  was  reared  to 
manhood  and  here  he  established  his  home.  He 
was  educated  first  in  the  common  schools  and  later 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


241 


in  the  college  at  Eureka.  He  was  married  in  North 
Otter  Township  August  6, 1874,  and  took  for  his 
bride  Rhoda,  a  daughter  of  Andrew  A.  and  Lizzie 
(Brown)  Atkins.  Tint,  worthy  couple  died  in 
Greene  County,  111.,  which  was  the  native  county 
of  their  daughter  Rhoda.  her  natal  day  being  Sep- 
tember 28,  1853.  John  L.  Solomon  has  always 
been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  has  made 
a  specialty  of  fine  horses  and  bronze  turkeys. 

A  serious  disaster  befell  the  household  of  our  sub- 
ject in  the  fall  of  1879,  in  the  destruction  by  fire 
of  their  pleasant  home.  He  has  rebuilt  his  house 
in  better  style  than  before  and  now  owns  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  acres,  most  of  which  is  in 
North  Palmyra  Township.  Three  children  have 
blessed  this  home — Bertha,. lesse  and  Elzena.  Jesse 
died  when  he  was  about  a  year  old.  Mr.  Solomon 
has  taken  an  active  part  in  political  affairs,  being  a 
Democrat  both  by  training  and  conviction.  He 
has  held  the  oflice  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  for 
four  years  and  is  an  active  member  of  the  Farmer's 
Alliance,  bci:ig  ever  wide-f.wake  to  the  interests,  so- 
cial and  pecuniary,  of  the  fanning  community. 
The  excellent  lady  who  presides  witli  so  much 
grace  and  dignity  over  his  home  is  an  earnest  ami 
consistent  member  of  the  Christian  Church,  in 
which  she  is  active  for  good. 


W 


OSEPI1  11.  BARBER,  who  owns  one  of  the 
finest  stock  farms  in  the  county,  located  on 
sections  3,  4,  9  and  10,  Brighton  Township, 
was  born  in  the  Keystone  State,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Columbia  County,  June  23, 
1825.  The  family  was  originally  of  Scotch  ori- 
gin, but  in  early  Colonial  days  was  established  in 
America.  Thomas  Barber,  father  of  our  subject, 
was  also  born  in  Columbia  County,  and  when  he 
had  attained  to  mature  years  wedded  Miss  Mary 
Henderson,  a  native  of  the  same  county,  where 
they  spent  their  entire  lives,  both  passing  away 
when  past  the  age  of  three  score  years.  They 
wire  representative  farming  people  of  that  com- 
munity, highly  respected  by  all,  and  were  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 


In  play  and  work,  in  the  usual  manner  of 
farmer  lads,  our  subject  spent  the  days  of  his 
childhood  and  youth.  He  was  early  inured  to 
hard  labor  and  the  lessons  of  industry  and  self- 
reliance  which  he  then  learned  have  remained 
with  him  throughout  the  succeeding  years  and 
proved  important  factors  in  his  success.  After 
attaining  to  mature  years  he  left  the  parental  roof 
and  started  out  in  life  for  himself.  He  deter- 
mined to  make  tli3  West  the  scene  of  his  future 
labor,  and  on  coming  to  Illinois,  located  in  Chi- 
cago, where  he  spent  three  years  and  then  came  to 
Macoupin  County.  In  the  meantime  he  was  mar- 
ried in  Mendota  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Sproule,  who 
was  born  Columbia  County,  Pa.,  and  on  the  father's 
side  is  of  Irish  descent,  while  her  mother's  people 
had  long  been  residents  of  the  Keystone  State.  Her 
parents  both  died  in  Pennsylvania,  while  she  was  a 
child,  and  she  came  to  Illinois  to  join  her  brothers 
who  had  emigrated  to  this  State  some  time  before 
and  settled  in  Lee  County.  P.oth  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Barber,  together  with  their  children,  attend  the 
Methodist  Church  and  in  politics  he  is  an  old 
Jackson  Democrat.  They  are  well-known  citizens 
of  the  community,  having  been  closely  connected 
with  the  best  interests  of  the  township  for  many 
years,  and  by  those  who  know  them  arc  held  in 
high  regard. 

Throughout  his  business  career  Mr.  Barber  has 
engaged  in  general  farming  ani  stock-raising.  He 
now  owns  an  excellent  farm  of  three  hundred  and 
thirty-five  acres,  much  of  which  is  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation  and  yields  him  a  golden  trib- 
ute for  the  care  and  labor  he  bestows  upon  it.  He 
raises  a  good  grade  of  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs,  not 
an  inferior  animal  being  seen  upon  the  place,  but. 
the  greater  part  of  his  attention  has  been  devoted 
to  the  breeding  and  training  of  thorough-bred 
horses.  He  is  a  lover  of  the  noble  steed  and  an 
excellent  judge  of  fine  horses.  He  owns  some  fine 
specimens  of  the  Wilkes  blood  and  has  several 
young  colts  who  possess  all  the  best  points  of  the 
thorough- bred.  Upon  bis  farm  there  is  a  good  half- 
mile  course  used  by  Mr.  Barber  in  training  and 
developing  the  speed  of  young  horses,  and  he  has 
a  reputation  as  a  trainer  which  extends  through- 
out the  surrounding  country.     At  the    local  fairs 


242 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


he  has  also  taken   many  premiums   upon    his  other 
stock. 

By  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barber  have  been 
born  five  children  and  the  family  circle  yet  re- 
mains unbroken.  James  C,  the  eldest,  aids  his 
father  in  the  operation  of  the  old  homestead;  John 
E.  married  Miss  Wildia  Turk  and  is  now  engaged 
as  a  prominent  dealer  and  breeder  of  horses  in 
Windsor,  Mo. ;  Robert  Lincoln  is  also  engaged  in 
the  operation  of  the  home  farm;  Lural  L.  and 
Margaret,  both  accomplished  young  ladies,  are  yet 


at  home. 


-J»t»*^t^^^r-^«SM^*6=- 


\f?ACOB  M.  HANSHAW.  Among  the  old 
settlers  who  deserve  and  receive  the  esteem 
and  veneration  of  the  entire  neighborhood 
if)  there  is  none  probably  more  beloved  and 
respected  than  the  gentleman  whose  name  appears 
at  the  head  of  this  sketch.  Ilis  long  residence  in 
North  Palmyra  Township  and  the  character  which 
he  has  maintained  for  integrity  and  true-hearted 
neighborliness  has  made  him  the  friend  of  every 
man.  His  father,  Benjamin  Hanshaw,  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  his  mother,  Susannah  Simpson, 
a  native  of  Frederick  County,  Ya.,  grew  to  wom- 
anhood in  that  State.  There  she  was  married  to 
Benjamin  Hanshaw  and  after  some  years  of  resi- 
dence in  her  native  county,  they  removed  to 
Darke  County,  Ohio,  where  she  died  July  1"), 
1852.  Her  husband  came  to  Macoupin  County, 
this  State,  that  same  year  and  made  his  home 
with  our  subject  until  his  death  which  occurred 
Feburary  5,  1878. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  sixth  in  a 
family  of  eleven  children,  and  was  born  in  Bote- 
tourt County,  Ya.,  August  20,  1823.  There  he 
passed  the  early  years  of  his  life  up  to  the  age  of 
seventeen,  when  he  came  with  his  father  to  Darke 
County,  Ohio,  where  he  continued  to  live  until  the 
fall  of  1852.  He  then  came  to  this  county  and 
made  his  home  in  North  Palmyra  Township,  where 
he  has  since  been  a  resident. 

Jacob  Hanshaw  was  married  in  Wayne  County, 
Ind.,  October  4,  1853,  to  Miss  Melinda  M.  Kittin- 
ger,  a  daughter  of  David  and  Peggy  (Helms)  Kit- 


tinger,  Mr.  Kittinger  was  a  native  of  Pennsylva- 
nia and  his  wife  of  Virginia.  Their  death  occurred 
in  Wayne  County,  Ind.  Mrs.  Hanshaw  was  the 
sixth  in  a  family  of  eleven  children.  Her  birth 
occurred  in  Botetourt  County,  Va.,  March  10, 
1828. 

Ten  children  have  blessed  the  home  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hanshaw;  their  eldest,  Rebecca G.,  died  when 
eighteen  months  old,  and  the  second,  Mary  E., 
also  passed  away  in  infancy.  Benjamin  D.  mar- 
ried Miss  Lillie  Tonget,  and  they  reside  in  North 
Palmyra  Township  and  have  one  child.  Olive  M. 
Parthena  E.  is  the  wife  of  Alonzo  Gant,  and  they 
have  four  children  living:  Clarence,  Ethel,  Jacob 
and  Mary.  Hattie  A.  is  the  wife  of  William  Bar- 
tun  and  the  mother  of  three  children:  Addie,  Eula 
and  Jennie.  The  next  two  children,  Virginia  and 
Martin  L.  died  in  infancy,  and  Sarah  A..  Amic  M. 
and  Flora  E.  complete  the  circle.  Agricultural 
pursuits  have  engaged  the  lime  and  energy  of  Mr. 
Hanshaw  and  he  has  made  good  improvements  on 
his  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres.  From 
girlhood  Airs.  Hanshaw  has  been  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Chinch,  in  which  she  is  a 
power  for  good. 


"jfjOIIN  A.  FDLLINGTON,  who  is  one  of  the 
honored  residents  of  Carlinville  Town- 
ship, was  born  in  East  Tennessee,  Decem- 
ber 17,  1858.  When  he  was  twelve  years 
old  his  father,  the  late  Elijah  Fullington,  with  his 
wife  and  children  emigrated  some  three  or  four 
hundred  miles  farther  west  to  the  State  of  Arkan- 
sas. Here  they  established  their  home.  In  the 
hard  toil  of  the  farm,  John  A.  Fullington  spent 
the  years  of  his  childhood  and  youth.  Very  early 
in  life  he  developed  a  taste  for  agriculture  and  felt 
a  strong  desire  to  become  an  able  farmer.  Upon 
his  arrival  in  Macoupin  County,  111.,  in  August, 
1877,  he  obtained  a  situation  as  a  farm  lab- 
orer with  a  view  of  becoming,  at  no  distant  day, 
manager  of  a  farm  in  his  own  behalf.  He  remained 
in  this  occupation  for  two  years.  He  was  a  most 
exemplary  young  man,    punctual    in  every    duty, 


ilBRAHY 

OP  THE 

UNIVFP'jitv  cc  : 


' 


-»*% 


':>   ■  ■■:  I'Vi/v^r-'J!'.-'-- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


245 


never  allowing  li is  services  to  be  called  for  with- 
out a  ready  response.  Genial  and  sympathetic  in 
his  nature,  he  has  drawn  around  him  troops  of 
friends.     Mr.  Fulliugton'a  father  was   a   Democrat 

and  he  adheres  to  the  same  faith. 

On  December  25,  1879,  he  married  Miss  Melissa 
Anderson,  of  Carlinville,  111.,  a  lady  altogether 
worthy  of  him,  cultured  and  refined.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  M.  M.  and  Melvina  Anderson,  a  sketch 
of  whose  lives  is  presented  on  another  page  of  this 
volume.  She  was  born  in  Carlinville,  January  19, 
1857,  and  is  the  mother  of  six  children:  Carrie  B., 
Malcolm  E.,  Ota  M.,  Walter  G.  and  Lorin  E. 
Death  carried  away  one  child  in  infancy.  At  the 
time  of  his  marriage  our  subject  took  upon  him- 
self the  responsibility  and  management  of  a  farm, 
renting  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Carlinville 
Township  on  Section  18,  where  he  has  since  been 
a  resident.  Much  of  his  time  is  given  to  stock- 
raising,  which  he  makes  a  special  feature  in  his  list 
of  profitable  productions.  He  is  laborious  in  the 
care  and  attention  which  he  bestows  upon  the  acres 
entrusted  to  him,  the  performance  of  his  arduous 
duties  bringing  him  a  very  satisfactory  return.  In 
the  prosecution  of  his  work  he  expends  his  energy 
judiciously  allowing  himself  ample  time  to  culti- 
vate m:nd  and  heart  as  well  as  those  domestic  ties 
of  the  dearest  nature.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eullington 
are   members  of  the  Baptist  Church  of  Carlinville. 


o 


^ 


OBERT  WIIITELEV.  There  is  no  estimat- 
ing the  force  of  a  quiet  life  of  patient  con- 
tinuance in  well  doing,  of  unswerving 
\£)  fidelity  to  the  duties  of  the  hour.  As  with 
beautiful  flowers  hidden  behind  stone  walls,  the 
very  air  scatters  far  and  near  the  fragrance  of  an 
upright  life.  If  trie  character  is  good  it  refreshes 
as  the  dew  and  makes  the  memory  blessed  for  years 
after  mother  earth  claims  all  that  is  mortal. 
Every  beautiful  virtue  shines  out  in  the  life 
and  decks  with  royal  purple  the  robe  of  humility. 
The  influence  of  a  pure  character  is  as  potent  in 
the  office,  the  shop  or  factory  as  it  is  in  the  quiet 
of  home  or  amid    the    worship    of    the    sanctuary. 


The  friends  of  Mr.  Whiteley  recognize  the  nobility 
of  his  nature  and  hold  him  in  high  esteem. 

One  of  our  English-born  fathers  who  had  brought 
to  this  country  the  sterling  qualities  of  the  En- 
glish yeomanry,  Mr.  Whiteley  has  made  a  success 
of  agriculture  in  the  Prairie  State.  He  resides  on 
section  9,  Bird  Township,  and  represents  that 
township  on  the  County  Board  of  Supervisors.  He 
was  born  near  York,  Yorkshire.  England,  in  Au- 
gust, 1819,  and  in  his  native  place  grew  to  mini's 
estate.  In  184  1  he  came  to  America,  making  the 
voyage  in  a  sailing  vessel  and  landing  in  New  Or- 
leans on  March  17,  of  that  year.  He  proceeded 
directly  to  South  Palmyra  Township,  this  county, 
and  here  established  his  home.  But  that  dire 
affliction  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  fever  and  ague. 
soon  attacked  him  and  to  benefit  his  health  he  spent 
in  New  Orleans  the  first  seven  years  of  his  resi- 
dence in  America.  In  New  Orleans  he  followed 
d  raying. 

Mr.  Whiteley  returned  to  Macoupin  County 
each  spring  with  but  one  exception,  when,  in  the 
year  1849,  he  passed  the  summer  season  at  the  old 
home  in  England.  In  1851  he  purchased  a  portion 
of  the  farm  where  he  now  lives,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing spring  made  it  his  permanent  home.  He  was 
reared  on  a  farm  in  England,  and  agriculture  has 
been  his  chief  occupation  through  life.  He  now 
owns  over  seven  hundred  acres,  which  he  has 
gained  by  adding  little  by  little  to  the  two  hun- 
dred and  ten  which  he  purchased  in  1851.  He  has 
erected  upon  his  farm  a  complete  set  of  farm  build- 
ings, which  are  worthy  the  admiration  of  a  passer- 

by. 

Having  by  arduous  exertions  gained  a  compe- 
tency for  his  declining  years  Mr.  Whiteley  now 
rents  his  farm  and  lives  a  retired  life.  He  was 
married  in  Western  Mound  Township,  to  Miss 
Adeline  Morris,  a  native  of  that  township,  who 
died  in  December,  1869.  She  was  the  mother  of 
ten  children,  three  of  whom  are  now  living,  namely: 
Mary  A.;  Sarah  <>..  Mrs.  James  McAliney;  and 
Robert.  The  children  whom  they  lost  died  when 
quite  young. 

Mr.  Whiteley  has  been  Highway  Commissioner 
for  nine  years,  has  served  as  School  Director  for 
sometime,    and    was    elected     Supervisor    of    Bird 


246 


PORTRAIT  AND. BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Township  in  the  spring  of  1890.  lie  has  ever 
taken  an  active  interest  in  political  affairs,  anil  is  a 
broad-minded  and  intelligent  man.  His  earlier  affil- 
iations were  with  the  Whig  party,  bat  later  he  be- 
came a  Republican.  His  early  religious  training 
at  home  was  in  the  Church  of  England,  and  he  is 
here  identified  with  the  Episcopal  Church.  This 
public-spirited  and  representative  citizen  is  a  man 
of  genial  disposition,  and  his  neighbors  rejoice  in 
his  prosperity. 

The  attention  of  our  readers  is  invited  to  the 
lithographic  portrait  of  Mr.  Whiteley  which  ap- 
pears  in  connection  with  this  brief  personal  notice. 


KN.JAMIN  F.  BOWKRSOX.  The  gentle- 
man whose  name  heads  this  sketch  is  oper- 
ating the  farm,  which  belongs  to  his  mother, 
located  on  section  9,  Nilwood  Township. 
His  father  was  Jacob  P.owersox  a  native  of  Union 
County,  Pa.,  and  his  mother  was  Mary  (Scudder) 
Bowersox.  They  came  to  Macoupin  County,  about 
1863  and  settled  in  Nilwood  Township.  In  1876 
the  father  bade  a  long  farewell  to  his  sorrowing 
family  and  passed  to  the  better  land.  The  mother 
still  survives  tenderly  and  lovingly  cared  for  by 
her  affectionate  children. 

The  original  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  nine  children, 
he  being  the  seventh.  His  birthplace  was  Miami 
County,  Ohio,  from  which  place  his  parents  emi- 
grated to  Macoupin  County.  His  natal  day  was 
•Inly  28,  1815.  He  was  reared  under  his  mother's 
care  until  he  arrived  at  manhood,  remaining 
under  his  father's  roof  until  the  family  came 
to  this  county  in  1863.  He  was  married  in 
Montgomery  County,  111.,  September  1,  1868  to 
Miss  Sarah  Studebaker,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  (Ncffe)  Studebaker  who  originally  came  from 
Elkhart  County,  Ind.,  and  settled  in  this  county  in 
1866;  here  they  remained  about  two  years  and  then 
removed  to  Montgomery  County,  111.,  where  the 
father  died  November  3,  1887.  Mrs.  Bowersox 
was  born  in  Elkhart  County,  April  16,  1848.  The 
family  remained  in  Macoupin  County,  until  the 
spring  of    1871     when   they  removed  to  Morrison, 


Montgomery  County.  Here  our  subject  engaged 
in  carpenter  work  until  the  fall  of  1875  when  he 
returned  to  Macoupin  County. 

Mr.  Bowersox's  occupation  has  been  for  the 
greater  part  of  life  that  of  farming,  in  which  he 
carries  on  a  general  agricultural  business.  He  re- 
sides on  a  part  of  the  old  homestead.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bowersox  are  the  parents  of  three  children. 
They  are:  Jacob  H.,  Mary  M.  and  Darwin  D.  Our 
subject  has  been  the  Collector  for  his  township  for 
several  years;  both  he  and  Mrs.  Bowersox  are 
members  of  the  German  Baptist  Church. 

He  of  whom  we  write  is  a  man  of  sterling  integ- 
rity and  strong  principles,  unpretentious  and  simple 
in  his  manners  and  sty  lc  of  living,  and  is  a  true 
friend  and  enthusiastic  supporter  of  any  means  that 
promise  to  be  to  the  advantage  of  his  fellow-towns 
men.  His  wife  has  been  his  helpmate  for  many 
yens  and  like  Cornelia  she  could  say  to  her  neigh- 
bors to  whom  life  is  but  a  festive  occasion  for  dis- 
play, in  reference  to  her  children,  ''these  are  my 
jewels."  Her  care  for  her  home  and  family  mark 
her  a  model  housewife. 


^)NDIMON  FANSLER  is  a  prosperous  farmer 
of  Barr  Township,  whose  farm  is  on  section 
4.  His  father,  David  Pansier,  was  born  in 
Stokes  County,  N.  C,  and  his  mother,  Polly  Ship- 
ley, was  a  native  of  Sullivan  County,  Tenn.,  where 
the  father  finally  died  and  where  our  subject  was 
born,  October  12,  1827,  the  eldest  in  a  family  of 
eight  children.  Here  he  was  reared  to  manhood 
and  remained  until  the  fall  of  1847,  when  he  en- 
listed in  Company  A,  Fifth  Tennessee  Regiment, 
and  served  in  the  Mexican  War  for  about  five 
months.  Peace  being  declared,  he  returned  to 
Tennessee  and  resumed  the  occupations  of  peace. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  to  Miss  Amanda 
King,  who  was  born  in  Sullivan  County,  Tenn.,  oc- 
curred soon  after  his  return  from  the  war.  They 
settled  in  their  native  county  and  there  remained 
until  the  spring  of  1852,  when  they  came  to  Ma- 
coupin   County    and    settled    in    Barr    Township, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


247 


which  1ms  since  been  a  family  home.  Eight  chil- 
dren graced  their  home,  namely:  William,  who  be- 
came a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  and  died  in 
Palmyra;  Thomas,  who  is  a  resident  of  Chicago; 
Henry,  who  is  farming  in  Barr  Township;  Mary- 
who  is  now  Mrs.  James  Searcy;  her  first  husband 
was  Allen  Duncan  and  after  his  death  she  married 
Mr.  Searcy;  Ella,  the  wife  of  R.  M.  McCollom; 
■lames,  who  is  living  in  this  township;  Joseph,  who 
is  a  farmer:  and  Halley.  The  mother  of  these 
children  passed  away  from  earth  in  Barr  Township 
nearly  twenty  years  ago. 

The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Pansier  united  him 
with  Mrs.  Mary  E.  (Dalby)  Bell,  the  widow  of 
Stephen  Bell  and  daughter  of  Israel  and  Eliza  (Og- 
den)  Dalby.  They  have  three  children:  Jennie, 
Belle  and  Carroll.  The  second  child  died  in  child 
hood. 

Mr.  Fansler  has  always  been  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits  and  has  made  good  improvements 
upon  his  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty-five 
acres.  His  political  views  led  him  to  affiliate  with 
the  Democratic  party  and  he  has  been  Highway 
Commissioner  of  the  township.  Both  he  and  his 
excellent  wife  are  earnest  and  active  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  they  find 
a  broad  field  of  influence  and  effort.  Mr.  Pansier 
fills  the  offices  of  Steward  and  Trustee  and  is  highly 
trusted  in  these  official  capacities. 


||(  SHBEL  G.   DAVID.     Among  the    promi- 
nent and  well-known   citizens  of    Carlin- 


ville,  we  are  pleased  to  mention  the  name 
which  appears  at  the  head  of  this  sketch, 
the  name  of  the  gentleman  who  has  been  for  years 
identified  with  the  Democrat  of  that  city,  and  who, 
since  1881,  has  been  sole  proprietor  of  that  enter- 
prising sheet  which  he  had  helped  to  bring  to  its 
present  prosperous  condition.  He  was  born  near 
Uniontown,  Fayette  County,  Pa.,  March  2.5,  1832. 
His  father,  Jesse  David,  born  in  the  same  county, 
was  a  son  of  David  G.  W.  David,  who,  as  his  name 
indicates,  was  born  in  Wales,  but  came  to  America 
when  a  lad  in   company   with   a    brother.     He   re- 


ceived a  good  education  and  for  many  years  was  a 
teacher.  He  became  a  pioneer  in  Payette  County, 
buying  lumber  land  near  Ft.  Necessity.  He  was 
one  of  the  pioneer  teachers  of  that  region  and  for 
a  number  of  years  taught  during  the  winters,  and 
devoted  the  rest  of  the  yenr  to  his  land.  He  thus 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  on  his  fa- 
ther's farm  in  his  native  county,  and  resided  there 
until  1839,  when  he  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in 
Jersey  County.  He  came  by  team  to  Brownsville, 
and  then  by  way  of  the  Monongahcla,  Ohio  and 
Mississippi  Rivers  to  Alton.  There  he  took  team 
again  and  traveled  to  Jersey  County,  where  he  en- 
tered a  tract  of  timber  land  in  what  is  now  Piasa 
Township.  There  he  built  a  shanty  without  any 
floor,  in  which  his  family  lived  for  five  months 
while  he  was  building  a  comfortable  frame  house. 
He  cleared  quite  a  tract  of  the  land,  and  made  his 
home  there  until  1850  when  he  sold  out  and  re- 
moved to  Macoupin  County,  Inlying  land  two  miles 
east  of  Bunker  Hill,  where  he  died  in  April,   1852. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Barbara  Pentzer.  This  lady  was  of  German 
ancestry  but  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  being  born 
in  Little  Cove,  in  Bedford  County,  which  is  located 
near  (iettysburg.  Her  father,  George  Pentzer,  was 
a  native  of  Prussia,  and  his  father,  Valentine,  came 
from  Prussia  to  America  with  his  family  soon  after 
the  Revolutionary  era.  He  and  his  faithful  wife 
did  not  live  long  after  their  emigration  to  this 
country,  and  left  two  sons  and  three  daughters  to 
mourn  their  loss.  George  Pentzer  was  about  ten 
years  old  when  his  parents  brought  him  to  America 
and  soon  after  his  father's  death  he  was  hired  out 
by  the  county  authorities,  to  a  distiller,  who  taught 
him  his  business,  lie  married  in  Pennsylvania,  a 
lady  of  Irish  birth,  and  when  the  Washingtonian 
movement  opened  his  eyes  to  the  iniquity  of  the 
manufacture  of  liquor,  hegaveupthe  business  of 
distilling,  and  in  1821  removed  to  Fayette  County 
and  engaged  in  farming.  Nine  years  later  he  re- 
moved ter  Jersey  County,  III.,  and  buying  a  tract  of 
land  in  l'iasa  Township,  made  it  his  home  for  some 
years,  after  which  he  resided  with  his  children  anil 
died  at  the  home  of  his  daughter  Barbara,  Mrs. 
David,    passing   away    in    1852,  anil  this  daughter 


248 


PORTRAIT  AND  .BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


dying  in  August,  1879  at  Lincoln,  III.  She  reared 
six  children:  our  subject,  Jacob  P.,  George  <>., 
Jane,  Lewis  D.  and  Samuel  W. 

The  gentleman  of  whom  we  write  is  the  eldest  of 
his  father's  family  and  after  receiving  a  fair  educa- 
tion, taught  school  for  some  time  and  then  clerked 
in  a  store  in  Gillespie,  until  1857.    He  then  entered 
the  grain    and    grocery     business    for    himself    in 
Gillespie  and  afterward    in    Hunker   Hill.     During 
the  days    of  the   war,  he    spent  several  months  at 
Camp  Butler,  Springfield,  as  Post  Sutler   for    the 
Ninety-seventh  Regiment,    Illinois    Infantry,   and 
later  he  went  down  the  Mississippi  River  as  sutler 
on  a  boat.     In  July,  1863,  he  located  at  Brighton, 
and  formed  a  partnership  with    L.    P.  and    E.   B. 
Stratton,  in  the  grain  business.     In  1866,  lie  aban- 
doned this  on  account  of  his  wife's    failing  health, 
and  returned  to  Bunker  Hill,  and  there    remained 
until  after  the  death  of  his  wife   which  occurred 
July  3,  1866.  After  this  he  was  engaged  variously 
in  the  milling,  commission  and  mercantile  business 
in  Bunker  Hill,  St.  Louis,  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  Lin- 
coln, 111.,  and  Hamilton,  Mo.     After   working   for 
some   time   on    the  Caldwell  County  Sentinel,  lie 
came  in  November,  1870,  to    Carlinville    and   en- 
gaged with  the  Denim-rat  in  the  capacity  of  travel- 
ing   agent    and    correspondent.     While    traveling 
through  this  county  as  correspondent,  Mr.    David 
made  his  reputation  as  a  pleasant,  ready,   descrip- 
tive writer.     His    articles   were   widely    read   and 
copied  by  other  local  journals.     In    August    1871, 
he  entered  the  office    as    local    editor    and    book- 
keeper.     He  has  a  pleasant,  even  style  of  writing 
and  the  local  columns  of  the  Democrat,  were  given 
a  new  vigor  and  raciness  by  his  work.    In  August. 
1879,  he  bought  one  half  of  the  stock  of  the  paper. 
and  in  1881,   he  bought  out  his   partner's   interest 
and  since  that  time  has  been  sole  proprietor. 

In  politics,  Mr.  David  is  a  Republican  and  he 
cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for  John  C.  Fremont. 
As  a  man  he  is  regarded  as  an  upright  and  exem- 
plary citizen  and  as  such,  he  enjoys  the  esteem  and 
respect  of  the  community.  His  marriage,  in  ( )ctober, 
1855,  united  him  with  Miss  Elizabeth  Carter,  a  na- 
tive of  Lexington,  Ky.  They  had  one  child,  a  son, 
who  has  grown  to  manhood,  and  has  been  con- 
nected with  one  of  the  St.  Louis  daily  papers.  Mrs. 


Elizabeth  David  died  July  3,  1866.  On  April  16, 
1871,  our  subject  was  again  married,  being  united 
with  Mrs.  Eliza  A.  Stagg,  of  Mason  City,  111.,  and 
a  native  of  New  York.  His  two  sons  are  named 
Frederick  E.  and  Herbert  A. 

Mr.  David  has  been  a  Director  of  the  Carlin- 
ville Loan  and  Building  Association  since  its  or- 
ganization and  is  an  active  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  which  he  bas  been  an  Elder  for 
about  fifteen  years.  He  is  also  prominently  con- 
nected with  some  of  the  social  orders  and  belongs 
to  Mount  Nebo  Lodge  No.  76,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
to  Silver  Lodge  No.  249,  K.  of  H. 


3€ 


D-.ANIEL  BLODGET,  deceased.  Only  by 
|  written  record  can  we  perpetuate  the  lives 
of  those  who  have  passed  away  and  surely 
no  one  more  deserves  mention  in  this 
volume  than  Daniel  Blodget,  who  for  a  half  century 
was  connected  with  the  history  of  the  county  and 
did  more  to  upbuild  Brighton  than  any  other  man. 
He  was  born  in  New  Hampshire  on  the  15th  of 
January, 1810,  and  came  of  good  old  Revolutionary 
stock,  his  grandfather  having  served  as  a  soldier 
in  the  war  for  independence.  His  people  be- 
longed to  a  highly  respected  New  England  family. 
His  parents,  Darius  and  Ellen  (Flanders)  Blodget, 
were  also  natives  of  New  England,  and  died  in  the 
Granite  State  not  many  miles  from  the  White 
Mountains.  Our  subject  lost  his  mother  when  he 
quite  young,  after  which  his  father  was  again  mar- 
ried. He  remained  at  home  until  he  had  attained 
his  majority  and  when  a  young  man  of  twenty-five 
years  he  emigrated  Westward,  locating  in  this 
community  in  1835.  From  that  time  he  was 
prominently  identified  with  the  history  of  the  com- 
munity and  the  growth  and  upbuilding  of  Brigh- 
ton. He  embarked  in  business  as  a  general  mer- 
chant, soon  built  up  a  flourishing  trade  and  be- 
came one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  the  place. 
In  the  early  days  when  others  would  hold  their 
property  high  he  would  sell  lots  very  cheap  so  as 
to  induce  settlers  to  here  locate.  Often  times  if  a 
poor  man  wished  to  engage  in  some  business,  if  he 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


249 


bad  money  enough  to  build  a  shop  or  store,  Mr. 
Blodget  would  give  him  the  land  on  which  to 
build,  lie  carried  on  his  own  business  with  most 
excellent  success,  becoming  quite  prosperous  until 
at  length  he  was  forced  to  retire  on  account  of  the 
loss  of  his  hearing  some  years  before  he  died. 

Our  subject  was  the  first  Postmaster  of  Brigh- 
ton, the  office  being  established  in  1835.  He  came 
to  Brighton  a  single  man  ami  here  married  Ellen 
Jones,  a  native  of  England,  who  came  to  this 
country  with  her  parents  when  a  child,  the  family 
settling  in  Brighton  Township,  Macoupin  County, 
where  she  grew  to  womanhood.  She  was  a  faithful 
member  of  the  Methodist  Church  and  at  her  death 
which  occurred  a  few  years  after  her  marriage,  her 
loss  was  mourned  by  many  friends.  Mr.  Blodget 
was  again  married  in  Brighton,  to  a  daughter  of 
Rev.  Simon  and  Elizabeth  II.  (Hughes)  Peter,  na- 
tives of  Tennessee,  whose  people  came  from  Mary- 
land. After  their  marriage  Mr.  Peter  and  his 
wife  settled  in  Tennessee  where  he  became  a  prom- 
inent Methodist  minister.  He  was  bitterly  op- 
posed to  slavery  and  when  the  church  was  divided 
upon  that  question  he  took  a  decided  stand  with 
the  Northern  church.  With  his  family  he  came  to 
Illinois  in  1829,  locating  in  Madison  County,  two 
miles  from  Monticello,  where  as  a  pioneer  preacher 
he  labored  for  many  years,  his  first  district  ex- 
tending from  Springfield  to  Edwardsville.  lie  rode 
from  place  to  place  on  horseback  and  his  labors  in 
the  cause  of  Christianit}-  were  productive  of  much 
good.  He  and  his  wife  finally  retired  from  active 
life,  taking  tip  their  residence  in  Brighton,  where 
Mr.  Peter  died  April  12,  1877,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-five  years.  The  death  of  his  wife  occurred 
March  4,  1875,  when  seventy -one  years  of  age. 
They  were  widely  known  for  their  good  works  and 
after  long  and  useful  lives  passed  to  their  reward. 
In  their  family  were  twelve  children,  nine  of  whom 
arc  still  living.  Mrs.  Blodget  was  yet  a  young 
maiden  when  her  parents  came  to  Illinois;  by  her 
marriage  she  has  two  children — Daniel  Newton, 
who  wedded  Jennie  Flanigan  who  is  living  in 
Brighton;  and  Samuel  Peter,  who  makes  his  home 
with  his  brother,  the  two  being  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  dairying. 

Mr.  Blodget  lived  an  upright  life,  his  public  and 


private  career  being  alike  above  reproach.  He  won 
many  friends  but  made  no  enemies.  In  early  life 
he  was  a  Whig  in  political  sentiment  but  joined 
the  Republican  party  on  its  organization  and  be- 
came one  of  the  strongest  advocates  of  the  Union 
cause  (luring  the  rebellion.  lie  predicted  at  its  out- 
break that  the  war  would  not  close  until  slavery 
had  been  overthrown.  The  cause  of  temperance 
ever  found  in  him  a  warm  friend  and  he  labored 
untiringly  in  its  interest,  doing  much  to  suppress 
the  liquor  traffic.  He  gave  liberally  of  his  means 
to  the  Band  of  Hope  in  Brighton  and  several  years 
before  his  death  voted  the  Prohibition  ticket.  He 
lived  as  a  Christian  and  when  life's  work  on  earth 
was  ended  he  passed  to  his  reward  November  27, 
1889.  Like  her  husband,  Mrs.  Blodget  delights  in 
doing  good  and  the  poor  and  needy  have  found  in 
her  a  warm  friend.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  she 
united  with  the  Methodist  Church  and  has  since 
been  one  of  its  active  and  consistent  members. 
Her  home  is  still  in  Brighton  where  she  has  con- 
tinued to  reside  since  her  husband's  death. 


O^fl; 


ILLIAM  G.  COLMAN,  one  of  the  self- 
\f\ll  made  men  and  leading  farmers  of  Bunker 
v  Y  Hill  Township,  residing  on  section  25,  is  of 
German  birth  and  the  Fatherland  has  furnished  to 
America  no  better  citizen.  He  was  born  in  the 
kingdom  of  Hanover,  on  the  15th  of  May.  182  1, 
and  his  parents,  George  and  Frances  Colinan,  spent 
'heir  entire  lives  there.  Both  are  now  deceased, 
the  father  having  passed  away  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-two years,  while  his  wife  attained  to  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty-three.  They  were  members 
of  the  Lutheran  (  hurch  and  lived  the  life  of  fann- 
ing people  throughout  their  days.  They  had  a 
large  family  but  only  three  of  the  number  ever 
crossed  the  ocean  to  America.  Our  subject  was  the 
first  to  seek  a  home  in  the  United  States  and  after 
his  emigration  two  sisters  ciosscd  the  water — Mrs. 
Aggie  Cooper,  a  widow,  now  living  in  Madison 
County,  and  Mrs.  Annie  linmenga.  whose  home  is 
in  this  county. 

We  now  take  up  the  personal  history  of  William 


250 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Colman,  in  whom  the  people  of  Macoupin  County 
are  especially  interested.  The  advantages  of  his 
youth  were  limited  and  during  his  boyhood  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  which  he  followed 
during  his  residence  in  his  native  land.  On  attain- 
ing to  years  of  maturity  he  was  united  in  mairiage 
with  Miss  Hannah  Schlacter,  who  was  also  bom  and 
reared  in  the  kingdom  of  Hanover,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Emma  .Schlacter  who  came  to  this 
county  and  made  Illinois  their  home.  The  father 
died  in  Madison  County  and  the  death  of  the 
mother  occurred  in  Macoupin  County.  In  religious 
belief  both  were  Lutherans  and  by  those  who  knew 
them  they  were  held  in  high  regard. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Colman  began  their  domestic  life 
in  their  native  land,  where  two  children  were  born 
unto  them,  after  which  they  determined  to  try 
their  fortunes  in  the  New  World  and  in  September, 
1859,  having  bade  good  by  to  home  and  friends 
they  boarded  the  sailing  vessel  "Albert"'  at  Bre- 
men, which  after  a  long  and  tedious  voyage  reached 
the  port  of  New  Orleans.  Landing,  they  secured 
passage  on  a  boat  which  bore  them  up  the  Missis- 
sippi River  to  .St.  Louis,  whence  they  went  to  Al- 
ton. Mr.  Colman  was  then  a  poor  man,  having  no 
capital  with  which  to  begin  life  in  the  New  World 
and  as  he  could  not  purchase  a  farm  rented  land. 
He  had  determined,  however,  to  better  his  finan- 
cial condition  and  with  characteristic  energy  he 
began  his  work,  exercising  industry  and  economy 
until  thereby  he  secured  a  sufficient  sum  to  buy  a 
small  piece  of  land.  His  first  purchase  consisted 
of  sixty  acres,  where  he  now  lives,  and  to  this  he 
added  from  time  to  time  until  at  present  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  acres  yield  to  him  a  golden  trib- 
ute in  return  for  his  care  and  cultivation.  It  was 
at  first  covered  with  timber  but  he  cleared  and 
plowed  the  land,  planted  crops  and  in  course  of 
time  was  reaping  abundant  harvests  as  a  reward  for 
his  labor.  Every  improvement  upon  the  place  was 
put  there  by  Mr.  Colman  and  the  well-tilled  fields, 
together  with  the  neat  appearance  of  the  farm  indi- 
cates good  management  and  industry  on  the  part 
of  the  owner. 

The  death  of  Mrs.  Colman  occurred  at  her  home 
in  Bunker  Hill  Township,  September  19.  1890,  at 
the  age  of  lift^'-nine  years  and  four    months.     She 


was  a  faithful  and  loving  wife  and  mother,  a  kind 
neighbor  and  a  life-long  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Colman  num- 
bered seven  children,  one  of  whom  is  now  deceased, 
Anna,  who  died  on  her  twenty-fifth  birthday; 
Frances  is  now  the  wife  of  Christopher  Tunker, 
who  owns  and  operates  a  brick  yard  in  Bunker  Hill 
Township;  Emma,  married  John  Smith  and  is  liv- 
ing in  Kansas  City;  Mi.ggie  is  the  wife  of  Frank 
Davis,  a  machinist  of  Nevada,  Mo.;  Hannah  is  the 
wife  of  William  Dietz,  a  resident  farmer  of  Bun- 
ker Hill  Township;  Mary  who  remains  at  home  and 
attends  to  the  household  work  for  her  father;  and 
George,  who  assists  in  operating  the  farm. 

In  political  sentiment  Mr.  Colman  is  a  Demo- 
crat and  keeps  himself  well  informed  concerning 
the  issues  of  the  day  but  has  never  sought  or  de- 
sired public  office,  having  served  only  as  Highway 
Commissioner  of  his  township.  In  religious  belief 
he  is  a  Lutheran.  For  about  thirty  years  he  has 
resided  in  this  community  and  his  life  during  all 
that  period  has  been  only  such  as  to  win  the  confi- 
dence and  good   will  of  all. 


">&£&&&+' 


*|?tf  A  RON-  F.  CARTER,  now  deceased,  was  one 
@H    of  the  prominent  and   honored   citizens  of 

///  I*  Bunker  Hill  and  the  surrounding  country. 
id^  He  came  to  this   county   in    1840   and   for 

thirty  years  or  until  his  death  was  prominently 
connected  with  its  upbuilding.  He  was  born  in 
Morris  County,  N.  J.,  and  was  descended  from  New 
England  ancestry.  In  the  usual  manner  of  farmer 
lads  he  was  reared  to  manhood  and  when  he  had  at- 
tained to  mature  years,  in  the  county  of  his  nativ- 
ity he  was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Sarah  B. 
Smalley,  who  was  born  in  Somerset  County,  N.  J., 
December  27,  1810,  and  is  a  daughter  of  David  D. 
and  Mary  (Blackford)  Smalley,  who  were  also  na- 
tives of  Somerset  County  and  came  of  English  and 
French  origin.  After  their  marriage  they  lived 
upon  a  large  farm  in  Somerset  County  until  their 
deaths.  Mr.  Smalley  died  at  the  age  of  forty  years 
ami  his  wife  died  in  the  thirty-fourth  year  of  her 
age.     They  were  members  of  the  Seventh  Day  Bap- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


25 1 


tist  Church  and  took  a  prominent  part  in  all  the  af- 
fairs of  the  community.  The  paternal  grandfather 
of  Mrs.  Carter,  whose  name  was  David  Smalley, 
was  a  leading  and  influential  citizen  of  New  Jersey 
and  served  as  Secretary  to  Gen.  Washington  dur- 
ing the  Revolutionary  War.  At  the  same  time  all 
of  his  brothers  were  engaged  in  the  struggle  for  in- 
dependence and  aided  in  achieving  American  lib- 
erty. He  married  Hannah  Ralph,  a  native  of  New 
Jersey,  of  Dutch  ancestry  and  they  spent  their  en- 
tire lives  upon  a  farm  in  Somerset  County,  among 
a  people  by  whom  they  are  highly  honored  and  es- 
teemed. Mr.  Smalley  served  his  district  as  Cir- 
cuit Judge  for  some  years  and  was  a  prominent 
politician  in  his  day.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Seventh  Day  Baptist  Church. 

Mrs.  Carter  was  left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age 
and  in  her  maidenhood  she  learned  the  tailor's 
trade,  which  she  followed  in  New  Jersey  and  to 
some  extent  since  she  came  to  Illinois.  In  the 
spring  of  1840  Mi',  and  Mrs.  Carter  located  in  Jer- 
sey ville  and  in  a  few  months  later  took  up  their 
residence  in  Macoupin  County,  where  he  entered 
land  from  the  Government.  After  making  some 
improvements  'hereon  he  sold  and  entered  land,  in 
Hilyard  Township.  This  he  did  until  he  had 
cleared,  cultivated  and  improved  seven  different 
farms  and  finally  he  located  upon  a  valuable  tract 
of  land  just  east  of  the  city  of  Bunker  Hill,  where 
he  made  his  home  until  his  death.  He  also  pur- 
chased an  entire  block  which  is  now  situated  near  the 
center  of  Bunker  Hill  and  has  become  a  valuable 
piece  of  property.  h\  October,  1870,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-two  years  he  passed  away.  In  his  death  the 
community  lost  one  of  its  best  citizens,  his  neigh- 
bors a  kind  friend  and  his  wife  a  true  and  loving 
husband.  For  years  he  had  been  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Church  and  had  served  as 
Sunday-school  Superintendent  and  exhorter  and 
Class-Leader.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat  but 
never  sought  or  desired  public  office.  He  led  a 
busy  and  useful  life,  was  a  man  of  charitable  and 
benevolent  impulses  and  ranked  high  in  the  esteem 
of  his  fellow-townsmen  for  his  sterling  worth. 

Since  her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Carter  has  lived 
in  Bunker  Hill,  her  home  being  situated  on  the 
block  before  mentioned.     She  still  retains  posses- 


sion of  the  home  farm  and  besides  has  other  valua- 
ble property  which  yields  her  a  good  income.  Her 
eighty  years  rest  lightly  upon  her  and  her  hair  is 
but  slightly  tinged  with  grey,  while  she  still  retains 
much  of  the  vitality  and  energy  which  character- 
ized her  in  earlier  years.  She  is  a  faithful  member 
of  the  Methodist  Church  and  has  taken  a  promi- 
nent part  in  its  work.  The  poor  and  needy  find  in 
her  a  warm  friend  and  her  generous  and  kind  acts 
have  endeared  her  to  the  hearts  of  many.  She  has 
never  hail  any  children  of  her  own  but  has  givsn 
homes  to  three:  Mrs.  Delia  (Wilson)  Mcintosh, 
now  of  Omaha,  Neb.;  Leroy  Wilson,  who  is  living 
in  New  York;  and  llattie  L.  Wilson.  Three  per- 
sons now  comprise  the  Carter  household:  Mrs.  Car- 
ter, her  niece,  Miss  May  Smalley,  and  her  sister's 
granddaughter,  Miss  llattie  Wilson.  Both  are  ac- 
complished young  ladies  and  the  latter  is  now  a 
teacher  of  recognized  ability  in  the  schools  of  this 
community. 


AMES  W.  DUNCAN  was  for  several  years 
a  resident  of  this  county,  and  during  the 
latter  part  of  his  life  was  one  of  the  leading 
/  farmers  of  South  Palmyra  Township,  owning 
one  of  the  best  farms  in  that  locality,  and  his  death 
was  a  severe  blow  to  its  most  important  industry. 
He  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Tenn;,  July 
4,  18,'52,  and  was  a  son  of  James  Duncan,  who  is 
also  supposed  to  have  been  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
lie  in  turn  was  a  son  of  Joseph  Duncan,  who  was 
a  pioneer  farmer  of  that  State  and  spent  his  last 
years  in  Washington  County,  where  he  cleared  a 
farm  from  the  wilderness.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution,  and  was  a  pensioner  during  the  latter 
part  of  his  life. 

The  father  of  our  subject  grew  to  maturity  in 
his  native  county,  and  began  his  career  as  a  far- 
mer on  the  old  homestead  that  was  his  birthplace, 
a  part  of  which  he  inherited,  and  he  bought  the  re- 
mainder of  the  other  heirs  to  the  estate.  He  re- 
sided thereon  many  years,  actively  engaged  in 
agriculture,  but  in  1856  he  came  to  Illinois  to 
spend  his  last  days   with    his  children,  and  his  life 


252 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


was  brought  to  a  close  in  the  home  of  our  subject 
near  Guard.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Sarah  Hunt,  died  at  the  home  of  their  daughter 
near  Sulphur  Springs,  Macoupin  County. 

He  of  whom  these  lines  are  a  brief  biographical 
record  passed  his  early  life  amid  the  scenes  of  his 
birth,  and  remained  with  his  parents  until  he  was 
twenty-one.  He  was  of  a  thoughtful,  studious 
turn  of  mind,  and  ambitious  to  gain  an  education, 
he  made  the  best  of  his  advantages  at  Fall  Branch 
College.  When  he  attained  his  majority  he  came 
to  Illinois,  and  utilized  his  knowledge  of  books  by 
teaching  in  South  Palmyra  Township  two  years. 
He  then  bought  some  wild  prairie  land  near  Girard, 
at  the  rale  of  $10  an  acre,  and  buying  a  house 
moved  it  to  his  land  for  a  dwelling.  He  broke 
and  fenced  his  land,  and  lived  on  it  eight  years 
after  his  marriage.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time 
he  sold  and  removed  to  Girard,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  grain  business  the  ensuing  two  years.  Af- 
ter that  he  bought  the  farm  on  section  8,  South 
Palmyra  Township  now  occupied  by  his  family. 
It  comprises  three  hundred  and  eight  acres  of  land 
of  surpassing  fertility,  and  with  its  line  improve- 
ments ranks  among  the  best  in  the  township. 

March  25,  1861,  was  the  date  of  the  marriage 
of  Mr.  Duncan  with  Abigail  Proffitt,  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  and  to  her  active  and  able  co-opera- 
tion he  owed  much  of  his  prosperity.  Three 
of  the  children  born  of  their  marriage  are  living: 
John  W.,  who  married  Miss  Fannie  Thaeker;  Jos- 
eph B.  and  James  T.  Their  first-born  child,  Allen 
C,  married  Mary  Fansler,  and  after  marriage  set- 
tled in  Franklin  County,  Kan.,  where  he  died  in 
1882. 

Mrs.  Duncan's  father,  Daniel  B.  Proffitt,  was  a 
native  of  the  same  Tennessee  county  in  which  his 
daughter  was  born.  He  was  a  son  of  John  Proffitt, 
who  is  also  thought  to  have  been  born  in  that 
county.  He  carried  on  his  business  as  a  farmer 
there,  improved  a  farm,  and  continued  to  live  in 
that  county  until  his  demise.  The  maiden  name 
of  his  wife  was  Mollie  Barnes,  and  she  was  a  life- 
long resident  of  Tennessee. 

Daniel  B.  Proffitt  was  reared  and  married  in  the 
county  of  his  nativity.  He  inherited  a  part  of  his 
father's  old  homestead,  and  bought  the  interest  of 


the  other  heirs  in  it.  He  made  it  his  home  unlil 
1854,  and  then  came  to  Illinois,  journeying  on  a 
flat  boat-  down  the  Tennessee  River  to  Paducah.  K\ -., 
and  thence  by  steamer  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
rivers  to  Alton,  and  from  there  by  rail  to  this 
county.  He  bought  a  home  in  South  Palmyra 
Township,  in  which  he  dwelt  until  he  closed  his 
eyes  in  the  dreamless  sleep  of  death.  His  widow 
spent  her  last  years  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Dun- 
can. Her  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Range,  and  she 
was  born  in  Washington  County,  Tenn.,  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Abigail  Range. 

Our  subject  passed  away  November  24,  1889.  He 
left  a  record  worthy  of  emulation  of  one  who  by 
right  living  had  won  the  full  trust  and  regard  of 
all  with  whom  came  in  contact.  He  conscientiously 
and  unfalteringly  strove  to  do  his  duty  at  all 
times  and  in  all  places,  and  the  Baptist  Church, 
which  he  joined  in  his  youth,  found  in  him  one  of 
its  most  ardent  and  active  members  and  one  of  its 
most  useful  Deacons,  an  office  which  he  held  for 
many  years,  and  his  place  in  the  church  and  in  his 
community  can  never  lie  tilled.  His  wife  also  be- 
longed to  thai  church. 


jpp>ERDINAND    BERNARD,  dealer  in  lumber 
pHTM  and  farming  imp 


iplements,  of  Brighton,  es- 
tablished business  in  that  place  in  May, 
1*84,  :is  the  successor  of  G.  II.  Aylworth.  He  car- 
ries all  kinds  of  plain  and  dressed  lumber  and  other 
building  materials  and  also  has  a  complete  line  of 
agricultural  implements.  He  was  born  in  Nassau, 
Germany,  where  his  father,  William  Bernard,  was 
also  born  and  reared  and  spent  his  entire  life  as  a 
teacher.  He  died  in  his  native  land  when  little 
past  the  prime  of  life.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Elizabeth  Schmidt,  was  born  and  reared 
in  Nassau,  Germany,  and  in  the  city  of  her  nativity 
at  length  passed  away,  after  having  survived  her 
husband  over  twenty  years.  In  their  family  were 
six  children,  four  sons  and  two  daughters. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  only  one  who 
ever  crossed  the  water.  He  received  liberal  edu- 
cational advantages  and  under  the  direction  of   his 


ilBRARV 
Of  THE 


J^-^.  ffr^^* 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RKCOKD. 


255 


father  and  other  noted  musical  professors,  he  ac- 
quired an  excellent  knowledge  of  that  art.  He  de- 
termined to  make  America  the  scene  of  his  career 
and  embarked  upon  the  steamer  •■Herman,"  which 
sailed  from  Bremen  to  the  harbor  of  New  York. 
Mr.  Bernard  did  not  linger  long  in  the  East  but 
came  at  once  to  the  West.  Here,  however,  he 
stopped  at  many  of  the  principal  cities  and  finally 
made  a  location  iD  St.  Louis,  where  he  was  engaged 
as  a  teacher  of  instrumental  music.  His  next  place 
of  residence  was  in  Springfield,  111.,  where  for  seven 
years  he  was  engaged  as  a  German  professor  and 
also  in  leaching  music. 

A  marriage  ceremony,  performed  in  St.  Louis, 
united  the  destinies  of  Mr  Bernard  and  Miss  Mar- 
garet Paltzer,  who  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany, 
and  while  yet  a  young  maiden,  crossed  the  Atlantic 
with  her  parents.  For  some  time  the  family  made 
their  home  in  New  York  City,  removing  thence  to 
St.  Louis,  where  the  father,  Jacob  Paltzer,  died  of 
cholera,  in  1365.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
engaged  in  business  at  that  place.  His  wife  sur- 
vived him  man}'  years,  passing  away  in  1889,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  Mrs.  Bernard  re- 
ceived a  liberal  education  and  is  a  lady  of  intelli- 
gence and  culture.  The  union  of  Mr.  Bernard  and 
his  wife  has  been  blessed  with  six  children,  all  of 
them  seem  to  have  inherited  musical  taste  and 
ability.  In  his  business  life  Mr.  Bernard  is  meeting 
with  excellent  success. 


R.  JOHN  A.  DELANO.  For  years  this 
gentleman,  whose  name  appears  on  the 
opposite  page  and  who  is  now  deceased, 
was  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  and 
business  men  of  Bunker  Hill.  He  had  an 
acquaintance  which  extended  throughout  the  entire 
county,  and  the  many  friends  whom  he  won  will 
be  pleased  to  see  his  sketch  and  portrait  in  the 
history  of  the  county  where  he  so  long  made  his 
home.  He  was  born  in  New  Braintree,  Mass.,  April 
5,    1816,  and   was  a    son    of   Gideon   and    Betsy 


(Brimhall)  Delano,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Massachusetts  and  were  descended  from  prominent 
old  families  of  the  Bay  State.  They  began  their 
domestic  life  upon  a  farm  near  New  Braintree, 
where  they  resided  until  their  children  were  grown 
when,  wishing  to  furnish  then1  with  belter  educa- 
tional advantages,  they  removed  to  Amherst.  After 
the  emigration  of  the  Doctor  to  Macoupin  County 
they  also  came  here  and  spent  their  last  days,  each 
dying  at  an  advanced  age. 

Our  subject  was  graduated  from  Amherst  Col- 
lege in  the  Class  of '36,  and  among  his  schoolmates 
was  numbered  Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher.  After 
he  had  completed  his  literary  education,  to  fit  him- 
self for  the  profession  which  he  had  chosen  as  his 
life  work,  he  entered  the  Medical  College  of  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.,  from  which  he  was  graduated.  Suon 
afterward  he  came  West,  believing  that  there  was 
a  better  opening  for  an  ambitious  young  man  than 
in  the  older  States  of  the  East  where  every  walk  of 
life  seemed  crowded.  He  located  in  Bunker  Hill 
in  1841,  hung  out  his  shingle  and  in  a  very  short 
time  had  all  the  practice  to  which  he  could  attend. 
His  services  were  constantly  in  demand  and  his 
excellent  practice  yielded  him  a  good  income,  but 
at  length,  owing  somewhat  to  the  long  drives  he 
was  forced  to  take,  he  determined  to  abandon  his 
profession  and  embarked  in  the  drug  business.  In 
a  very  short  time  he  was  enjoying  a  fine  trade  and 
to  secure  more  commodious  quarters  he  built  a 
splendid  brick  store  store  which  continued  to  be 
his  place  of  business  until  his  death  and  is  still 
known  as  "The  Delano."  It  is  now  occupied  by 
Harry  R.  Bndd,  who  also  carries  on  a  drug  store. 
For  many  years  this  was  the  only  drug-store  in  the 
place. 

In  Bunker  Hill  the  Doctor  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Mrs.  Ar.na  W.  (Williams)  King,  who  was 
born  in  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,and  is  a  daughter 
of  William  P.  and  Asenath  (Skiff)  Williams.  Her 
parents  were  natives  of  Massachusetts  where  they 
resided  until  after  their  marriage,  when  they  re- 
moved to  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.  There  they 
resided  for  many  years,  Mr.  Williams  dying  within 
the  borders  of  that  county  at  the  age  of  sixty.  He 
had  spent  most  of  his  active  life  as  a  teacher  and 
was  one  of  the  popular   and  well-known    educators 


256 


PORTRAIT  AJSD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  tbe  Empire  Slate.  After  her  husband's  death 
Mrs.  Williams  came  to  Bunker  Hill  and  died  at  the 
home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Frances  Carlisle,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-nine  years.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Dutch  Reformed  Church.  Into  Dr.  Delano  and 
his  wife  were  born  three  children,  but  Julia  and 
.John  both  died  in  infancy.  The  only  surviving 
member  of  the  family  is  Annie  who  was  educated 
in  the  schools  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  was  graduated 
from  Monticello  Seminary.  She  is  a  fine  musician, 
an  accomplished  young  lad}'  and  makes  her  home 
with  her  mother. 

Dr.  Delano  was  of  Huguenot  descent  and  inher- 
ited all  the  virtues  of  the  best  type  of  the  people 
that  figured  so  prominently  in  a  most  momentous 
epoch  in  the  history  of  civilization.  He  took  a 
leading  part  in  all  that  pertained  to  the  upbuilding 
of  the  community  and  was  a  prominent  worker  for 
the  social,  educational  and  moral  interests  of  the 
city.  In  1852  he  was  elected  Secretary  and  Treas- 
urer of  the  Cemetery  Association,  which  position  he 
held  until  his  death,  and  he  gave  his  most  zealous 
efforts  to  the  work  in  hand.  To  the  Doctor  more 
than  anyone  else,  President  J.  II.  Pettingill  alone 
excepted,  is  due  the  admirable  condition  of  this 
magnificent  property  and  certainly  he  is  entitled  to 
the  greatest  credit  for  the  erection  of  the  soldier's 
monument  which  was  erected  in  186G  and  is  the 
chief  ornament  of  the  cemetery.  While  he  was 
endeavoring  to  secure  this  tribute  to  the  memory 
of  the  honored  soldiers  he  was,  all  uncouciously 
to  himself,  erecting  a  monument  of  love  and  grati- 
tude in  the  hearts  of  many. 

The  cause  of  education  ever  found  in  him  a  warm 
friend  and  he  was  an  active  member  of  the  Acad- 
emy Association,  while  to  the  building  fund  he  was 
a  liberal  contributor.  For  many  years  he  was  clerk 
and  trustee  of  the  Congregational  Church  and 
contributed  liberally  of  his  means  to  its  support 
but  he  held  to  no  particular  creed,  endorsing  the 
doctrines  advocated  by  the  Rev.  Henry  Ward 
Beecher.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican  and  held 
several  local  offices,  the  duties  of  which  he  ever 
faithfully  discharged.  It  was  in  the  home  circle 
that  his  true  life  shone  out  and  L  seemed  that  he 
could  not  do  too  much  to  enhance  the  happiness  of 
his   family  aad   promote  their  welfare.     Near   his 


place  of  business  he  built  a  fine  residence  which  is 
still  occupied  by  his  widow  and  daughter.  His 
death  occurred  April  14,  1887,  and  was  sincerely 
mourned  by  many  warm  friends. 


:£liiliE=^- 


ENJAMIN  F.  CLARK,  a  member  of  the 
-i  the  firm  of  Clark  &  Deck,  proprietors  of 
an  extensive  mercantile  establishment  at 
Girard,  devoted  to  the  sale  of  drugs,  books, 
stationery,  groceries,  hard  and  wooden  ware,  etc., 
has  long  been  connected  with  the  business  interests 
of  this  county,  and  has  contributed  to  its  financial 
prosperity.  He  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  111., 
April  29,  182!),  his  father,  the  Hon.  Benjamin  A. 
Clark,  being  a  pioneer  of  that  section  of  the  State 
and  one  of  its  prominent  citizens  during  his  life- 
time. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  born  near  Lexing- 
ton, Ky.,  and  was  a  son  of  James  Clark,  a  native 
of  Ireland,  of  Scotch  ancestry,  who  came  to  this 
country  during  the  Revolution,  and  casting  in  his 
lot  with  the  Colonists,  fought  bravely  with  them 
for  freedom  from  British  rule.  After  the  war  was 
ended  he  resided  for  a  time  in  Virginia,  and  then 
followed  the  tide  of  emigration  to  Kentucky,  lie 
bought  a  tract  of  timber  land  near  Lexington,  aud 
settling  down  to  the  life  of  a  pioneer  in  the  forest 
wilds,  he  lived  there  many  years.  He  came  from 
there  to  Illinois  in  territorial  days,  locating  in  the 
wilderness  in  Wayne  County,  in  1817,  being  one 
of  the  earliest  pioneers  in  that  section.  He  bought 
timber  land,  on  which  he  erected  a  log  house,  and 
at  once  entered  upon  the  hard  task  of  clearing  a 
farm.  He  continued  to  reside  in  the  southern 
part  of  that  county  some  years,  and  then  sold  and 
moved  to  the  northern  part  of  it,  where  he  made 
his  home  until  he  closed  his  eyes  in  death.  Tbe 
maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Mary  Jones.  She 
was  born  either  in  Wales  or  in  America  of  Welsh 
parentage.  She  died  on  the  home  farm  in  Wayne 
County.  Both  were  stanch  Presbyterians  in  their 
religious  belief. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  young  man  when 
he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents,     lie  had  been 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


257 


reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  at  the  time  of 
bis  marriage  lie  located  on  a  farm  in  the  eastern 
part  of  Wayne  County.  A  few  years  later  lie  re- 
moved to  the  northern  part  of  the  county  and  en- 
tered forty  acres  of  Government  land.  He  built  a 
primitive  log  house,  riving  shingles  by  hand  to 
cover  the  roof,  and  making  the  chimney  of  sticks 
and  clay.  His  wife  cooked  by  the  open  fireplace 
for  many  years,  and  her  deft  hands  carded,  spun 
and  wove  all  the  cloth  of  which  she  made  garments 
for  her  children.  Mr.  Clark  was  much  prospered 
in  bis  calling,  invested  in  other  land  adjoining  his 
original  purchase  and  in  time  improved  a  valuable 
farm,  that  remained  his  home  until  his  death.  He 
was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  force  of  char- 
acter and  intellect,  and  was  very  influential  among 
bis  fellow-citizens,  who  often  called  him  to  fill  re- 
sponsible offices.  He  was  at  one  time  Sheriff  of 
Wayne  County,  and  he  also  represented  his  dis- 
trict as  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature.  It  was 
while  attending  a  session  of  that  honorable  body  at 
Yandalia,  in  1838,  that  his  useful  career  was  closed 
by  bis  untimely  death.  He  was  a  devoutly  relig- 
ious man;  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  services  were  held 
at  bis  house.    He  was  a  Class-Leader  in  the  church. 

The  mother  of  our  subject,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Mary  G.  Witters,  was  a  native  of  West 
Tennessee.  Her  father,  Peter  Witters,  was  a  pio- 
neer of  that  section  of  the  country,  and  later  of 
Illinois,  where  he  settled  in  White  County,  and 
there  spent  his  remaining  years.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  wife  was  Hannah  Green.  She  was 
born  in  North  Carolina  and  died  in  White  County, 
this  State.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  a  Pres- 
byterian in  her  religious  faith.  She  died  on  the 
home  farm  in  Wayne  County  in  1851,  leaving  four 
children — Joseph,  Peter,  Benjamin  F.,  and  Mel- 
vina. 

He  of  whom  this  biography  is  written  was  reared 
in  his  native  county.  There  were  no  free  schools 
in  his  youth,  each  family  having  to  pay  according 
to  the  number  of  children  sent  to  school.  The 
country  roundabout  his  early  home  was  sparsely 
settled  and  not  greatly  improved  from  its  primi- 
tive condition.  There  were  no  railways  for  many 
years,  and  St.   Louis,  one   hundred  and  ten  miles 


away,  was  the  principal  market.  Our  subject 
continued  to  reside  with  his  mother  until  her  death, 
and  lie  then  spent  six  months  in  Iowa.  Returning 
to  Wayne  County,  he  taught  the  first  free  school 
in  that  section,  receiving  £27  a  month  for 
a  session  of  three  months.  He  then  turned 
his  attention  to  the  study  of  medicine  in  the 
ollircs  of  Drs.  Greene  and  Barrickman,  near  Jef- 
fersonville,  and  subsequently  began  to  practice 
in  Wayne  County.  A  short  time  after  that  he  re- 
linquished that  calling,  and  July  1,  1857,  came  to 
Macoupin  County  to  establish  a  drug  store  in 
Scottville,  which  be  managed  until  18G5.  May  5, 
of  that  year  he  came  to  Girard  to  engage  in  busi- 
ness, and  has  ever  since  been  a  valued  resident  of 
this  city.  In  March,  1884,  L.  C.  Deck  became  as- 
sociated with  him  in  the  business  under  the  firm 
name  of  Clark  &  Deck.  They  have  one  of  the  best 
equipped  and  best  slocked  establishments  in  the 
city,  and  carry  a  full  line  of  drugs,  groceries,  books, 
hardware,  etc. 

Mr.  Clark  has  been  three  times  married.  His 
first  marriage,  which  took  place  in  January,  1854, 
was  with  Miss  Mary  Frances  Maston,  a  native  of 
Marietta,  Ohio.  Their  wedded  life  was  very 
brief,  as  she  died  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year.  Our 
subject  was  married  a  second  time  May  10,  185'J, 
Miss  Mary  A.  Butcher  becoming  bis  wife.  She 
was  a  native  of  Greene  County,  III.,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Eli  J.  and  Vienna  Butcher.  She  departed 
this  life  February  20,  1878,  leaving  four  children 
— Edwin  Verner,  Mabel,  Frank  Leslie,  and  Grace. 
Mr.  Clark  was  married  to  Mrs.  Kate  (Garst)  Sberfy 
March  24,  1883.  Mrs.  Clark  is  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee, and  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Frances  Garst. 
Her  marriage  with  our  subject  has  been  blessed 
with  one  child,  whom  they  have  named  Ethel. 

For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  Mr.  Clark 
has  been  intimately  associated  with  the  growth 
and  welfare  of  Girard  as  one  of  its  most  intelligent 
business  men  and  public-spirited  citizens,  and  he 
has  ever  sought  to  elevate  its  moral,  social  and  re- 
ligious status.  He  has  taken  part  in  its  public  life 
as  a  member  of  the  City  Council  and  of  the  City 
School  Board.  He  was  for  many  years  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  but  of  late  he  has  used  his  influ- 
ence in  favor  of    the    Prohibition    party.     He  and 


258 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


his  wife  are  members  of  tlie  Christian  Church,  and 
are  active;  in  its  every  good  work.  He  has  an  ex- 
tensive acquaintance  in  this  county,  of  which  lie 
has  been  a  resident  for  so  many  years,  and  is  well- 
known  as  a  thoroughly  honorable  business  man, 
whose  integrity  is  beyond  question,  as  is  his  repu- 
tation in  all  the  relations  of  life. 


®|j|LEX  McCURDY,  an  enterprising  farmer 
'@EJ  i    and  stock-raiser  of   Hilyard  Township,  re- 

ifj  IMi  siding  on  section  30,  claims  New  Jersey 
qJ  as    the    State    of    his    nativity.      He    first 

opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  of  day  in  Atlantic 
County  in  1814.  The  family  is  of  Irish  origin. 
The  grandfather  of  our  subject,  John  McCurdy, 
Sr.,  was  a  native  of  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  where 
ivhere  he  grew  to  manhood  and  was  married. 
Later  lie  came  to  America,  having  his  wife  and 
children  in  the  old  country  and  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary "War  fought  under  Gen.  Washington. 
For  his  services  he  received  a  land  warrant  and 
then  returned  to  the  Emerald  Isle  for  his  family 
with  the  intention  of  establishing  a  home  in  the 
United  States,  but  died  very  suddenly  in  his  na- 
tive land.  Afterward  the  three  older  children, 
including  John,  father  of  our  subject,  who  served 
in  the  War  of  1812-14,  and  was  born  in  County 
Antrim  and  was  then  twelve  years  of  age,  came 
to  America,  leaving  the  widowed  mother  and 
younger  children  in  Ireland,  where  Mrs.  McCurdy 
died  at  the  advanced  age  of  one  hundred  and  five 
years.  The  three  sons  who  came  to  this  country 
did  not  improve  the  land  as  it  was  their  intention 
of  doing  when  they  left  home,  but  sold  the  war- 
rant and  removed  to  different  parts  of  the  coun- 
try to  engage  in  business  best  suited  to  their 
tastes.  The  father  of  our  subject  attained  to  his 
majority  in  New  Jersey,  and  there  engaged  in 
working  iron  ore.  He  married  Miss  Elizabeth 
Wentling,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  that  State. 
They  began  their  domestic  life  in  New  Jersey, 
where  the  husband  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-four 
years,  after  which  his  widow  removed  to  Penn- 
sylvania, and  died  at    the  home  of   her  son  Nich- 


olas on  the  Schuylkill  River,  about  thirteen  miles 
from  Philadelphia.  This  was  in  1855,  and  she 
was  at  that  time  eighty  four  years  of  age.  In 
religious  belief  she  was  a  Methodist  and  Mr.  Mc- 
Curdy was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church! 
Their  family  numbered  eleven  children,  seven 
sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom  only  four  sons 
are  now  living. 

Our  subject  was  only  a  child  when  his  parents 
removed  from  New  Jersey  to  Pennsylvania.  He 
may  truly  be  called  a  self-made  man,  for  before  he 
was  twelve  years  of  age  he  began  life  for  himself, 
being  the  employed  in  the  iron  works,  where  he 
continued  to  labor  for  thirty-seven  years.  At 
first  he  worked  as  a  mokler,  but  his  ability  won 
him  promotion,  and  during  the  last  ten  years  of 
his  residence  in  Pennsylvania  he  was  employed  as 
foreman  of  six  furnaces  owned  by  David  Thomas, 
"the  Iron  King."  He  was  thus  able  to  command 
an  excellent  salary,  and  with  the  money  acquired 
he  purchased  land  in  Illinois.  He  first  came  to 
this  State  in  1801,  and  bought  one  bundled  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  in  Jersey  County,  where  he 
made  his  home  until  1868,  when  in  the  spring  of 
that  year  he  purchased  his  present  farm,  compris- 
ing the  northern  half  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land  on  section  36,  Hilyard  Township. 
Every  acre  is  under  cultivation,  the  eye  resting 
uiion  no  spot  of  unimproved  land. 

In  Atlantic  County,  N.  J.,  at  May's  Landing, 
Mr.  McCurdy  led  to  the  marriage  altar  Miss  Chris- 
tina McCauley,  who  was  born  in  County  Antrim, 
Ireland,  in  1818,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Sarah  (McCurdy)  McCauley,  who  were  also  na- 
tives of  County  Antrim,  where  they  were  married 
and  lived  until  after  the  birth  of  all  their  children. 
About  1828,  with  their  family,  they  came  to  Amer- 
ica, settling  in  Atlantic  County,  N.  J.,  when  the 
city  of  Camden  was  a  small  hamlet.  Some  years 
later  they  removed  to  Pennsylvania,  locating  at 
the  head  of  the  Juniata  River,  where  the  remain- 
der of  their  lives  were  passed.  The  father  was  a  i 
member  of  the  Catholic  Church  and  his  wife  a 
Presbyterian. 

Mrs.  McCurdy  is  the  only  surviving  member  of 
their  family  of  twelve  children.  She  was  quite 
young  when  she  crossed   *he  Atlantic  to  America 


I 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


250 


:uiil  in  New  Jersey  she  grew  to  womanhood.  Ten 
children  have  been  born  unto  our  subject  and  his 
worthy  wife,  but  six  are  now  deceased.  Catherine 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years;  John 
died  in  childhood;  John,  the"  second  of  that 
name,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years;  Mary, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  Gfteen  months;  one  who 
died  in  infancy;  and  Elizabeth,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Nathaniel  Pinkard,  who  is  now  living  in 
Williamstown,  Ky.  Unto  them  two  children  were 
born,  one  of  whom  survives  the  mother — Joseph 
A.,  who  since  his  childhood  has  been  reared  by 
his  grandparents  and  was  educated  in  Bunker  Hill 
Academy.  Those  who  still  survive  are:  Joseph 
M.,  who  wedded  Melissa  Deck  and  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  Hilyard  Township;  Sarah,  widow  of 
John  Stemple,  a  popular  railroad  conductor  of 
Pennsylvania,  who  was  killed  in  an  accident;  Me- 
lissa anil  Jane  at  home. 

In  politics  Mr.  McCurdy  was  an  old-line  Whig 
until  the  rise  of  the  Republican  party,  which 
he  has  since  supported.  He  belongs  to  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  and  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
same  church.  During  the  twenty-two  years  of  their 
residence  in  Macoupin  County  they  have  won 
many  friends  and  have  gained  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  all  with  whom  they  have  come  in  contact. 

*%   s'tt*J    cV •-*— 

%-^  OX.  SAMUEL  S.  GILBERT,  of  Carlinville, 
lias  occupied  a  prominent  position  among 
the  leading  lawyers  of  this  county  for 
many  years.  He  is  a  native  of  Massachu- 
setts, the  old  seaport  town  of  Gloucester,  on  Cape 
Ann,  in  Essex  County,  being  the  place  of  his  birth, 
and  January  28.  1827,  the  date  thereof.  He  is  a 
descendant  of  old  Colonial  families  that  settled  in 
the  old  B.13'  Stale  in  the  early  years  of  its  settle- 
ment. 

Jonathan  Gilbert,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Gloucester,  and  was  a  son  of  Jonathan  Gil- 
bert,  who  was  also  a  native  of  the  same  town,  and 
was  in  turn  the  son  of  another  Jonathan  Gilbert, 
who  was  also  a  native  of  that  place,  as  was  his 
father,  who  likewise  bore  the  name  of  Jonathan, 


and  was  of  Gloucester  birth.  The  father  of  the 
latter,  John  Gilbert,  was  born  in    England  or  in 

Massachusetts  of  English  parents.  He  removed 
from  Wenham  to  Gloucester  in  1704,  and  spent 
the  rest  of  his  days  there.  Jonathan  Gilbert,  Sr., 
and  his  son  Jonathan  were  both  farmers,  and  were 
life-long  residents  of  Gloucester,  their  farm  lying 
in  the  locality  now  known  as  Magnolia,  where  now 
many  wealthy  people  have  beautiful  sea-side  homes. 
The  grandfather  of  our  subject  also  was  a  farmer 
and  spent  his  whole  life  in   his  native  Gloucester. 

The  father  of  our  subject  commenced  life  as  a 
sailor  when  quite  young,  and  followed  the  sea  for 
upwards  of  twenty  years,  the  most  of  the  time  in 
the  merchant  service,  and  became  master  of  a  ves- 
sel. In  1834  he  retired  from  a  seafaring  life,  and 
journeying  far  into  the  interior  of  the  country, 
came  to  Illinois  and  spent  the  winter  in  this  State. 
He  was  favorably  impressed  with  the  country,  and 
returning  to  Massachusetts  for  his  family  came 
back  here  to  locate  the  same  spring.  He  and  his 
family  started  from  Gloucester  in  a  sail  vessel 
bound  for  Philadelphia.  While  trying  to  double 
Cape  Cod  a  storm  was  encountered  and  the  vessel 
was  obliged  to  put  back  to  Gloucester  for  repairs. 
After  a  few  days  the  father  with  our  subject  and 
younger  brother  started  again  for  Philadelphia  in 
the  same  vessel,  while  the  others  took  passage  in 
another  ship  for  Boston,  whence  they  went  by  rail 
to  Providence,  and  thence  by  water  to  Philadelphia, 
where  the  farui^-  was  re-united.  They  then  went 
by  rail  to  Johnstown,  Pa.,  which  was  at  that  time 
the  western  terminus  of  the  railway;  from  there  by 
canal  to  Pittsburg,  where  they  embarked  on  a 
steamer  and  voyaged  on  the  waters  of  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  to  Alton,  this  State,  which  they 
found  to  be  a  small  but  very  lively  town,  as  it  was 
the  market  and  depot  of  supplies  for  the  surround- 
ing country  for  many   miles  around. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Illinois  Mr.  Gilbert 
bought  a  tract  of  timber  land  four  miles  from  Al- 
ton, and  there  being  no  house  upon  it  he  moved 
into  a  dwelling  of  his  brother-in-law  near  by,  and 
resided  in  it  for  some  time.  He  next  bought 
twenty  acres  of  land  on  the  Carrolton  road,  upon 
which  he  erected  a  hewed  log  house,  in  which  he 
lived  until  1837.     Then  disposing  of  that  place  he 


260 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


went  to  Griggsville,  in  Pike  County,  and  was  a 
pioneer  there.  He  bought  village  property  and 
was  a  resident  of  that  place  until  1839,  when  he 
rented  a  farm  one  and  one-fourth  miles  west  of 
Griggsville.  In  1842  he  bought  a  tract  of  land 
three  miles  northwest  of  Griggsville.  He  built  a 
comfortable  residence  on  that  land,  and  dwelt  there 
until  1845.  Returning  to  the  village  he  stayed 
there  one  year,  and  then,  in  1816,  went  back  to  his 
old  home  in  Massachusetts,  taking  all  his  family 
with  him,  except  his  two  sons,  George  and  Samuel. 

In  1853  Mr.  Gilbert  left  Gloucester  to  again 
take  up  his  residence  in  this  State.  He  bought  a 
lot  on  the  west  side  of  the  square  in  Carlinville,  and 
erected  a  commodious  building  a  store  and  dwell- 
ing, his  death  occurring  here  in  February,  18G9. 
An  honored  pioneer  and  respected  citizen  thus 
passed  to  eternal  rest,  leaving  behind  him  a  good 
name  and  an  untarnished  life  record.  His  worthy 
wife  did  not  long  survive  him,  but  died  the  fol- 
lowing April  in  the  home  of  our  subject.  She  was 
also  a  native  of  Gloucester,  and  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Mary  Sayward.  She  was  the  mother  of 
four  children,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the  eldest. 
The  following  is  recorded  of  the  others:  George 
died  at  Carlinville,  .May  2.  1877;  Fitz  William  died 
at  Belfast,  Me.,  April  10,  1881);  John  resides  at 
Murfreesboro,  Tenn. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject.  Capt. 
John  Sayward,  was  born  in  Gloucester.  Mass.. 
and  was  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Susanna  (Lord  )  Say- 
ward, and  was  a  descendant  of  Henry  Sayward  a 
native  of  England,  who  came  to  America  in  1G37 
and  settled  near  Northampton,  N.  II.  John  Say- 
ward w;:s  captain  of  a  vessel  in  the  merchant  ma- 
rine service,  and  spent  his  last  years  in  Gloucester. 
He  married  Abigail  Coos,  who  was  a  native  of  that 
town.  Her  grandfather,  William  Coos,  great- 
great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  a  native  of 
England,  and  he  came  to  this  country  in  early 
Colonial  times.  He  died  at  Gloucester  in  1773. 
The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Mary  Gardner. 
The  great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  Mr.  Coos, 
was  a  seafaring  man,  and  commanded  a  privateer 
in  the  Revolutionary  War.  His  first  cruise  was 
very  successful,  but  the  second  was  fatal  to  him, 
as  his  ship,  "The  Stark,"  was  captured  by  the  En- 


glish. He  was  taken  in  irons  to  Halifax,  and  after 
a  short  confinement  in  that  city  was  placed  on 
board  a  ship  bound  for  Boston.  The  first  night 
out  a  fearful  storm  raged  and  the  vessel  and  its 
crew  were  never  heard  from  afterward. 

The  first  eight  years  of  the  life  of  our  subject 
were  passed  in  the  seaport  town  of  his  birth,  and 
since  then  he  has  lived  in  this  State,  and  he  retains 
a  vivid  recollection  of  pioneer  days  in  the  western 
wilds  of  Illinois.  He  was  naturally  of  a  thought- 
ful, studious  disposition,  and  made  the  best  of  his 
opportunities  to  secure  a  liberal  education.  His 
first  knowledge  of  books  apart  from  what  he  had 
learned  at  home  was  gained  in  the  pioneer  schools 
of  early  times  that  were  taught  in  log  houses,  and 
provided  with  rude  home  made  furniture.  He 
lived  with  his  parents  until  he  was  fourteen  years 
old,  and  then  went  to  Griggsville  to  attend  school, 
and  was  also  engaged  there  as  clerk  until  the  fall 
of  1843,  when  he  went  to  Alton  and  entered 
Shurtleff  College,  where  be  pursued  a  fine  course 
of  study  the  ensuing  four  years,  remaining  there 
until  1847.  In  June  of  that  year  he  commenced 
teaching  at  Upper  Alton,  and  taught  until  the 
spring  of  1848.  Like  many  another  man  he  made 
that  profession  a  stepping  stone  to  the  bar,  entering 
the  office  of  the  Hon.  John  A.  Chestnut  when  he  left 
off  teaching  to  prepare  himself  for  his  new  voca- 
tion. He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1850.  and 
formed  a  partnership  with  his  preceptor,  continu- 
ing with  him  until  the  retirement  of  the  latter  three 
years  later.  After  that  he  was  in  partnership  with 
Thomas  Jayne  for  a  time,  and  subsequently  was 
with  Gen.  Rinaker  from  1858  until  the  General 
entered  the  army,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
alone. 

Mr.  Gilbert  and  Miss  Frances  McClure  were 
united  in  marriage  August  12,  1851.  Mrs.  Gilbert 
was  a  daughter  of  James  and  Frances  McClure, 
and  was  born  in  Nicholasville,  Jessamine  County, 
Ky.  She  departed  this  life  November  9,  1888, 
after  a  happy  wedded  life  of  thirty-seven  years, 
leaving  behind  her  a  pleasant  memory  of  one  who 
filled  in  a  perfect  measure  the  sacred  offices  of  wife, 
mother  and  friend.  Our  subject  has  three  children, 
Edward  A..  Charles  F.  and  William  W.  Edward 
is  an    attorney   at   York,  Neb.,  and   was  a  mem- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


261 


ber  of  the  State  Legislature  in  L888.  Charles  is  an 
attorney  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.  William  is  a  resident 
of  St.  Louis. 

Through  years  of  constant  devotion  to  his 
professional  duties  Mr.  Gilbert  has  attained  an 
honorable  position  among  the  legal  luminaries  of 
this  State,  and  is  known  for  his  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  law  as  applied  to  all  cases  that  come 
nniler  his  practice.  He  has  been  called  to  re- 
sponsible legal  offices,  and  has  filled  them  with 
dignity  and  ability.  In  1852  he  was  elected 
County  Judge,  and  he  subsequently  served  two 
terms  as  Master  in  Chancery.  In  1874  be  was 
elected  a  member  of  Ihe  State  Legislature.  His 
social  relations  are  with  Mt.  Nebo  Lodge  No.  76, 
A.  F.  St  A.  M.  He  cast  his  first  Presidential 
vote  for  Gen.  Cass  in  1848,  and  remained 
with  the  Democrats  until  1864,  when  be  gave 
his  support  to  Lincoln  for  the  presidency.  In 
18G8  he  used  his  influence  for  Gen.  Grant,  and 
in  1872  was  a  warm  advocate  for  Greeley.  After 
that  he  returned  to  his  early  love,  and  has  ever 
since  adhered  to  the  Democratic  party. 


M  ALCOLM  M.  ANDERSON,  who  is  now 
living  retired  in  the  city  of  Carlinville, 
is  one  of  the  most  extensive  landholders 
in  the  county ,and  has  taken  a  leading  part  in 
its  agricultural  development.  His  birth  took  place 
in  Christian  County,  Ky.,  December  24,  1830,  and 
he  is  a  son  of  Col.  James  Anderson,  a  Virginian, 
who  whs  a  prominent  pioneer  of  this  section  of  the 
Slate  in  the  early  years  of  its  settlement. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  emi- 
grated to  this  country  in  Colonial  times  and  resided 
for  a  while  in  Virginia  before  his  removal  to  Ken- 
tucky, where  be  became  a  pioneer  of  Bourbon 
County.  He  entered  a  thousand  acres  of  Govern- 
ment land  there,  but  suffered  reverses  and  lost  all 
his  property  before  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
that  county. 

Col.  Anderson  was  quite  young  when  his  father 
took  him  from  his  Virginia  birthplace  to  the  pio- 
neer  home  in   Kentucky.     At   the  age  of  thirteen 


he  left  the  parental  roof  and  after  that  time  made 
bis  own  way  in  the  world,  as  he  was  perfectly  able 
to  do,  for  he  was  well  endowed  with  physical  and 
mental  vigor.  He  learned  the  trade  of  a  hatter 
but  did  not  follow  it  long  as  his  tastes  led  him  to 
farming,  and  he  settled  on  a  farm  in  Christian 
County,  Ky.  He  met  with  fair  success  in  his  new 
venture,  but  unfortunately,  by  endorsing  notes  for 
friends,  he  lost  all  his  property,  and  in  1834  came 
to  Illinois  to  seek  a  new  location.  lie  visited 
Macoupin  County  in  the  month  of  June  and 
entered  a  tract  of  Government  land  on  section  11, 
Carlinville  Township,  and  then  went  back  to  Ken- 
tucky for  his  family.  On  the  12th  of  the  follow- 
ing October,  with  his  wife  and  their  six  children, 
he  started  for  their  new  home,  and  journeyed 
hither  with  a  pair  of  oxen,  a  wagon  and  two 
horses  and  a  carriage,  arriving  at  his  destination  in 
twelve  days'  time. 

The  Colonel  rented  a  log  bouse  in  which  the 
family  lived  during  the  winter  and  in  the  mean- 
time he  built  a  log  house  on  his  own  land,  riving 
boards  for  the  roof  and  splitting  puncheon  for  the 
floor.  In  the  spring  of  1835  he  and  his  family 
removed  to  their  new  borne  and  he  commenced  to 
improve  his  land.  He  also  became  an  extensive 
trader  in  live  stock,  driving  cattle  to  St.  Louis, 
and  in  1846  and  again  in  1847  took  a  drove  to 
Wisconsin,  taking  three  hundred  and  fifty  head 
each  time.  In  1851  an  attack  of  cholera  ended  his 
useful  career  and  this  county  lost  one  of  its  most 
useful  citizens.  His  wife  also  died  of  cholera 
thirteen  days  after  his  death.  Her  maiden  name 
was  Ann  Rice  Harris  and  Virginia  was  her  native 
State.  She  reared  a  family  of  seven  children, 
named  as  follows:  Crittenden  II.  C,  Maria  C, 
Erasmus  S.,  Augustus  E.,  Malcolm  M.,  Henry  C. 
and  Mary  A. 

Malcolm  M.  Anderson,  of  whom  this  biography 
is  principally  written,  was  in  his  fourth  year  when 
he  came  with  his  parents  to  this  county,  and  he 
remembers  well  the  incidents  of  pioneer  life  under 
which  be  was  reared.  His  mother  used  to  do  her 
cooking  by  the  fireplace  and  the  children  were 
clothed  in  cloth  the  product  of  her  spinning  wheel 
and  loom.  Our  subject  took  every  advantage  to 
secure   an   education   and  early  attended  a  pioneer 


262 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


school  that  was  taught  in  a  primitive  log  house 
with  aii  earth  and  slick  chimney,  the  furniture 
being  rudely  fashioned  by  hand,  the  seats  made  by 
splitting  logs  and  inserting  wooden  pins  for  sup- 
port, and  for  a  desk  a  plank  was  laid  on  wooden 
pins  that  were  inserted  in  holes  bored  in  the  wall 
of  the  building.  On  one  side  of  the  house  a  log 
was  sawed  out  and  a  row  of  glass  put  into  the 
aperture  find  thus  made  to  serve  for  windows.  In 
those  early  days  game  was  plentiful,  and  deer, 
wolves  and  other  wild  animals  were  often  seen 
roaming  over  the  prairies. 

Mr.  Anderson  made  his  home  with  his  parents 
until  their  death,  then  settled  on  a  farm  on  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  12,  Carlinville  Town- 
ship, and  commenced  housekeeping  in  a  log  house. 
Two  years  later  he  sold  that  place  and  bought  the 
south  half  of  section  11,  locating  there  in  1854, 
and  made  that  his  home  until  1880,  when  he  bought 
the  resilience  he  now  occupies  on  North  Broad 
Street,  Carlinville.  Here  he  and  his  estimable  wife 
live  very  pleasantly  surrounded  by  all  the  comforts 
of  life,  and  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that 
their  prosperity  is  due  to  their  united  labors, 
directed  by  wise  economy,  foresight  and  sound 
judgment.  Mr.  Anderson  has  been  more  than 
ordinarily  successful  as  a  farmer  and  now  has  in 
his  possession  fifteen  hundred  acres  of  valuable 
land,  one  hundred  and  sixty  of  which  is  located 
in  South  Otter  Township  and  the  remainder  in 
Carlinville  Township. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Anderson  to  Miss  Malvina 
Ann  Moore  was  celebrated  February  11,  1851. 
Mrs.  Anderson  was  born  April  16,  1833,  in  Carlin- 
ville Township,  and  is  a  daughter  of  one  of  its  first 
settlers,  Thomas  G.  Moore.  It  is  thought  that  he 
was  a  native  of  Simpson  County,  Ky.,  and  in  1831 
came  to  this  county  and  entered  Government  land 
on  section  24,  Carlinville  Township.  He  erected 
a  log  house  to  shelter  his  family  and  in  that  hum- 
ble dwelling  Mrs.  Anderson  was  born.  He  con- 
tinued to  live  on  his  homestead  until  death  called 
him  hence  in  1844.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Sylvia  W.  Sublet,  was  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia. She  died  at  Shaw's  Point  Township  a  few 
years  after  he  did. 

Mr.  and   Mrs.  Anderson  have  been  blessed  with 


five  children,  as  follows:  James  T.,  who  married 
Ann  Goodpasture,  resides  in  South  Otter  Town- 
ship; Laura  A.  is  the  wife  of  J.  S.  Thomason,  of 
Montgomery  County;  Melissa  is  the  wife  of  John 
A.  Fullington,  of  Carlinville  Township,  and  John 
B.,  also  a  resident  of  Carlinville  Township,  who 
married  Mary  'Purvey,  and  Malcom  M.,  a  resident 
of  Carlinville,  who  married  Laura  Rue. 


\f/  ULITS  BEHME,  Ju.     The  gentleman  whois 
the  original  of  this  sketch  owns  a  good  farm 
located  on  section    21,   Nilwood    Township 
He  is  of  German    parentage  and   birth  and 
now  is  in  the  meridian  of  life,  having  been  born 
April  2,  1840,  in  Brunswick,  Germany.     The  early 
years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  his  native  place  where 
he  received  the  drill  in  technical  as  well  as   mental 
education  that  is  an  indispensable  adjunct  in  Ger- 
man school  life.     When  fifteen  years  of  age  he  em- 
igrated  with  his  parents  to  America.     I  lis  father 
was  Julius  Behme,  and  his  mother  Anna  (Doretlie) 
Behme.     They  were  both  natives  of  Germany  and 
came  thence  to  this  country  in  1855. 

The  Behme  family  first  settled  in  Ogle  County, 
and  from  there  went  to  St.  Louis,  and  thence  to  this 
county,  where  they  settled  in  Clyde  and  lived  there 
for  two  years.  There  the  mother  was  called  away 
from  a  life  of  toil  to  a  better  land.  The  family 
afterward  lived  for  one  year  in  Polk  Township,  and 
then  located  in  Brushy  Mound  Township,  where 
they  have  since  made  their  home.  They  had  two 
children,  William  and  Julius. 

Our  subject.  Julius  Behme,  lived  at  home  until 
his  marriage  when  he  instituted  a  home  and  hearth 
for  himself  in  Brushy  Mound  Township.  He  re- 
mained there  for  two  years  and  then  came  to  Nil- 
wood  Township,  where  he  purchased  one  hundred 
acres  of  land.  Here  he  has  since  resided  having 
built  himself  a  pleasant  home. 

Mr.  Bebme  was  married  in  Carlinville,  June 
23,  1868  to  Miss  Sophia  Blothe,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Conrad  H.  and  Sophia  (Brummer)  Blothe,  both 
natives  of  Hanover,  Germany.  The  mother's  de- 
cease took  place  in  her  native  land  before  her  bus- 


LIBRARY 
Of  THE 
UNIVE 


-*..'-'    :"    -:- 


ytA^c^     ; 


Z^UIj&^s 


/ 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


265 


band  and  family  emigrated  to  America.  Their 
settlement  in  this  country  was  made  in  1866,  the 
father  died  in  Nilwoorl  Township,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren, Sophia,  now  Mrs.  Behme,  and  Henry.  Mrs. 
Behme,  like  her  parents,  is  a  native  of  Hanover, 
Germany,  being  there  born  December  13,  1849. 
She  and  her  husband  are  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren. They  are:  Lena  W.,  who  was  married  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1891, to  George  Klaus  of  Nilwood  Town- 
ship, Emma  B.,  Julia  M.,  Anna  S.,  Katie,  George 
J.  and  Albert  F. 

Our  subject  has  made  many  improvements  on 
his  farm  and  he  now  owns  one  hundred  and  forty 
acres.  His  attention  is  exclusively  engaged  in  I  he 
care  of  his  farm  and  stock-raising.  Mr.  Behme  is 
a  Republican  in  his  political  preference,  and  he  and 
his  wife  and  family  are  attendants  of  the  German 
Lutheran  Church.  Like  most  of  his  countrymen 
who  are  engaged  in  the  agricultural  pursuits  in 
this  country,  Mr.  Behme  has  brought  an  energy 
and  vim  to  bear  upon  his  business  that  has  insured 
him  a  success  in  the  line  that  he  had  adopted. 


/^OBUS  J.  KEISER.  The  name  which  our 
(if^^  subject  bears  is  inseparably  connected  with 
^^^/  the  history  of  the  thriving  town  of  Mt. 
Olive  in  which  he  makes  his  home.  Indeed,  no  one 
has  done  so  much  for  the  place  as  he,  for  every 
enterprise  of  any  importance  that  has  served 
to  aid  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  community  has 
found  in  him  a  supporter.  We  therefore  with 
pleasure  present  this  sketch  to  our  readers,  as 
well  as  the  lithographic  portrait  on  the  opposite 
page. 

Mr.  Keiser  was  born  in  Hanover,  German}',  Sep- 
tember 4,  1811,  and  comes  of  a  good  family,  the 
members  of  which  are  characterized  by  temperate, 
industrious  and  enterprising  habits.  His  father, 
John  J.  Keiser,  and  las  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Geske  Heien,  were  born,  reared  and  mar- 
ried in  Hanover,  where  their  children  were  also 
born.  In  1854,  with  their  family  they  sailed  for 
America  from  Bremen,  and  on  landing  in  New  Or- 
leans, proceeded  up  the  Mississippi  to  Alton,  spend- 


ing the  succeeding  winter  in  Madison  County,  111. 
In  the  spring  of  1855,  they  settled  on  section  14, 
Mt.  Olive  Township,  the  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acre  farm  being  then  in  its  primitive  condition. 
The  father  died  soon  afterward,  on  the  6th  of  Sep- 
tember. He  was  a  noble  man,  and  died  in  the 
faith  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church.  His 
widow,  who  long  survived  him,  was  a  lady  of 
many  marked  characteristics.  She  possessed  excel- 
lent executive  ability,  and  managed  to  keep  her 
children  together,  provide  them  with  good  educa- 
tions, and  lived  to  see  them  all  prosperous  in  life. 
She  died  at  the  home  of  her  daughter  Anna  in  1889, 
at  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  She. 
too,  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  after  acquiring  a 
good  education  in  the  public  schools  and  the  State 
University,  entered  upon  his  business  career.  We 
feel  safe  in  saying  that  none  other  has  done  so  much 
to  make  Mt.  Olive  one  of  the  busiest  commercial 
points  in  this  part  of  the  Slate.  By  so  doing  he 
has  not  only  secured  a  fortune,  but  has  become  one 
of  the  most  prominent  men  of  the  county.  Since 
18C6  Mt.  Olive  has  grown  to  its  present  propor- 
tions. In  that  year,  Mr.  Keiser  with  his  father-in- 
law,  J.  C.  Nieman,  established  a  small  mercantile 
house,  and  the  next  spring  embarked  in  general 
merchandising.  That  was  the  beginning  of  the 
business  which  has  grown  and  developed  until  it 
occupies  several  of  the  largest  store  rooms  of  the 
place,  and  represents  every  branch  of  merchandise 
known,  except  drugs  and  lumber.  Their  business 
houses  are  model  structures,  and  the  stock  of 
goods  contained  therein,  whatever  it  be,  is  com- 
plete. 

When  the  Wabash  Railroad  was  buili  through 
Mt.  Olive,  in  1870,  Mr.  Keiser  assumed  control  of 
all  of  the  business  at  this  point,  and  was  thus  con- 
nected with  the  road  until  1877,  when  more  im- 
portant and  pressing  business  interests  caused  him 
to  resign.  He  gave  a  decided  impetus  to  the  growth 
of  the  town  by  opening  up  a  coal  mine  and  organ- 
izing the  Mt.  Olive  Coal  Company.  He  became 
one  of  the  most  extensive  stockholders,  and  was 
made  Superintendent  and  active  Business  Man- 
ager, continuing  as  such  for  some  years.  A  shaft 
was  sunk  four  hundred  feet  to  a  rich  vein  of  coal, 


266 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


seven  feet  thick  and  of  superior  quality.  The  out- 
put was  about  sixty  carloads  per  day,  and  a  second 
shaft  was  completed  in  1879,  but  after  some  years, 
owing  to  a  delinquency  and  a  lack  of  energy  on  a 
part  of  some  of  the  stockholders,  the  business  was 
transferred  to  the  hands  of  the  Consolidated  Coal 
Company  of  St.  Louis,  which  has  realized  a  hand- 
some profit  therefrom.  However,  the  transfer  was 
made  much  against  the  will  of  Mr.  Keiser. 

Seeing  the  need  of  a  flourmill,  and  anxious  to  aid 
in  the  upbuilding  of  industries,  in  1876,  Mr.  Kei- 
ser and  Henry  Prange  erected  the  large  Anchor 
Mills,  which  have  proved  of  such  value  to  the  city. 
After  some  years  of  successful  operation,  the  firm 
title  was  changed  in  1881  to  Keiser  Bros.,  Andrew 
•I.  Keiser  succeeding  Mr.  Prange.  The  mill  under- 
went a  radical  and  important  change  in  1887,  and 
is  now  supplied  with  all  the  modern  and  best  mill- 
ing machinery.  The  capacity  is  about  two  hun- 
dred barrels  per  day,  and  is  run  to  nearly  its  full 
extent.  The  shipments  are  both  foreign  and  do- 
mestic, and  the  leading  brands  of  flour  which  they 
manufacture  are  the  "Patent  Loaf"  and  -'Triumph.'' 
To  the  mill  is  attached  an  elevator  with  a  capacity 
of  twenty-five  thousand  bushels,  and  the  firm  also 
does  considerable  grain-buying  at  Warden  and  Gib- 
son City,  HI. 

The  increase  of  business  connected  with  the  mer- 
cantile firm  of  Keiser,  Niemeyer  &  Co.,  awoke  the 
owners  to  their  need  of  a  bank,  and  in  1882  C.  J. 
Keiser  established  and  located  the  bank  in  his  large 
brick  building,  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Poplar 
streets.  It  is  a  private  hank  and  is  supplied  with 
all  the  appliances  and  appointments  for  doing  a  gen- 
eral banking  business,  including  a  fine  vault  and 
burglar-proof  lock-safe  for  the  accommodation  and 
safety  of  their  depositors.  Mr.  Keiser  is  President 
and  General  Manager,  with  Theo.  Koch,  Cashier,  a 
model  young  man.  Mr.  Keiser  has  also  been  instru- 
mental in  securing  excellent  railroad  facilities  to 
Mt.  Olive.  He  was  the  prime  mover  in  building 
the  branch  of  the  Peoria  &  St.  Louis  Railroad,  from 
Mt.  Olive  to  Alhambra,  111.,  where  it  connects  with 
the  Clover  Leaf,  running  into  St.  Louis.  In  this 
undertaking  it  was  necessary  to  make  large  expen- 
ditures of  money  and  time,  and  the  successful  com- 
pletion   indicates  the   business  ability  and  energy 


which  has  marked  the  career  of  Mr.  Keiser  through 
life.  Again,  when  the  Jackson  &  Southeastern  Road 
decided  to  run  a  branch  through  Mt.  Olive,  the  com- 
pany found  Mr.  Keiser  at  the  front  with  his  money, 
all  eagerness  to  assist.  He  gave  valuable  lots  for 
depot  purposes,  and  in  other  ways  aided  in  the  es- 
tablisment  of  the  road. 

In  every  good  cause  Mr.  Keiser  is  equally  liberal, 
and  when  the  magnificent  German  Lutheran  Church 
was  built — the  finest  edifice  of  the  kind  in  the  city, 
and  one  of  the  largest  in  the  county — he  gave  the 
beautiful  lots  on  which  it  is  located,  together  with 
#3,000  for  the  building.  He  also  gave  to  the  city 
the  lot  on  which  the  City  Hall  and  Public  Library 
are  located. 

After  having  marked  out  his  business  career, 
Mr.  Keiser,  on  the  9th  of  November,  1866,  led  to 
the  marriage  altar  Miss  Mary  C.  Nieman,  the 
accomplished  daughter  of  John  C.  Nieman,  whose 
sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  She  was 
born  January  21,  184  8,  and  until  her  marriage  lived 
with  her  father  and  stepmother,  for  she  had  lost  her 
own  mother  when  young.  She  has  been  a  true 
helpmate  to  her  husband,  taking  a  deep  interest  in 
all  his  business,  and  aiding  him  by  her  words  of 
encouragement  and  sympathy.  Unto  them  were 
born  several  children,  of  whom  the  following  sur- 
vive: Paulina,  Amanda,  Adolph,  Edward  and 
Bertha.  Mrs.  Keiser  adheres  closely  to  the  Lu- 
theran faith,  and  is  a  true  Christian  woman.  She 
neglects  no  opportunity  for  doing  good,  and  in  so- 
cial circles  is  a  leader.  When  doing  so  much  for 
public  interests,  Mr.  Keiser  did  not  neglect  his  fam- 
ily. He  has  been  ever  watchful  for  thei"  welfare 
and  happiness,  and  provided  for  them  a  palatial 
residence,  which  is  built  of  brick  in  the  latest  style 
of  architecture,  and  is  complete  in  all  its  appoint- 
ments. It  possesses  every  feature  for  comfort  and 
enjoyment,  is  heated  by  furnace  and  supplied  with 
hot  and  cold  water,  is  beautifully  and  tastefully  fur- 
nished and  adorned  with  many  works  of  art,  which 
indicates  a  cultured  and  refined  taste. 

In  local  political  circles,  Mr.  Keiser  is  also  a 
a  leader.  He  was  for  seventeen  years  Postmaster 
of  Mt.  Olive,  has  been  President  of  the  Town 
Board  for  six  years  in  succession,  from  1877  to 
1883,  and  elected  again  in   1891.     When    the  new 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2G7 


township  was  formed  out  of  the  north  half  of 
Staunton  Township,  he  was  elected  its  first  Super- 
visor in  1883,  and  held  that  oltiee  until  1891,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  did  much  toward  reducing  the 
enormous  courthouse  debt  by  securing  a  large  re- 
duction of  interest  that  was  being  paid.  As  before 
intimated,  he  is  a  Lutheran  in  religious  belief,  and 
for  a  long  while  he  has  been  Superintendent  of  the 
Sunday-school.  lie  is  also  an  officer  of  the  church 
and  one  of  its  most  active  workers.  His  frank, 
open  countenance  bespeaks  a  life  above  reproach, 
and  his  friends  are  found  not  only  in  Illinois,  but 
in  adjoining  States  as  well.  Although  his  life  lias 
been  a  busy  one,  his  lime  is  never  so  occupied  that 
he  cannot  greet  his  acquaintances  with  a  gentle- 
manly courtesy,  and  the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich, 
if  their  lives  are  deserving,  receive  his  kindly 
recognition.  His  fortune  has  been  acquired  in  the 
legitimate  channels  of  business,  and  his  posses- 
sions he  has  generously  shared  with  those  in  need  of 
aid. 


«fi  IjfelLLIAM  HALLIDAY.  A  whole-souled 
\/\j/l  °l,en-|ie:U'u'1'  »ative  <Jf  tue  Emerald  Isle, 
VW  our  subject  emigrated  at  an  early  day  to 
this  Mecca  of  Irishmen,  where  can  be  found  the 
liberty  and  freedom  which  they  do  not  enjoy  under 
Uiitish  rule.  Having  no  flag  of  its  own,  the  sub 
jects  of  Ireland  become  the  most  devoted  and  loyal 
adherents  under  our  American  banner.  Mr.  Halli- 
day  who  is  loyalty  itself  to  American  principles  is 
a  resident  on  section  34,  of  Shipman  Township. 

Our  subject's  father  was  William  Halliday,  who 
died  in  Ireland.  His  mother  was  Martha  (Clark) 
Halliday,  who  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  emigrated 
with  her  son  to  this  country,  now  making  her  home 
with  him.  William  Halliday  was  borti  August  28, 
1842.  He  came  to  America  in  185!)  and  soon  after 
proceeded  to  Shipman  Township,  arriving  here  the 
10th  of  June,  1859. 

For  some  time  our  subject  was  engaged  as  a  farm 
laborer  hiring  himself  by  the  month  and  gaining 
but  small  remuneration  for  his  work,  but  thrifty 
and  prudent,  in  1863  he  was  enabled  to  rent  a  tract 
of   land  which    he  farmed   for   himself.     He  then 


purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Brigh- 
ton Township,  which  he  afterward  sold  and  now 
owns  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  this  township. 
Upon  this  tract  he  has  placed  good  improvements 
and  has  a  pleasant  and  comfortable  home. 

Like  most  young  men  Mr.  Halliday  looked  for- 
ward to  having  a  home  of  his  own,  over  which  the 
choice  of  his  heart  should  preside.  His  dream  was 
realized,  his  marriage  taking  place  June  6,  1876  in 
Hilyard  Township  to  Miss  Ida  Moore,  who  was  a 
native  of  the  place  in  which  she  was  married,  be- 
ing there  born,  July  17,  1852.  The  lady's  father 
was  Benjamin  Moore.  Her  mother  was  Harriet 
Scofield  Moore.  The  latter  died  in  Hilyard  Town- 
ship. 

The  original  of  this  sketch  and  his  bright  and 
attractive  wife  are  the  parents  of  seven  children. 
They  are:  Annie,  Dollie,  Fannie,  Alice,  Amanda  V., 
Grover  C.  and  llattie  M.  In  his  political  views 
like  so  many  of  his  countrymen  Mr.  Halliday  is  a 
Democrat,  the  theories  harmonizing  with  his  ideals 
of  personal  freedom  and  the  platform  being  that 
which  in  his  estimation  tends  to  the  advancement 
of  national  aggrandizement.  Since  coming  to  this 
country  he  of  whom  we  write  has  always  been  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-raising.  In  the  latter 
branch  of  industry  he  has  been  very  successful, 
having  bred  some  animals  of  which  he  may  well  be 
proud. 


^ 


EN 


R.  EDWARD  C.  ELLET,  who  for  thirty 
years  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  in 
Bunker  Hill  but  is  now  living  a  retired  life, 
was  born  on  his  father's  farm  near  Bristol,  Bucks 
County,  Pa.,  September  25,  1819,  and  is  one  of 
fourteen  children  who  were  born  unto  Charles  and 
Mary  (Israel)  Ellet.  His  father,  a  native  of  Salem, 
N.  J.,  born  March  4,  1777,  was  descended  from  an 
old  English  Quaker  family,  tracing  his  ancestry  in 
a  direct  line  back  to  Samuel  Carpenter,  who  was 
the  private  secretary  of  William  Penn.  He  was 
reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Society  of  Friends  but 
by  his  mode  of  life  severed  himself  from  that 
imdy.    When  a  young  man  he  went  to  Philadelphia, 


268 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


where  be  established  a  hardware  store  and  married 
Miss  Israel,  who    was  descended   from  Hebrew  an- 
cestry on  the  paternal  side  and  was  of  Irish  lineage 
on  the  maternal  side.     After  several  years  they  left 
Philadelphia  and    removed  to  Bneks  County,  Pa., 
where    Mr.  Ellet    purchased   a  farm   near   the  old 
homestead  of  William  Penn.    However,  lie  did  not 
dispose  of  his  home  in  the  city  of  Brotherly  Love 
and    after   some   years    returned    to  Philadelphia, 
where  he  spent  the   remainder  of  his  life,  dying  in 
1847.     His  wife  long  survived  him.     She  was  born 
June  17,  178(1.  and  died  November  3,  1870.  at  the 
age  of  ninety  years  and   six   months.     Both   were 
members    of  the    Iniversalist    Church    and    were 
highly    respected    citizens.     Of    the    family    only 
three  are  now  living.     Two  brothers   of  our  sub- 
ject served  in  the  late  Rebellion;  Charles  Ellet,  dr. 
was  a  Colonel  of  Engineers  and  had  command  of 
the   ram  fleet  which  collided  with  the  Rebel  boats 
off  Vicksburg.     The  collision  proved  very  destruc- 
tive  and   in  the   melee    which    followed  Col.  Ellet 
received   a   wound    in    his  knee    which  caused  his 
death.     Alfred,  his  brother,  also  became  a  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel   and  was    second   in    command  of  that 
fleet. 

We  now  take  up  the  personal  history  of  the 
Doctor,  who  since  1839  has  resided  in  Illinois.  In 
that  year  he  located  about  ten  miles  north  of  Bun- 
ker Hill,  where  he  and  his  brother  Alfred,  although 
neither  were  then  of  age,  established  the  village 
which  was  called  Piainview.  They  lived  in  true 
pioneer  style  in  that  wild  and  unbroken  region, 
giving  their  time  and  attention  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits but  Edward  followed  this  business  only  as  a 
means  for  preparing  himself  for  the  practice  of 
medicine,  which  he  determined  to  make  his  life- 
work.  As  soon  as  he  had  accumulated  sufficient 
funds  he  entered  the  Jefferson  Medical  College  of 
Philadelphia,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1849.  Immediately  thereafter  he  opened  an  office 
in  Bunker  Hill,  where  he  continued  practice  for 
the  long  period  of  thirty  years.  He  associated 
with  himself  Dr.  E.  Howell  and  their  connection 
continued  for  twenty  years,  proving  mutually 
profitable  and  pleasant  to  them.  Dr.  Howell  is  still 
living  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years,  now  making 
his  home  in  McLean  County.     After  their  partner- 


ship was  dissolved  Dr.  Ellet  continued  business 
alone  until  his  retirement  from  active  life.  His 
skill  and  ability  soon  won  him  a  liberal  patronage 
and  gained  him  a  high  rank  among  his  professional 
brethren  such  as  he  justly  deserves.  His  practice 
extended  over  a  wide  range  of  territory  and  he 
never  refused  to  respond  to  the  call  of  the  sick 
and  suffering,  but  often  at  great  personal  incon- 
venience he  would  drive  for  miles  across  the  coun- 
try to  relieve  some  one  in  need  of  medical  aid. 
The  poor  found  in  him  a  friend  and  his  pleasant 
and  genial  presence  was  very  welcome  by  the  side 
of  the  sick  bed,  where  his  cheery  sympathy  often 
proved  a  yreat  help  to  the  medicines  which  he  had 
ministered. 

In  February,  1850,  in  Bunker  Hill,  Dr.  Ellet 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lydia  Little,  who 
was  born  in  Freehold,  Monmouth  County,  N.  J., 
November  19,  1824.  While  yet  a  young  maiden 
she  came  to  Bunker  Hill,  111.,  on  a  visit  to  friends. 
Her  father,  William  Little,  was  a  native  of  New 
Jersey  and  there  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life 
and  died  at  the  age  of  forty-seven  years.  He 
wedded  Mary  Knott,  who  survived  him  some  time 
but  passed  away  in  1856,  dying  in  the  faith  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  in  which  she  was  a  firm  believer. 
Mrs.  Ellet  by  her  graces  and  many  excellent  char- 
acteristics soon  won  her  way  to  a  proud  position 
in  the  social  world  and  gained  for  herself  many 
valued  friends.  The  marriage  of  the  Doctor  and 
his  wife  was  blessed  with  five  children  but  three 
died  iu  youth — Charles,  Alfred  and  Mary.  Anna 
is  now  the  wife  of  A.  R.  Robinson,  who  is  a  com- 
mercial traveler  for  a  Cincinnati  clothing  housi 
but  resides  in  St.  Louis;  and  Lily  E.  is  the  wife  of 
E.  M.  Dorsey,  who  formerly  traveled  for  life  in- 
surance companies  in  Texas,  but  now  is  engaged  ir 
the  coal  business  in  Alton,  III. 

In  political  sentiment  Dr.  Ellet  is  a  stalwart 
Republican  but  has  never  sought  public  office,  pre- 
ferring to  devote  his  attention  to  his  business  inter- 
ests, which  he  has  done  with  excellent  success 
About  twelve  years  ago  he  retired  from  activt 
practice,  having  by  industry  and  close  attention  t( 
his  business  secured  a  large  and  lucrative  practic< 
which  yielded  him  a  sufficient  income  to  keep  bin 
comfortably    throughout    his  remaining  years;  ii 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


269 


addition  to  that  he  has  fallen  heii'  to  different  lega- 
cies through  his  father,  mother  and  an  aunt  on  his 
mother's  side,  she  being  the  widow  of  Col.  Daven- 
port of  Philadelphia.  His  long  residence  in  the 
community  has  made  him  widely  known  and  no 
one  is  held  in  higher  regard.  Although  now  sev- 
enty-two years  of  age  time  has  left  few  marks 
upon  his  countenance.  His  fine,  yet  prominent 
features  are  not  marred  by  the  ravages  of  age  and 
his  snow-white  hair  seems  to  rest  as  a  halo  upon 
bis  brow. 


•:- 


* 


fflAMKS  L.  FOSTER.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  a  member  of  a  family,  the  heads 
of  which  have  been  successively  pioneers  in 
in  three  States,  and  if  there  is  anything  in 
the  early  discipline  of  pioneer  life  to  develop  the 
the  sturdy  fiber  of  men  that  are  especially  wanted 
in  our  country,  certainly  Mr.  Foster  should  be  so 
qualified,  and  the  nice  attention  paid  to  details  on 
his  farm,  which  is  located  on  section  5,  Nilwood 
Township,  would  seem  to  prove  that  thoroughness 
at  least  has  been  ingrained  in  his  character,  both 
by  inheritance  and  experience. 

The  father  of  him  of  whom  we  write  was  a  native 
of  Nicholas  County,  Ky.,  there  born  in  1794.  The 
paternal  grandfather  was  .lames  Foster,  who  was 
probably  a  native  of  North  Carolina.  He  removed 
to  Kentucky  in  an  early  da}-  with  his  family.  His 
advent  into  the  .State  where  fraternity  and  equality 
are  supposed  to  be  the  password  was  at  the  time 
of  Daniel  Boone's  settlement  in  the  State.  James 
Foster  died  in  Nicholas  County,  Ky.,  where  he  had 
pursued  his  calling  as  farmer  and  blacksmith,  doing 
the  blacksmith  work  for  the  company  with  which 
he  emigrated  to  the  Blue  Crass  State.  David  Fos- 
ter was  his  eldest  son,  and  grew  to  manhood,  among 
the  virgin  forests  and  wild  beautiful  scenery  along 
the  Kentucky  River.  He  selected  his  wife  from 
among  the  women  whose  beauty  is  so  famous 
throughout  the  world  as  being  a  production  of  the 
Blue  Grass  country. 

Soon  after  marriage  the  family  emigrated  to 
Greene  County,  III.  in  the  year  1834,  where  they 
lived  until  the  death  of  the  father,  whose  decease 


was  caused  by  the  falling  of  a  tree  upon  him.  He 
passed  away  from  this  life  in  1835.  Our  subject's 
mother  was  Prised  la  G.  Pipper,  who  was  also  a  na- 
tive of  Nicholas  County,  Ky.  She  also  died  in 
Greene  County  in  1878.  Both  David  Foster  and 
his  wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
and  took  an  active  part  in  the  organization  and 
support  of  religious  work;  he  was  an  Elder  in  the 
church  of  which  he  was  a  member. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  seven  children,  the  family 
numbering  six  sons  and  one  daughter.  James 
Foster  was  the  second  child  and  second  son.  His 
birthplace  was  in  Nicholas  County,  Ky.,  his  advent 
into  the  world  being  made  February  28,  1822.  He 
passed  his  childhood  days  in  his  native  county, 
and  came  to  Greene  County,  this  State,  when  he 
had  reached  years  of  manhood.  He  continued  to 
live  with  his  mother,  adding  to  her  means  of  sup- 
port as  opportunity  afforded  until  he  became  of 
age;  as  his  eldest  brother  died  while  he  was  young, 
our  subject  was  the  main  support  of  the  family  and 
he  in  consequence  remained  at  home. 

Mr.  Foster  on  April  8,  1845  returned  to  Nich- 
olas County,  and  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  A. 
Brown,  who  was  a  native  of  the  county  in  which 
her  marriage  took  place,  her  birth  having  occurred 
July  22,  1827.  The  lady's  parents  were  Milton 
and  Elinor  (Allison)  Brown.  The  former  was  a 
native  of  South  Carolina,  and  the  latter  of  Nicho- 
las County,  Ky.  Mr.  Brown  was  born  July  17,  1797, 
and  died  November  22,  1878.  He  was  an  Elder  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  for  forty  years.  His  wife 
died  September  1,  1881  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty- one  years.  They  were  married  February 
18,  1821.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation 
and  both  parents  died  in  Nicholas  County.  They 
were  both  active  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  were  consistent  and  conscientious 
Christians. 

After  marriage  our  subject  settled  in  Kentucky 
and  lived  there  until  the  year  of  1864,  when  he 
came  to  Macoupin  County  and  settled  in  Nilwood 
Township,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  owns 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  ami  sixty-one  acres  and  has 
erected  thereon  a  comfortable  and  commodious 
dwelling  and  good  outhouses.  His  property  with 
the  improvements  he  has  put  upon  it  and    the  ex- 


270 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


cellent  management  he  has  given  it  made  one  of 
the  most  desirable  places  in  the  county.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Foster  are  the  parents  of  ten  children.  They 
are:  David  M.,  Tabitha  A.,  James  W.,  Mary  N., 
Charles  A.,  Elizabeth  J.,  Luther  J.,  and  three  other 
children  who  died  in  infancy.  The  eldest  son  is  a 
farmer  in  Nilwood  Township.  Tabitha  is  the  wife 
of  John  P.  Robb.  James  W.  assists  his  father  on 
the  home  farm;  Mary  N.  is  the  wife  of  R.  McGhce; 
Charles  A.  is  a  resident  of  Missouri;  Luther  J. 
devotes  himself  to  agricultural  pursuits. 

The  original  of  this  sketch  was  nominated  on  the 
Prohibition  ticket  in  the  Seventeenth  Congressional 
District  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Equalization. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Foster  have  both  been  members  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  for  many  years 
and  Mr.  Foster  has  held  the  office  of  Elder  in  the 
church  for  a  long  time.  The  children  are  also  all 
connected  with  the  church.  The  beautiful  arrange- 
ments of  the  farm  with  its  fine  buildings,  all  be- 
speak a  care  for  home  comforts  that  is  a  guarantee 
for  the  character  of  any  man,  and  although  Mr. 
Foster  is  so  devoted  to  domestic  comfort  he  is  a 
public-spirited  man,  ready  to  give  a  helping  hand 
to  any  enterprise  that  seems  for  the  advantage  of 
the  locality  in  which  he   resides. 


/fps&  IDNEY  T.  HARRIS,  whose  pleasant  resi- 
^^^Z  dence  and  beautiful  farm  constitute  one  of 
lu/_jj)  the  landmarks  of  section  11,  North  Pal- 
myra  Township,  is  a  son  of  Thomas  R. 
Harris,  who  was  born  in  Virginia  May  8,  1804. 
His  mother,  Eliza  Fry, was  a  native  of  Fayette  Coun- 
ty of  the  Blue  Grass  State  and  was  born  there  in 
March,  1801.  This  couple  went  to  Missouri  at  a 
very  early  day  and  were  there  married  and  after- 
ward removed  from  that  State  to  Morgan  County, 
111.,  making  their  home  there  in  1835,  and  living 
there  until  about  the  year  1851,  when  they  came 
to  Macoupin  County  and  settled  in  North  Palmyra 
Township.  The  mother  of  our  subject  died  while 
on  a  visit  to  a  brother  near  Jacksonville,  passing 
away  in  October,    1866.     Her    bereaved    husband 


who  is  still  living,  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years, 
makes  his  home  with  his  children.  They  had  six 
children  of  whom  our  subject  was  the  second. 

.Sidney  T.  Harris  was  born  near  Palmyra  and  in 
Marion  County,  Mo.,  February  19,  1833  and  was  a 
little  fellow  of  only  about  two  years  when  his  par- 
ents removed  from  that  State  and  made  their  home 
in  Morgan  County.  There  he  passed  his  early 
years  and  took  his  education  in  the  district  schools 
which  he  supplemented  by  attendance  in  Mc  Kend- 
ree  College  one  year  and  when  about  eighteen  j'ears 
old,  came  with  his  parents  to  Macoupin  County, 
where  he  has  since  been  a  resident  of  North  Pal- 
myra Township.  Farming  and  stock-raising  have 
fully  occupied  his  energies  with  the  exception  of 
the  time  which  he  has  spent  in  the  school  room,  as 
he  laughl  seven  winters  after  coining  to  North  Pal- 
myra Township. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  occurred  in  the 
township  we  have  just  named,  August  2,  1865. 
His  bride  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth  S. 
McPherson  and  she  was  a  daughter  of  the  late 
Alexander  and  Tryphena  (Shelton)  McPherson. 
Mr.  Mc  Pherson  was  born  in  Muhlenberg  County, 
Ivy.,  in  September,  1804  and  his  wife  was  born  near 
Knoxville,  Teiin.  February  4,  1808.  They  made 
their  earl}'  married  home  in  Muhlenberg  County, 
Kv.,  and  remained  there  through  all  their  wedded 
life.  He  died  August  29,  1858  and  his  bereaved 
widow  survived  him  for  ten  years  and  then  passed 
away  September  11,1868.  They  had  five  sons  and 
three  daughters,  of  whom  Mis.  Harris  was  the  sixth 
in  order  of  age,  being  born  in  Muhlenberg  County, 
Kv.,  November  20,  1841. 

Eight  children  bless  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Harris,  namely:  Emma,  Anna,  Eunice,  William  S.i 
Lucy,  Thomas  L.,  Thaddeus  S.  and  Estella.  Anna 
died  when  about  eighteen  months  old, and  William 
died  by  drowning  at  the  age  of  eleven  years.  Mr. 
Harris  has  always  been  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising  and  owns  two  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  of  fine  land  upon  which  he  has  erected  an  A 
No.  1  set  of  farm  buildings.  For  a  long  term  of 
j'ears  he  has  satisfactorily  filled  the  office  of  School 
Director.  His  political  views  ally  him  with  the 
Republican  party,  and  he  pays  an  intelligent  atten- 
tion to  political  movements  and  public  affairs.   His 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


271 


wife  who  with  him  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  is  possessed  of  unusual  abilities 
and  her  management  of  domestic  affairs  has  aided 
greatly  in  his  success.  She  is  highly  esteemed  by 
her  neighbors  and  is  one  of  those  women  who  help 
to  make  a  country  neighborhood  what  it  ever 
should  be,  the  scene  of  truly  friendly  intercourse 
and  neighborly  enjoyment. 


eYRlS  W.  GRAY.  It  affords  us  pleasure  to 
present  in  this  volume  a  sketch  of  this  gen- 
tleman, who  is  well  known  and  respected 
and  is  at  present  serving  his  third  term  as  a  member 
of  the  Count}-  Board  of  Supervisors,  representing 
Carlinville  Township.  Mr.  Gray  was  born  October 
29,  1827,  in  Berlin,  Rensselaer  County,  N.  Y.,  a  son 
of  Stephen  R.  Gray,  a  native  of  the  same  town. 
The  grandfather  of  our  subject,  the  Hon.  Daniel 
Gray,  was.  it  is  thought,  born  in  New  York.  He 
was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence  and 
ability,  and  was  prominent  in  public  affairs.  He 
served  as  a  member  of  the  State  Assembly  and  also 
in  the  Senate.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and 
his  last  years  were  passed  on  his  farm  in  Berlin 
Township. 

Stephen  R.  Gray  was  reared  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits, and  made  his  home  in  his  native  county  until 
1836,  when  he  came  to  Illinois  to  seek  a  location 
and  purchased  a  farm  in  Pike  County,  a  part  of 
which  is  now  included  in  the  village  of  Barry. 
In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  returned  to  Rensselaer 
County,  and  the  following  fall  (1837)  removed  his 
family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and  four  children,  to 
their  new  home.  They  traveled  with  teams  and 
were  about  six  weeks  onthe  journey.  At  that  time 
Barry  was  a  hamlet  of  three  or  four  log  houses, 
and  he  was  among  its  early  settlers  and  was  po- 
tent in  promoting  its  growth.  He  and  his  family 
remced  into  the  log  cabin  that  stood  on  his  place, 
and  he  actively  entered  upon  the  development  of 
his  farm.  He  also  soon  gave  liis  attention  to  the 
manufacture  of   lumber,    and  the   sawmill  that  he 


built  was  one  of  the  first  erected  in  that  section  of 
the  country. 

Mr.  Gray  was  influential  in  the  public  life  of  his 
community,  and  was  the  first  Postmaster  of  Harry. 
The  place  was  originally  called  Worcester,  but 
when  the  postoflice  was  established  the  name  had 
to  be  changed  and  Mr.  Gray,  at  the  suggestion  of 
others,  proposed  the  name  of  Barry.  He  resided 
there  until  about  1851  and  then,  removing  to  Pitts- 
field,  bought  property  in  that  city,  and  made  his 
home  there  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  oc- 
curring in  1879.  He  was  a  man  of  firm  character 
and  well-balanced  mind,  and  was  endowed  with 
good  executive  and  business  qualities.  In  his  pol- 
itics he  wis  a  strong  supporter  of  the  Demociatic 
party.  In  1859  he  was  elected  to  the  important 
office  of  Sheriff  of  Pike  County,  and  discharged 
the  duties  of  that  position  very  satisfactorily.  The 
maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject  was  Sa- 
brina  Bently,  a  native  of  Rensselaer  County,  N.  H. 
Her  death  took  place  in  1884  at  Pittsfield,  at  a  ripe 
old  age. 

The  subject  of  this  biographical  review  was  one 
of  a  family  of  nine  children.  He  was  in  his  tenth 
year  when  his  parents  came  to  Illinois  and  has 
quite  a  distinct  recollection  of  his  early  home  in 
his  native  State.  During  his  early  boyhood  in 
Berlin  Township.  Troy  was  the  nearest  market,  and 
it  was  twenty  miles  distant.  He  attended  the  first 
school  ever  taught  in  Barry.  When  quite  young 
he  commenced  to  assist  in  the  duties  of  the  farm, 
thus  quite  early  gaining  an  excellent  knowledge  of 
agriculture.  He  made  his  home  with  his  parents 
until  his  twenty-first  3'ear  and  then  went  to  St. 
Louis,  where  he  was  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  com- 
mission house  between  four  and  five  years.  After 
that  he  went  into  business  for  himself,  doing  a 
general  commission  business  and  dealing  principally 
in  grain  and  country  produce.  He  continued  in 
that  until  1877,  when  lie  came  to  Carlinville  and 
for  a  time  engaged  in  milling.  He  subsequently 
began  again  to  deal  in  grain  and  also  in  live  stock, 
which  business  he  is  still  carrying  on  with  good 
financial  success. 

In  1851  Mr.  Gray  married  Miss  Sarah  E.  Long, 
who  died  in  1862,  leaving  one  child — Mary  L.,  now 
the  wife  of  W.  C.  Bush.     Our  subject  was  married 


272 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


to  bis  present  wife,  formerly  Miss  Catherine  Whit- 
taker,  in  1867.  Mrs.  Cray  is  a  native  of  Pike 
County  and  a  daughter  of  A  brain  S.  Whittaker,  a 
pioneer  of  that  section  of  the  State.  Of  this  union 
there  are  four  children — Paul  W.,  Daisy,  Helen 
and  Frank  M. 

Our  subject  is  a  thoroughly  upright,  honest  man, 
always  dealing  fairly  and  squarely  by  all,  and  his 
estimable  character,  as  well  as  his  capability,  have 
given  him  an  important  place  among  the  civic 
officials  of  his  township  which,  as  before  mentioned, 
he  is  well  representing  as  one  of  the  Macoupin 
County  Board  of  Supervisors.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Democrat  and  his  party  finds  in  him  a  faithful  sup- 
porter. Religiously,  both  he  and  his  estimable 
wife  are  devoted  and  consistent  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


THOMAS  J.  JONES,  a  self-made  and  enter- 
prising farmer  whose  home  is  situated  on 
section  16,  Brighton  Township,  is  a  native 
of  Wales.  He  was  born  in  Radnorshire,  September 
11,  1840,  and  is  a  son  of  James  Jones,  who  was 
also  born  in  that  county  and  there  grew  to  mar- 
hood,  becoming  a  first-class  farmer.  He  wedded 
Mary  Jones,  who,  though  of  the  same  name,  was  no 
relation.  However,  she  was  born  and  reared  in 
the  same  parish  as  her  husband.  Unto  them  were 
born  eight  children,  three  sons  and  five  daughters, 
all  of  whom  are  yet  living  and  are  married.  The 
three  sons  only  came  to  this  country  and  all  are 
successful  farmers  of  Brighton  Township.  The 
mother  died  at  the  age  of  fifty  years  in  her  native 
land,  after  which  with  his  two  sons,  Thomas  and 
John,  the  father  emigrated  to  America  in  1861, 
taking  passage  on  a  steamer  "City  of  Washington,'' 
which  dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  New  York 
on  the  1st  of  August.  They  came  direct  to 
Brighton,  III.,  where  the  sons  have  since  lived  and 
made  good  properties.  The  father  afterward  re- 
turned for  a  few  years  to  England  but  once  more 
came  to  this  country  and  died  at  the  home  of  our 
subject  on  the  7th  of  June,  1874,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-seven  years.     In  the  county  of  his  na- 


tivity he  was  widely  and  favorably  known  as  one 
of  the  best  and  most  successful  farmers.  In  relig- 
ious belief,  both  he  and  his  wife  were  Baptists. 

Thomas  J.  Jones,  whose  name  heads  this  notice, 
was  reared  to  habits  of  thrift  and  industry  such  as 
would  prepare  him  for  a  successful  business  career. 
He  was  yet  a  single  man  man  when  he  crossed  the 
Atlantic  to  America  and  some  six  years  later  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Margaret  Green, 
a  native  of  the  province  of  Nassau,  Germany, born 
December  28,  1842.  Her  parents,  John  W.  and 
Maria  (Kretzer)  Green,  were  also  born  and  reared 
in  that  locality  and  when  they  had  attained  to 
mature  years  were  married.  One  child  was  born 
unto  them  in  the  fatherland — -Mrs.  Jones,  wife  of 
our  subject,  and  they  then  came  to  America,  cross- 
ing the  Atlantic  in  the  sailing  vessel  "Festaw," 
which  sailed  from  Antwerp  and  after  twenty-eight 
days  reached  New  York  City.  Their  first  location 
was  made  in  Ohio,  but  after  two  years  they  came 
to  Illinois,  settling  in  Hardin  County.  Another 
two  years  passed  by  and  they  then  removed  to 
Madison  County,  where  the  succeeding  twelve 
years  of  their  lives  were  passed.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  that  time  they  took  up  their  residence  in 
Bunker  Hill  Township,  this  county,  where  Mrs. 
Green  died  on  the  1st  of  January,  1888,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-seven  years.  Mr.  Green  is  yet  living  on 
his  old  farm  in  Bunker  Hill  Township  and  for  a 
man  of  his  advanced  age  is  wonderfully  preserved. 
In  religious  belief  he  is  a  Presbyterian,  his  wife 
having  also  adhered  to  that  faith.  In  their  family 
were  three  children  of  whom  Mrs.  Jones  is  the  eld- 
est; Lewis,  the  son,  is  married  and  follows  farming 
in  Brighton  Township;  and  Christina  is  keeping 
house  for  her  father. 

For  some  time  before  her  marriage,  Mrs.  Jones 
earned  her  own  living  as  a  domestic.  By  their 
union  have  been  born  eight  children,  six  of  whom 
are  yet  living — William  T.,  Anna  M.,  Emma  F., 
James  A.,  Louis  H.  and  Frank  E.  John  and  Ed- 
ward are  now  deceased.  In  politics,  Mr.  Jones  is 
a  stalwart  supporter  of  the  Democracy.  He  and 
his  estimable  wife,  by  their  unassuming,  yet  up- 
right lives  have  won  the  confidence  and  regard  of 
all  with  whom  they  have  come  in  contact.  The 
i   farm  upon  which  they  reside  and  where  they  have 


L1BRAKV 


&.  O,  ^asf-uuyfc 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


275 


a  pleasant  home  consists  of  twohundred  and  thirty- 
five  acres  of  highly  improved  land  on  sections  9, 
10,  14  and  16,  Brighton  Township.  We  have  be- 
fore spoken  of  Mr.  .Junes  as  a  self-made  man,  a 
title  which  he  well  deserves  for  his  possessions  have 
all  been  acquired  through  his  own  efforts,  being 
the  result  of  his  industry,  enterprise,  perseverance 
and  good  management. 


eHARLES  O.  MATLACK,  who  resides  in 
Shipman,  was  born  near  Iladdontield,  Cam- 
den County,  N.  J.,  December  4,  1828.  His 
father,  William  E.  Matlack,  had  his  nativity  in 
the  same  place  March  14,  1802,  and  was  the  sou  of 
Josiah  Matlack  of  Welsh  ancestry.  This  grand- 
father was  a  millwright  by  trade,  and  spent  his  en- 
tire life  in  New  Jersey.  He  served  as  an  officer  in 
the  War  of  1812.  The  father  of  our  subject  was 
reared  to  agricultural  pursuits  and  resided  in  his 
native  State  until  1857,  when  he  came  to  the 
Prairie  State  in  time  to  spend  one  week  in  the  home 
of  his  affectionate  son,  our  subject,  before  his  de- 
parture to  the  spirit  land. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Hope  Osier.  She  also  was  born  near  Haddon- 
field,  N.  J.,  and  died  in  her  native  State  in  1839, 
when  Charles  was  a  lad  of  eleven  years.  The  fa- 
ther married  a  second  time,  being  then  united  with 
Frances  Ferry,  who  died  in  Martinsburg,  Mo., 
while  on  a  visit  there  about  the  year  1881.  Our 
subject  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native 
county,  and  assisted  his  father  in  carrying  on  a 
farm,  taking  hold  of  agricultural  pursuits  as  soon 
as  he  was  large  enough  to  be  of  help.  He  resided 
on  the  old  homestead  until  1855. 

In  the  fall  of  that  year  Charles  Matlack  came  to 
Illinois  and  spent  the  first  winter  near  Brighton. 
The  following  spring  he  bought  a  tract  of  land  in 
Shipman  Township.  There  was  a  frame  house  then 
in  process  of  construction  and  about  eighty  acres 
of  the  land  was  improved  when  he  took  it.  He  re- 
sided there  until  187:3  and  during  that  time  placed 
the  land    under  cultivation,  erected    a    barn    and 


completed    the    house,  besides    planting    orchards 
which  are  now  in  full  bearing  condition. 

In  1873  Mr.  Matlack  placed  his  farm  in  the 
hands  of  a  tenant  and  removed  to  Shipman  where 
be  has  since  that  time  lived  a  retired  lite.  His 
marriage  which  took  place  in  1855  united  him 
with  R.  A.  Abbott,  who  was  born  in  Salem  County, 
N.  J.  Her  father  William  and  his  father  Joel,  were 
natives  of  the  same  county  and  of  English  an- 
cestry. The  American  progenitor  of  this  family 
is  said  to  have  come  to  this  country  at  a  very  early 
date.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Matlack  was  finely  edu- 
cated and  a  teacher  by  profession,  but  in  his  more 
advanced  years  devoted  himself  to  agriculture.  He 
came  to  Illinois  in  1855  and  settling  near  Brighton 
spent  bis  last  years  there.  He  died  April  21,  1884, 
at  the  home  of  a  daughter  at  Springfield,  Mo., 
where  he  was  visiting. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Mat- 
lack  was  Abigail  Steward.  She  was  born  in  Salem 
County,  N.  J.,  of  which  her  father,  Nathan 
Steward,  was  also  a  native.  He  was  the  son  of 
Joseph  Steward,  who  was  born  in  that  State  March 
lit.  1708.  From  him  the  family  genealogy  is  traced 
back  through  Joseph  Steward,  the  third,  who  was 
born  May  13,  1740,  and  bis  father,  Joseph  Steward, 
the  second,  who  was  born  September  12,  1702,  to 
the  original  Joseph  Steward,  who  with  Alice 
Wright,  his  wife,  came  from  Scotland  to  America 
in  the  Colonial  days  and  settled  in  New  Jersey. 
Joseph  the  second  married  Bridget  Middlcton  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Esther  Middlcton,  and  died 
March  12,  1780.  Joseph  the  third  married  Ann 
Bobbins,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Ruth  Bobbins, 
and  died  in  1813. 

Nathan  Steward,  the  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Mat- 
lack,  married  Rachel  Morgan,  the  daughter  of  Jon- 
athan and  Bathsheba  Morgan.  He  was  a  farmer 
and  spent  his  entire  life  in  New  Jersey,  dying 
April  it,  1811.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Matlack  died 
in  Salem  County,  N.  J.,  July  16,  1847.  The  fa- 
ther married  8  second  time,  his  wife  being  Sarah 
Hutchinson  who  passed  away  March  27,  1884.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Matlack  are  earnest  and  conscientious 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
they  have  laborers  in  the  Sunday-school  for  many 
years.     He  has  also  been  Steward  of  the  church  for 


276 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


a  long  time.  The  Republican  party  embodies  in  its 
platform  the  political  views  to  which  he  gives  as- 
sent. He  takes  an  interest  in  educational  matters 
and  was  a  member  of  the  School  Hoard,  serving  in 
that  capacity  with  credit  to  himself  and  advantage 
to  the  district. 

A  lithographic  portrait  of  Mr.  Matlack   appears 
in  connection  with  this  biographical  sketch. 


|^s  RED  DUGGER, 
j!  not  only  one  of  1 
,fcs*^    ened   and    progr 


of  Scottsville  Township,  is 
the  foremost  of  the  enlight- 
progressive  farmers  and  stock- 
raisers  of  this  county  who  have  contributed  so 
largely  to  its  present  important  position  as  a  highly 
developed,  wealthy  agricultural  centre,  but  he  is 
likewise  a  leader  in  its  public  life,  having  held 
various  responsible  civic  offices  from  time  to  time 
for  several  years  past,  and  is  at  present  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors. 

Mr.  Dugger  is  a  native  of  this  State,  born  in 
Gallatin  County,  June  13,  1838.  His  father,  John 
Harrison  Dugger,  was  born  in  Summer  County, 
Tenn..  March  14,  1811.  His  father,  who  bore  the 
same  name  as  our  subject,  was  a  pioneer  of  that 
State,  and  he  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812, 
serving  under  Gen.  Jackson  at  the  battle  of  New 
Orleans.  In  1829  he  emigrated  to  Illinois,  and 
was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Gallatin  County, 
where  he  entered  land  from  the  Government,  which 
he  developed  into  a  farm,  whereon  he  spent  his  re- 
maining days,  which  were  long  ip  the  land. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  lad  of  fifteen  years 
when  he  came  to  this  State  with  his  parents.  The 
remainder  of  his  youth  was  passed  in  Gallatin 
County,  where  in  due  time  he  married  and  establish- 
ed a  home.  He  made  a  claim  to  a  tract  of  Govern- 
ment land,  and  in  the  log-house  that  he  built  upon 
it  his  son  of  whom  we  write  was  born.  It  was  a 
primitive  structure,  the  roof  covered  with  boards 
rived  by  hand  and  held  in  place  by  poles,  no  nails 
entering  into  the  construction  of  the  house,  and  the 
floor  was  made  of  split  puncheon.  In  1845  the  father 
sold  that  place,  and  on  Christmas  Day  started  for 
Macoupin  County  with  his  wife  and  four  children, 


traveling  with  ox-teams,  and  bringing  all  his  earth- 
ly possessions  with  him,  driving  his  slock  before 
him,  and  camping  by  the  wayside  at  night.  Two 
weeks  were  consumed  by  this  slow  mode  of  journey- 
ing, and  after  his  arrival  at  his  destination  Mr. 
Dugger  rented  land  in  Scottsville  Township,  which 
he  farmed  two  years  prior  to  buying  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  on  Apple  Creek,  to  which 
he  later  added  forty  acres  entered  from  the  Gov- 
ernment adjoining  his  original  purchase.  He  lived 
there  until  1856,  and  then  sold  that  property  and 
made  another  move,  going  to  Missouri  and  taking 
up  his  residence  in  Adair  Count}-.  In  1860  he  re- 
turned to  this  county,  and  bought  a  part  of  some 
land  that  he  had  formerly  owned.  He  has  since 
sold  that  and  now  resides  on  section  6,  of  the  same 
township  (Scottsville),  where  he  is  very  pleasantly 
situated.  He  has  been  twice  married.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  first  wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  was 
Minerva  Pritehett.  She  was  a  native  of  William- 
son County,  Tenn.,  and  a  daughter  of  William  T. 
and  Peggy  Pritehett.  She  died  in  1854.  She  nas 
the  mother  of  ten  children.  Mr.  Dugger's  second 
wife  was  Lucinda  Sharp,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  a 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Jane  Sharp.  Eleven  chil- 
dren have  been  born  of  this  marriage. 

Died  Dugger  was  in  his  eighth  year  when  the 
family  came  to  this  county.  His  education  was 
obtained  in  the  pioneer  schools  of  the  early  years 
of  the  settlement  of  this  region,  that  were  taught 
in  log-houses,  which  were  heated  by  fires  in  rude 
open  fire  places,  and  furnished  with  scats  made  by 
splitting  logs  that  were  hewn  smooth  on  one  side. 
Each  building  was  lighted  by  the  primitive  method 
of  removing  a  log  the  entire  length  of  the  room, 
and  a  row  of  glass  being  inserted  in  the  aperture 
thus  made. 

As  soon  as  be  was  large  enough  our  subject  com 
menced  to  assist  in  the  labors  of  the  farm,  and  thus 
early  became  thoroughly  drilled  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits. He  resided  with  his  parents  until  he  com- 
menced life  for  himself  on  rented  land  in  Morgan 
County.  He  lived  there  from  1856  to  1862,  and 
then  invested  in  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Scottsville 
Township,  at  $i  an  acre,  to  be  paid  on  time.  He 
built  a  hewn  log- house,  with  an  earth  and  stick 
chimney,  and     for    a  time    a    blanket  served    for 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


277 


a  door.  Later  lie  made  a  door  with  wooden 
hinges  and  a  wooden  latch.  Four  years  after  he 
purchased  that  place  he  exchanged  it,  for  the  farm 
that  he  now  owns  and  occupies.  lie  has  four  hun- 
dred and  seventy-live  acres  of  choice  land,  the 
greater  part  of  which  is  tillage  and  pasture,  and  it 
ranks  as  one  of  the  best  farms  in  this  part  of  the 
count}-,  its  harvest  fields  being  under  fine  cultiva- 
tion, and  its  improvements  of  a  high  order,  includ- 
ing a  commodious  and  well-arranged  set  of  frame 
buildings. 

Mr.  Dugger  has  been  very  happy  in  his  domestic 
relations,  as  by  his  marriage  December  3,  1857 
with  Miss  Sirnea  J.  Hart,  he  secured  a  helpmate 
that  has  been  all  to  him  that  a  true  wife  can  be  to 
her  husband.  She  was  born  at  Hartland,  in  the 
southern  part  of  Morgan  County,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  David  and  Elizabeth  (Rhodes)  Hart,  pioneers 
of  that  part  of  Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dugger  have 
eleven  children,  named  as  follows,  Elizabeth,  Edgar 
A.,  Lillie  M.,  Alice  L.,  Clara  L.,  Hattie  P>.,  Ro- 
zella,  James  E.,  Magnolia,  Luru  E.  and  Ralph 
Emerson. 

The  life  of  our  subject  has  always  been  guided 
by  the  highest  principles  of  right  and  honor,  and 
the  power  of  honesty  and  unswerving  integrity  is 
shown  by  the  implicit  confidence  in  which  he  is 
held  by  all,  and  by  the  various  positions  of  trust 
that  his  fellow-citizens,  in  just  recognition  of  his 
great  worth  and  his  capacity  for  affairs,  have  often 
called  upon  him  to  hold,  lie  has  a  strong,  well- 
balanced  mind,  is  a  wise  and  safe  counselor,  and 
has  a  just  appreciation  of  the  best  business  methods, 
all  of  which  make  him  a  man  of  weight  in  the 
public  life  of  township  and  county,  and  he  is  one 
of  our  best-known  civic  officers.  He  keeps  well 
informed  on  all  topics  of  general  interest,  and  es- 
pecially in  regard  to  politics,  using  his  influence 
in  favor  of  the  Democratic  party.  He  has  served 
three  years  as  Assessor,  three  years  as  Highway 
Commissioner,  a  like  number  of  years  as  Collector, 
and  several  years  as  a  member  of  the  District 
School  Board. 

Mr.  Dugger  was  elected  Supervisor  from  Scotts- 
ville  Township  in  1885,  and  has  been  re-elected 
each  year  since  without  opposition.  As  a  member 
of  that  Board  he  has  been  on  various  committees, 


was  at  one  time  Chairman  of  the  Board  and  of  the 
Judiciary  Committee,  and  is  now  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Abatement  and  Assessment.  He  is 
identified  with  the  Union  Alliance,  No.  74,  is  Presi- 
dent of  the  County  Alliance,  and  was  delegate  from 
Macoupin  County  to  the  State  Alliance  at  Spring- 
field and  is  now  elected  a  Delegate  to  the  State 
convention  at  Springfield.  Both  our  subject  and 
his  wife  are  people  of  true  religious  convictions, 
and  are  members  in  high  standing  of  the  Baptist 
Church. 

— *&&%• — - 


ffiOHN  WESLEY  DUNCAN.  This  gentle- 
man is  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in 
Palmyra  and  also  handles  lime,  coal,  hair, 
cement  and  grain.  He  devotes  himself 
closely  to  his  business  and  is  doing  well  in  that 
line  in  which  he  decided  to  embark  a  few  years 
since.  He  is  associated  in  business  with  his  brother, 
Joseph  B.,  and  the  lumber  yard  they  now  own 
was  purchased  by  them  in  the  fall  of  1888.  Mr. 
Duncan  is  quite  a  young  man,  having  been  born 
October  26,  1865,  but  he  is  showing  the  qualities  of 
which  the  good  business  man  is  made,  and  carry- 
ing on  his  work  according  to  the  truest  principles, 
remembering  that  even  in  matters  of  trade,  honesty 
is  a  duty  as  well  as  good  policy. 

James  Duncan,  paternal  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, is  thought  to  have  been  born  in  Virginia. 
For  many  years  his  home  was  in  Washington  Coun- 
ty, Tenn.,  and  there  his  son  James  was  born  and 
reared.  The  latter  began  his  lifework  as  a  school- 
teacher, but  having  been  reared  to  agricultural 
pursuits  he  abandoned  the  profession  after  he  had 
taught  several  terms  and  took  up  farming.  He 
had  come  to  this  county  and  his  first  term  of 
school  was  at  Simpson  Hill  in  South  Palmyra 
Township.  He  began  his  farm  work  near  Girard, 
but  after  a  time  removed  to  the  village  and  for 
two  years  was  occupied  in  the  grain  trade.  He 
then  bought  land  in  South  Palmyra  Township  and 
resumed  farming,  giving  it  his  entire  attention  un- 
til 1881,  when  he  took  up  the  lumber  business,  al- 
though ho  still  occupied  his  farm.  He  died  there 
in  1888.     He  left  a  widow  and  three  children,  John 


278 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Wesley,  Joseph  B.  and  James  T.  The  widow  still 
occupies  the  homestead.  She  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Abigail  Proftitt.  She  was  born  in  Wash- 
ington County,  Tenn.,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Sarah  Prottitt,  pioneers  of  this  county.  Grand- 
father Duncan  came  hither  after  the  death  of  his 
wife  and  spent  his  last  days  with  his  son  James, 
dying  about  1863. 

The  birthplace  of  our  subject  was  the  village  of 
Girard,  but  he  was  reared  on  the  farm.  After  tak- 
ing the  course  of  study  in  the  public  school  he 
spent  a  year  in  Shurtleff  College  in  Upper  Alton. 
He  made  his  home  with  his  parents  until  his  mar- 
riage, then  located  in  the  village  of  Nilwood,  but 
still  gave  his  attention  to  farming.  He  lived  there 
two  years,  then  moved  to  Palmyra  and  entered 
upon  the  work  he  is  now  pursuing.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1888  to  Miss  Fannie  B.  Thacker,  who  was 
born  in  Nilwood  Township  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Zachary  and  Nancy  Thacker,  a  biographical  sketch 
of  whom  appears  on  another  page  of  this  Record. 
Husband  and  wife  belong  to  the  Baptist  Church, 
of  which  Mr.  Duncan's  mother  is  also  a  member 
and  his  father  for  many  years  was  a  Deacon.  Our 
subject  and  wife  have  one  daughter  living,  Bertit  F. 
Mr.  Duncan  votes  the  Republican  ticket.  He  is 
connected  with  the  Palmyra  Building  <fe  Loan  As- 
sociation and  socially  belongs  to  Palmyra  Camp, 
No.  149.  M.  W.  A. 


(fp^  AMUEL  TRIBLE,  M.   D.,  became  a  resi- 
^5     dent  of  this  county  in  1836,  and  from  that 

\V£3/  time  to  lhe  Present'  w'1'1  tlle  exception  of 
a  few  earlier  years,  has  been  a  potent  fac- 
tor in  its  prosperity,  particularly  in  agricultural 
affairs.  He  is  now  living  at  Piasa,  to  which  place 
he  removed  from  the  homestead  in  1885.  He  is 
the  owner  of  the  celebrated  Mad  Stone,  which  was 
exhibited  at  the  Centennial  Exposition  in  Philadel- 
phia and  which  has  been  tested  many  times  and  suc- 
cessfully demonstrated  its  curative  properties.  Dr. 
Trible  guarantees  to  cure  bites  and  wounds  caused 
by  mad  dogs,  and  hydrophobia,  and  makes  no 
charge  if  he  does  not  succeed.     He  frequently  goes 


with  the  best  physicians  in  the  county  to  points 
where  rabid  animals  have  bitten  people,  and  he  is 
looked  upon  quite  in  the  light  of  a  public  bene- 
factor. Although  he  does  not  practice  medicine  he 
holds  a  diploma  from  the  College  of  Philadelphia. 

Dr.  Trible  was  born  in  Devonshire,  England, 
November,  1821,  and  is  the  elder  son  of  Samuel 
and  Susan  (Trible)  Trible.  The  family  came  to 
America  in  1836,  and  set  up  their  home  on  a  tract 
of  raw  prairie  in  this  county.  The  mother  died  in 
September  after  their  arrival,  and  the  father  lived 
only  until  August  of  the  ensuing  year,  when  he 
joined  his  companion  on  the  other  shore.  In  ac- 
cordance with  his  father's  wish  Samuel  Trible  re- 
mained on  the  farm  and  looked  to  the  interests  of 
his  brother  John,  who  was  four  years  younger  than 
himself.  The  younger  son  was  aided  to  a  thorough 
education  and  became  a  graduate  from  Shurtleff 
College  in  Alton.  He  studied  law  and  piacticed 
in  Alton,  of  which  city  he  became  attorney.  He 
resigned  the  position  when  the  Civil  War  broke 
out  and  entered  the  service  as  Captain.  He  was 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Arkansas  Post  and  died  a 
few  days  later.  He  left  one  son,  now  Dr.  John 
Trible,  of  Waverly,  this  State. 

Our  subject  improved  the  farm,  replacing  the 
cabin  that  was  first  built  thereon  for  a  better  dwell- 
ing, and  gradually  adding  other  structures,  as  the 
work  carried  on  made  necessary  or  convenient. 
He  now  owns  four  hundred  acres  of  land  all  well 
improved  and  when,  in  1885,  he  decided  to  take 
up  his  residence  elsewhere,  he  bought  good  prop- 
erty across  the  road  within  the  limits  of  Piasa. 
His  home  is  not  only  supplied  with  every  comfort, 
but  has  some  features  very  unusual.  Perhaps  the 
most  conspicuous  is  a  pipe  organ  which  he  bought 
while  in  England  on  a  visit  to  his  uncle.  Mr  Tri- 
ble sojourned  in  Europe  eighteen  months  and 
greatly  enjoyed  the  sights  of  the  Old  World,  al- 
though he  was  quite  willing  to  return  to  America 
to  live. 

The  lady  who  presides  over  Dr.  Trible's  hom6 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mattie  Reynolds,  and  to 
them  there  have  been  born  five  children.  But  one 
of  these  survives,  a  son,  George.  Dr.  Trible  has 
never  desired  public  office,  but  is  public  spirited 
and  liberal  handed.    He  gave  the  ground  on  which 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


279 


the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  stands  and  that 
which  is  used  for  the  cemetery,  donated  a  mile  of 
light  of  way  to  the  railroad  and  grounds  for  the 
depot.  He  votes  the  Republican  ticket  and  can 
give  a  good  reason  for  so  doing.  His  religious 
home  is  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  lie 
was  a  hard  worker  in  his  early  life,  even  keeping 
house  for  himself  while  he  was  improving  the 
homestead,  and  he  knows  what  it  is  to  struggle  and 
toil.  He  is  able,  therefore,  to  sympathize  with 
others  and  to  point  out  the  honest  industrious  line 
of  life  which  will  lead  to  success.  For  the  pioneer 
work  he  has  done,  the  upright  life  he  has  lived, 
and  the  interest  he  has  shown  in  progress,  he  is 
esteemed  by  all  who  know  him. 


*^N«£ 


;^s^~ 


ILLIAM  E.  P.  ANDERSON,  of  the  legal 
firm  of  Anderson  &  Bell,  of  Carlinville, 
and  Master  of  Chancery  (for  Macoupin 
County)  stands  well  at  the  head  of  his  profession, 
his  clear  apprehension  of  the  fundamental  princi- 
ples of  law,  his  success  in  his  practice,  and  his  high 
personal  character,  having  early  won  him  a  prom- 
inent place  at  the  bar  of  this  State.  Our  subject 
is  a  native-born  citizen  of  this  county,  and  is  a 
representative  of  a  family  whose  name  has  been 
associated  with  the  rise  and  progress  of  this  sec- 
tion of  Illinois  from  the  early  years  of  its  settle- 
ment. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  born  May  31,  1850,  on  the 
north  half  of  section  7,  Shaw's  Point  Township,  in 
the  home  of  his  parents,  Erasmus  S.  and  Mary  E. 
(Hogan)  Anderson.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
Christian  Count}',  Ky.,  and  was  a  son  of  Col.  James 
C.  Anderson,  who  was  a  Virginian  by  birth.  The 
father  of  the  latter  was  one  of  the  three  brothers 
who  came  to  this  country  in  Colonial  times.  The 
great-grandfather  of  our  subject  settled  in  Virginia, 
whence  he  subsequently  removed  to  Bourbon 
County,  Ky.,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  original 
pioneers.  He  entered  a  thousand  acres  of  land  in 
that  wild  region,  and  as  far  as  known  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  there.     He  was   unfortunate   in 


his  later  years  and  met  with  reverses  whereby  he 
lost  all  his  property. 

Col.  Anderson, who  was  an  officer  in  a  regiment  of 
the  Kentucky  State  militia  while  a  resident  of  Christ- 
ian County,  early  had  to  assume  the  responsibil- 
ities of  life  on  his  own  account  after  his  father  lost 
his  property,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  left  the 
shelter  of  the  parental  roof,  and  from  that  time 
cared  for  himself.  He  learned  the  trade  of  a  hatter, 
but  he  did  not  follow  it  long,  as  a  sedentary  occu- 
pation was  little  to  the  taste  of  one  of  his  active 
temperament.  He  went  from  Bourbon  to  Christian 
County  in  Kentucky,  and  there  bought  a  tract  of 
land.  He  carried  on  farming,  and  remained  a  resi- 
dent of  that  county  until  1834.  In  that  year,  ac- 
companied by  his  wife  and  six  children,  he  started 
for  Illinois  with  a  pair  of  oxen  attached  to  a 
wagon,  which  con  veyed  the  household  goods,  and 
the  family  rode  in  a  two-horse  carriage.  Bidding 
adieu  to  friends,  they  left  their  old  Kentucky  home 
behind  them  on  the  12th  of  October,  and  traveling 
as  fast  as  they  could  over  the  intervening  wild 
country,  camping  and  cooking  by  the  wayside  at 
night,  they  an  ived  at  Carlinville,  near  the  scene 
of  their  future  dwelling  place,  fifteen  days  later. 
They  found  here  but  a  small  hamlet  of  houses 
where  now  stands  a  nourishing  city,  and  in  a  log 
cabin  which  the  grandfather  of  the  suhject  rented, 
the  family  passed  the  winter. 

The  Colonel  was  well  fitted  by  a  bold,  intrepid 
nature,  a  resolute  will,  and  great  capability  to  cope 
with  the  hardships  of  a  frontier  life,  and  he  active- 
ly entered  upon  his  pioneer  labors  of  building  up  a 
new  home  in  the  primeval  wilds  that  were  the  en- 
vironments of  the  location  that  he  had  selected. 
He  had  visited  this  region  the  June  before,  and 
had  entered  from  the  Government  four  hundred 
acres  of  land  on  section  11,  of  what  is  now  Carlin- 
ville Township,  and  during  the  winter  of  1834-35 
he  erected  a  log  house  on  his  land,  riving  boards 
to  cover  the  roof,  and  splitting  puncheon  for  the 
floor.  The  family  moved  into  that  typical  pioneer 
abode  in  the  spring  of  1835,  and  there  the  Colonel 
and  his  wife  dwelt  in  comfort  and  contentment 
until  their  untimely  death  of  the  cholera  in  1851, 
she  dying  thirteen  days  after  he  had  breathed  his 
last.     She  was  likewise  a  native  of    Virginia,    and 


280 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


her  maiden  name  was  Ann  Rice  Harris.  The  grand- 
father was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  intelli- 
gence, always  a  great  reader,  and  well  posted.  He 
was  especially  interested  in  politics,  giving  hearty 
support  to  the  Whig  party,  and  he  was  an  ardent 
admirer  of  Henry  Clay.  He  and  his  wife  reared 
these  seven  children — Crittenden  II.  C,  Maria  C, 
Erasmus  S.,  Augustus  E.,  Malcolm  M.,  Henry 
Clay  and  Mary  A. 

Erasmus  Anderson  was  a  lad  of  twelve  years 
when  the  family  came  to  this  county.  He  was 
reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  at  the  time  of 
marriage  had  settled  on  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  on  the  northern  half  of  section  7, 
Shaw's  Point  Township.  He  was  quite  an  exten- 
sive trader  in  live-stock  and  real  estate,  was  one  of 
the  substantial  men  of  the  county  who  was  a  val- 
uable factor  in  its  upbuilding,  and  by  his  prema- 
ture death  of  cholera  August  20,  1851,  in  the  full 
vigor  of  life  that  seemed  to  promise  many  more 
years  of  usefulness,  it  suffered  a  serious  loss  to  its 
interests.  His  wife  preceded  him  in  death  only  a 
few  days,  dying  of  the  same  dread  disease  August 
16,  1851.  She  was  a  native  of  Shelby  County, 
Ky.,  and  a  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Nancy  Hogan. 
Her  father  emigrated  from  her  native  county  to 
this  county,  and  was  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of 
North  Palmyra  Township.  He  vvas  a  prosperous 
farmer  and  trader.  His  life  was  cut  short  when 
in  its  prime  by  his  death  on  his  homestead  at  the 
age  of  forty-four  years. 

The  subject  of  this  brief  biography  was  the  only 
child  of  his  parents,  and  after  their  sad  death  when 
he  was  only  fifteen  months  old  he  was  taken  in 
charge  by  his  uncle,  Crittenden  H.  C.  Anderson, 
who  cared  for  him  tenderly,  and  reared  him  to  an 
honorable  life.  As  soon  as  he  was  old  enough  he 
made  himself  useful  in  herding  cattle  on  the  open 
prairie  and  in  working  on  the  farm  by  the  month. 
He  attended  the  common  schools  as  opportunity 
offered,  and  laid  a  substantial  foundation  for  his 
after  pursuit  of  knowledge.  His  aunt,  Mary  J. 
Anderson,  was  very  desirous  that  he  should  have  a 
good  education,  and  it  was  through  her  interest  in 
his  behalf  that  at  the  age  of  fourteen  he  became  a 
student  at  Blackburn  University,  which  he  attended 
six  months  of  the  year  for   two  years.     He    then 


worked  in  a  "woolen  mill  one  year,  but  he  had  by 
no  means  abandoned  the  idea  of  securing  a  higher 
education,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  entered 
Wesleyan  University  at  Blooinington,  and  was  in 
attendance  there  two  years. 

Returning  to  Carlinville  after  he  left  the  Uni- 
versity, Mr.  Anderson  studied  law  in  the  office  of 
John  Mayo  Palmer  a  part  of  the  time  the  following 
year.  In  1870  he  went  to  Philadelphia,  and  was 
in  a  private  school  in  that  city  six  months.  At 
the  expiration  of  that  time  he  came  back  to  Carlin- 
ville and  entered  the  olfice  of  Judge  William  R. 
Welch  in  April.  1871,  and  on  August  31  of  the 
same  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  liar.  Although 
lie  was  fully  equipped  to  enter  upon  his  profession- 
al career,  he  preferred  to  prepare  himself  still 
further,  and  assiduously  continued  his  studies  until 
June  1872,  when  he  opened  an  office  in  Carlinville. 
where  he  has  practiced  law  ever  since.  September 
1,  1877,  Alexander  H.  Bell  became  his  partner, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Anderson  &  Bell,  and  the 
partnership  still  continues  to  their  mutual  advan- 
tage. Not  only  is  our  subject  prominent  in  the 
professional  and  public  life  of  this  his  native  coun- 
ty, but  he  is  one  of  its  foremost  agriculturists.  He 
has  an  inherent  love  for  farming,  and  now  owns 
five  hundred  acres  of  highly  cultivated  land,  in- 
eluding  two  fine  farms  in  Carlinville  Township. 

Mr.  Anderson  and  Miss  Nellie  D.  Hamilton  were 
united  in  marriage  October  23,  1873,  and  their 
home  is  one  of  the  most  inviting  and  attractive  in 
Carlinville,  so  full  and  free  in  its  delightful  hospi- 
tality and  the  nameless  charm  of  an  all-pervading 
air  of  ease  and  comfort.  Mrs.  Anderson  is  a  nat- 
ive of  McLean  County,  this  State,  and  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Rebecca  (Pritchard)  Hamilton.  The 
following  is  the  record  of  the  three  children  that 
complete  the  household  of  our  subject  and  his 
wife:  William  Hamilton  was  born  August  8,  1874: 
Crittenden  H.  C,  March  18,  1878;  Walter  Stratton.. 
October  4,  1881.  Mrs.  Anderson  is  a  woman  of 
fine  character,  filling  in  a  perfect  measure  her  posi- 
tion as  wife  and  mother,  and  in  her  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  has  a  valued  member. 

Mr.  Anderson,  as  a  lawyer  with  a  clear  concep- 
tion of  the  legal  questions  involved,  unites  a  won- 
derful  industry  and  a   tireless   pertinacity   whk'l 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


281 


re  invaluable.  He  is  honest,  conscientious  and 
ailuful  always.  He  never  wearies  in  a  cause  which 
ie  regards  as  just.  Is  always  faithful  to  his  trust, 
nd  promptly  and  carefully  attends  to  whatever 
nay  be  entrusted  to  his  care.  Honesty,  industry 
■id  unfailing  promptness  distinguish  his  character 
t  all  times.  He  has  a  frank  and  generous  nature, 
3  courteous  and  considerate  in  his  intercourse 
k-it.Ii  others,  and  both  his  public  and  private  life 
3  blameless. 

His  fellow-citizens,  admiring  his  talents  and  ap- 
preciating his  fitness  for  responsible  positions,  have 
iften  honored  him  and  themselves  by  electing  him 
o  some  public  office.  He  served  as  City  Attorney 
n  1874  and  1875,  and  in  1877  was  elected  Assista- 
nt Supervisor  to  represent  Carlinville  Township 
.11  the  County  Board  of  Supervisors,  and  he  was 
Influential  in  securing  the  funding  of  the  county 
lebt  that  year.  He  has  interested  himself  in  local 
durational  matters,  and  for  four  terms  was  a  mem- 
ter  of  the  Carlinville  Board  of  Education.  In  Oc- 
ober,  1887,  Mr.  Anderson  was  appointed  Master 
n  Chancery  by  Judge  Welch,  he  being  regarded 
is  Hie  man  best  qualified  in  many  respects  for  that 
losition,  and  in  October,  1889,  he  was  re-appointed 
O  that  office,  by  Judge  Jesse  J.  Phillips,  with  the 
ipproval  of  the  entire  bar.  We  can  but  add  that 
lis  able  and  faithful  discharge  of  his  duties  as 
Master  of  Chancery  since  his  appointment  has  jus- 
ificd  his  selection.  Mr.  Anderson  cast  his  first 
Presidential  vote  for  Horace  Greeley  in  1872,  and 
lasbeena  confirmed  Democrat  ever  since  then. 


f)  OHN  W.  HARRISON.  The  genial  owner 
of  the  farm  located  on  section  18,  Nil  wood 
Township,  is  conspicuous  for  the  success  he 
has  attained  by  his  close  application  to  his 
business,  of  whose  minutiae  he  has  complete  mast- 
iy.  He  is  a  go-ahead,  pushing  man,  in  fact  a  fair 
lype  of  an  American  farmer,  quick  to  turn  every 
feature  of  nature  to  its  own  advantage.  Mr.  Har- 
rison is  of  English  parentage,  his  father,  being  John 
W  .  Harrison  who  was  born  in  England.  His  nioth- 
i.  .Mary  (Snyder)  Harrison,  was  a  native  of  Mary- 


land. After  their  marriage  they  settled  in  Cov- 
ington, Ky.,  and  from  there  moved  to  Shelby 
County,  Ohio,  where  they  Lived.  In  1852  Mr.  Har- 
rison went  to  California  with  the  idea  of  engaging 
in  gold  mining.  He,  however,  died  in  Yuba  County, 
Cal.,  in  1850.  The  mother,  after  her  husband's 
death,  removed  from  Shelby  County,  Ohio  to 
Springfield,  Ohio,  where  she  died.  They  were  the 
parents  of  four  children,  three  daughters  and  one 
son.  Our  subject  was  the  second  child. 

Mr.  Harrison  was  born  in  Shelby  County,  Ohio, 
September  22,  1847.  There  he  grew  to  manhood, 
and  at  the  call  for  volunteers  during  the  late  war 
he  enlisted,  February  1862,  in  Company  K,  of  the 
Twentieth  Ohio  Regiment,  lie  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  his  time  covering  a  period  of  three 
years:  he  then  re-enlisted  as  a  veteran  and  served 
until  he  was  discharged.  He  took  part  in  many  of 
the  desperate  battles  for  which  the  war  of  the  rebel- 
lion will  ever  be  noted.  He  was  slightly  wounded  in 
the  neck  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  He  was  appointed 
as  Dispatch  Orderly  under  Gen.  Logan  and  after- 
ward held  the  same  position  under  Gen.  M.  D.  Leg- 
gelt.  After  his  discharge  he  returned  to  Shelby 
County,  Ohio,  whe;e  he  remained  about  one  and 
one-half  years  and  then  came  to  Girard,  111.  where 
he  worked  for  Aaron  Hickman  for  a  space  of  one 
year  and  then  rented  some  land  which  he  farmed 
on  his  own  account.  He  soon  after  this  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  land  near  Girard  which  he  afterward 
sold  and  purchased  two  hundred  acres.  To  this  he 
has  since  added  one  hundred  and  forty  acres. 

Mr.  Harrison  does  not  believe  in  a  divided  affec- 
tion nor  does  he  think  that  any  enterprise  can  be  a 
success  unless  it  is  made  a  specialty.  He  gives  his 
attention  wholly  to  farming  with  its  legitmate 
branches.  He  is  much  interested  in  stock  raising 
shipping  his  stock  to  metropolitan  markets.  This 
business  he  has  found  to  be  lucrative  and  satisfa- 
tory  in  that  there  is  a  better  chance  to  attain  a 
higher  degree  of  perfection  in  breeding  animals 
than  in  raising  crops. 

The  original  of  this  biography  united  himself  for 
better  or  worse  March  18,  1868,  to  Miss  Mary  C. 
Powers,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Casander 
(Brown)Powers.  Thenuptials  took  place  in  Girard. 
The  parents  of  Mrs.   Harrison  are  both  natives  of 


282 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Pennsylvania.  The  father  died  in  Park  County. 
Ohio;  the  mother  passed  away  in  Nilwood  Town- 
ship, at  the  residence  of  her  daughter  Mary,  May 
30,  1884.  She  was  horn  in  Rush  County,  Ind., 
September  18,  1849. 

Our  subject  and  his  wife  have  welcome.',  into 
their  home  nine  children  whose  names  are  as  follow: 
Hugh  W.,  Charles  W.,  Edward  C,  Herbert  M., 
Maud  M.,  Lulu  E.,  Nola  E.,  and  Ada  M.  Hugh 
and  one  Other  child  were  taken  away  from  their 
parents  in  infancy.  Mr.  Harrison  has  been  school 
Director  for  several  years.  Mrs.  Harrison,  who  is 
a  woman  of  unusual  ability  and  intelligence  main- 
taining herself  in  every  position  in  which  she  may 
be  placed  with  dignity  and  elegance,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  Church,  and  in  her  social  rela- 
tions her  genial  and  amiable  temperament  com- 
mend her  most  affectionately  to  all  who  are  thrown 
in  her  daily  pathway. 


— H- 


-*£ 


W  AMES  G.  HAGLER.  One  of  the  substan- 
I  tial  men  in  Macoupin  County,  who  owns  a 
finely  improved  farm  of  three  hundred  and 
five  acres  on  section  15,  North  Otter  Town- 
ship, and  which  is  devoted,  as  is  so  much  of  the 
fertile  valley  of  Central  Illinois,  largely  to  the  cul- 
tivation of  fine  stock  as  well  as  general  fanning. 
This  place  is  owned  by  the  gentleman  whose  name 
heads  this  sketch. 

For  a  history  of  Mr.  Hagler's  parents  see  a  sketch 
of  John  G.  Hagler  on  another  page  of  this  volume. 
.  Our  subject  was  one  of  fourteen  children,  who 
were  impartially  divided,  there  being  seven  sons  and 
seven  daughters.  Of  these  children  our  subject 
was  the  third  child  and  second  son.  He  was  born 
September  28,  1820,  in  Madison  County,  this 
State.  There  he  grew  to  manhood  and  lived  until 
he  was  about  twenty-four  years  old. 

The  years  of  our  subject's  adolescence  were  much 
like  those  of  other  farmer  lads.  He  attended  dis- 
trict school  and  got  into  mischief  as  boys  will. 
The  long  summers  were  full  of  hard  work,  relieved 
by  some  frolics.  The  severity  of  winter  lest  its 
sting    by    the    pleasure  of    looking  forward  to  the 


■  singing  schools  and  frolics  in  the  barns  where 
country  dances  were  participated  in  with  vim  if 
not  with  elegance.  Such  pleasures  as  these  varied 
the  monotony  and  tedious  routine  of  the  life  of  the 
farmer  boy  until  he  reached  his  twenty-fourth  year, 
when  he  felt  that  he  must  branch  out  for  himself. 

In  1845  Mr.  Hagler  went  to  Morgan  County  and 
for  a  time  he  lived  on  a  farm  which  he  had  pur- 
chased on  his  arrival  there.  In  four  years  he  sold 
this  out  and  came  to  Macoupin  County,  having 
been  a  resident  in  North  Otter  Township  since  that 
time,  with  the  exception  of  two  years,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Madison  County.  He  has  always  been 
engaged  in  farming  and  agricultural  pursuits  and 
now  owns  the  fine  farm  above  mentioned,  upon 
which  he  has  erected  at  great  expense  buildings 
that  arc  adequate  for  the  demands  of  storage,  etc. 
Our  subject  was  married  in  Morgan  County,  this 
Slate,  to  Miss  Elvira  E.  Millen,  a  daughter  of  Arch- 
ibald and  Polly  (Graham)  Millen,  wiio  died  in  Mor- 
gan County.  Mrs.  Elvira  Hagler  was  born  in 
Monroe  County,  October  9,  1825.  She  was  the 
mother  of  five  children,  they  being  Mary  E.,  who 
died  in  infancy;  Harvey  T.,  who  is  a  farmer  in 
Colorado;  John  H.,  a  miner;  William  I.  and  Hiram 
B.,  who  died  in  childhood.  Mr.  Hagler's  wife 
died  August  18.  1853,  in  the  county  in  which 
was  their  residence.  On  the  23d  of  Novem- 
ber 1854,  he  gave  his  motherless  children  a  new 
guardian,  his  second  wife  being  Miss  Clarissa 
Falls,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  (Dixon) 
Falls.  The  mother  died  in  North  Carolina  and  the 
father  in  Bond  County,  111.  The  present  Mrs. 
Hagler  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  January  5, 
1833.  She  is  the  mother  of  nine  children,  who  are 
Sidney,  Frances  I.,  Homer  B.,  Janette,  Alice,  El- 
mer E.,  George  L.,  Arthur  L.  and  Carrie  M.  The 
eldest  soil  is  the  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  North  Ot- 
ter Township;  his  eldest  sister  is  the  wife  of 
Homer  B.  Mitchell,  of  North  Otter;  Janette  is 
the  wife  of  Thomas  Graham ;  Alice  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Ellsworth  Chartin;  Elmer  is  a  physician 
in  Ann  Arbor,  Mich. 

Our  subject  has  been  elected  School  Treasurer  of 
the  township  and  held  the  position  for  eleven 
years,  thereby  demonstrating  the  confidence  that 
the   people   have   in   his  honor  and  integrity.     He 


iiBfumr 

Of  THE 

uHfvewitV  #r  uunois 


ROBERT'       ,JAR.M-AN. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


285 


was  formerly  an  adherent  of  the  Republican  part}', 
but  of  late  has  been  an  active  worker  in  the  Pro- 
hibition party.  Mr.  Haglcr  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which 
he  has  filled  various  offices.  II is  wife  is  highly  es- 
teemed as  being  a  woman  of  exceptional  ability 
and  intellectual  gifts. 


ROBERT  JARMAN,  a  resident  of  Shaw's 
Point  Township,  was  born  in  Devonshire, 
England,  in  May,  1833.  There  he  passed 
the  early  years  of  his  life,  being  employed 
upon  a  farm,  and  caring  for  horses,  until  he  was 
twenty  years  old.  He  then  came  to  America  in 
1853  and  landing  in  Quebec,  proceeded  to  Chicago, 
but  resided  there  only  a  short  time,  going  with  a 
friend  to  Lake  County,  III.  He  was  employed  in 
Waukegan  for  a  while  and  in  the  vicinity  of  that 
city  on  a  farm  until  fall,  and  then  came  down  the 
Illinois  River  to  Alton,  where  for  two  years  he  was 
employed  in  a  slaughter-house. 

We  next  find  our  subject  in  Jersey  County,  111., 
where  he  hired  out  for  nine  months  on  a  farm. 
Then  buying  a  team  and  renting  land  in  company 
with  his  cousin  John  Sloman,  now  a  resident  of 
Honey  Point  Township,  he  farmed  it  for  three 
years.  He  then  engaged  in  running  a  threshing 
machine  in  company  with  two  other  men  and  car- 
ried on  this  kind  of  work  for  ten  years  in  Jersey 
County.  In  the  spiing  of  1860  he  came  to  Ma- 
coupin County,  and  bought  fifty  acres  in  Honey 
Point  Township,  but  returned  to  Jersey  County  for 
the  threshing  season  and  then  came  back  to  his  farm 
in  Honey  Point.  He  set  out  an  orchard,  made  var- 
ious improvements,  and  lived  there  for  four  years, 
removing  thence  to  Shaw's  Point  Township. 

Mr.  Jarman  became  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War, 
enlisting  in  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Forty- 
fourth  Illinois  Regiment  in  the  fall  of  1864.  He 
served  until  May  25,  18G5,  when  he  was  mustered 
out  of  the  service.  He  then  returned  to  his  home 
in  Shaw's  Point  Township,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided.    Farming  has  been  his  chief  occupation,  al- 


though he  makes  a  specialty  of  One  stock  of  all 
kinds,  and  is  the  owner  of  some  splendid  speci- 
mens. He  has  four  hundred  acres  and  upon  his 
farm  he  has  erected  an  excellent  set  of  buildings, 
which  indicate  the  thrift  and  enemy  of  the  owner. 

On  March  4,  1861,  Robert  Jarman  and  Selinda 
McDow  were  united  in  marriage  in  Jersey  County, 
and  since  that  time  the  estimable  wife  may  be  justly 
said  to  have  divided  the  sorrows  and  doubled  the 
joys  which  have  come  to  her  husband.  Mrs.  Jar- 
man is  a  native  of  Jersey  County  and  was  born 
April  28,  1835.  Of  the  children  born  unto  them 
five  survive,  viz:  Margaret  M.,  born  December  15, 
1861;  Elmer  E.,  December  4,  1863,  and  now  an 
engineer  in  California;  Lura  E.,  born  in  1872; 
Charles  O..  May  18,  1875,  and  Emma  M.,  July  8, 
1880.  Four  children  have  been  laid  to  rest  by  the 
mourning  parents:  Carrie  E.,  who  was  born  March 
1,  1*66,  died  when  twenty  years  old  February  27, 
1886;  Mary  II.,  born  July  28,  1870,  died  August 
10,  1871  ;  Willie  born  February  4,  1878,  died  Jan- 
uary 27,  1879;  Freddie  E.,  who  was  born  October 
27,  1867,  died  February  27,  1868. 

In  all  matters  calculated  to  advance  the  interests 
of  the  community  where  he  resides,  Mr.  Jarman  is 
intensely  and  actively  interested.  He  is  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Republican  party,  anil  has 
filled  various  offices,  among  them  that  of  Highway 
Commissioner.  He  belongs  to  the  Farmers'  Mutual 
Benefit  Association  and  to  Shaw's  Point  Horse  Thief 
Detective  Society.  His  wife  is  a  consistent  and  earn- 
est member  of  the  Christian  Church,  and  he  con- 
tributes liberally  to  the  support  of  every  religious 
and  benevolent  enterprise. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Philip  and  Eliza- 
beth (Sloman)  Jarman,  both  natives  of  Devonshire, 
England,  where  they  died.  Mr.  Jarman  was  a  ma- 
son and  architect  by  occupation.  The  parents  of 
Mrs.  Jarman  were  Thomas  and  Mary  L.  (Lofton) 
McDow,  the  former  was  born  in  North  Carolina 
and  the  latter  in  Kentucky.  They  were  among  the 
early  settlers  of  Jersey  Count}',  III.,  to  which  they 
came  from  Kentucky  at  an  early  day.  He  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  Mr.  Jarman  takes  great 
pride  in  his  line  stock,  and  also  in  the  general  con- 
dition  of  his  farm.  The  buildings  are  first-class 
in  every  way  ami    conduce   not  only  to  the  happi- 


286 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ncss  of  the  household  but  to  the  well-being  of  the 
farm  stock.  Mr.  Jarman  is  a  man  with  a  deep  fund 
of  information  and  of  broad  intelligence,  and  his 
wife  being  a  lady  of  great  loveliness  of  character 
and  refinement  of  taste,  it  is  natural  that  they  are 
universally  esteemed.  On  another  page  of  this 
volume  the  reader  will  find  a  lithographic  portrait 
of  Mr.  Jarman. 

ENRY  J.  B(  >WN.  Among  the  most  prosper- 
ous and  thrifty  fanners  of  Bird  Township, 
we  may  count  a  number  who  are  of  English 
birth  or  parentage,  and  who  had  learned 
farming  in  a  most  thorough  and  systematic  manner 
in  the  old  country.  An  English  farmer  is  seldom 
careless  and  unsystematic  in  his  plan  of  work.  He 
has  learned  to  economize  space  and  to  let  nothing 
lie  about  at  loose  ends.  These  methods  of  work 
transferred  to  the  broad  and  fertile  prairies  of  the 
West  make  the  best  of  farmers.  Among  these 
British-Americana  we  may  name  Henry  J.  Bown, 
who  resides  on  section  12. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Samuel  and 
Jemima  (Barnstable)  Bown,  who  were  natives  of 
Somersetshire,  England,  where  they  were  reared, 
married,  lived  and  died.  Mr.  Bown  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation  and  trained  his  children  in  the  prac- 
tical work  of  agriculture.  This  worthy  couple 
were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children  of  whom 
Henry  is  the  youngest.  His  birth  took  place  in 
Somersetshire,  England  July  15,  1800.  He  had 
reached  the  age  of  thirteen  years  when  he  left  home 
and  went  to  London,  England,  to  make  his  home 
for  five  years  with  his  eldest  brother,  Samuel.  Here 
he  engaged  in  peddling  milk.  In  the  fall  of  1878 
he  came  to  America,  making  an  end  to  his  long 
journey  by  settling  in  Macoupin  County. 

When  this  young  man  first  arrived  in  Illinois  he 
lived  for  two  years  in  Polk  Township,  and  after 
this  was  employed  by  the  late  Charles  Morris  of 
Carlinville  Township  for  three  years  on  his  farm. 
He  then  worked  for  Samuel  E.  Killam  for  two  years 
and  for  Mr.  Denby  about  a  year  and  a  half.  His 
happy  marriage  January  5,  1887,  with  Miss  Sarah 


Morris,  presaged  a  period  of  prosperity  and  was 
the  beginning  of  a  life  of  true  domestic  happiness. 
The  lady  who  now  became  Mrs.  Bown  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Charles  Morris,  whose  sketch  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  book.  She  was  born  in  Carlinville 
Township  April  2,  1865.  Two  children  have 
blessed  this  home.  They  are  named  Minnie  B.  and 
Charles  S. 

Mr.  Bown  has  a  splendid  farm  of  two  hundred 
and  thirty  acres.  It  is  in  excellent  condition  and 
thoroughly  cultivated.  He  has  erected  upon  it  a 
convenient  and  pleasant  home  and  an  excellent  set 
of  farm  buildings.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  fine 
graded  stock  and  gives  to  them  kind  and  judicious 
care.  In  politics  he  is  Republican  but  is  not  an 
otiice-seeker,  but  takes  an  intelligent  interest,  not 
only  in  local  affairs,  but  in  county,  State  and  na- 
tional elections.  He  is  a  wide-awake,  progressive 
farmer  and  well  merits  the  esteem  and  confidence 
which  is  shown  him  by  his  neighbors. 

Si!  EVIN  N.  ENGLISH.  Few  residents  of 
Shaw's  Point  Township  have  so  strong  a 
•laim  on  the  consideration  of  the  readers 
of  this  volume  as  Mr.  English.  He  has  borne  an 
honorable  part  in  the  public  affairs  of  the  county, 
and  has  successfully  prosecuted  a  farmer's  career. 
In  noting  the  present  prosperity  of  Macoupin 
County,  it  is  well  to  remember  that  it  was  once  a 
great  tract  of  undeveloped  land  and  that  those 
who  brought  it  to  its  present  condition  underwent 
much  toil  and  in  many  cases  suffered  privations 
unknown  to  men  of  the  present  day.  The  subject 
of  this  biographical  sketch,  who  came  to  this 
county  in  his  youth,  has  aided  in  the  development 
of  his  community,  and  has  in  the  meantime  gath- 
ered around  him  many  of  the  comforts  and  con- 
veniences which  belong  to  modern  farm  life.  Of 
a  generous  and  hospitable  nature,  he  holds  a  high 
place  in  the  esteem  of  his  neighbors. 

Many  years  ago  the  ceremony  was  performed 
which  united  in  marriage  Thomas  English,  a  native 
of  Maryland,  and  Ally  Cooper,  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky.    They   located  in    what  was    then  Greene 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


2X7 


County,  but  now  a  part  of  Jersey  County,  III., 
which  was  their  home  until  death.  Twelve  chil- 
dren were  horn  to  them,  of  whom  our  subject  was 
the  eleventh  in  order  of  birth.  On  September  21, 
1830,  he  was  born  in  Greene  County,  and  there 
passed  his  childhood  amid  pioneer  scenes.  At 
an  early  age  he  gained  a  thorough  practical 
knowledge  of  agriculture  in  all  its  departments 
and  to  this  labor  he  determined  to  devote  himself 
when  he  was  ready  to  take  up  the  work  of  life. 
His  parents  dying  when  he  was  quite  young,  the 
orphaned  lad  cp.me  to  Macoupin  County  and  made 
his  home  with  a  sister,  Mrs   Eleanor  Fullington. 

In  Shaw's  Point  Township,  Mr.  English  grew  to 
man's  estate.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  re- 
moved to  Missouri,  where,  however,  he  sojourned 
only  a  short  time,  returning  to  this  township  and 
renting  the  farm  he  now  owns  on  section  35.  Af- 
ter following  farming  pursuits  here  five  years  he 
removed  to  an  adjoining  farm,  which  he  purchased 
and  improved.  He  has  engaged  principally  in 
general  farming  although  devoting  some  atten- 
tion to  stock-raising,  in  which  he  has  met  with 
more  than  ordinary  success.  His  chief  interest 
centers  in  his  estate,  but  he  holds  exalted  ideas  of 
the  duties  and  privileges  of  citizenship  and  never 
misses  an  opportunity  to  advocate  by  ballot  and 
influence  those  principles  he  believes  to  be  for  the 
best  progress  of  the  country.  In  him  the  Demo- 
cratic party  finds  a  stanch  adherent  rnd  one  who 
takes  an  active  part  in  political  affairs.  He  has 
served  his  fellow-citizens  in  various  capacities, 
holding  the  office  of  Supervisor  one  term,  also 
serving  as  Constable  and   Highway   Commissioner. 

The  lady  who  presides  with  grace  over  the  home 
of  Mr.  English,  was  formerly  known  as  Miss  Mary 
West,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Edward  and  Eliza 
beth  (FoxWell)  West,  natives  of  North  Carolina 
and  Virginia.  They  were  early  settlers  in  Jersey 
County,  III.,  where  the  mother  died.  The  father 
spent  his  last  days  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  English, 
and  there  he  died  at  a  good  old  age.  Mrs.  English 
who  was  the  fourth  in  a  family  of  five  children, 
was  born  in  St.  Clair  County,  III.,  April  5,  1835, 
and  was  there  married  November  2,  1854.  Mr. 
English  and  his  estimable  wife  are  the  parents  of 
five  children:     Robert  W.,  who  married  Miss  Edna 


L.  Johnson;  Levin  N.,  Jr.;  Ella  L.,  the  wife  of 
Harvey  Allen;  Alary  V.,  and  John  N.  Mrs.  Eng- 
lish is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Baptist  Church 
and  an  active  worker  in  that  organization.  So- 
cially, Mr.  English  is  identified  with  the  Masonic 
fraternity. 

— -^m- — 


|(^S;R.  MAHYEL  THOMAS,  one  of  the  lead- 
ing young  physicians  of  this  county,  now 
(Qklr  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
medicine  and  surgery  in  Gillespie,  was 
born  near  Plainview,  in  Hilyard  Township,  on  the 
8th  of  October,  1855,  and  comes  of  good  old  Revo- 
lutionary stock.  The  great-grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, John  Thomas,  was  one  of  five  brothers  who 
enlisted  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  but  during  that 
struggle  they  became  separated,  and  the  family  has 
since  been  divided;  in  fact,  they  have  few  known 
relations.  John  David  Thomas,  the  grandfather 
of  the  Doctor,  was  born  in  South  Carolina,  and  af- 
ter marrying  a  lady  of  that  State,  began  life  upon 
a  farm.  Some  years  later  he  emigrated  Westward 
with  his  family  and  settled  in  St.  Clair  Count}-,  111. 
as  did  also  his  father,  who  was  Secretary  of  the 
Territory,  and  after  the  admission  of  Illinois  to  the 
Union,  became  the  first  Secretary  of  State.  He 
died  at  an  advanced  age,  a  man  of  prominence  and 
influence,  whose  loss  was  mourned  by  many  friends. 
His  name  is  inseparably  connected  with  the  early 
history  of  the  Stale,  for  he  did  much  in  the  inter- 
ests of  the  public. 

John  Thomas  and  his  wife  resided  in  St.  Clair 
County  during  the  Territorial  days  of  Illinois,  and 
on  the  29th  of  June,  1S18,  the  year  of  the  admis- 
sion to  the  Union,  William  A.  Thomas  was  born. 
When  a  lad  of  sixteen  years  he  came  with  I  he  fam- 
ily to  Macoupin  County  in  1834,  and  subsequently 
entered  land  from  the  Government  in  Hilyard 
Township,  developing  therefrom  a  farm,  upon 
which  the  parents  resided  until  called  to  their  linn  I 
rest.  The  old  homestead  fell  into  the  hands  of 
their  son  William  A.,  who  died  in  December,  1881, 
and  left  the  property  to  his  four  children.  It  is 
now  in  the  possession  of  ihe  Doctor  and  his  brother 
Harris,  and  consists  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres 


288 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  highly  improved  land.  This  farm  has  never 
been  out  of  the  familj-  since  it  was  obtained  from 
the  Government  about  sixty  years  ago.  William 
Thomas  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth 
in  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads,  and  when  he 
had  attained  to  mature  years,  wedded  Lueinda  Le 
May,  who  was  born  in  Indiana,  and  when  a  child 
came  to  Illinois  with  her  parents,  the  family  set- 
tling near  Plainview,  where  the  father  and  mother 
died.  The  death  of  Mrs.  Thomas  occurred  in  1863, 
at  the  age  of  forty  years.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church,  and  a  lady  whose  many  acts  of 
kindness  and  deeds  of  charity  won  her  the  love  of 
all.  Mr.  Thomas  became  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Ililyard  Township,  and  was  a  leader  in  local  poli- 
tics. His  business  affairs  prospered,  and  he  became 
quite  well-to-do.  He  was  a  believer  in  religion, 
anil  all  that  tended  to  elevate  mankind  and  lived 
an  upright  life.  In  harmony  with  the  thought  that 
"the  groves  were  God's  first  temples,"  his  father, 
John  D.  Thomas,  would  often  repair  to  a  beautiful 
grove  near  his  home  for  a  quiet  hour  of  prayer, 
and  in  reverence  William  Thomas  would  never  per- 
mit it  to  be  cut  down  or  molested  in  any  way. 

We  now  take  up  the  personal  history  of  our  sub- 
ject, who  upon  the  old  Thomas  homestead  was 
reared  to  manhood  in  the  usual  manner  of  farmer 
lads,  spending  his  boyhood  days  midst  play  and 
work.  His  literary  education  was  acquired  in  the 
public  schools,  and  when  he  had  determined  to 
make  the  medical  profession  his  life  work,  he  began 
reading  under  private  direction.  Our  subject  en- 
tered Blackburn  University  in  the  fall  of  1873,  and 
after  completing  a  regular  course,  he  was  gradu- 
ated with  the  degree  of  B.  IS.  After  a  time  he  en- 
tered the  Missouri  Medical  College  of  St.  Louis, 
from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  with  the 
Class  of  '84.  He  entered  upon  practice  in  Palmyra 
immediately  thereafter,  and  five  years  ago  opened 
an  oflice  in  Gillespie,  where  he  has  since  built  up 
a  large  and  lucrative  practice. 

The  Doctor  was  married  in  Palmyra,  to  Minnie 
F.,  daughter  of  D.  N.  Solomon,  a  prominent  busi- 
ness man  and  leading  citizen  of  that  place.  The 
lady  was  born  in  Macoupin  County,  on  the  8th  of 
April,  1863,  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  University  of 
Lincoln,  111.     She  was  also  a  student  for  some  time 


in  the  Jacksonville  Female  College,  and  is  a  lady 
of  intelligence  and  culture,  who  occupies  a  promi- 
nent position  in  the  social  world.  Hospitality 
abounds  in  her  own  home,  which  she  presides  over 
with  the  grace  and  dignity  of  an  accomplished 
lady.  In  polities  the  Doctor  is  a  Democrat.  He 
has  worked  his  way  upward  to  the  front  rank  of  the 
medical  profession,  and  his  skill  and  ability  have 
won  him  a  liberal  patronage. 


•■6h*-» * 


XDREW  IIUBER.  Commercial  life 
throughout  America  has  been  stimulated 
and  invigorated  by  assimilating  to  itself 
the  versatility,  energy  and  enthusiasm  of 
the  Gaulic  race.  Descendants  of  this  race  are 
everywhere  found  to  be  successful  farmers,  mer- 
chants and  dealers  in  various  branches  of  business. 
Andrew  Iluber  is  the  leading  business  man  of  the 
city  of  Bunker  Hill.  His  is  the  best  business  house 
in  the  town,  centrally  located  at  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  Washington  and  Warren  Streets.  He  is  a 
dealer  in  dry-goods,  clothing,  men's  furnishing 
goods,  boots  and  shoes,  hats  and  caps,  millinery, 
carpets,  etc.  The  magnitude  of  his  business  may 
be  estimated  when  it  is  known  that  his  income  is 
upwards  of  $20,000  annually  and  that  in  outside 
business,  such  as  dealing  in  grain,  wool,  apples  and 
as  a  manufacturer  of  barrels,  he  does  an  annual  bus- 
iness of  ¥75,000.  He  is  a  hard-working  man  and 
wrapped  up  in  his  commercial  pursuits. 

Mr.  II nber  was  born  in  New  Orleans,  La.,  No- 
vember 2,  1856,  where  he  lived  with  his  parents 
until  1878,  being  educated  in  the  Mound  City  Col- 
lege. His  life  has  for  the  most  part  been  spent  in 
this  part  of  Illinois.  He  went  into  business  for 
himself  in  1880  and  has  maintained  his  position  at 
the  present  stand  since  1884.  He  is  a  practical, 
far-seeing  business  man,  one  to  whom  the  interests 
of  the  town  are  pre-eminently  important — helpful 
in  every  way. 

Our  subject  was  married  to  Miss  Augusta  Fah- 
renkrog,  November  23,  1882,  in  Bunker  Hill. 
The  lady  was  born  in  Madison  County,  III.,  Janu- 
ary  6,  1865,  and  was  reared  and  educated  in  Bun- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


28!) 


ker  Hill.  Naturally  attractive  and  by  virtue  of 
lier  husband's  high  position  as  a  leading  merchant 
of  the  city,  she  takes  her  place  as  a  leader  of  soci- 
ety and  their  home  is  the  center  of  the  best  life,  so- 
cially and  intellectually,  of  the  community.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ruber  attend  and  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church.  They  are  the  proud  parents  of 
three  daughters — Clara  E.,  Ettic  F.  and  Bertha  L. 
Scarcely  a  project  has  been  inaugurated  in  the 
city  in  which  Mr.  Huber  has  not  been  a  leading 
spirit.  He  has  been  City  Treasurer  for  sometime, 
for  two  years  a  member  of  the  City  Council,  Vice 
President  and  Director  of  the  Building  Associa- 
tion, Director  and  President  of  the  Bunker  Hill 
Nail  Company,  Treasurer  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Fire 
Company,  and  is  also  proprietor  of  the  Huber  Op- 
era House,  which  is  over  his  store.  Such  men  as 
these  give  us  our  reputation  abroad  as  being  the 
most  energetic  and  far-seeing  business  men  of  the 
world. 


♦S*£sj- 


B  RTHTJR  BOYLE,  a  general  farmer  and 
i  stock-raiser  and  a  very  successful  busi- 
ness man,  located  on  section  12,  of  Hil- 
yard  Township,  owns  a  fine  tract  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  most  of  which  is  under 
the  plow,  and  which  is  adorned  with  fine  farm 
buildings.  He  has  owned  this  place  for  the 
past  nine  years  and  it  formerly  belonged  to  bis 
father. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Burton,  N.  J.,  April  1, 
1856,  and  is  the  eldest  son  of  William  and  Mar- 
garet (McPhillips)  Boyle,  natives  of  the  North  of 
Ireland.  Mr.  Boyle  came  of  Scotch-Irish  Protes- 
tant stock  and  his  wife's  parents  were  Roman 
Catholics.  This  couple  were  reared  and  married 
in  Count}'  Deny,  and  soon  after  their  union  emi- 
grated to  this  country,  leaving  their  native  shore 
on  board  a  sailing-vessel  and  landing  in  New  York 
City  about  the  year  1858.  They  settled  for  a 
time  in  New  Jersey  and  three  years  later  came  to 
this  State,  making  their  home  in  Ililyard  Town- 
ship, and  here  beginning  life  without  capital  ex- 
cept their  own  character,  health  and  youth.  After 
renting  land  for  a  time,  they  saved  enough  money 


to  purchase  their  first  eighty  acres,  which,  after 
improving,  they  augmented  by  purchase  until  they 
owned  a  whole  half  section.  This  large  tract  of 
rich  farming  land  Mr.  Boyle  improved  and  made 
of  it  one  of  the  best  farms  in  this  township. 

After  acquiring  and  improving  this  handsome 
property,  Mr.  Boyle  died  at  his  comfortable  and 
beautiful  home  in  December.  ISM,  having  then 
reached  the  age  of  sixty-six  years.  He  had  joined 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  early  in  life  soon 
after  coming  to  this  count'}-,  and  died  in  that 
faith  and  in  the  hope  of  a  glorious  resurrection. 
He  was  a  sound  Republican  in  his  political  views 
and  a  man  of  thought  on  public  matters.  He  was 
a  good  and  worthy  citizen  and  had  many  friends 
in  this  township  and  county,  being  highly  esteemed 
as  a  practical  and  progressive  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser. 

The  first  Mrs.  Boyle  had  died  at  home  in  this 
township  in  18G3,  being  then  in  the  prime  of  life 
about  thirty-five  years  old.  Her  sister  became 
the  second  wife  of  Mr.  Boyle,  having  before  mar- 
riage been  Ellen  McPhillips,  and  being,  like  her 
sister,  a  native  of  Ireland  and  a  Roman  Catholic. 
She  came  to  this  country  when  a  young  woman 
and  is  now  in  a  ripe  old  age,  having  reached  the 
limit  of  three-score  years  and  ten. 

Arthur  Boyle  has  one  brother  living.  Edward  .1., 
a  merchant  at  Omaha,  Neb.,  whose  wife  was  Maud 
White,  of  that  city,  and  he  also  has  a  sister,  Mary, 
the  wife  of  C.  S.  Morgan,  who  lives  on  a  farm 
in  the  same  township  with  her  brother.  These  are 
all  that  are  now  left  of  the  father's  family.  Our 
subject  was  reared  to  manhood  in  this  township, 
and  was  here  united  in  marriage  with  Mary  Tun- 
ncll,  who  was  born  in  Polk  Township,  this  county, 
March  25,  1864.  Her  parents,  John  and  Eliza- 
beth (Brown)  Tunnell,  are  now  both  departed. 
The  father  was  for  many  years  a  prominent  farmer 
of  this  county,  and  died  in  Carlinville  in  1890, 
at  the  age  of  sixty.  His  wife  had  died  four  years 
previously  at  the  old  homestead  in  Polk  Town- 
ship, having  passed  the  milestone  of  her  half  cen- 
tury. They  were  prominent  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  and  well  esteemed  both  for 
character  and  ability.  Their  daughter  was  judic- 
iously  reared  and  given  a   liberal  education,  being 


290 


PORTRAIT  AMD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


n  graduate  of  Blackburn  University  at  Carlinville, 
and  becoming  a  teacher  for  a  short  time  before 
her  marriage.  She  is  a  woman  of  superior  quali- 
ties and  culture,  having  true  refinement  and  liber- 
ality of  thought,  and  is  a  noble  homemaker  and 
housekeeper.  No  children  have  come  to  brighten 
the  home.  Mr.  and  Airs.  Boyle  arc  attendants 
upon  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  Mr.  Boyle's 
political  views  are  expressed  in  the  platform  of 
the  Republican  party. 


1JSIIA  DAWSON.  The  gentleman  whose 
name  heads  this  sketch  is  the  owner  and  res- 
<i  ident  of  the  farm  on  section  3,  Western 
Mound  Township,  lie  is  a  Virginian  by  birth  and 
early  education,  having  been  born  in  Morgan 
County,  W.  Va.,  July  9,  1827,  where  he  re- 
mained until  he  reached  the  years  of  manhood. 
His  early  years  were  spent  on  a  farm  in  his  native 
Slate  and  he  remained  under  the  home  roof  until  he 
attained  his  majority. 

On  November  2,  1848,  Mr.  Dawson  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Shade,  who  was  born  in 
Frederick  County,  Va.,  July  28,  1828.  Their  mar- 
riage took  place  in  her  native  town  and  their  first 
home  was  made  in  Morgan  County,  W.  Va.  where 
they  lived  from  March  1849,  until  March,  1852, 
when  they  removed  to  Frederick  County,  Va.,  and 
remained  until  September,  1854.  In  the  fall  of 
that  year  they  removed  to  Macoupin  County,  and 
located  in  Barr  Township  living  thereuntil  the  fol- 
lowing spring,  when  they  removed  to  Western 
Mound  Township,  settling  on  section  3,  of  which 
place  they   have  since  been  residents. 

The  farm  of  three  hundred  acres  which  our  sub- 
ject owns  has  been  well  improved  and  yields  a  good 
income  to  its  owner.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dawson  are  the 
parents  of  eight  children.  They  are:  Thomas  J. 
John  S.,  Charles  W.  Marshall  D.,  Elizabeth  C, 
Henry  C,  Edwin  C,  and  Minnie  T.  Elizabeth  is 
the  wife  of  T.J.  Dawson;  the  daughter  Minnie  died 
when  only  two  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Dawson  has  been  awarded  several  offices  in 
the  township  by  virtue  of  his  knowledge,   ability 


and  superior  executive  power.  He  has  been  Sup- 
ervisor of  Western  Mound  Township  and  Justice 
of  the  Peace  for  ten  years,  Township  Assessor  for 
two  years,  Township  Collector  for  one  year,  High- 
way Commissioner  for  three  years,  Township  Trus- 
tee six  years  and  School  Director,  also  Township 
Treasurer  for  six  years.  Mr.  Dawson  has  ever 
taken  an  active  part  in  local  politics,  feeling  that 
the  integral  parts  of  this  great  laud  should  be  as 
well  governed  as  is  the  whole. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dawson  are  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church.  They  are  the  only  surviving  members 
of  those  who  were  associated  in  its  organization. 
Our  subject's  parents  were  Thomas  ami  Catherine 
(Hawvermale),  Dawson,  the  former  born  in  Morgan 
County,  W.  Va.,  of  which  county  the  mother  was 
also  a  native.  They  came  to  Macoupin  County 
in  the  fall  of  1867  and  there  died,  having  spent 
their  last  days  in  West  Mound  Township.  They 
were  the  parents  of  nine  children  of  whom  our 
subject  is  the  eldest. 


'•#•£•#'    :~ 


\j/OIIN  H.  BROWN,  who  was  for  many  years 
one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  this  county, 
and  is  still  connected  with  its  agricultural 
Isgj//  interests  as  the  proprietor  of  one  of  its  large 
and  finely  improved  farms,  is  now  living  somewhat 
retired  from  active  business  in  one  of  the  many  at- 
tractive homes  of  Carlinville.  He  is  by  birth  a 
native  of  Tennessee,  born  near  the  city  of  Knox- 
ville  May  6,  182G.  His  father,  Francis  G.  Brown, 
was  born  in  West  Virginia,  and  was  young  when 
his  father  died.  His  mother  then  removed  with 
her  family  to  Tennessee,  and  there  he  was  reared 
and  married.  Ambitious  to  avail  himself  of  the 
advantages  offered  by  the  cheap  lands  and  the  rich 
virgin  soil  of  this  State,  in  1837  he  visited 
Macoupin  County,  and  entered  a  tract  of  Govern- 
ment land  in  what  is  now  Western  Mound  Town- 
ship, on  section  23.  He  returned  to  Tennessee 
after  that  transaction,  and  the  following  year  came 
back  here  with  his  wife  and  six  children  to  settle 
in    this   county    permanently.     The  journey    was 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


291 


made  hither  on  a  flat  boat  on  the  waters  of  the 
Holston,  Tennessee,  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers  to 
within  fifty  miles  of  Paducah,  then  by  steamer  to 
Alton,  and  thence  by  team  to  their  destination. 
They  arrived  here  in  April,  and  Mr.  Brown  rented 
a  loir  house  on  section  4,  Bird  Township,  in  which 
the  family  lived  until  November,  and  in  the  mean- 
Lime  he  bought  a  quarter  of  section  18,  of  the  same 
township,  fifty  acres  of  which  were  improved  and 
two  log  cabins  stood  on  the  place.  He  paid  about 
$5  an  acre  for  the  land,  and  while  it  was  in  his 
possession  he  placed  it  under  excellent  cultivation 
and  greatly  increased  its  value.  He  was  one  of 
the  pioneer  settlers  of  this  section  of  the  State, 
which  was  then  but  sparsely  inhabited,  the  sur- 
rounding country  being  in  a  wild  condition,  with 
deer,  wolves  and  other  wild  animals  roaming  at 
will  over  the  prairies  and  through  the  timber. 
There  were  no  railways,  and  the  principal  market 
was  at  Alton,  thirty-three  miles  distant,  and  the 
nearest  at  Chesterfield. 

In  1851  the  father  of  our  subject  sold  his  farm  in 
Bird  Township,  and  removing  to  Chesterfield,  en- 
gaged in  the  merchandising  business  in  that  vil- 
lage and  also  kept  a  hotel.  He  was  thus  occupied 
a  few  years,  and  then  retired.  At  his  death  in 
October,  1878,  at  a  ripe  old  age,  this  county  lost 
one  of  its  venerated  pioueers  who  had  aided  in  its 
upbuilding,  and  had  been  in  every  way  a  desirable 
citizen.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary 
Bell,  preceded  him  in  death,  dying  at  Chesterfield 
in  July,  18(54.  She  was  a  native  of  Knox  County, 
Tenn.  Those  worthy  people  were  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  as  follows:  Elizabeth  N.,  married 
George  S.  Huskey;  John  H.;  Melinda,  wife  of 
Joseph  Rafferty;  William  A.;  Matilda  C,  wife  of 
Elisha  Harbour;  Leonidas  M.;  Mary  J.,  wife  of 
Jacob  Dohn;  Laura  and  Hattie  (twins),  the  former 
of  whom  married  Charles  Saunders,  and  the  latter 
J.  J.  Leach. 

John  H.  Brown  was  in  his  twelfth  year  when  he 
came  to  this  county  with  his  parents,  and  his  edu- 
cation was  gained  here  in  the  primitive  pioneer 
schools  of  the  early  years  of  the  settlement  of  this 
region.  The  schoolhouse  was  built  of  logs;  the 
seats  were  made  of  split  saplings,  that  were  hewn 
smooth  on  one  side,  had  wooden  pins  for  legs,  and 


had  neither  backs  or  desks.  Our  subject  received  a 
good  training  in  farm  work,  for  as  soon  as  he  was 
large  enough  he  had  to  do  his  share  of  it,  and  he 
afforded  his  father  valuable  assistance  in  his  agri- 
cultural operations,  continuing  to  live  with  his  par- 
ents until  he  was  twenty-one  when  he  married  and 
established  a  home  of  his  own  in  a  log  cabin,  six- 
teen feet  square,  with  an  earth  and  stick  chimney, 
located  on  section  5,  Bird  Township.  He  resided 
on  that  place  two  years,  and  then  sold  and  bought 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  on  section 
17,  of  the  same  township.  It  was  a  tract  of  wild 
prairie,  for  which  he  paid  $5  an  acre.  He  built  a 
small  frame  house  and  frame  barn,  ami  during  the 
two  years  that  he  lived  there  he  made  many  im- 
provements. He  then  sold  that  place  and  bought 
his  father's  old  homestead  of  two  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  and  devoted  himself  assiduously  to 
its  cultivation.  He  met  with  more  than  ordinary 
success  in  his  undertakings,  as  he  was  practical, 
energetic  and  sharp-sighted,  and  at  the  same  time 
prudent  and  cautious  in  his  transactions,  and  in  the 
course  of  time  he  accumulated  a  valuable  property, 
which  includes  nearly  six  hundred  acres  of  land. 

In  1881  Mr.  Brown  came  to  Carlmville  and 
bought  the  place  where  he  now  resides,  a  commodi- 
ous residence  of  a  modern  style  of  architecture, 
pleasantly  located  on  North  Broad  Street.  To  the 
estimable  lady  who  presides  over  this  beautiful 
home,  he  was  united  in  marriage  September  22, 
1847,  and  their  household  is  completed  by  their 
two  children,  Samuel  N.  and  Daisy. 

Mrs.  Brown  was  formerly  Miss  Martha  E. 
Huskey,  and  she  was  born  in  Dallas  County,  near 
Selma,  Ala.,  April  13,  1831.  Her  father,  James 
Huskey,  was  a  native  of  East  Tennessee,  and  was  a 
son  of  one  of  its  early  pioneers,  Isaac  Huskey. 
James  Huskey  was  reared  in  Tennessee,  and  went 
from  there  to  Alabama  soon  after  marriage,  loca- 
ting in  what  is  now  Dallas  County,  of  which  he 
was  a  pioneer.  He  bought  a  tract  of  Government 
land  as  soon  as  it  came  into  the  market,  and  resided 
there  until  1834,  when,  with  his  wife  and  ten  chil- 
dren, he  started  for  Illinois,  journeying  with  ox- 
teams  and  camping  and  cooking  by  the  wayside  at 
night.  He  was  six  weeks  on  his  way,  and  after  his 
arrival  in  this  county  he  entered  Government  laud 


292 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


on  sections  5,  6,  7,  and  8,  Bird  Township,  and  on 
sections  31  and  32,  South  Palmyra  Township,  and 
on  section  5,  of  the  first-named  township  he  built  a 
dwelling,  and  was  a  resident  there  until  his  death  in 
August,  1845,  deprived  that  township  of  oneof  its 
foremost  pioneers.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife 
was  Rhoda  Reag:  n.  She  was  born  in  East  Tennes- 
see, and  was  a  daughter  of  Richard  and  Elizabeth 
(Trigg)  Reagan.  She  died  on  the  old  homestead  in 
the  fall  of  1855.  She  was  the  mother  of  eleven 
children,  namely:  Elizabeth,  Jane,  George,  Sarah, 
Mary,  Matilda,  Pinina,  Millie,  Martha,  Ilarkey  and 
Zerilda. 

A  man  of  Mr.  Brown's  mental  calibre,  sound  and 
incorruptible  character  and  general  trustworthiness 
is  necessarily  influential  in  his  community,  and  we 
find  that  he  has  borne  an  important  part  in  the 
management  of  public  affairs  as  an  incumbent  of 
various  responsible  offices.  He  has  represented 
Bird  Township  as  a  member  of  the  County  Board 
of  Supervisors;  he  has  served  as  Township  Treas- 
urer anil  as  School  Director,  and  he  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Macoupin  County  Agricultural 
Board.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat.  Religiously, 
both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  tiie  Baptist 
Church,  and  it  may  be  said  of  them  that  they  lead 
consistent  Christian  lives,  and  are  universally  re- 
spected and  esteemed. 


ylLLlAM  C.  DRAKE  has  for  many  vears 
carried  on  farming  and  stock-raising  in 
Scottsville  Township,  and  by  his  able  man- 
agement of  his  affairs  has  not  only  improved  a 
large  and  valuable  farm  that  is  among  the  finest 
in  this  vicinity,  but  he  has  at  the  same  time  ma- 
terially aided  in  extending  the  agricultural  interests 
of  the  county  and  thus  promoting  its  growth  and 
prosperity. 

Mr.  Drake  is  of  Kentucky  birth,  born  in  Casey 
County,  August  25,  1825.  His  father,  whose  name 
was  Hiram  Drake,  was  a  native  of  the  same  county, 
a  son  of  one  of  its  pioneer  farmers.  Carter  Drake, 
who  spent  his  last  years  there.  The  father  of  our 
subject  grew  to  man's  estate  in  Casey  County  and 


there  married  one  of  Kentucky's  daughters,  Nacy 
Murphy,  a  native  of  that  county.  In  the  fall  of 
1830,  with  his  wife  and  the  three  children  that  had 
been  born  to  them  in  their  old  home,  he  came  to 
Illinois,  making  the  journey  with  teams  and  bring- 
ing the  household  goods  along.  He  located  in  the 
wilds  of  Greene  County,  in  what  is  now  Ml.  Era 
Township,  entering  a  tract  of  Government  land 
three  miles  south  of  Athensville,  and  building  a  log 
house  to  shelter  his  family,  riving  boards  to  cover 
the  roof.  Two  years  he  lived  in  that  primitive 
abode  without  any  floor  and  then  one  was  made  of 
puncheon.  Boards  were  split  for  the  door,  which 
was  made  to  swing  inside  on  wooden  hinges,  fast- 
ened with  a  wooden  pin.  At  that  time  deer,  wild 
turkeys  and  all  binds  of  game  were  plentiful,  often 
furnishing  food  for  the  pioneers,  who  were  princi- 
pally home-livers,  subsisting  on  the  products  of 
their  farm,  and  their  clothing  was  spun  and  woven 
by  the  women  from  flax  and  wool.  The  country 
was  sparsely  settled  and  Alton  was  the  nearest  mar- 
ket. 

Mr.  Drake  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  sec- 
tion of  the  State,  and  by  hard  labor  he  improved  a 
good  farm  on  which  he  lived  7nany  years.  lie 
finally  sold  it,  and  removing  to  Greenfield  lived 
retired  there  until  his  mortal  career  was  closed  in 
the  long,  dreamless  sleep  of  death.  His  worthy 
wife  also  departed  this  life  at  Greenfield.  They 
reared  a  family  of  eleven  children. 

William  C.  Drake,  of  whom  these  lines  are  prin- 
cipally written,  was  five  years  old  when  the  family 
came  to  Illinois,  and  he  grew  up  amid  the  primitive 
influences  of  pioneer  life,  and  well  remembers  many 
incidents  of  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  of  this 
State,  especially  the  noted  "Winter  of  the  Deep 
Snow."  His  education  was  gained  in  the  pioneer 
schools  that  were  taught  in  a  rude  log  house.  He 
made  his  home  with  his  parents  until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  old,  and  then  came  to  this  county 
and  bargained  for  fifty-eight  acres  of  land  at  $5 
an  acre,  having  to  go  in  debt  for  the  place  as  he 
had  no  money  to  pay  for  it.  However,  his  pros- 
pects for  the  future  were  bright,  as  he  had  health, 
youth  and  vigor  on  his  side,  seconded  by  habits  of 
industry,  excellent  judgment  and  sound  common 
sense.     He  also  had  the  able  assistance  of  a  capable 


LtiSHAffY 

Of  Tr;p 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINO! 


^*- 


'CLA^tX^t^ 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


295 


wife,  and  they  went  to  work  with  a  good  will  to 
to  secure  their  home.  As  soon  as  that  was  paid 
for  Mr.  Drake  bought  other  land  at  different  times, 
at  one  lime  owning  six  hundred  acres  of  valuable 
real  estate,  which  he  lias  developed  into  one  of  the 
choicest  farms  in  the  township  in  regard  to  im- 
provements and  cultivation.  He  has  given  a  part 
of  his  land  to  his  children  and  now  has  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  live  acres. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  with  Miss  Mary  A. 
Wheeler  took  place  in  1847.  They  have  five  chil- 
dren living,  named  Martha,  Sally,  M.  L.,  Nancy 
Alice  and  Mary.  Martha  married  Washington 
Richmond;  Sally  is  the  wife  of  John  Redfern ; 
'  M.  L.  married  Lou  Davis;  and  Mary  married  J.  15. 
Vaughn.  Mrs.  Drake  is  a  native  of  Knox  County, 
Ky.,  and  a  daughter  of  Joshua  and  Sally  (Venbeh- 
ber)  Wheeler.  She  is  a  woman  of  rare  merit,  and 
a  devoted  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

Mr.  Drake's  course  as  a  farmer  lias  been  marked 
by  shrewdness  and  integrity  in  his  dealings,  by 
forethought  and  enterpiise,  and  these  trails  have 
mane  him  an  invaluable  aid  in  the  upbuilding  of  his 
township,  and  gives  him  high  rank  among  its  pio- 
neers although  he  was  not  one  of  its  earliest  settlers. 
He  is  interested  in  promoting  its  prosperity  and 
that  of  the  county,  as  well  as  in  the  welfare  of  the 
country  at  large,  and  in  regard  to  political  ques- 
tions we  find  him  a  true  Democrat. 


■*&£&*&&<* 


,OBERT  BACON.  Of  the  many  English 
landowners  who  have  made  settlement  in 
t\\l  our  State  and  have  carried  into  execution 
^P  the  theories  and  practice  of  farmers  in 
llieir  native  land,  a  prominent  place  belongs  to  the 
gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  and  whose 
portrait  is  presented  on  the  opposite  page.  He  is 
the  owner  of  a  tine  farm  located  on  section  30, 
South  Otter  Township,  and  which  has  been  highly 
improved  under  his  careful  supervision.  He  is  of 
English  parentage,  his  father,  Richard  Bacon,  hav- 
ing been  born  in  Norfolk,  England,  his  mother, 
Mary  K.  (Sayers)  Bacon,  was  also  a  native  of  Nor- 
folk. 

Our   subject's   parents    left   England  and   emi- 


grated to  the  United  States  at  an  early  day.  They 
first  settled  in  Troy,  N.  Y.,  where  they  remained 
for  two  years.  Then  in  1837  they  came  to  Macou- 
pin County,  and  after  spending  one  year  in  Carlin- 
villc  Township,  moved  to  Chesterfield  Township, 
where  the  following  year  the  head  of  the  family 
passed  away  from  earth.  The  mother  died  in  Palmy- 
ra Township,  this  county,  in  1863,  leaving  a  family 
of  eight  children.  Our  subject,  the  second  in  order 
of  birth,  first  opened  his  eyes  in  Norfolk,  England, 
June  10,  1825.  He  came  to  America  with  his  par- 
ents when  a  lad  and  grew  to  man's  estate  in  Macou- 
pin County,  of  which  he  has  been  a  resident  since 
1837. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  and  Miss  Mary  Ann 
Miller  was  celebrated  November  18,  1S49.  Mrs. 
Bacon  was  born  in  Floyd  County,  Indiana,  Febru- 
ary 3,  1824.  They  settled  soon  after  their  marriage 
on  section  30,  South  Otter  Township,  where  they 
have  since  lived.  Mr.  Bacon  has  erected  a  hand- 
some residence  upon  his  place,  which  is  a  favorite 
resort  of  the  best  people  in  the  township.  It  is 
made  charming  by  the  genial  manners  and  hospi- 
tality of  the  owner  and  his  amiable  wife.  Other 
line  and  subtantial  buildings  have  been  erected  on 
the  place.  The  farm  comprises  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  land  which  is  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation. 

Our  subject  and  his  wife  have  welcomed  four 
children  to  their  household,  Emily,  Henry  R., 
Mary  A.  and  Thomas  W.  Of  these  the  eldest  be- 
came the  wife  of  George  M.  Killam,  and  passed 
from  this  life  in  Bird  Township,  in  August,  1878. 
A  sketch  will  be  found  of  her  husband  in  another 
part  of  this  volume.  Henry  R.  was  taken  away 
from  his  parents  while  yet  an  infant.  Mary  A.  is 
the  wife  of  John  C.  Wiggins;  and  Thomas  W.  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Nancy  J.  Clark. 

The  original  of  our  sketch  has  been  honored  by 
appointment  to  several  otlices  in  the  gift  of  the 
township.  He  has  filled  the  office  of  Supervisor 
of  Otter  Township  for  several  years,  and  has  served 
as  Township  Assessor  and  Collector,  has  been  a 
member  of  the  School  Board  for  twenty  years,  and 
four  years  the  title  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  has 
been  his.  He  was  appointed  by  Gov.  Oglesby, 
Public  Administator  and   has  filled   the  office  for 


296 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


four  years.  lie  has  been  Treasurer  of  the  Macou- 
pin County  Agricultural  Board  for  number  of 
years.  He  has  ever  taken  an  active  part  in  the 
local  affairs  of  the  township  and  casts  his  vote  with 
the  Republican  party.  He  has  now  retired  from 
the  active  proprietorship  of  farm  life,  renting  his 
place  to  tenants,  and  only  keeping  a  pleasant  super- 
vision over  the  whole.  He  is  one  of  the  leading 
men  of  South  Otter  Township,  and  no  benefieient 
enterprise  or  movement  for  the  improvement  of  the 
locality  in  which  he  dwells  is  complete  without  his 
name. 


ENRY  T.  ME1NECKE,  who  is  engaged  in 

business  as  a  dealer  in  wines  and  liquors  in 
Gillespie,  is  a  native  of  that  place  and  has 
there  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He 
was  born  on  the  29th  of  January,  1867,  and  is  the 
son  of  Antone  W.  Meiueeke,  a  native  of  Germany, 
who  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  the  Fatherland  but 
when  a  young  man  crossed  the  Atlantic,  determined 
to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  United  States.  He  made 
his  6rst  location  in  Alton,  111.,  where  he  remained 
for  some  years,  and  then  removed  to  this  county, 
settling  in  Gillespie,  where  he  embarked  in  busi- 
ness as  a  partner  of  Henry  Bherns.  They  estab- 
lished a  general  merchandise  store  which  is  still 
carried  on  by  Mr.  Bherns.  After  a  time  Mr.  Mein- 
eeke  withdrew  from  the  business  and  engaged  as  a 
dealer  in  wines  and  liquors,  carrying  on  operations 
in  that  line  for  a  number  of  years  when  he  sold  out 
his  interest  here  and  went  to  Baltimore,  Md.,  where 
he  still  makes  his  home.  In  that  city  he  is  also  en- 
gaged in  the  same  line  of  trade  which  he  followed 
bere.  He  was  united  in  marriage  with  Anna  Brush, 
also  a  native  of  Germany, who  during  the  days  of  her 
maidenhood  crossed  the  broad  ocean  and  took  up 
her  residence  in  Macoupin  County,  111.  She  died 
at  her  home  in  Gillespie  in  1876,  in  the  faith  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  of  which  Mr.  Meinecke  is  also  a 
member. 

Our  subject  was  reared  and  educated  in  Gillespie 
and  in  1890  formed  a  matrimonial  alliance  with 
Miss  Mary  Raynor,  who  was  born  in  Belleville,  111., 
of  English  parentage,  and  had  come  to  this  county 


during  her  girlhood.  In  Belleville  her  parents, 
Robert  and  Sarah  (Burton)  Raynor,  both  died, 
passing  away  when  in  middle  life.  Mrs.  Meinecke 
was  only  a  child  at  that  time  and  by  her  sister  she 
was  reared  to  womanhood.  After  she  had  attained 
to  years  of  maturity  her  marriage  was  celebrated 
and  their  union  has  been  blessed  by  one  child,  a 
son,  William. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meinecke  have  many  friends 
throughout  the  community  where  he  has  long 
resided.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  having  sup- 
ported that  party  since  he  attained  his  majority 
and  keeps  himself  well  informed  concerning  the 
political  issues  of  the  day.  He  entered  upon  his 
business  career  as  a  bartender  in  the  employ  of 
Freil  Schalk  of  Litchfield,  where  he  remained  for 
some  time.  He  established  business  on  Main  Street 
in  Gillespie  in  November,  1890,  and  has  since  car- 
ried on  operations  as  a  retail-dealer  of  wines  and 
liquors. 


■ — r1,  v-^7ir--V   ^ — 

FORGE  BRALEY.     Although  in  the  prime 

of  manhood  the  original  of  this  sketch  has 
settled  down  to  a  life  of  comparative  com- 
fort and  ease  on  his  farm  on  section  1 1,  North  Otter 
Township,  after  having  experienced  more  or  less 
incident  and  adventure  in  traveling  in  the  distant 
portions  of  the  country  and  engaging  in  various 
pursuits.  His  early  days  were  spent  under  the  roof 
of  his  father  who  was  Ellison  Braley  of  Carlinville, 
of  whom  a  sketch  will  be  found  in  another  part  of 
this  volume. 

Our  subject  was  one  of  the  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren of  whom  he  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth. 
His  birthplace  was  Collinsville,  Madison  County, 
this  State,  and  he  was  born  December  19,  1842. 
When  he  reached  manhood  he  left  the  parental  roof 
and  went  to  Marysville,  Mo.,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  mercantile  business  for  a  period  of  about  four 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  sold  out  return- 
ing to  Collinsville. 

On  Mr.  Braley's  return  to  his  native  place  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Collinsville  Township,  pursu- 
ing this  calling  for  seven  years,  when  he  gave  up 
his  place  and  went  to  Shaw's  Point,  remaining  there 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


297 


two  years  and  then  settled  in  North  Otter  Town- 
ship where  he  has  been  a  resident  since  the  winter 
of  1880.  Farming  has  been  his  chief  business 
through  life,  although  he  has  engaged  in  various 
other  things.  Prior  to  the  beginning  of  this  year  he 
acted  as  Deputy  Postmaster  under  II.  M.  Kimball. 
In  18G4,  during  the  last  call  for  volunteers  in  the 
late  war,  our  subject  enlisted  in  the  one  hundred 
d:i\s'  campaign  and  served  the  full  period.  He 
was  a  member  of  Company  F,  One  Hundred  and 
Thirty-third  Illinois  Regiment.  On  his  discharge 
from  the  army  he  was  employed  as  dry -goods  clerk 
in  a  store  in  Collinsville.  This  was  before  he  was  of 
age.  His  first  business  after  he  became  of  age  was 
in  a  woolen  mill  with  Clement  &  Son,  the  firm  name 
being  Clement,  Braley  &  Co.  He  was  with  this 
firm  for  one  year,  when  he  sold  out  and  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business.  This  also  he  engaged  in 
but  a  short  time  with  Edward  McMillen,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Braley  &  McMillen. 

October  '27,  18(59,  Mr.  Braley  was  married  to  Miss 
Atnv  A.  Holliday,  who  was  born  in  Greene  County, 
111.,  March  13,  1846.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Arthur 
D.  and  Amanda  J.  Holliday.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Braley 
are  the  parents  of  five  children — Edgar  W.,  Truman 
H.,  Florence  L.,  Arthur  E.  and  Howard.  Our  sub- 
ject is  a  Republican  in  his  political  preferences, 
giving  his  undivided  allegiance  to  that  party.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 


IOHN  BENNETT,  who  is  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock-raising  on  section  17, 
Brighton  Township,  where  he  owns  one 
hundred  and  seventy-seven  acres  of  highly 
improved  land,  has  made  his  home  upon  that  farm 
since  1853.  He  is  therefore  entitled  to  be  classed 
among  the  honored  early  settlers  of  the  commun- 
ity. The  greater  part  of  his  land  has  been  placed 
under  cultivation  by  himself  and  all  of  the  build- 
ings and  improvements  seen  thereon  stand  as  monu- 
ments to  his  thrift  and  enterprise. 

As  Mr.  Bennett  is  well  and  favorably  known  we 
feel  assured  that  his  sketch   will  prove  of  interest 


to  many  of  our  readers.  He  was  born  in  Rodne- 
shire,  Wales,  in  1821,  and  is  a  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Mary  (Lewis)  Bennett,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  that  country  and  there  spent  their  entire 
lives,  the  father  dying  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven 
years,  the  mother  in  the  seventy-first  year  of  her 
age.  Both  were  members  of  the  Baptist  Church 
and  they  have  four  sons  and  four  daughters  living 
in  Wales  who  are  married  and  have  families. 

Our  subject  is  the  only  one  who  ever  came  to 
America.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  the  usual  man- 
ner of  farmer  lads  and  in  1844,  having  bade  good- 
by  to  home  and  friends,  he  sailed  from  Liverpool 
on  board  the  "  Frank  Field,  "  which  crossed  the 
Atluitic,  reaching  New  Orleans  after  seven  weeks. 
Another  week  was  consumed  in  making  the  trip  up 
the  Mississippi  River  to  Alton,  from  whence  he 
came  to  Brighton,  Macoupin  County,  anil  began  life 
in  the  new  world  as  a  farm  laborer.  His  cash  cap- 
ital on  his  arrival  consisted  of  only  five  dollars,  a 
small  sum  with  which  to  enter  upon  a  business 
career.  He  entered  the  employ  of  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  the  county,  A.  A.  Hilyard  who  paid  him 
in  compensation  for  his  services,  $6  per  month. 
Nine  years  he  thus  labored  and  by  industry  and 
economy  at  length  acquired  the  capital  with  which 
in  1853,  he  purchased  his  present  farm,  then  all 
wild  land. 

In  Brighton  Township,  Mr.  Bennett  led  to  the 
marriage  altar  Miss  Martha  Bradley,  who  was  born 
in  England,  and  when  a  young  maiden  came  with 
her  parents  to  the  United  States,  the  family  settling 
in  Macoupin  County,  III.,  where  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bradley  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Mrs. 
Bennett  proved  a  true  helpmate  to  her  husband, 
and  to  her  able  assistance  was  due  in  no  small  de- 
gree the  success  which  attended  her  husband's 
efforts.  She  died  on  the  8th  of  April,  1881,  at  the 
age  of  forty-five  years.  By  her  marriage  have  been 
born  the  following  children,  two  of  whom  are  now 
deceased — Frank  and  Mark.  The  members  of  the 
family  still  living  are  Mary  A.,  wife  of  William 
Yarham,  a  farmer  of  Franklin  County,  Kan.; 
Liza,  wife  of  Tim  Chawing,  a  resident  fanner  of 
AVilbarger  County,  Tex.;  John,  who  married  Flora 
Mason  and  is  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in 
Franklin  County,   Kan.;   Emma,   wife  of   Richard 


298 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Ketcliell,  who  resides  on  the  Bennett  homestead; 
Sarah,  wife  of  Albert  Keas  who  operates  a  creamery 
in  Brighton;  Angie,  May,  Edward  and  Itosie  at 
home. 

Mr.  Bennett  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church, 
to  which  his  wife  also  belongs  and  in  politics  he  is 
a  Republican,  keeping  himself  well  informed  ou  the 
questions  of  the  day.  both  political  and  otherwise. 
He  is  true  to  every  duty  of  citizenship  and  is  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  leading  and  enterprising 
farmers  of  this  community,  where  he  has  so  long 
made  his  home. 


, o**4&y^®)--<*o- 


^p^EORGE    F.  BOOSINGER,   who  resides  on 
||  section   17,  is   one  of  the  early   settlers  of 

VJS)  Cahokia  Township,  having  made  his  home 
there  since  his  arrival  in  the  county  in  1840.  His 
entire  life  has  been  spent  as  a  farmer  p.nd  upon  the 
same  section  where  he  still  makes  his  home.  He 
now  has  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  and  seven 
acres,  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  sup- 
plied with  good  buildings,  all  of  which  were 
erected  by  himself  and  stand  as  monuments  to  his 
thrift  and  industry.  The  place  is  also  well  stocked. 
His  home  is  a  commodious  and  tasty  farm  resi- 
dence, supplied  with  all  the  comforts  and  many  of 
the  luxuries  of  life.  By  his  fellow-townsmen  Mr. 
Boosinger  is  accounted  one  of  the  thrifty  and  en- 
terprising stock-raisers  of  this  community.  He 
has  lived  to  see  all  the  country  round  about  him 
improved  from  the  raw  prairie  to  its  present  ad- 
vanced position,  having  come  to  this  county  during 
his  boyhood,  in  company  with  bis  parents,  George 
and  M.  Antoinette  (Workinger)  Boosinger. 

The  Boosinger  family  came  from  Virginia,  and 
in  the  early  days  of  Ohio's  history  settled  in  the 
Buckeye  State,  where  the  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject was  accidentally  shot  while  one  day  out  hunt- 
ing. He  had  a  deerskin  hung  over  his  shoulders, 
and  by  another  hunter  was  shot,  his  death  occur- 
ring from  the  effects  of  that  wound  about  a  month 
later.  He  was  then  well  advanced  in  years,  having 
attained  to  the  age  of  seventy.  His  wife  survived 
him  some  time,  and  died   when   well   advanced  iu 


life.       George     Boosinger    had    accompanied     his 
parents    to    Ohio    when    a    child,  and    in    Portage 
County  was  reared  to  manhood.     He  enlisted  as  a 
private  for  the  War  of  1812,  and  served  as  a  team- 
ster during  that  struggle.     On   his  return  he  mar- 
ried   an    Ohio    lady,  who   died   some  years  later, 
leaving  five  children.     He  was  a  second  time  mar- 
ried to  Antoinette  Workinger,  a  lady  of  German 
birth,  who  with  her  parents  had  crossed  the  Atlan- 
tic   and    located    in    Portage    County,    where    her 
father  and  mother  died.     They  began  their  domes- 
tic life  upon  a  farm  in  that  county,  where  seven  of 
their  children  were  born.     With  their  family  they 
left  Ohio  in  1836.  joining  the   Mormon   colony  en 
route    for    the    West,  and    traveling    overland,  at 
length   made  a  settlement   in   Kay   County,   Mo., 
near  the  followers  of  Joseph  Smith,  to  whose  creed 
Mr.  Boosinger  subscribed.     In   1839  they  came  to 
Illinois,  and    after   spending   a   year   on   Smooth 
Prairie,   in   Madison    County,  took   up  their   resi- 
dence in  Cahokia  Township,  where  the  father  pur- 
chased an  unbroken   tract  of  land   on   section   17. 
The  farm  which  he  there  developed    he   made   his 
home  until  his  death  in  1862,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
nine  years.     He  had  spent  his  life  as  a  hard-work- 
ing man,  and  adhered  to  the  faith  which  he  had  pro- 
fessed in  Portage  County.     His  wife  preceded   him 
to  the  final  rest,  dying  at  the  age  of  sixty -six.    In 
early    life    she    joined    the    Lutheran   Church,  but 
afterward    became  a  Methodist,  and   subsequently 
united    with  the   Christian  Church,  dying  in  that 
faith. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Portage  County.  Ohio, 
January  28.  1825,  and  was  the  second  of  the  family 
of  eight  children.  He  was  therefore  a  lad  of  only 
fifteen  summers  when  he  came  with  his  family 
to  this  county.  Under  the  parental  roof  he 
was  reared  to  manhood,  and  gave  his  father  the 
benefit  of  his  labors  until  he  had  attained  to  ma- 
ture years,  when  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Maria  Edwards,  who  was  born  August  28, 
1832,  and  grew  to  womanhood  in  Sandusky,  Ohio. 
Her  parents  were  Milton  W.  and  Esther  (Powers) 
Edwards.  They  came  to  this  county  in  an  early 
day,  settling  in  Gillespie  Township,  where  the 
mother  died  in  the  prime  of  life.  She  was  a  con- 
sistent   member    of  the   Christian    Church,  and  a 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


299 


lady  of  many  excellencies  of  character.  After 
tor  death,  Mr.  Edwards  went  South,  and  made  his 
home  with  his  son  in  St.  Joseph,  La.,  where  he  died 
six  months  later.  He  studied  medicine  at  Elyria, 
Ohio,  and  was  also  a  carpenter,  devoting  his  ener- 
gies to  both  lines  of  business.  He  was  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  and  lived  an  upright  life,  which  won 
him  many  friends. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boosinger  began  their  domestic  life 
upon  the  farm  which  is  still  their  home,  and  which 
he  developed  from  its  primitive  condition,  making 
the  «>nce  wild  land  to  bloom  and  blossom  as  the 
rose.  Their  fine  residence  and  comfortable  sur- 
roundings all  indicate  the  prosperity,  which  has 
crowned  their  efforts.  Their  home  has  been  blessed 
by  the  presence  of  two  children,  and  the}'  also  lost 
two  in  infancy.  Carrie  is  now  the  wife  of  Marcus 
\V.  Clark,  who  owns  and  operates  a  farm  in  Gilles- 
pie Township,  and  unto  them  have  been  born 
three  children — Marcb,  Harvey  and  Frank.  Frank 
S.  is  a  successful  druggist  and  enterprising  business 
man  of  Gillespie.  He  married  Miss  Lula  Brown, 
and  they  have  one  child,  Marcus.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Boosinger  are  people  of  worth,  ranking  high  in  the 
esteem  of  their  many  acquaintances.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics,  has  served  for  eight  years  as 
Road  Commissioner,  and  for  the  long  period  of 
thirty-five  years  has  been  a  school  officer,  which 
fact  shows  that  he  has  the  educational  interests  of 
the  community  at  heart.  Our  subject  is  President 
of  the  Gillespie  Brass  Band. 

j^.  ERBERT  A.  .TONES,  a  substantial  and  en- 
|  terprising  business  man  of  Staunton,  now 
engaged  in  general  merchandising  in  the 
Quade  department  of  the  Union  Block,  be- 
gan business  here  in  1881,  when,  as  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Gaby  &  .lones,  he  opened  a  general  store. 
This  partnership  continued  for  three  years  and 
then  a  change  occurred,  the  firm  becoming  Jones, 
Newman  &  Co.,  under  which  style  operations  were 
continued  for  a  year,  when  Mr.  Jones  became  sole 
proprietor.  He  now  has  a  fine  store,  with  en- 
trances on  two  of  the  principal  streets  of  Staunton. 


The  Main  Street  entrance  ushers  one  into  a  room 
65x28  feet  and  from  this  is  another  department, 
leading  into  a  second  room  28x24  feet.  Mr.  Joins 
carries  a  full  line  of  general  merchandise  and  by  his 
earnest  desire  to  please  his  customers,  his  genial 
manner  and  fair  dealing,  he  has  worked  up  an  ex- 
cellent trade  and  the  liberal  patronage  which  he  has 
secured  nets  him  a  good  income. 

On  the  lGth  of  October.  1840,  in  Henry  County. 
Iowa,  Mr.  Jones  was  born  unto  Herbert  and  Eliza- 
beth (Farris)  Jones.  His  father,  a  native  of  Wales, 
emigrated  to  this  country  and  located  in  New 
Hampshire,  where  he  met  and  married  Miss  Farris, 
a  native  of  the  Granite  State.  On  coming  West  in 
an  early  day,  they  settled  on  a  farm  in  Henry 
County.  Iowa,  where  all  of  their  children  were 
born,  and  there  the  parents  died  in  middle  life. 

The  boyhood  days  of  our  subject  were  spent  un- 
der the  parental  roof  and  when  a  young  man  he 
came  to  Illinois.  In  1855  he  secured  a  position  in 
a  dry-goods  bouse  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1861,  when  he  came  to  Illinois.  Two 
years  later  he  obtained  a  clerkship  in  the  Levi  dry- 
goods  store  and  clothing  house,  of  Litchfield,  where 
he  resided  for  twenty  years,  during  all  that  time 
being  in  the  employ  of  the  one  firm.  It  was  dur- 
ing his  residence  in  Litchfield  that  he  met  and  mar- 
ried Miss  Maltie  Brooks,  a  native  of  Illinois,  born 
near  Nauvoo,  Hancock  County,  in  September, 
185G.  When  a  child  she  removed  with  her  par- 
ents to  Duquoin  County,  where  her  father  died  in 
the  prime  of  life.  Mrs.  Brooks,  her  mother,  after- 
ward removed  to  Litchfield,  and  her  death  occurred 
in  Edwardsville,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  The 
marriage  of  our  subject  and  his  wife  was  celebrated 
in  18G7,  and  unto  them  has  been  born  a  daughter, 
Maude,  an  accomplished  young  lady,  who  has  a 
host  of  friends  in  Staunton. 

Mr.  Jones  has  led  a  busy  and  useful  life,  yet 
aside  from  his  business  interests  he  has  found  time 
to  devote  to  public  affairs.  He  is  a  progressive 
and  public-spirited  citizen,  who  manifests  a  deep 
interest  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  welfare  of  the 
county  and  its  advancement.  In  his  social  rela- 
tions he  is  a  Mason,  belonging  to  Staunton  Lodge, 
No.  177,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he  is  Treasurer; 
he  also  holds  membership  with  Camp  No.  572,   M. 


300 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


W.  A.  and  of  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Honor. 
In  business  and  social  circles  he  is  alike  favorably 
known  and  though  his  residence  in  .Staunton  cov- 
ers a  period  of  only  ten  years,  he  takes  rank  among 
her  leading  citizens. 


15.  ELDRED,a  representative  of  one  of  the 
early  pioneer  families  of  Illinois,  is  an  old 
and  highly  respected  citizen  of  this  county, 
who  is  now  living  in  retirement  at  Carlinville,  hav- 
ing acquired  a  goodly  amount  of  property  during 
his  active  business  life  as  a  farmer  from  which  he 
derives  an  ample  income  He  was  born  at  Win- 
field,  Herkimer  County,  N.  Y.,  October  31,  1819. 
His  father,  who  was  named  Ward  Eldred,  was  born 
in  Connecticut  in  1795,  and  was  a  son  of  Jehose- 
phal  Eldred,  who  was  also  a  native  of  that  New 
State,  and  was  a  descendant  of  one  of  three  broth- 
ers who  came  to  America  from  Wales  in  Colonial 
times. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  reared  on  a 
farm,  and  was  married  in  his  native  State  to  Polly 
Landon.  After  marriage  he  removed  to  Heiki 
mer  County,  N.  Y.,  and  was  a  pioneer  of  that 
section  of  the  country,  buying  a  tract  of  wood 
land  and  clearing  a  farm.  There  were  no  railroads 
or  canals  in  the  Empire  State  in  those  days,  and 
Albany  was  the  nearest  market  and  depot  for  sup- 
plies. In  1820  he  sold  his  possessions  there,  anil 
with  his  wife  and  seven  children,  two  of  whom  had 
families,  he  again  started  Westward  in  search  of  a 
new  location  in  the  young  State  of  Illinois.  The 
little  party  set  out  on  their  long  and  momentous 
journey  in  the  month  of  March,  driving  to  (Mean 
Point,  where  they  embarked,  teams  and  all  on  flat- 
boats  and  floated  down  on  the  Alleghany  and  Ohio 
Rivers  to  the  Mississippi,  to  Shawneetown,  having 
an  Indian  pilot  to  guide  them  on  their  way,  and 
from  the  latter  place  drove  with  their  teams  to  Mad- 
ison County.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject  rented 
improved  land  and  after  raising  a  crop  for  win- 
ter use,  removed  with  his  family  to  Greene  County. 
He  and  his  sons,  William  and  Ward,  bought  to- 
gether a  squatter's  claim  to  a  tract  of  Government 


land,  a  part  of  which  is  now  included  in  the  town 
of  Carrollton.  He  erected  a  log  house,  and  at  once 
commenced  to  evolve  a  farm  from  the  wilderness; 
that  was  prior  to  the  time  that  Carrollton  was  laid 
out,  and  Greene,  Jersey,  Macoupin  and  a  part  of 
Scott  County  were  included  in  Greene  County,  St. 
Louis  being  the  nearest  market.  Deer,  turkeys  and 
other  kind  of  game  were  abundant,  and  the  In- 
dians still  lived  on  the  Illinois  River.  In  1826 
Grandfather  Eldred  went  to  the  mines  at  Galena, 
and  in  that  vicinity  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  his  death  occurring  at  a  venerable  age  in  1847. 
His  wife  died  before  he  did,  her  life  terminating 
Greene  County  in  1821. 

Ward  Eldred  was  but  a  child  when  his  parents 
went  to  New  York  State,  and  there  he  grew  to  a 
vigorous  manhood,  and  in  due  time  he  was  married. 
In  1818  he  visited  Illinois  on  a  prospecting  tour, 
and  after  a  short  stay  in  Madison  County,  returned 
as  he  came,  on  foot.  In  1820  he  came  back  here 
with  his  father  and  other  members  of  the  family 
and  settled  in  Greene  County,  buying  a  claim  on 
which  he  located.  When  the  land  came  into  mar- 
ket he  attended  the  sale  at  Edwardsville,  and 
bought  four  hundred  acres  for  himself,  besides 
quite  a  tract  for  his  father  and  another  for  his 
brother.  It  was  prairie  and  timber  land,  and  a 
cabin  stood  on  his  purchase,  into  which  the  family 
moved  in  December,  1820.  After  the  death  of  his 
wife  in  1823  Mr.  Eldred  broke  up  housekeeping 
and  made  his  home  with  his  brother  William  until 
1828,  when  he  married  a  second  time,  and  built  a 
log  house  on  his  farm  for  the  accommodation  of 
his  bride.  He  lived  on  that  place  some  years  and 
then  sold  and  bought  Illinois  River  bottom  lands 
in  the  same  county.  There  he  closed  his  e3res  in 
that  dreamless  sleep  that  knows  no  waking,  in 
June,  1851.  The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our 
subject  was  Emma  Brace,  and  she  was  of  Connect- 
icut birth.  Her  father  Asahel  Brace,  was  also  a 
native  of  New  England,  and  he  was  a  son 
of  Abel  Brace.  The  former  went  to  New  York  to 
locate  in  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  of  that 
State,  and  became  a  resident  of  Winfield,  where  he 
drew  out  the  remnant  of  his  days  to  a  good  old 
age.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Katie 
Curtis. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


301 


Our  subject  was  the  only  son  of  his  mother,  anil 
he  was  bereft  by  death  of  her  tender  care  when 
he  was  scarcely  four  years  old.  His  paternal  grand- 
parents then  took  him  in  charge  until  his  father's 
second  marriage.  His  education  was  obtained  in 
the  pioneer  schools  of  the  early  years  of  the  settle  ■ 
inent  of  this  State,  which  were  held  in  log  houses, 
furnished  with  slab  benches  that  were  supported  by 
wooden  pegs,  and  a  board  on  either  side  of  the  ' 
school-room  served  as  a  common  writing  desk  for 
the  pupils.  These  primitive  buildings  were  lighted 
by  a  part  of  two  logs  being  cut  out  and  a  row  of 
pieces  of  glass  eight  by  ten  inches  in  size  being  in- 
serted in  the  hole  thus  made  in  the  wall.  The 
schools  were  taught  on  the  subscription  plan,  and 
our  subject;,  eager  for  a  practical  knowledge  of 
books,  attended  whenever  opportunity  offered. 

When  not  in  school  our  subject  assisted  in  the 
labors  of  the  farm,  and  continued  to  reside  with 
his  parents  until  he  established  domestic  relations 
of  his  own  by  his  marriage  in  March,  1842,  to 
Miss  Emeline  Wooley,  a  native  of  Greene  County, 
111.,  and  a  daughter  of  David  and  Lauretta 
(Hodge)  Wooley,  who  were  residents  of  New  York 
S-,ate  prior  to  their  removal  to  Illinois  when  they 
became  pioneers  of  Greene  Count}-.  Mr.  Eldred's 
first  wife  died  in  1857,  leaving  three  children,  Da- 
mon II..  William  O.  and  George.  His  second  mar- 
riage was  in  1858  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Ritchie,  a 
native  of  New  York  City,  and  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Margaret  (Wilson)  Ritchie.  Her  death  oc- 
curred May  24,  1873.  Eive  children  are  living  of 
that  marriage — Charles  W.,  Samuel  W.,  Horace  ()., 
Margaret  D.  and  John  F.  Our  subject  was  a  third 
time  married  September  3,  1875,  Miss  Grace  Trible 
becoming  his  wife.  She  is  a  native  of  Devonshire, 
England,  and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Oli- 
ver) Trible.  Her  parents  were  also  natives  of 
Devonshire,  and  came  from  their  old  English  home 
to  this  country  in  1858.  The}'  settled  nearGirard, 
in  this  county,  where  Mr.  Trible  bought  land  anil 
was  prosperously  engaged  in  farming  until  his 
death  in  January,  1890.  His  widow  now  makes 
her  home  with  her  children. 

When  Mr.  Eldred  married  and  settled  down  in 
life  his  father  gave  him  eighty  acres  of  land  nine 
miles  west  of  Carrollton.     In  March,  1857,  he  sold 


that  place,  and  coining  to  this  county,  bought  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Polk  Town- 
ship, upon  which  he  made  his  home  until  March, 
1890,  when  he  purchased  his  present  commodious 
and  conveniently  arranged  residence  in  Carlinville. 
During  his  active  business  life  he  displayed  great 
enterprise,  tact  and  ability  in  the  management  of 
his  affairs  that  brought  him  riches,  and  he  knows 
how  to  enjoy  his  wealth,  and  he  has  a  thorough 
appreciation  of  good  things  of  life.  His  many 
years'  residence  in  this  county  have  gained  him  a 
large  acquaintance,  among  whom  he  has  many 
warm  friends,  attracted  to  him  by  his  genial,  jovial 
disposition,  and  by  his  generous  and  kindly  nature. 
In  his  earl}-  life  he  was  a  Whig,  and  his  first  Presi- 
dential vote  was  cast  for  W.  H.  Harrison.  Since 
18G0  he  has  been  a  devoted  adherent  of  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  has  served  as  Assessor  of  Polk 
Township,  and  is  a  member  and  Director  of  the 
Macoupin  County  Agricultural  Society,  always  do- 
ing all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  be3t  interests 
of  this  section. 


ILLIAM  JONES,  Esq.,  a  well-known  and 


3,1        flfclLLIAM, 

\Jf    honored 
^7\v      gaged  in 


pioneer  of  this  county,  now  en- 
general  farming  on  section  Hi, 
Brighton  Township,  claims  Wales  as  the  land  of 
his  nativity.  He  was  born  in  Radnorshire,  on  the 
14th  of  May,  1 8 1 G,  of  the  union  of  Thomas  and 
Ellen  (Vail)  Jones.  His  father  is  of  Welsh  de- 
scent, his  mother  of  French  lineage.  They  were 
married  and  began  their  domestic  life  in  the 
province  where  our  subject  was  born  and  after 
some  years  removed  into  an  adjoining  county  in 
England.  During  the  war  with  France  which 
ended  in  the  defeat  of  Napoleon,  Thomas  Jones 
made  and  lost  a  fortune.  In  1831,  after  the  birth 
of  all  their  children,  he  and  his  wife  left  England, 
sailing  from  Liverpool  to  the  United  States  upon 
the  ship  "Ajax,"  commanded  by  Capt.  Hum.  After 
five  weeks  and  three  days  spent  upon  the  water 
they  landed  in  New  York  City,  whence  they 
made  their  way  to  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  where 
they  resided  until  the  spring  of   1833,  when   they 


302 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


made  their  way  by  the  New  Orleans  and  Alton 
route  to  Illinois.  The  combined  capital  of  the 
family  at  that  time  was  only  $10,  five  of  which  was 
paid  for  conveying  them  to  Brighton.  The  other 
five  was  used  to  make  a  partial  payment  upon  a 
milch  cow,  the  remainder  to  paid  for  by  the  labor 
of  one  of  the  boys.  After  a  time  with  the  help  of 
one  of  his  sons,  Thomas  .Jones  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  Government  land  which 
he  cleared  and  developed,  making  it  a  good  farm. 
The  mother  died  at  their  home  in  the  early  days 
when  about  sixty  years  of  age.  The  father  died 
at  the  home  of  his  son,  our  subject,  about  nineteen 
years  later.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of 
the  Baptist  Church.  They  had  a  large  family  but 
with  the  exception  of  William  and  his  brother 
Thomas,  who  is  now  living  in  Beardstown,  III.,  all 
are  now  deceased. 

Our  subject  has  been  a  resident  of  Illinois  since 
he  was  seventeen  years  of  age  with  the  exception 
of  a  very  short  period.  He  worked  for  many 
years  as  a  farm  hand  and  throughout  his  life  has 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  with  the  exception 
of  the  two  years  he  spent  on  the  Pacific  Slope, 
immediately  after  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Cali- 
fornia, be  set  out  with  H.  C.  Clark  and  William 
Loveland  with  fourteen  ox-teams  and  as  many- 
wagons.  On  the  6th  of  May  the  party  crossed  the 
Missiouri  River  at  St.  Joseph,  and  started  on  the 
wearisome  march  across  the  plains,  arriving  on  the 
1st  of  August  at  the  Nevada  mines  on  Greenhorn 
River.  They  made  the  first  trail  over  that  country. 
For  a  time  Mr.  Jones  engaged  in  mining  and  then 
made  a  trip  to  San  Francisco  and  Sacramento  for 
the  mail  for  the  others  of  the  camp.  Subsequently 
he  joined  parties  in  a  merchandising  venture  which 
was  very  successful  and  later  he  struck  some  very 
good  surface  mining.  After  spending  two  years 
in  California,  he  returned  home  by  the  way  of  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama  and  New  Orleans  and  with  his 
gold  dust  purchased  his  present  homestead.  His 
western  experience  was  interesting  in  many  par- 
ticulars yet  he  also  suffered  many  hardships,  being 
afflicted  with  the  scurvy  which  prevailed  to  a  great 
extent  among  the  miners. 

In  this  county,  Mr.  Jones  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss   Eveline  Dandridge,  who   was   born   in 


Alabama,  in  1813,  and  died  at  her  home  in  Brighton 
Township  in  1864,  leaving  one  son,  Thomas  A., 
who  married  Clara  Clark  and  is  now  a  farmer  of 
this  community.  The  mother  was  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church  and  a  most  estimable  lady.  For 
a  second  wife  Mr.  Jones  choose  Miss  Margaret 
Forse,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Dresden,  Ohio, 
and  afterward  came  to  Illinois,  where  she  married 
Mr.  Jones.  In  religious  belief  she  was  a  Presby- 
terian and  died  in  the  faith  of  that  church  in  1881. 
Three  children  were  born  of  their  marriage,  Susan 
M.,  Vail  F.  and  Hugh  W.,  who  are  still  at  home 
with  their  father. 

Mr.  Jones  is  a  prominent  Mason,  belonging  to 
the  Blue  Lodge  of  Brighton,  and  in  politics  is  a 
Democrat.  He  has  served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace 
and  School  Trustee  for  thirty-nine  years  and  is  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  com- 
munity. His  attention  however  has  been  devoted 
mostly  to  his  farming  interests  and  he  is  now  the 
owner  of  twelve  hundred  acres  of  highly-improved 
land  which  yields  to  him  a  golden  tribute  for  the 
care  and  cultivation  he  bestows  upon  it. 

-«= 

"JYJ  AMES  ETTER  is  one  of  the  reputable  farm- 
ers of  South  Palmyra  Township,  owning 
and  operating  an  estate  pleasantly  located 
on  section  9.  It  consists  of  ninety  acres  of 
fertile  land  which  was  given  to  our  subject  by  his 
father,  and  which  is  well  cultivated,  supplied  with 
substantial  buildings  and  made  the  source  of  a  good 
income.  Mr.  Etter  was  reared  to  farm  life  and  is 
well  acquainted  with  all  the  details  of  his  work  and 
knows  what  means  should  be  taken  to  beautify  as 
well  as  to  make  productive.  He  was  born  in  the 
township  in  which  he  now  lives,  Jul}'  21,  1848, 
and  in  his  early  years  attended  the  district  school. 
His  parents  are  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Davidson) 
Etter,  under  whose  roof  he  remained  until  he  was 
twenty-five  years  of  age. 

October  30,  1873,  Mr.  Etter  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Julia  F.  Richie,  who  was  born  in 
South  Palmyra  Township  in  1856.  Her  father, 
Eli  W.  Richie,  is  a   reputable  farmer.     After  their 


UBRART 
OF  THE 

uwvwwty  cr  iliinc 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


305 


marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Etter  settled  where  they  are 
now  living.  Their  pleasant  home  is  brightened  by 
the  presence  of  four  children,  named  respectively, 
Eli  Scott;  Settla  A.,  died  when  seven  years  old; 
Elfa  J.,  Henry  Ross  and  Ola  J. 

Mr.  Etter  has  served  as  Constable,  Road  Com- 
missioner, Township  Clerk  and  Collector.  He  was 
elected  to  the  first  ollice  soon  after  attaining  his 
majority,  and  filled  each  of  the  other  positions  in 
turn  in  a  capable  manner.  He  keeps  himself  well 
informed  regarding  the  news  of  the  day  and  the 
political  issues  and  converses  intelligently.  He 
always  casts  his  ballot  with  the  Democrats.  As  a 
citizen  he  is  reliable  and  steady  going,  in  social 
life  he  is  agreeable,  and  in  his  own  home  he  is 
thoughtful  and  considerate. 


^*fl 


S*--. 


vfps  LLISON  BRALEV.  The  gentleman  whose 
|L  portrait  is  presented  on  the  opposite  page  is 
I  one  of  the  most  extensive  farmers  and  land- 

owners in  the  county,  and  is  numbered  among  the 
Oldest  citizens  now  residing  at  Carlinville.  He  is 
widely  known  and  honored  for  his  integiit}'  of 
character  and  good  citizenship.  He  comes  of  good 
old  New  England  stock  and  is  himself  a  native  of 
that  section  of  the  country,  Hopkinton,  Middlesex 
County,  Mass.,  his  place  of  birth  and  .July  26, 
1810,  the  date  thereof. 

His  father,  whose  given  name  was  Ezekiel,  was 
born  in  Rhode  Island  in  1782  and  was  a  son  of 
Roger  Braley,  who  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts 
and  the  descendant  of  an  old  Huguenot  family 
that  came  to  America  in  1700  to  escape  religious 
persecution  in  their  native  land,  and  settled  in 
Massachusetts  buying  large  tracts  of  land  from 
the  Indians,  the  deed  of  the  same  reading,  "in  con- 
sideration of  two  smokes  of  the  pipe  and  one  drink 
of  eider."  A  part  of  the  land  was  afterward  the 
home  of  Daniel  Webster.  The  first  ancestor  to 
come  to  this  country  spelled  his  name  Brales.  He 
reared  four  sons,  who  were  named  Ezekiel,  Rauel, 
John  and  Roger. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject  left  his  early 
home  in  the  old  Pay  State  and  made  a  new  one  for 


himself  in  Rhode  Island,  where  he  lived  until 
death  closed  his  mortal  career.  He  married  Ruth 
Cole,  who  after  his  death  became  the  wife  of  a  man 
by  the  name  of  Posworth,  spending  her  last  years 
in  Massachusetts.  The  father  of  our  subject  lived 
in  his  native  State  until  he  attained  manhood  and 
early  learned  the  trade  of  a  shoemaker.  When  a 
young  man  he  went  to  Massachusetts  and  was  em- 
ployed on  a  farm  by  Capt.  Rockwood  in  that  part 
of  the  town  of  Upton  now  included  in  Hopkinton. 
He  subsequently  bought  a  small  tract  of  land  live 
miles  south  of  that  town,  and  resided  thereon  some 
years,  farming  in  summer  and  making  shoes  in 
the  winter.  In  182G  he  removed  to  Holliston, 
where  he  lived  until  1840.  His  next  move  was  to 
Westboro,  where  his  earthly  pilgrimage  was  brought 
to  an  end  and  he  was  gathered  to  his  fathers  at  a 
ripe  old  age. 

He  and  his  good  wife  reared  a  family  of  nine 
children,  of  whom  the  following  is  noted:  Elliott, 
who  came  to  Illinois  in  1857,  died  at  Carlinville 
in  his  eighty-third  year;  Ellison  is  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Philander  came  to  this  State  in  183G, 
and  after  living  in  Madison  County  fifteen  years, 
has  ever  since  been  a  resident  of  Carlinville; 
Louisa  married  Charles  Morgan  and  resides  at 
Carlinville;  Harriet  married  Nelson  Cole  and  lives 
at  Piasa  this  county;  Benjamin  is  a  resident  of 
of  Westboro,  Mass.;  George  R.  lives  near  Dexter, 
Mo.;  Gibbs,  the  eldest  son  of  the  fa»...ly.  died  in 
1881,  at  the  age  of  seventy -five ;  Esther,  the 
youngest  daughter,  died  in  1886  at  the  age  of 
fifty-seven  years. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Lois  Walker  and  she  was  born  in  1783  in 
Hopkinton,  Mass.  Her  father,  Timothy  Walker, 
was  also  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  was  a  son 
of  Israel  ami  Abigail  Walker.  He  was  a  soldier 
in  both  the  Revolution  and  the  War  of  1812. 
His  entire  life  was  passed  in  his  native  State,  where 
he  carried  on  the  occupation  of  a  farmer  and 
hunter.  He  married  Lois  Gibbs,  a  native  of  Hop- 
kinton and  a  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Lois  Gibbs. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  departed  this  life  in 
her  native  town. 

Ellison  Braley  left  the  parental  home  at  the 
age  of  twelve  years  and  went  to  live  wii.h  Charles 


306 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Valentine  in  llopkinton.  with  whom  lie  'remained 
until  he  was  fifteen  years  old.  He  then  accom- 
panied Mr.  Valentine  to  Boston,  where  the  latter 
formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Bridges  to  carry  on 
the  business  of  wholesale  provision  merchants. 
Our  subject  continued  in  their  employ  in  the  Boyl- 
ston  Market  six  years  and  then  in  1832  went  to 
New  York  in  the  interests  of  Mr.  Bridges,  and 
assisted  him  there  nntil  1838.  In  the  fall  of  that 
year  he  started  Westward  with  another  young 
man.  driving  to  Western  Pennsylvania  with  a 
horse  and  wagon,  then  traveling  by  stage  by  the 
way  of  Pittsburg  and  Wheeling  to  Cincinnati; 
there  they  embarked  on  a  steamboat  and  proceeded 
to  Madison,  Ind.,  where  Mr.  Braley  worked  for  a 
time  for  a  New  York  firm.  The  following  spring 
he  made  his  way  to  Illinois,  traveling  on  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  rivers  to  St.  Louis  and  from  that 
city  by  a  two-horse  wagon  to  Carlinville,  where 
he  arrived  the  1st  of  April.  He  rented  land,  on 
which  he  raised  a  crop  of  corn  and  in  the  fall 
formed  a  partnership  with  a  tanner.  Five  years 
later  he  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  tannery  and 
bought  a  country  store,  which  he  managed  a  year 
and  a  half,  and  later  bought  a  grist  mill  at  Collins 
Mill.  The  next  venture  was  to  buy  a  steam  flour 
mill  at  East  St.  Louis,  which  he  operated  a  few 
months  and  then  sold  advantageously. 

Soon  after  that  Mr.  liraley  bought  a  steam  saw- 
mill on  Macoupin  Creek,  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
Carlinville,  his  brother  being  interested  with  him 
in  the  purchase.  They  refitted  the  mill,  putting 
in  new  machinery  and  repairing  the  boilers,  and 
worked  the  concern  very  profitably  until  it  was 
burned  a  year  later.  The  brothers  then  came  to 
Carlinville  and  erected  a  steam  saw  mill  and  were 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  until  1804. 
when  they  sold  their  mill.  During  that  time  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  was  in  process  of  con- 
struction and  they  had  the  contract  to  furnish  the 
joint  ties  for  the  road,  which  was  completed  from 
Alton  to  Carlinville  in  July,  1852.  That  fall  they 
took  the  contract  to  furnish  ties  and  lumber  to  be 
used  in  the  construction  of  the  road  between 
Springfield  and  Bloomington.  After  disposing  of 
the  mill  our  subject  turned  his  attention  to  farm- 
ing; and   became   one   of   the  most  extensive  and 


successful  farmers  in  this  region.  He  now  owns 
eight  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  choice  land,  all 
lying  in  this  county  and  conveniently  divided  into 
different  farms,  which  are  under  good  tillage  and 
amply  supplied  with  a  good  class  of  farm  build- 
ings. 

Mr.  Braley  was  married  in  the  city  of  New  York 
November  1,  1840,  to  Miss  Catherine  Coon,  a  na- 
tive of  Rensselaer  County,  N.  Y.,  and  to  her  devo- 
tion to  his  interests  is  undoubtedly  attributable  a 
good  share  of  his  prosperity.  They  have  six  chil- 
dren: George,  a  resident  of  Virden;  Sarah,  living 
in  California;  Eleanora,  the  widow  of  General 
Rowett,  of  whom  see  biography  on  another  page 
of  this  volume;  Catherine,  Paul  and  Cyrus  F.,  the 
latter  three  living  with  their  parents. 

Through  a  long  and  busy  life  that  has  passed 
the  eightieth  milestone  on  the  journey  to  immor- 
tality, our  subject  has  shown  himself  to  possess  in 
an  eminent  degree  those  dominant  characteristics 
of  the  genuine  sons  of  New  England  that  have 
made  theaa  such  potent  factors  in  the  upbuilding 
of  any  community  wherever  their  lot  may  be  cast. 
His  capability  and  keen  insight  into  the  best  meth- 
ods of  managing  his  financial  interests,  together 
with  his  plain  and  straightforward  dealings,  have 
placed  him  among  the  moneyed  men  of  the  county. 
He  and  his  wife  stand  high  in  social  and  religions 
circles  and  are  among  the  most  esteemed  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Formerly  a  Whig. 
Mr.  Braley  has  been  a  tried  and  true  Hepubliean 
since  the  formation  of  the  part}-. 


JAMES  F.  MESSICK.  The  varied  wants  of 
the  present  generation  and  the  many  inven- 
tions that  have  been  made  during  the  cent- 
ury give  rise  to  numerous  occupations  and 
lines  of  trade.  It  is  well  that  it  is  so,  as  the  tastes 
and  peculiar  abilities  of  men  are  thus  called  in 
play  and  legitimately  exercised  for  their  worldly 
prosperity.  Carlinville  is  the  headquarters  of  Mr. 
Messick,  who  has  for  some  time  been  engaged  in 
the  sale  of  musical  instruments  in  this  and  adjoin- 
ing  counties.     By   fair  dealing  he   has  secured  a 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RFX'ORD. 


307 


large  trade  and  his  reward  has  been  a  good  main- 
tenance and  the  ability  to  supply  his  family  with 
every  comfort  and  give  his  daughter  excellent  ad- 
vantages. 

Mr.  Messick  is  a  native  of  this  county,  having 
been  born  on  a  farm  in  Brushy  Mound  Township., 
February  24,  1844.  His  father,  Joseph  W.  Mes- 
sick, who  was  born  in  Christian  Count}-,  Ky.,  was 
reared  and  married  in  his  native  State,  and  con- 
tinued to  reside  there  until  1840,  when  he  removed 
to  this  State  with  teams.  Reaching  Cabokia  Town- 
ship, this  county,  he  made  his  home  there  two 
years,  then  went  to  Gillespie  Township,  and  in 
February,  1844,  settled  in  Brushy  Mound  Town- 
ship. He  bought  a  tract  of  wild  prairie  land  and 
built  upon  it  the  log-house  in  which  his  son  James 
was  born.  He  improved  the  land  and  lived  upon 
it  until  1868,  then  sold  and  for  a  few  years  resided 
in  Nilwood  Township,  after  which  he  went  lo 
Kansas.  For  a  time  he  made  his  home  in  Bourbon 
County,  but  finally  established  himself  in  Crawford 
County,  where  he  is  still  living.  His  father,  Abra- 
ham Messick,  is  believed  to  have  been  born  in 
Pennsylvania  and  was  an  early  settler  in  Christian 
County,  Ky. 

The  wife  of  Joseph  Messick  and  mother  of  our 
subject  was  Sarah  Kittinger,  a  native  of  the  Blue 
Grass  State,  who  died  in  1860.  She  had  six  child- 
ren, named  respectively,  Daniel  W.,  James  F., 
Joseph.  B.,  Martin  A.,  Sarah  and  Thomas.  Daniel 
was  killed  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  being  a  member 
of  the  Thirty-second  Illinois  Infantry;  Joseph 
served  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-fourth  Illin- 
ois Infantry. 

The  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  these 
paragraphs  was  educated  in  his  native  township 
ind  in  the  intervals  of  study  assisted  in  carrying 
on  the  farm,  lie  obtained  a  practical  education 
ind  at  the  early  age  of  sixteen  years  began  teach- 
ing and  until  1864  gave  a  part  of  each  year  to  ped- 
agogical work.  He  then  enlisted,  enrolling  himself 
in  Company  G.One  Hundred  and  Thirty. third  Illin- 
iia  Infantry,  in  the  month  of  May,  but  a  short  time 
ifter  he  had  passed  his  twentieth  birthday.  His 
inrollment  was  for  one  hundred  days  and  he  served 
inlil  September,  when  he  was  honorably  dis- 
'barged,  the  term  of  service  having  expired.     He 


resumed  his  former  occupations  of  teaching  and 
farming,  and  spent  each  winter  in  the  school-room 
until  1873.  He  then  entered  upon  his  present 
business,  in  which  he  has  been  more  than  ordinarily 
successful. 

The  family  of  Mr.  Messick  consists  of  a  wife  and 
daughter.  His  wife  was  known  in  her  maidenhood 
as  Miss  Susan  R.  Kelly,  and  changed  her  name  to 
that  she  now  bears,  in  1868.  She  is  a  capable, 
well-read  woman,  with  a  Christian  character,  and 
is  an  excellent  neighbor  and  true  friend.  The 
daughter,  Nellie  11.,  has  been  the  object  of  tender 
and  judicious  care  and  is  well  calculated  to  adorn 
any  circle  in  which  she  may  be  placed.  Husband, 
wife  and  daughter  belong  to  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  and  Mr.  Messick  is  Trustee  and  Stew- 
ard. After  giving  due  thought  to  the  political 
situation  he  decided  in  favor  of  Republican  princi- 
ples and  he  has  seen  no  reason  to  abandon  the 
party. 


<  HHK'r 


GEORGE  II.  GIBSON,  M.  D.,  is  a  popular 
and  well-known  physician  at  Shipinan.  He 
\>^r|l  is  a  native  of  this  State,  born  at  Brighton 
September  15,  1853.  His  father,  James  W.  Gilson, 
was  a  Pennsylvanian  by  birth,  and  was  a  son  of 
William  Gilson,  who  was  also  a  native  of  the  Key- 
stone State,  of  which  he  was  a  life-long  resident. 
He  was  of  Scotch  ancestry.  His  occupation  was 
that  of  a  farmer. 

The  father  of  our  subject  passed  his  early  life 
amid  the  scenes  of  his  birth,  but  when  he  attained 
manhood  he  set  out  in  the  world  to  seek  fortune's 
favors  in  the  Great  West,  as  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try was  then  called.  He  came  to  this  State  in 
1840,  and  buying  a  partly  improved  farm  near 
Brighton,  he  devoted  himself  to  agriculture  for 
some  years.  He  then  took  up  his  residence  at 
Brighton,  where  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  mer- 
cantile business,  and  to  buying  and  shipping  grain. 
His  death  August  30,  1860,  removed  from  that 
town  one  of  its  most  enterprising  citizens,  who  had 
been  a  valuable  help  in  its  upbuilding.  In  earl}' 
manhood  he  had  married  at  Jefferson,  Ind..  Marian 
Merriwether,  a  native  of  Todd   County,  K}-.     She 


308 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


departed  this  life  August  31,  1873.  She  was  the 
mother  of  seven  children. 

Our  subject  laid  the  foundation  of  a  liberal  edu- 
cation in  the  Brighton  public  schools,  and  was 
subsequently  graduated  from  Blackburn  University 
in  the  class  of  1872.  Thus  well  prepared,  he  en- 
tered upon  his  medical  studies  at  the  St.  Louis 
Medical  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
the  class  of  March,  1876.  Before  he  entered  upon 
his  professional  career,  he  made  a  tour  of  the  East- 
ern States,  visiting  the  Centennial  Exposition  at, 
Philadelphia,  and  other  points  of  interest,  broaden- 
ing Ids  mind  by  contact  with  the  outside  world 
and  deepening  his  knowledge  by  intelligent  obser- 
vation. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  he  opened  an  office  at 
Shipmau,  and  has  been  in  continuous  practice  here 
since,  establishing  himself  in  the  confidence  of  the 
people  by  his  successful  mode  of  treatment  of  the 
various  ailments  and  diseases  that  come  under  his 
care,  and  obtaining  a  warm  place  in  their  hearts  by 
his  manifest  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  patients, 
by  his  never  failing  geniality,  and  by  courteous 
consideration  of  others.  Our  subject  is  prominent 
in  medical  and  social  circles  as  a  member  and  Vice- 
President  of  the  Macoupin  County  Society  for 
Medical  Improvement;  of  the  American  Medical 
Association;  of  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society ; 
and  of  Shipman  Lodge,  No.  212,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

Doctor  Gilson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
M.  A.  Preston,  in  1880.  Their  wedded  life  was 
terminated  by  her  death  October  18,  1888. 


"tf^rtg^e*! 


W.  ZIMMERMANN,  one  of  the  substantial 
farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  Bunker  Hill 
Township,  residing  on  section  33,  has  there 
made  his  home  since  before  the  war.  He 
was  born  in  the  Kingdom  of  Hanover,  Ger- 
many, November  8,  1822,  not  far  from  the  North 
Sea,  and  his  parents,  William  and  Minnie  (Debuhr) 
Zimmerman,  were  also  born  in  the  same  locality, 
where  they  spent  their  entire  lives.  The  father 
of  our  subject  was  a  farmer  and  both  he  and 
his  wife  were  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 


Church.  Unto  them  were  born  seven  children, 
after  which  the  mother  died  and  Mr.  Zimmerman 
was  again  married,  while  of  that  union  were  born 
a  son  and  daughter.  Only  four  members  of  the 
family  have  made  homes  in  America — John,  Rich- 
ard and  F.  W.,  all  of  whom  are  resident  farmers  of 
this  county;  and  a  half-brother  Henry,  who  lives 
in  Bethalto,  III. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  the  days 
his  boyhood  and  youth  in  his  native  land  and 
when  twenty-five  years  of  age,  having  determined 
try  his  fortune  in  the  New  World,  took  passage 
Bremen,  on  the  sailing-vessel  "Post,"  which 
length  reached  the  harbor  of  New  Orleans,  aftei 
a  long  and  tedious  voyage  of  ten  weeks,  in  whic 
they  encountered  two  hard  storms.  This  vvas 
the  fall  of  1848  and  in  the  following  spring 
Zimmermann  made  his  way  up  the  Mississippi  Rive 
to  Alton  and  located  in  Madison  County.  Ther 
he  married  Miss  Margaretla  Post,  who  was  also 
native  of  Hanover  and  came  to  the  United  State 
in  the  same  vessel  in  which  her  future  husbanc 
sailed.  Her  parents  continued  to  reside  in  Ger 
many  until  death. 

For  the  long  period  of  forty  yeais  Mr.  and  Mrs 
Zimmermann  have  traveled  life's  journey  together 
sharing  with  each  other  its  prosperity  and  adver 
sity,  its  joys  and  its  sorrows.  Five  children  havil 
come  to  bless  their  union,  but  four  of  them  are  nov 
deceased — William,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eigh 
years;  Willie,  who  died  when  nine  months  old 
Anna,  whose  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  twenty 
four;  and  Frank,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty 
four;  he  married  Anna  Lutz,  who  is  now  b'ving  v 
Bunker  Hill;  Herman  F.  wedded  Belle  Duffy  am 
owns  and  operates  a  good  farm  in  Bunker  Hil 
Township. 

Mr.  Zimmermann  left  Illinois  in  1850,  attracted 
by  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California,  and  in  com 
pan3-  with  Henry  Keizer  and  John  Heind  started  fc 
the  Pacific  Slope  with  five  mules  and  one  wagon 
They  left  in  the  month  of  April,  crossed  the  Mis 
souii  River  at  St.  Joseph,  thence  followed  the  ohj 
Fremont  trail  and  after  seventy-four  days  reache 
Hangtown,  Cal.,  where  Mr.  Zimmermann  worked  fti 
a  time.  Along  the  banks  of  the  river  he  then  enj 
gaged  in  mining  for  six    months,   when   his    righ 


RESIDENCE    OP    PETER    HOF.CKER,      5EC. 8,, SHAW'S     POI  NT  TP. ,  MACOUPIN    CO., ILL. 


.  ...... 


residence  or  herman  f.   ziMMERMAnr.  sec,  sa.,  bunker  hill. 


.,-..■ 


RESIDENCE  OF    f,  W.  Z\  MM  ERM  AN  N  ,  SEC.33.,BU  NKER    HI  LL  TP.MACOU  PI  N     CO., ILL. 


UiRABV 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RKCORI). 


311 


ankle  was  crushed.  As  no  physician  was  access- 
ible in  that  country  he  suffered  greatly  from  the  ac- 
cident and  resolved  to  return  home.  He  had  been 
quite  successful  in  his  mining  operations  and  with 
a  considerable  quantity  of  gold  dust  he  sailed  < nit 
of  the  Golden  Gate  in  an  ocean  vessel,  returning 
home  by  way  of  the  Isthmus.  They  touched  on 
the  island  of  Cuba  and  thence  sailed  to  New  Or- 
leans and  afterward  up  the  river  to  Alton. 

For  a  time  after  his  return  Mr.  Zimmerman  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Madison  County  and  then  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  on  section  33,  Bunker  Hill 
Township,  which  has  now  been  his  home  for  about 
a  third  of  a  century.  He  has  a  pleasant  residence,  a 
view  of  which  appears  on  another  page, good  bams 
and  other  outbuildings  and  all  the  improvements 
pecessary  to  a  model  farm.  Although  he  had  little 
capital  when  he  came  to  America,  he  has  worked 
his  way  steadily  upward,  overcoming  the  obstacles 
in  his  path  and  is  now  numbered  among  the  well- 
to-do  farmers  of  the  community.  In  political  sen- 
timent Mr.  Zimmerman  was  formerly  a  Democrat, 
but  since  the  war  has  been  a  Republican.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  German  Methodist 
Church  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  such  have  been  their 
lives  that  they  have  won  the  conQdente  and  esteem 
of  all  with  whom  they  have  come  in  contact. 


ETER  IIOECKER,  President  of  the  Board 
of  School  Directors  of  Shaw's  Point  Town- 
ship, is  numbered  among  the  leading  Ger- 
man-American citizens  of  this  county, 
where  he  has  a  beautiful  farm  on  section  8. 
Through  unremitting  exertions  he  has  become  the 
owner  of  two  hundred  and  thirty  acres,  all  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  divided  into  fields 
from  which  good  crops  are  garnered  at  the  proper 
time.  He  has  embellished  his  estate  with  substan- 
tial farm  buildings  and  a  commodious  residence, 
and  is  carrying  on  the  work  of  general  farming 
systematically  and  with  pleasing  success.  The  at- 
tention of  the  reader  is  invited  to  a  view  of  his 
homestead  which  appears  on  another  page. 


A  native  of  Germany,  Mr.  Iloecker  was  born 
November  20,  1840,  and  is  the  son  of  Abraham 
and  Catherine  (Darsam)  Hoecker.     When  he  was 

live  years  old  he  accompanied  his  parents  across 
the  broad  Atlantic  and  after  landing  in  New  York 
came  West  with  them  to  St.  Clair  County,  111. 
Here  this  worthy  couple  resided  for  many  years, 
engaged  in  farming  pursuits  and  becoming  known 
as  honorable  citizens.  When  they  became  old,  they 
left  their  homestead  and  removed  to  Macoupin 
County,  making  their  home  with  our  subject  dur- 
ing their  declining  years 'and  here  also  they  passed 
from  earth.  They  were  surrounded  by  all  the  com- 
forts which  affection  could  supply  and  after  brave- 
ly fighting  the  battle  of  life,  peacefully  entered 
into    their  final  rest. 

The  youth  of  our  subject  was  passed  in  much 
the  same  manner  as  that  of  most  farmer  boys,  alter- 
nating his  attendance  in  school  with  labor  at  home. 
He  early  gailfttkalgjaelical  knowledge  of  agricul- 
ture an«l  wheS%Jrej&red  to  start  out  in  life  for  him- 
self, nalurany 'c^iTOff'ralWm*  as  his  avocation.  In 
18G5  he  left  St.  Clair  County,  where  he  had  re- 
sided after  coming  to  the  United  States,  and  lo- 
cated in  Shaw's  Point  Township,  this  county.  He 
become  identified  with  this  community  and  is 
known  as  an  honorable,  high  minded  citizen.  As 
above  stated  he  is  now  President  of  the  School 
Board,  of  which  he  has  been  a  member  for  many 
years.  He  has  also  served  the  people  in  various 
minor  ottiees  and  politically  is  independent,  casting 
his  ballot  in  favor  of  those  whom  he  thinks  best 
qualified  to  serve  the  interests  of  the  people. 

On  January  23,  1873,  Mr.  Hoecker  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  Laubenthal,  an  estimable  woman, 
whose  price  has  indeed  been  "far  above  rubies" 
and  whose  children  "rise  up  and  call  her  blessed." 
Mrs.  Hoecker  is  the  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary 
(Weaver)  Laubenthal,  natives  of  Germany,  who 
came  to  the  United  States,  settling  in  Monroe 
County,  111.,  where  they  died.  Their  daughter, 
Mary,  was  born  in  Monroe  County,  November  27, 
1852,  and  was  there  reared  to  maturity.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hoecker  are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  as 
follows:  Anna  L.,  Katie  L.,  Louis,  Mary  T., Otilda 
A.,  August,  Elenora,  and  John.  Elenora  died  whin 
three  and  one-half  years  old,  and  the   other  child- 


312 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ren  remain  under  the  parental  roof.  They  are 
being  carefully  instructed,  not  only  in  matters  of 
the  intellect  but  in  graces  of  character,  and  their 
increase  in  knowledge  and  true  politeness  gratifies 
their  parents  greatly. 


EWffi  JOHNSON,  a  retired  farmer,  living 
at  Carlinville,  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
county  forty-six  j'ears,  coming  here  in  pio- 


neer times,  and  he  has  contributed  his  quota  to  its 
growth  and  prosperity.  He  was  born  in  Clark 
County,  Ind.,  June  30,  1820,  a  son  of  James  John- 
son, who  was  a  Pennsylvanian  by  birth,  born  in 
1788.  The  father  of  the  latter,  who  was  also 
named  James,  removed  from  Pennsylvania  to  Ken- 
tucky in  1700,  floating  down  the  Ohio  in  a  flat- 
boat  to  his  destination.  He  resided  for  a  lime  in 
Scott  County,  and  was  one  of  its  early  settlers. 
lie  went  from  there  to  Shelby  County  in  1702,  and 
resided  there  until  his  death. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  in  Kentucky. 
He  was  one  of  the  men  set  to  guard  the  river  at 
the  falls  to  intercept  Aaron  Burr  when  he  was  ar- 
rested for  plotting  the  formation  of  a  new  and  rival 
State  from  the  South-western  territory  of  the  Union, 
and  later  he  received  a  land  grant  for  his  services. 
He  married  in  Kentucky  Miss  Mary  Miller,  who 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  daughter  of 
David  and  Elizabeth  (Wise)  Miller.  In  1811  Mr. 
Johnson  became  a  pioneer  of  Clark  County,  Ind.. 
that  State  then  being  a  territory,  still  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Indians,  with  but  few  white  inhabi- 
tants. He  built  a  log  house  on  the  tract  of  land 
that  he  bought  from  the  Government,  and  in  that 
humble  abode  in  the  wilderness  his  son  of  whom 
we  write  was  born.  The  father  cleared  a  good 
farm,  and  resided  on  it  until  1868,  when  he  sold  it 
and  came  to  Illinois  to  spend  his  last  days  in  Ma- 
coupin County,  and  here  his  death  occurred  in 
1871.  His  wife  died  on  the  old  farm  in  Indiana 
in  1842. 

The  subject  of  this  biographical  review  grew  to 
a  stalwart  manhood  in  his  native  county,  and  was 
educated  in  its  primitive  schools,  that  were  taught 


in  log  houses,  which  were  rudely  furnished  witl 
seats  made  by  splitting  poplar  logs  hewn  smootl 
on  one  side  and  wooden  pins  inserted  for  leg* 
Mr.  Johnson  remained  with  his  parents  until  In 
was  twenty-four  years  old,  affording  his  father  val 
uable  assistance  on  the  farm,  and  also  working  a 
the  trade  of  a  cooper.  In  1815,  in  the  prime  aui 
vigor  of  early  manhood,  imbued  by  the  pionee 
spirit  of  his  ancestors,  he,  too,  sought  to  build  up; 
home  in  a  new  country,  and  coming  to  Illinois  oi 
horseback,  be  cast  his  lot  with  the  early  settlers  o 
Bird  Township.  He  bought  a  tract  of  wild  prai 
rie  on  section  l,and  by  hard  pioneer  labor  devcl 
oped  in  time  into  a  fine  farm.  His  first  work  wa 
to  erect  a  log  cabin,  and  when  he  married  he  am 
his  bride  commenced  life  together  within  its  walls 
He  was  much  prospered  in  his  calling,  and  in  Sep 
tern  her,  1889,  was  enabled  to  retire  from  aclivi 
business,  renting  his  farm  and  coming  to  Carlin 
ville,  where  he  had  previously  erected  a  comforta 
ble  house,  in  which  he  has  since  made  his  home. 

One  of  the  most  important  events  in  the  life  o 
our  subject  was  his  marriage  November  25,  1847 
to  Miss  Minerva  Stevens  Good,  a  native  of  Fayette 
Greene  County,  III.,  born  September  25,  1828 
They  have  two  children,  Clara  E.  and  Edgar  K 
The  former  married  Peter  L.  Denby,  of  South  Pal 
myra  Township,  and  they  have  two  children,  Zoc 
and  Frederick  L.  Edgar  married  Viola  Harringtoi 
and  they  have  one  child,  named  Lois.  They  lin 
at  Carlinville. 

Mrs.  Johnson  comes  of  one  of  the  old  pioneei 
families  of  this  State.  Her  father,  Ezekiel  Good  ' 
was  a  native  of  Georgia,  and  was  a  sou  of  Thoma.- 
IT.  Good,  who  was  a  Virginian  by  birth.  The  lat- 
ter removed  from  Virginia  to  Georgia,  thence  tc 
South  Carolina,  and  from  there  came  to  Illinois  in 
1815,  in  territorial  days.  He  evolved  a  farm  from 
the  wilderness  on  which  he  continued  to  live  until 
death  ended  his  earthly  pilgrimage.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  wife  was  Gillam,  and  she  also  died  in 
Madison  County. 

Mrs.  Johnson's  father  was  a  3'oung  man  when 
he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents.  After  mar- 
riage he  settled  in  Greene  County,  whence  he  came 
in  1820,  to  Macoupin  Count}-,  and  was  one  of  the 
first  to  settle  at  Carlinville,  the  house  that  he  built 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


313 


being  the  first  dwelling  erected  on  the  present  site 
of  the  city.  He  was  also  one  of  the  first  to  engage 
in  mercantile  business  here.  He  did  not  continue 
n  long,  however,  but  devoted  himself  to  fanning 
and  surveying.  He  was  the  first  Postmaster  at 
Carlinville,  and  the  Circuit  Court  was  held  in  his 
bouse.  In  1834  his  useful  life  was  terminated  by 
his  death,  and  Macoupin  County  was  deprived  of 
the  services  of  one  of  its  practical,  energetic  pio- 
neers. The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Alice 
Bird,  and  she  was  born  in  New  York  City.  Her 
father,  Henry  Knickerbocker  Bird,  was  a  native  of 
the  State  of  iS'ew  York,  and  commenced  the  life  of 
a  sailor  in  his  boyhood,  becoming  in  time  the  com- 
mander of  a  vessel.  Mrs.  Johnson's  mother  died 
at  Carlinville  in   1851. 

A  sturdy  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Johnson 
has  always  faithfully  supported  his  party.  For 
thirty-three  years  he  held  the  office  of  Postmaster, 
and  has  served  as  School  Trustee  and  Township 
Assessor.  His  life-course  has  been  marked  by 
strict  integrity  in  all  things,  and  as  a  man  and  a 
citizen  he  has  always  conducted  himself  so  as  to 
win  and  retain  the  respect  of  all  with  whom  he 
conies  in  contact.  In  his  wife  Mr.  Johnson  has  a 
faithful  helpmate  and  companion.  She  is  a  sincere 
Christian  and  a  valued  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 


C\ 


^OHN  J.  WOMACK.  This  gentleman  i8 
identified  with  the  vast  army  of  fanners 
who  are  doing  so  much  to  enhance  the  pros- 


RsW  perity  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  whose 
homes  attest  to  their  enjoyment  of  the  material 
comforts  which  they  gain  and  the  advantages 
afforded  by  modern  civilization.  His  home  is  on 
section  32,  Shaw's  Point  Township,  and  his  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  is  as  carefully  and 
intelligently  tilled  as  any  in  Macoupin  County. 
His  character  is  one  worthy  to  be  held  up  as  a 
model  to  those  who  succeed  him,  while  his  record 
as  a  citizen  can  be  pointed  to  with  pride  by  hisi 
[posterity. 

Mr.    Womack    claims  Kentucky    as    his    native 


Slate,  and  in  Spencer  County  he  was  born  Novem- 
ber 27,  1819.  Being  the  son  of  a  poor  man,  he 
was  obliged  to  assist  his  father  in  laboring  for 
the  support  of  the  family,  anil  his  educational  ad- 
vantages were  therefore  limited,  lie  has  made 
up  for  the  deficiences  of  his  early  education  by 
careful  reading,  and  is  always  well  posted  upon 
all  topics  of  importance.  He  spent  the  first  six- 
teen years  of  his  life  in  the  Blue  Grass  State,  and 
in  1835  accompanied  his  father.  John  W.  Womack, 
to  Macoupin  County,  this  State.  The  father  lo- 
cated first  in  Shaw's  Point  Township,  and  thence, 
after  a  sojourn  of  ten  years,  he  removed  to  Bird 
Township,  where  lie  died.  The  mother  of  our 
subject,  Elizabeth  (Maddox)  Womack,  died  in 
Kentucky. 

Since  1835  Mr.  Womack  has  resided  continu- 
ously in-  this  county,  where  he  has  been  engaged 
in  farming.  He  was  married  in  Shaw's  Point 
Township,  December  23,  1847,  to  Miss  Mary  A. 
Lofton,  and  of  the  eight  children  born  to  them 
we  note  the  following:  Thomas  W.  served  during 
the  late  war  in  the  Seventh  Illinois  Infantry,  and 
died  in  Louisville,  Ivy.;  Barbara  A.  died  when  two 
years  old:  William  is  at  home;  Abigail  [Kissed 
from  earth  at  the  age  of  twenty  three;  Lucy  died 
in  infancy;  John  is  at  home;  George  died  when 
about  twenty  years  old ;  Albartis  passed  away  at 
the  age  of  less  than  nineteen  years.  Mrs.  Womack 
died  at  their  home  in  Shaw's  Point  Township 
October  8,  1865. 

The  lady  who  now  presides  over  the  domestic 
affairs  in  the  home  of  Mr.  Womack  became  his 
wife  May  9,  1867.  She  was  born  in  Kentucky 
and  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Ann  M.  Bain  bridge. 
She  was  the  widow  of  John  1).  Thompson,  of  Car- 
linville Township,  and  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Wo- 
mack was  solemnized  in  the  city  of  Carlinville. 
To  Mr.  Womack  and  his  estimable  wife  two  chil- 
dren have  been  born — James  II.  and  Frederick  M., 
both  of  whom   are  still  under  the  parental  roof. 

Mr.  Womack  keeps  himself  informed  regarding 
political  and  other  issues,  votes  the  Republican 
ticket  and  takes  special  interest  in  educational 
matters.  His  fellow-citizens  have  often  called 
upon  him  to  fill  various  positions  of  responsibility 
and  trust,  and    to    the    duties  of   every    ollice  he 


314 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


he  has  brought  the  same  enterprise  and  devotion 
winch  has  characterized  his  personal  efforts,  lie 
has  been  Supervisor  of  Shaw's  Point  Township 
seven  terms,  and  has  served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace 
eight  years.  For  twenty-six  years  in  succession 
he  has  been  the  efficient  School  Director  of  his 
district,  and  has  in  various  ways  been  identified 
with  the  progress  of  the  county.  For  many  years 
he  and  his  estimable  wife  have  been  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  iu  which  he  has 
been  Steward  and  Trustee.  He  is  a  firm  believer 
in  the  power  of  Christian  principle,  and  he  thinks 
the  good  of  the  people  is  subserved  by  religious 
societies,  even  though   thry  are  not  of  his  denomi- 


nation. 


->&£&&f&*^ 


E 


LIAS  TONGATE,  one  of  the  prosperous 
farmers  of  the  county,  is  located  on  section 
3,  South  Palmyra  Township.  He  has  one 
hundred  and  twenty-one  acres  of  well  improved 
land  and  is  prosecuting  his  chosen  work  with  the 
zeal  and  intelligence  that  make  a  success  of  an  un- 
dertaking, lie  belongs  to  one  of  the  pioneer  fam- 
ilies of  the  county,  his  grandparents  having  brought 
their  family  hither  in  1837.  Grandfather  Ton  gate, 
whose  given  name  was  Achilles,  was  born  in  Am- 
herst County,  Va.,  removed  from  his  native  State 
to  Kentucky,  thence  to  Missouri  and  to  this  State 
in  1836.  For  about  a  twelvemonth  he  resided  in 
Morgan  County,  then  made  a  permanent  location 
near  Palmyra.  He  and  his  faithful  wife  lived  to- 
gether sixty-six  years,  and  he  survived  her  only  a 
few  years,  reaching  the  venerable  age  of  ninety- 
three.  He  sat  on  the  jury  in  the  first  murder  trial 
in  this  county  which  brought  in  a  verdict  of  guilty 
and  was  followed  by  hanging.  Grandfather  Ton- 
gate  accumulated  a  fortune  of  about  $10,000,  which 
was  divided  among  six  sons  and  a  daughter. 

Micajah  C.  Tongate,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Green  County,  Ky.,  June  1,  1821,  and  hav- 
ing accompanied  his  parents  to  this  State,  grew  to 
maturity  here.  November  16,  1843,  he  married 
Melinda  Fletchei,  a  native  of  Kentucky  who  died 
August  24,  1853.  She  had  four  children,  two  of 
whom  survive — Elias  and  Nancy  J.,  the  latter  now 


the  widow  of  William  Davis.  In  .lime,  1854  Mr. 
Tongate  made  a  second  marriage,  wedding  Mary 
A.  Cherry,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  who  came  to  this 
State  when  quite  young.  This  union  was  blest  by 
the  birth  of  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  now 
living  and  all  in  South  Palmyra  Township.  The 
third  of  these  is  William  M.  and  the  youngest  is 
Ilattie  L.,  who  is  unmarried.  The  others  are 
Vesta  II.,  wife  of  James  W.  Challacombe,  and  Ida 
M.,  wife  of  F.  K.  Strale.  The  mother  died  in  De- 
cember, 1883,  and  the  father  passed  away  July  19, 
18110.  Mr.  Tongate  left  an  estate  of  two  hundred 
and  forty  eight  acres  of  well-improved  land.  He 
was  a  Democrat  and  never  failed  to  deposit  his 
vote.  He  never  sought  office  but  was  sometimes 
chosen  for  local  positions  of  trust.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

Elias  Tongate  was  born  in  this  county  January 
12,  1818,  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and 
reared  as  a  farmer.  He  thoroughly  understands 
his  calling  and  secured  good  results  for  his  labors. 
He  was  married,  October  26,  1873,  to  Clara  E. 
Chiids,  who  was  born  in  this  county  in  1850.  She 
was  removed  from  her  family  by  death  in  1881, 
leaving  to  the  tender  care  of  her  husband  two 
daughters — Melinda  C.  and  Nellie  M.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 
Her  father  was  Thomas  W.  Chiids,  whose  name  is 
familiar  to  many  of  our  readers.  Mr.  Tongate  is 
a  Democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frater 
nitv.  He  has  held  township  offices  and  Has  worth- 
ily discharged  the  duties  pertaining  thereto  and 
at  the  same  time  has  been  a  good  citizen  and 
oue  who  is  respected  by  his  acquaintances. 

"William  M.  Tongate  whose  home  is  on  section 
4,  South  Palmyra  Township,  is  the  only  surviving 
son  of  Micajah  and  Mary  (Cherry)  Tongate,  and 
is  therefore  a  half-brother  of  our  subject.  The 
history  of  his  paternal  ancestors  has  alread}-  been 
given  in  brief.  His  mother  was  born  in  December, 
1825,  and  accompanied  her  parents,  William  and 
Anna  (Crawford)  Cherry,  to  this  State  in  1833. 
They  settled  in  this  county  and  the  parents  died 
soon  after.  Miss  Cherry  received  a  good  common- 
school  education  and  for  nine  years  was  engaged 
in  teaching  in  this  Stale  and  Missouri.  She  aband- 
oned her  profession  in  order  to  become  the  wife  of 


UBHAKY 
«""VE«SITV  OF  ILUNQK 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


317 


Mr.  Tongate  and  immediately  after  their  marriage 
tliey  settled  on  the  land  the  husband  already 
owned.  .She  was  somewhat  of  an  invalid  for  twen- 
ty-two years  luit  was  able  to  be  up  until  within 
twenty-four  hours  of  her  death.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  Church.  William  Tony-ate  is 
living  on  the  homestead  and  he  is  unmarried;  his 
sister  Hattie  is  his  housekeeper,  lie  is  a  well-rc- 
specled  young  man,  a  good  farmer  and  citizen,  and 
a  pleasant,  companion. 


a  APT.  HENRY  W.  KERR.  A  gallant  offi- 
,  cer  in  the  late  Civil  War,  in  which  he  won 
'  a  fine  military  record,  and  afterward  attain- 
ing a  high  reputation  at  the  bar,  Capt.  Kerr  has. 
since  he  turned  his  attention  to  agriculture,  made  a 
success  at  that  vocation  which  Horace  Greeley 
aptly  styled  the  "noblest  of  professions,"  and  now 
stands  among  the  leading  farmers  of  Honey  Point 
Township.  His  portrait  on  the  opposite  page  rep- 
resents one  whose  interests  have  long  been  identi- 
fied with  those  of  the  county. 

Capt.  Kerr  was  born  in  Monroe  Count}',  Ky., 
January  11.  1836.  His  father,  Abraham  Kerr,  was 
a  native  of  Guilford  Court  House,  N.  C,  and  was 
a  son  of  John  Kerr,  who  was  born  in  the  same  lo- 
cality. The  name  of  the  great-grandfather  of  our 
subject  was  Levi  Kerr,  and  he  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia of  Welsh  parentage.  He  removed  to  North 
Carolina  in  the  early  settlement  of  that  colon}',  and 
there  spent  the  rest  of  his  days  as  a  farmer,  dying 
at  Guilford  Court  House  at  a  ripe  age.  He  was  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolution. 

John  Kerr  grew  to  man's  estate  in  North  Caro- 
lina, and  was  there  married  to  Sarah  Scott,  who  was 
also  born  in  North  Carolina.  He  learned  the  trades 
of  a  blacksmith  and  miller  and  carried  them  on  in 
his  native  State  until  his  removal  to  Kentucky  in 
1810.  He  became  a  pioneer  of  Monroe  County, 
that  State,  buying  a  large  tract  of  land  bordering 
on  a  stream,  which  he  named  Kettle  Creek  because 
he  found   a  kettle   therein.     He    built  a  gristmill 


with  a  bolter  operated  by  hand,  and  also  had  a  dis- 
tillery connected  with  his  mill.  He  served  under 
Jackson  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  took  part  in  the 
battle  of  New  Orleans.  His  life  was  brought  to  a 
close  in  June  1848,  at  a  venerable  age;  his  wife;  also 
lived  to  be  very  old,  her  death  occurring  in  Mon- 
roe County  in  1H70.  at  which  time  she  was  ninety- 
five  years  old. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  young  when  his 
parents  removed  to  Kentucky,  and  there  the  re- 
mainder of  his  youth  was  passed.  He  was  married 
in  Monroe  County  to  Nancy  Davis,  a  native  of 
Rockingham  Couuty,Va.,  and  a  daughter  of  Joshua 
and  Sarah  Davis,  who  were  also  Virginians.  In 
1843  Mr.  Kerr  determined  to  leave  his  old  Ken- 
lucky  home  to  try  farming  in  Missouri.  With  his 
wife  and  seven  children  he  started  for  his  destina- 
tion with  ox-teams,  and  cooked  and  camped  at 
night  while  on  the  journey.  He  bought  a  tract  of 
wild  land  in  Dallas  County  after  his  arrival  in  Mis- 
souri, and  erecting  a  log  cabin  for  the  shelter  of 
his  family,  at  once  entered  upon  tho  pioneer  task 
of  preparing  his  land  for  cultivation,  and  broke  a 
good  many  acres  and  placed  theni  under  tillage 
during  his  residence  there.  In  September,  1847,  he 
sold  that  property  and  coining  to  Macoupin  County, 
settled  in  what  is  now  Shaw's  Point  Township.  At 
that  time  the  settlements  in  this  county  were  con- 
fined to  the  timber,  and  the  prairie  land  was  uncul- 
tivated. Wild  animals,  such  as  deer  and  wolves, 
were  plentiful,  and  the  country  roundabout  was 
still  in  the  hands  of  the  pioneers.  Alton  and  St. 
Louis  were  the  only  convenient  markets  until  the 
railway  was  completed.  Wheat  sold  at  the  former 
place  for  thirty-seven  and  one-half  cents  a  bushel, 
and  dressed  hogs  so'.d  at  St.  Louis  at  #1.50  to  #2.50 
per  hundred  pounds. 

In  1865  Mr.  Kerr  disposed  of  his  farm  at  Shaw's 
Point,  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Carlinville, 
where  he  lived  until  1870.  Removing  then  to 
Lovington,  Moultrie  County,  he  bought  property, 
and  there  he  and  his  good  wife  passed  their  remain- 
ing days  in  comfort  and  happiness,  he  dying  in 
1875  and  she  in  1877.  Mr.  Kerr  was  a  sound 
Democrat  in  his  political  views.  While  a  resident 
of  Shaw's  Point  he  served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace 
a  Dumber  of  years.     Both   he  and   his  wife  were 


318 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


people  of  rare  merit,  who  letl  exemplary  lives,  and 
were  devoted  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 

The  subject  of  this  biographical  review  was 
seven  years  old  when  he  accompanied  his  parents 
in  their  migration  to  Missouri  and  was  twelve 
years  of  age  when  they  retraced  their  steps  East- 
ward and  settled  in  this  county.  From  the  time 
that  he  was  six  years  old  he  attended  school  in  the 
winter  and  worked  on  the  farm  at  other  seasons 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  when  he  started 
out  in  life  for  himself.  He  found  employment  on 
a  farm,  and  being  of  a  studious  turn  of  mind  lie 
devoted  his  spare  time  to  his  books,  and  when 
twenty -one  taught  one  term  of  school.  He  was 
ambitious  to  prepare  himself  for  a  professional  life, 
and  selecting  the  law  as  best  suited  to  his  tastes,  he 
entered  the  law  office  of  Robert  M.  McWilli.-uns  at 
Hillsboro.  Under  the  instruction  of  that  gentle- 
man he  pursued  his  legal  studies  and  in  1858  was 
admitted  to  the  bar. 

On  September  1,  1861,  Capt.  Kerr  threw  aside 
his  law  business  to  lake  up  the  military  profession, 
animated  by  the  same  patriotic  spirit  that  had 
made  his  great-grandsire  take  up  arms  at  the  time 
of  the  Revolution  and  had  caused  his  grandfather 
to  become  a  soldier  when  war  again  broke  out  with 
England.  He  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  E, 
Forty-ninth  Illinois  Infantry,  but  was  mustered  in 
as  Second  Lieutenant.  He  displayed  such  excel- 
lent qualities  as  an  officer  that  he  was  subsequently 
promoted  to  the  position  of  First  Lieutenant,  and 
in  that  capacity  commanded  his  company  for  some 
time  before  he  was  commissioned  its  captain.  He 
took  an  active  part  in  many  important  battles,  in- 
cluding Ft.  Donelson,  Shiloh,  siege  of  Corinth, 
Little  Rock  and  Tupelo,  Miss.,  and  accompanied 
Gen.  Banks  on  his  Red  River  expedition.  He  also 
served  under  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith  in  Missouri  while 
he  was  fighting  Price's  army. 

After  the  battle  of  Nashville  Capt.  Kerr  was 
sent  in  charge  of  a  detachment  of  soldiers  to  dis- 
lodge a  party  of  bushwhackers  that  were  stationed 
at  the  mouth  of  Sand  Creek.  He  performed  his 
difficult  and  dangerous  task  in  an  able  and  brilliant 
manner,  and  so  as  to  win  the  commendations  of 
his  superiors  for  his  coolness  and  skill  in  routing 
the  enemy.     That  was  the  last  battle  in  which  he 


fought,  and  he  was  honorably  discharged  in  Padu- 
cah,  Ky.,  in  1865. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  after  his  retirement  from 
the  army  Capt.  Kerr  went  to  Savannah,  Tenn.,  to 
practice  law.  In  1866  Parson  Brownlow,  then 
Governor  of  that  State,  appointed  him  Attorney- 
General  for  the  Twelfth  Tennessee  Circuit,  and  he 
served  with  distinction  in  that  responsible  office 
for  eighteen  months  during  the  trying  period  of 
reconstruction.  He  then  resigned  and  returned  to 
Illinois,  and  for  a  year  resided  in  Carlinville.  At 
the  expiration  of  that  time  he  adopted  the  calling 
of  a  farmer,  and  carried  on  operations  in  Bird 
Township  for  some  years.  In  1881  he  sold  his 
property  there  and  bought  his  present  farm  on 
section  4,  Honey  Point  Township.  This  is  a  fine, 
highly  productive  prairie  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  and  since  it  came  into  his  posses- 
sion he  has  greatly  increased  its  value  by  the  many 
excellent  improvements  that  he  has  made,  includ- 
ing the  substantial  set  of  farm  buildings  which 
he  has  erected. 

Capt.  Kerr  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mary  A.  Purvianee  October  4,  1866.  To  them 
have  been  born  eight  children:  Henry  W.  Jr.,  M. 
Cornie,  Annie  E.,  Jennie  M.,  N.  Blanche,  Speed, 
John  F.  and  James  W.  P.  Mrs.  Kerr  is  a  native 
of  this  county,  Polk  Township  her  birthplace,  and 
she  is  descended  from  the  old  pioneer  stock  of  this 
State.  Her  father,  Robert  W.  Purvianee,  was  born 
in  Madison  County,  III.,  December  22,  1813.  Her 
grandfather,  William  Purvianee,  was  a  native  of 
North  Carolina.  At  an  early  date  he  removed 
from  there  to  this  part  of  the  country  then  known 
as  the  Northwestern  Territory,  and  located  in  what 
is  now  Troy  Township,  Madison  County.  Mrs. 
Kerr's  father  spent  his  early  life  in  his  native 
county,  remaining  there  until  1838,  when  he  started 
with  his  bride  for  Macoupin  County,  traveling 
thither  with  a  team,  and  bringing  all  their  house- 
hold goods  with  them.  A  few  months  prior  to  that 
he  had  entered  a  tract  of  land  from  the  Govern- 
ment in  Polk  Township.  He  built  a  log  cabin  and 
and  in  that  humble  dwelling  he  and  his  young  wife 
commenced  housekeeping.  He  improved  a  good 
farm,  and  replaced  his  first  home  by  a  good  frame 
house  and    erected  other   buildings.     He    resided 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


310 


there  for  many  yeais,  but  spent  the  last  part  of  his 
life  at  Carlinville.  where  both  he  and  his  wife  died. 
Her  maiden  name  was  Morinda  Gaskill,  and  she 
was  also  bom  in  Madison  County. 

Capt.  Kerr  has  always  been  a  stanch  supporter 
of  Republican  principles,  and  since  the  war  has 
voted  with  that  party.  His  services  as  a  soldier 
are  commemorated  by  his  connection  with  the  Dan 
Mcssick  Post,  G.  A.  R.  Socially,  he  is  a  member 
of  Mt.  Nebo  Lodge,  No.  76,  A.  F.  <fe  A.  M.  He 
is  engaged  in  stock-raising,  in  which  lie  has  met 
with  success.  Of  his  herd  of  fifteen  registered 
cattle,  six  are  imported.  This  brief  record  of  the 
life  of  Mr.  Kerr  shows  that  he  has  ever  been  an 
honorable  man  and  a  loyal  citizen,  and  no  higher 
eulogy  can  be  pronounced  on  anyone. 


— J-Hie^Sgai-^ 


HyfeRS.  SARAH  J.  (ARMSTRONG)    HALL, 
If     \\\   widow  of  Edson  Chase  Hall,  a  former  well- 
I       Ifi  known   business  man  of  this  county,  is  a 
*  lady    greatly     respected    in    Chesterfield, 

where  she  is  pleasantly  situated  in  a  home  that  is 
replete  with  coziness  and  true  comfort.  She  was 
born  near  Athensville,  Greene  Count}',  and  is  a 
daughter  of  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  section  of 
Illinois,  John  Armstrong.  Her  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  Northumberland,  Scotland,  and  was  a  son 
of  William  and  .lane  Armstrong,  who  were  also  of 
Scottish  birth  and  spent  their  entire  lives  in  their 
native  land. 

John  Armstrong  left  his  old  home  when  he  was 
a  lad  of  fourteen  years  to  accompany  an  English 
family  to  ihe  United  States.  They  came  directly 
to  Illinois,  and  were  among  the  Grst  to  locate  in 
Greene  County.  Indians  were  then  more  numerous 
than  whites,  and  the  country  was  mostly  in  its 
primitive  condition,  the  greater  part  of  the  land 
being  owned  by  the  Government  and  for  sale  at 
prices  ranging  from  twelve  and  one-half  cents  to 
11.25  an  acre.  When  Mr.  Armstrong  attained 
manhood  he  entered  a  tract  of  land  near  Athens- 
ville, and  erected  two  log  cabins,  one  for  a  dwell- 
ing and  the  other  for  a  store,  as  in  addition  to 
farming  he  intended  to  engage  in   mercantile   pur- 


suits, keeping  a  general  stock  of  merchandise, 
including  groceries,  dry  goods,  boots,  shoes,  etc. 
There  were  no  railroads  there  then,  anil  he  had  to 
team  all  his  produce  to  Alton,  where  he  purchased 
his  goods,  the  trip  occupying  three  days.  He  re- 
sided at  Athensville  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1859.  That  town  was  then  deprived  of  a  good 
citizen  who  had  interested  himself  in  its  welfare 
and  had  been  active  in  promoting  its  commerce,  as 
well  as  in  developing  the  agricultural  resources  of 
that  county. 

The  maiden  name  of  Mrs.  Hall's  mother  was 
Elizabeth  Gelder,  and  she  was  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  Gelder.  For  an  account  of  her  par- 
ents see  sketch  of  John  Gelder  that  appears  else- 
where in  this  book.  After  the  death  of  her  husband 
Mrs.  Armstrong  came  to  Chesterfield  and  passed 
her  remaining  days  here,  dying  February  '20,  1878, 
at  a  venerable  age.  She  was  the  mother  of  these 
six  children:  Thomas  II.,  Mary  A.,  Sarah  J.,  John 
W.,  Charles  and  Elizabeth. 

Mrs.  Hall  was  carefully  reared  and  was  well 
trained  in  all  that  goes  to  make  a  good  housewife. 
She  remained  with  her  mother  until  her  marriage, 
November  20,  1872,  to  Edson  Chase  Hall.  Her 
wedded  life  with  Mr.  Hall  was  hallowed  by  the 
birth  of  three  children:  Grace,  Horace  Chase  and 
May. 

Edson  C.  Hall  was  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  born 
Februarj'  2,  1837.  He  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Jeremiah 
Hall,  who  was  born  in  New  Hampshire.  He  was 
educated  as  a  physician  in  Ltoston,  and  going  to 
Wisconsin  in  Territorial  days  he  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  his  calling  in  that  section  of  the  coun- 
try. After  a  time  he  removed  to  Iowa,  and  was 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Danville,  Des  Moines 
County,  where  he  practiced  medicine  until  his 
death,  becoming  one  of  the  leading  men  of  his  pro- 
fession in  that  part  of  the  State.  The  wife  of  Dr. 
Hall  was  Harriet  Conning,  who  was  born  in  New 
York  and  died  at  Danville,  Iowa. 

Mr.  Hall,  the  husband  of  our  subject,  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Danville.  At  the  age  of  nineteen 
he  entered  upon  his  mercantile  career  as  a  clerk  in 
a  store  in  that  place,  and  continued  thus  engaged 
until  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  He  was  then  in  the 
prime  and  vigor  of  early  manhood  with  the  promise 


320 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  a  successful  life  before  him,  but  he  laid  aside 
personal  consideration  to  enlist  in  defense  of  the 
Union,  becoming  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Thirty-third  Iowa  Infantry.  He  took  part  in 
every  battle  in  which  his  regiment  engaged,  re- 
maining with  it  until  the  end  and  winning  an  hon- 
orable record  as  a  patriotic  and  efficient  soldier, 
and  after  peace  was  declared  he  was  discharged 
with  his  comrades. 

Returning  northward  after  leaving  the  army  Air. 
Hall  sought  and  obtained  a  position  as  clerk  at 
Alton,  III.  He  subsequently  established  himself  in 
business  at  Chesterfield,  and  was  thus  prosperously 
engaged  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occur- 
red June  3,  1884.  Chesterfield  then  lost  a  valuable 
citizen  who  had  materially  promoted  its  commerce 
as  one  of  its  leading  merchants.  The  Congrega- 
tional Church  was  deprived  of  the  help  and  liberal 
support  of  one  of  its  most  esteemed  members.  He 
was  missed  not  only  by  his  family,  but  by  the 
friends  and  acquaintances  that  he  had  gathered 
around  him  during  his  residence  here,  as  he  was  a 
man  whose  sterling  integrity  of  character  and 
geniality  won  him  regard.  Mrs.  Hall  shared  the 
consideration  in  which  her  husband  was  held,  and 
she  stands  high  in  the  social  circles  of  this  town. 
She  is  of  the  Episcopal  faith,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  church  of  that  denomination. 


OBERT  8.  COWAN,  M.  D.,  has  been  prac- 
ticing medicine  at  Girard  for  more  than 
twenty  years,and  his  high  professional  stand- 
ing among  the  physicians  of  this  county  is 
indicative  of  the  success  that  he  has  attained  in  his 
career.  He  is  a  native  of  Sullivan  County ,Tenn., born 
March  9,  1833,  a  son  of  George  R.  Cowan,  a  native 
of  East  Tennessee  and  a  grandson  of  Robert  Cowan, 
who  was  born  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  being  a  de- 
scendant of  Scotch  ancestry.  He  came  to  America 
before  the  Revolution  in  the  prime  of  young  man- 
hood and  when  the  war  broke  out  between  the  Col- 
onists and  the  Mother  Country  he  entered  the  Con- 
tinental army,  and  did  brave  service  in  the  cause 
of  liberty.     He  fought    under    Gen,  Washington, 


and  was  with  the  army  when  it  crossed  the  Dela- 
ware. When  peace  was  declared  he  resided  in  Vir- 
ginia for  a  time,  and  then  removed  to  Tennessee, 
of  which  he  was  a  pioneer,  and  there  his  life  was 
brought  to  a  close  at  a  ripe  age.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  wife,  great-grandmother  of  subject, 
was  Nancy  Rutledge.  She  is  thought  to  have  been 
born  in  South  Carolina,  and  she  died  in  Tennessee. 
She  was  the  mother  of  five  sons, — James,  Andrew, 
William,  George  and  John.  The  three  elder  sons 
served  under  Jackson  at  the  battle  of  New  Orleans 
during  the  War  of  1812. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  and  mar- 
ried in  Tennessee,  Mary  May  becoming  his  wife. 
She  was  a  native  of  that  Stale,  and  a  daughter  of 
Dr.  Samuel  and  Catherine  (Shelby)  May.  Her 
father  was  a  native  of  England,  and  a  surgeon  by 
profession.  Mr.  Cowan  early  learned  the  trade  of 
a  tanner,  and  engaged  in  the  business  at  Paper- 
ville,  Sullivan  County.  He  also  had  an  interest  in 
a  paper  mill  and  other  manufacturing  industries. 
He  was  a  man  of  marked  energy  of  character,  of 
many  resources,  and  very  capable.  In  1838  he 
resolved  to  try  his  fortunes  in  the  State  of  Mis- 
souri, that  was  still  in  the  hands  of  the  pioneers, 
his  bold,  resolute  spirit,  hardy  nature  and  powers 
of  endurance  fitting  him  to  cope  with  the  many 
difficulties  to  be  encountered  in  settling  in  a  new 
country.  With  his  wife  and  six  children  he  era- 
barked  on  a  flat-boat  and  floated  down  the  Holston 
River  to  the  Ohio,  where  he  boarded  a  steamer 
that  bore  him  and  his  family  down  the  waters  of 
the  Ohio  and  up  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  riv- 
ers to  Boonville,  Mo.  He  located  in  Polk  County, 
and  entered  large  tracts  of  Government  land  in 
different  counties,  which  he  subsequently  improved 
with  slave  labor.  He  resided  for  some  years  in 
that  part  of  Polk  County  now  included  in  Cedar 
County,  and  then  sold  his  property  there  and  re- 
moved to  St.  Clair  Count}',  where  he  had  previ- 
ously entered  land.  He  erected  suitable  buildings 
and  improved  a  large  farm,  which  he  made  his 
home  until  1854.  In  that  year  he  went  to  Bolivar, 
the  county-seat  of  Polk  County  to  reside,  and 
soon  after  he  was  appointed  Judge  of  Probate,  and 
held  that  office  with  distinction  until  the  breaking 
out  of  the  war.    He  then  retired  to  private  life,  and 


PORTRAIT  AND  BJOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


321 


passed  his  remaining  days,  in  tlie  home  of  a  daugh- 
ter at  Sarcoxie,  Jasper  Countjr,  Mo.,  dying  Janu- 
ary 1,  1874.  He  had  been  bereaved  of  his  wife 
many  years  before,  she  dying  in  St.  Clair  County, 
Mo.,  in  1852.  She  was  the  mother  of  six  children, 
of  wliom  these  are  the  names, — Catherine,  George, 
Nancy,  Robert  S.,  Maiy  and  Salina.  Our  subject 
was  but  a  child  when  his  parents  migrated  to  Mis- 
souri, and  he  was  reared  under  pioneer  influences. 
There  were  no  free  schools  in  Missouri  in  his 
younger  days,  and  he  gained  the  preliminaries  of 
his  education  in  the  school  house  that  his  father 
erected  on  his  land,  under  the  instruction  of  a 
teacher  that  his  father  employed.  Later  he  became 
a  student  at  Ebenezer  College,  ten  miles  north  of 
Springfield,  Mo.,  and  there  he  laid  a  solid  founda- 
tion for  his  medical  studies,  which  he  commenced 
at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  under  the  tuition  of  Dr. 
Samuel  B.  Bowles,  of  Greenfield.  He  afterward 
further  prepared  himself  for  his  profession  by  at- 
tending lectures  at  the  Missouri  Medical  College, 
and  he  began  upon  his  career  as  a  physician  in 
Dade  County. 

From  that  county  the  Doctor  went  in  a  short 
time  to  Newton  County,  where  there  seemed  to  be 
a  wider  field  of  usefulness,  and  he  was  engaged  in 
active  practice  there  when  the  war  broke  out. 
Having  been  reared  in  a  slave  state  his  sympathies 
naturally  went  out  to  the  Southern  cause  and  he 
offered  his  services  to  the  Confederate  States  in 
1861,  many  of  his  lifelong  friends  enlisting  at  the 
same  time,  and  he  was  appointed  Assistant  Surgeon 
of  Hie  Third  Missouri  Cavalry.  He  was  soon  promo- 
ted to  be  Surgeon  of  his  regiment,  and  did  valuable 
service  in  that  capacity  in  Price's  army  for  three 
years,  gaining  an  experience  in  those  trying  times 
that  added  to  his  professional  knowledge  and  in- 
creased his  reputation  for  skill  and  ability.  At  the 
expiration  of  that  time  he  resigned  his  position 
and  went  to  Mexico,  where  he  spent  six  months. 
After  that  he  staid  in  New  Orleans  until  the 
spring  of  1865,  when  he  came  to  this  county 
and  opened  an  office  at  Nilwood.  In  1869  he 
came  from  there  toGirard,  and  has  been  in  contin- 
uous practice  here  since.  The  Doctor's  success 
may  he  partly  attributable  to  his  frank,  generous 
nature,  and  his  courteous  and  thoughtful  treatment 


of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact,  his  manner 
gaining  him  popularity  and  friendship  on  all  sides. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Macoupin  County  Society 
for  Medical  Improvement,  and  also  of  the  Stale 
Medical  Society. 

Dr.  Cowan  was  happily  married  in  1854  to  Eliz- 
abeth Weir,  a  native  of  Cooper  County,  Mo.,  and 
a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  and  Mary  B. 
(Stephens)  Weir.  Our  subject  and  his  wife  have 
five  children  living,  namely:  George  R.,  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  St.  Louis  Medical  College,  and  now 
Ins  father's  assistant;  Mary,  wife  of  Ed  E.  Mc- 
Coy, of  Springfield,  III.;  Florence;  Do! lie  and 
Elizabeth  G. 


orx> 


DWARD  B.   MEATYARD.     The    late  Mr. 

Meatyard  is  well  remembered  by  many  citi- 

£i  zens  of  this  county,  as  he  was  born  at  Piasa 


and  there  spent  the  years  until  after  he  had  grown 
to  manhood.  His  natal  day  was  February  13,  1839, 
and  his  parents  were  Robert  and  Betsey  (Brown) 
Meatyard,  who  were  natives  of  England.  In  his 
early  boyhood  Edward  displayed  the  bent  of  his 
genius  and  he  was  educated  as  a  civil  engineer, 
making  a  thorough  study  of  mechanics.  At  the 
death  of  his  mother  he  inherited  a  large  sum  of 
money,  and  he  was  thus  enabled  to  do  more  in  the 
way  of  investigation  and  invention  than  is  the  case 
with  some  who  possess  an  inventive  genius. 

December  24,  1873,  Mr.  Meatyard  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Anna  E.  Boswell,  daughter  of 
John  G.  and  Ann  (Nightingale)  Boswell,  who  live 
in  Shipman  Township.  The  bride  was  born  in 
London,  England,  but  was  brought  to  the  United 
States  by  her  parents  when  an  infant,  and  is  to  all 
intents  and  purposes  a  thorough  American.  She 
possesses  an  estimable  character,  a  well-in  formed 
mind,  and  much  capability  for  affairs,  so  that  since 
she  was  left  a  widow  she  has  been  able  to  look  after 
her  monied  interests  very  satisfactorily.  Her  home 
is  brightened  by  the  presence  of  four  children, 
named  respectively:  Maynard  M..  James  E.,  Bessie 
N.,  and  Mina  E. 

About  four  months  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Meat- 
yard    removed    to    Walworth    County,   Wis.,  and 


322 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


fonn<l  a  pleasant  home  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Gen- 
eva. He  then  gave  his  attention  to  inventions  and 
secured  patents  on  about  twenty,  the  most  import- 
ant of  which  were  a  car  wheel  and  a  press  used  in 
making  the  same,  and  a  steam  hammer.  For  his 
patent-right  on  the  last  named  he  was  offered  $75,- 
000,  but  as  he  considered  it  the  foundation  of  his 
work  he  refused  the  offer.  He  accomplished  a  vast 
amount  of  work,  and  had  the  foundation  laid  for 
a  large  fortune,  but,  his  career  was  cut  short  by 
death,  May  13,  1889,  when  he  was  but  little  more 
than  fifty  years  old.  On  being  taken  sick  he  sold 
out  his  property  at  Lake  Geneva  and  spent  some 
time  in  a  hospital  at  Chicago,  then  came  to  Ship- 
man  where  he  died  three  weeks  later. 

Mr.  Meatyard  was  the  author  of  many  valuable 
papers  on  works  in  which  he  was  interested,  and 
published  a  volume  on  the  "Transportation  Prob- 
lem." This  is  a  working-man's  manual,  treating 
of  curves,  grades,  locations,  permanent  way,  heavy 
rails,  rail  joints,  bridges,  uniform  distribution  of 
moving  load  on  tracks  and  bridges,  light  strong 
oars,  steel-cushioned  wheels,  train  brakes,  self  lubri- 
cation, radial  axles,  traction  resistance,  and  man}' 
crude  ideas  to  be  worked  out  with  hard  and  tough 
steel.  He  enlisted  on  the  Union  side  at  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  war  as  a  private,  but  by  bravery  and 
true  worth  he  was  promoted  successively  through 
the  various  offices,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  came 
out  with  the  shoulder  straps  and  rank  of  a  Major 
of  Engineering  and  Artillery. 


#~# 


w 


'■^r- 


ILLIAM  N.  GULP  is   a  native-bom  citi- 

Jj  zen  of  this  county  who  is  classed  among  its 
W^i1  foremost  farmers  and  stock-raisers.  His 
extensive  and  well  equipped  farm  in  Honey  Point 
Township,  shows  every  evidence  of  careful  cultiva- 
tion and  superior  management,  and  its  fertile  har- 
vest fields  and  rich  pastures  yield  a  liberal  income. 
Mr.  Culp  was  born  October  1,  1839,  at  Rivesville, 
III.  His  father,  the  Rev.  .Samuel  B.  Culp,  was  a 
native  of  Nicholas  County,  Ky.,  born  February  1, 
1813,  a  son  of  one  Thomas  Culp,  who  was  also  of 
Kentucky  birth,  and  was  a  descendant  of  the  old 


pioneer  stock  of  that  .State.  He  was  a  tanner  by 
trade.  In  1815  he  migrated  to  the  territory  of 
Missouri,  and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Ripley 
County.  He  became  a  prominent  figure  in  its 
public  life,  and  represented  it  in  the  State  Legisla- 
ture. In  1811  he  removed  to  Arkansas,  and  locat- 
ing in  Izard  County  on  a  tract  of  timber  land,  he 
erected «  saw-mill  and  manufactured  lumber  in 
connection  with  farming.  His  death  occurred 
there  in  1848.  The  grandmother  of  our  subject 
married  a  second  time,  becoming  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Kennedy,  and  died  at  the  home  of  the 
father  of  our  subject  in  September,  1844.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Mary  Gahegan,  and  she  was  a 
native  of  Nicholas  County,  Ky.  Her  father  was 
John  Gahegan.  and  he  was  born  in  Maryland.  He 
was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  it  is  thought  that 
he  served  throughout  the  entire  conflict.  He  took 
part  in  the  battles  of  Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill. 
After  the  Revolution  he  removed  to  Kentucky,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  what  is  now  Fayette 
County. 

The  father  of  our  subject  did  not  go  to  Missouri 
with  his  father,  but  remained  in  Kentucky  with  his 
mother.  He  lived  in  his  native  county  until  lie 
was  fourteen  years  old,  and  then  went  to  Bourbon 
Count}-,  and  lived  at  Millersburg  two  years.  From 
there  he  went  to  Paris,  where  he  finished  an  ap- 
prenticeship of  seven  years,  begun  at  Millersburg, 
to  learn  the  trade  of  a  tailor.  When  he  was  twenty- 
one  he  went  to  Cynthiana,  and  carried  on  his  call- 
ing there  a  few  months.  His  next  move  was  in 
the  spring  of  1834,  when  he  came  to  Illinois,  trav- 
eling by  the  way  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Riv- 
ers to  Bushnel's  Ferry,  now  Columbiana,  landing 
there  the  1st  of  March,  and  walking  from  there  to 
the  vicinity  of  Greenfield,  where  he  visited  an  old 
neighbor.  At  that  time  there  were  but  three 
buildings  on  the  present  site  of  that  town,  and 
those  were  of  logs,  the  only  store  in  the  village 
being  kept  in  one  of  them.  Mr.  Culp  rented  the 
back  part  of  that  building  for  a  time  and  plied  his 
trade.  He  remained  there  two  years,  and  we  next 
hear  of  him  at  Rivesville,  this  county,  where  he 
opened  a  shop  and  carried  on  business  as  a  tailor. 

In  1839  the  father  of  our  subject  turned  his  at- 
tention to  farming  for  two  years,   engaging  at  his 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


323 


trade  a  pnrt  of  the  time.  In  1845  be  came  to 
Scoltsville  and  established  himself  at  his  tailor  bus- 
iness, which  he  conducted  four  years.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  that  time  he  bought  forty  acres  of  land 
in  Bird  Township,  at  $2  an  acre,  going  in  debt  for 
it.  After  he  had  paid  for  the  land  be  bought 
other  reality,  until  finally  he  bad  two  hundred  and 
ten  acres  of  rich  farming  land.  lie  resided  on  it  bus- 
ily engaged  in  its  improvement,  until  1881,  when 
he  disposed  of  it  at  a  good  price,  and  bought  in 
Cold  Spring,  Shelby  County,  where  be  is  still  liv- 
ing. He  married  April  28,  1838,  Gahilla  Finley, 
and  for  more  than  half  a  century  they  shared  life's 
joys  and  sorrows  until  they  were  called  upon  to 
part  by  her  death  April  12,  1890. 

Her  father,  William  Finley,  was  born  and  reared 
in  South  Carolina.  He  went  from  there  to  Geor- 
gia, thence  to  Kentucky,  whence  he  came  to  Illinois 
in  1816,  in  the  territorial  days  of  this  State,  and  lo- 
cated at  Wood  River  Fort,  now  in  Madison  County. 
At  that  lime  there  was  not  a  white  settler  within 
the  present  bounds  of  Macoupin  County,  and  In- 
dians occupied  the  greater  part  of  the  territory  now 
included  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  A  few  years 
later  the  grandfather  of  our  subject  settled  on  the 
edge  of  Greene  County,  and  afterward  entered  a 
tract  of  land  from  the  Government  a  mile  and  a 
quarter  from  Greenfield,  where  he  improved  a 
farm.  He  finally  sold  that,  and  passed  the  rest  of 
his  days  with  his  children,  dying  in  the  fall  of 
1815,  November  12.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Sarah  Stanford,  and  she  was  also  of  South 
Carolina  birth.     She  died  in  1839. 

William  N.  Gulp  was  reared  under  pioneer  influ- 
ences in  this  county,  and  was  educated  in  its 
schools.  From  his  youth  up  be  has  always  been 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  from  the  very 
Start  showed  .a  special  aptitude  for  his  chosen  call- 
ing, displaying  a  keen  appreciation  of  the  best  mod- 
ern methods  of  farming  in  the  management  of  his 
farming  interests,  and  he  has  so  profited  by  ex- 
perience and  observation  that  he  is  to-day  one  of 
the  most  prosperous  men  of  his  calling  in  Honey 
Point  Township.  He  took  possession  of  his  present 
farm  in  18C4,  and  now  owns  upward  of  five  hun- 
dred acres  of  land.  He  enjoys  to  the  full  the  re- 
spect accorded  to  an  honorable,  upright  man,  whose 


habits  are  exemplary,  and  whose  dealings  are 
strictly  just  and  fair,  it  being  the  universal  testi- 
mony of  his  many  friends  and  acquaintances  in 
this  county  where  his  life  has  been  passed,  that  his 
character  is  thus  rightly  summed  up  in  the  forego- 
ing words.  In  him  and  his  amiable  wife  the  Bap- 
tist Church  has  two  of  its  most  earnest  members, 
who  are  zealous  in  helping  forward  every  good 
work  in  the  community. 

M  rs.  Culp  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Rachel  E. 
Frazier.  She  is  a  native  of  South  Palmyra  Town- 
ship, and  a  daughter  of  William  C.  and  Melinda 
Frazier,  pioneers  of  this  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Culp  have  seven  children — Flora,  Carrie,  Samuel, 
Frank,  Mabel,  Cladius  and  Mattie. 


*fE 


^ 


eHARLES  F.  BAUER.  It  is  a  question 
whether  there  is  an)'  people  on  earth  who 
have  the  varied  experiences  afforded  by 
travel,  of  the  Americans.  The  West  has  been  con- 
stantly beckoning  with  alluring  hand  to  golden 
fields  that  promise  opulence  to  the  enthusiastic 
seeker.  After  the  might}-  Father  of  Waters  had 
been  crossed  by  eager  seekevs  for  the  golden  treas- 
ures of  the  earth,  Pike's  Peak  flashed  fascinating 
gleams  of  opalescent  light  in  the  eager  eyes  of  the 
Western  traveler.  Then  California,  like  the  sirens 
of  the  sea,  induced  weary  travelers  to  leave  their 
homes  and  come  overland  to  partake  of  the  intoxi- 
cating delights  of  unparalleled  climate  and  hopes 
of  riches.  The  life  of  Charles  F.  Bauer  is  one  of 
the  many,  varied  and  made  interesting  by  his  trav- 
els and  experience  in  the  West.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  bad  come  to  the  State  of  Illinois  in 
1852,  where  he  made  his  home  in  Dorchester  Town- 
ship to  the  end  of  his  life,  excepting  four  years 
that  he  spent  in  California  in  the  mining  regions. 
He  died  at  bis  home  on  section  17,  Dorchester 
Township,  November  1G,  1889. 

Soon  after  the  discovery  of  gold  Mr.  Bauer  too 
caught  the  fever,  and  determined  to  take  his  course 
Westward.  He  did  not  take  the  overland  route  as 
did  so  many  to  their  sorrow,  but  took  the  ocean 
voyage,  crossed   the   Isthmus  and  arrived  at  San 


324 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Francisco,  where  he  went  into  the  gold  regions, 
working-  as  a  laborer  for  some  time.  His  experi- 
ence here  was  necessarily  varied  and  interesting, 
and  it  never  ceased  to  be  a  charming  subject  of 
conversation  to  the  gentleman.  lie  returned  from 
California  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  in  1856,  and  be- 
gan life  anew  in  Dorchester  Township  on  wild  un- 
broken farm  land.  He  acquired  before  his  death 
eight  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres  of  very  fine 
land.  The  most  of  it  is  the  best  the  county  and 
township  affords. 

Mr.  Bauer  made  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of 
farms  of  his  domain.  He  built  a  fine  residence, 
with  all  the  improvements  in  the  way  of  farm  build- 
ings that  could  be  desired.  The  farm  implements 
were  of  the  finest.  The  widow  and  her  children 
still  reside  at  the  home,  and  all  the  land  is  yet  in 
the  family  though  divided  among  the  children. 
Our  subject  was  born  in  Sax  Altenburg,  Germany, 
December  8,  1827.  He  is  a  brother  of  J.  Henry 
Bauer,  whose  biography  may  be  found  in  this  vol- 
ume. 

He  of  whom  we  write  arrived  at  his  majority  in 
his  native  German  province,  ami  when  only  twenty- 
five  years  of  age,  deeming  the  promises  of  Amer- 
ica better  than  those  of  his  native  land  for  an  am- 
bitious and  sturdy  young  man,  crossed  the  Atlantic 
in  a  sailing-vessel.  The  trip  was  a  long  and  tedi- 
ous one.  He  landed  at  New  Orleans,  and  came  to 
Illinois,  where  he  remained  during  the  rest  of  his 
life  with  the  exception  of  the  years  spent  on  the 
Pacific  Slope.  Mr.  Bauer's  life  is  a  fair  illustration 
of  how  the  industry  and  energ}-  of  an  intelligent 
man  can  make  the  fertile  acres  of  our  America 
laugh  with  joy  and  graciously  give  forth  rich  treas- 
ures. Our  subject  had  an  unimpeachable  character 
for  honesty;  though  he  gained  his  competency  with 
hard  labor  he  was  universally  esteemed  in  his 
neigborhood. 

Mr.  Bauer  on  his  return  from  California,  married 
Miss  Wilhelmina  Kretzchimer.  She  was  born  in 
Altenburg,  Germany,  dune  18,  1835.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Christopher  and  Johanna  (Dingue; 
Kretzchimer,  natives  of  Germany,  and  small  farm- 
ers who  lived  and  died  in  their  native  land.  They 
were  taken  away  while  yet  in  the  heyday  of  life. 
Mrs.  Baner,  the  wife  of  our  subject,  is   the  second 


child  and  first  and  only  daughter  born  to  her  par- 
ents. One  brother,  Charles,  now  lives  in  California, 
while  a  younger  brother  Henry  still  lives  in  Ger- 
many. Mrs.  Bauer  herself  was  reared  and  educated 
in  her  native  German  province,  and  was  the  first  of 
her  family  to  leave  the  home  nest  and  come  to  the 
United  Slates.  Leaving  Bremen  in  a  German  ves- 
sel she  arrived  in  New  York  City,  came  to  Pitts- 
burg, Pa.,  thence  to  Columbiana,  Ohio,  and  later 
to  Macoupin  County,  III.,  where  she  lias  since  lived. 
She  has  been  a  true  wife  and  efficient  helpmate  to 
her  husband,  and  is  a  good  and  worthy  woman. 
She  is  a  member  in  good  standing  of  the  Baptist 
Church.  Eleven  children  were  given  to  gladden 
the  hearts  and  home  of  this  worthy  couple.  Three 
of  the  children  died  young,  and  George  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years.  Those  still  living  are 
Lewis,  who  married  Mary  Perrine;  they  live  in  Dor- 
chester Township,  on  a  fine  fann ;  Theodore  farms 
in  this  township;  Charles,  who  assists  on  the  home 
farm;  Emma,  William,  Ida  and  Hannah.  This 
family  of  bright  and  interesting  children  are  a 
credit  to  the  mother  who  has  so  lovingly  reared 
them. 

/p^EORGE  W.  SMITH.  The  owner  of  the 
'11  __,  farm  of  forty-seven  acres  on  section  25, 
^^|j  North  Otter  Township,  is  he  whose  name  is 
to  be  found  at  the  head  of  this  writing.  A  history 
of  his  parents  may  be  found  in  the  sketch  of  Elisha 
Smith  in  another  part  of  this  Record.  Our  subject 
is  a  native  of  North  Otter  Township,  being  there 
born  January  3,  1846.  He  was  reared  to  manhood 
on  his  father's  farm,  receiving  a  common-school 
education  that  comprised  the  three  "R's"  that  was 
at  that  time  thought  not  only  indispensible  but 
almost  sufficient  for  the  education  of  the  ordinary 
youth.  In  the  intervals  of  school  life  he  assisted 
his  father  on  the  farm,  remaining  on  the  home 
place  until  his  marriage. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  Marion  County, 
Iowa,  September  12,  1867,  to  Miss  Viola  Millen,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Mary  ^Clark)  Millen. 
She  was  born  in  North  Otter  Township,  this  county, 
November  16,  1849.     Tbey  immediately  settled  on 


MBRAmr 

Of  THE 
IWVtftSITY  OF  ILLWC" 


I*' 


"*£*•• 


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jt ,  y^y^jj^ 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


327 


anew  farm  previously  belonging  to  li is  father  and 

he  lias  since  lived  on  this  place  with  the  exception 
of  one  year  which  lie  spent  in  the  West.  He  has 
always  followed  agriculture  and  is  now  the  owner 
of  forty -seven  acres  of  land. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  are  the  parents  of  three 
children — Orali  who  is  a  teacher;  Laura  H.  and 
Eva  E.  In  politics  our  subject  is  a  Republican, 
being  a  firm  believer  in  the  protective  tariff  and 
all  the  other  tenets  of  this  party.  They  are  both 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  being 
devoted  supporters  of  the  same.     , 


^p^ERDINAND  TAGGART.  A  goodly  num- 
I— /gs]  ber  of  men  now  living  in  this  county  have 
1  been  so  successful  in  their  business  affairs 

as  to  be  enabled  to  retire  from  the  arduous  woik  of 
life,  and  enjoy  all  that  heart  can  wish  of  material 
comfort,  pleasant  associations  and  cheerful  recrea- 
tions. Among  this  class  is  Mr.  Taggart,  whose 
portrait  appears  on  the  opposite  page  and  who  for 
some  years  has  been  living  a  life  of  ease,  to  which 
he  is  entitled  by  the  manner  in  which  he  carried  on 
the  enterprises  in  which  he  was  engaged  earlier  in 
life.  In  every  occupation  in  which  he  took  part 
he  manifested  good  judgment,  and  this  qualit}' 
combined  with  his  persevering  industry  resulted  in 
his  accumulation  of  a  goodly  fortune.  He  has  a 
beautiful  residence  on  tbe  outskirts  of  the  city, 
furnished  in  accordance  with  the  refined  tastes  of 
its  occupants,  who  are  not  hampered  by  a  lack  of 
means,  but  are  able  to  obtain  every  adornment  they 
desire. 

Before  entering  upon  the  career  of  our  subject 
himself,  it  will  lie  well  to  make  some  mention  of 
prominent  events  in  the  history  of  his  parents. 
Samuel  Taggart  and  Margaret  Davis  were  born, 
reared  and  married  in  Tyrone  County,  Ireland,  and 
came  to  America  very  early  in  Ibis  century.  They 
Bettled  in  Shelby  County,  Ky.,  and  endured  the 
self-denials  and  hardships  common  to  all  poineers, 
while  they  were  clearing  and  improving  a  tract  of 
timber  land.  Mr.  Taggart  died  there  about  1818 
and  his  widow  survived  him  only  six  years.     Both 


belonged  to  the  Methodist  Ep.scopal  Church.  Six 
of  their  children  wore  reared  to  maturity. 

In  the  log-house  built  by  his  father,  Ferdinand 
Taggart  was  born  April  6,  1812.  lie  was  six  years 
old  when  his  father  died  but  he  remained  with  his 
mother  on  the  homestead  until  her  decease,  when 
with  two  other  of  the  children  be  went  to  live  with 
an  aunt.  After  a  year  spent  in  her  home  he  re- 
turned to  his  birthplace  and  was  cared  for  by  bis 
eldest  brother  until  he  was  eighteen  years  old.  At 
that  time  j'oung  Taggart  came  to  this  State  and 
made  Carrollton,  Greene  County,  his  place  of  re- 
sidence about  three  years,  learning  t^e  trade  of 
brickmaking.  He  then  came  to  Carlinville  to  start 
a  brickyard  for  his  employer  and  having  done  so 
he  acted  for  that  gentleman  one  season.  This  was 
in  1833,  when  Carlinville  had  a  population  of 
about  two  hundred  and  the  buildings  were  mostly 
of  logs  with  mud  and  stick  chimneys.  There  was 
not  a  brick  building  here  and  but  one  brick  chim- 
ney. 

During  the  season  after  his  arrival  here  Mr.  Tag- 
gart bought  a  lot  on  tbe  e.ist  side  of  tbe  square  and 
also  entered  eighty  acres  of  Government  land  near 
town.  The  next  year  he  went  to  Missouri  to  ex- 
plore, and  spent  the  summer  and  fall,  after  which 
he  returned  hither  and  early  in  1835  started  a 
brickyard  for  himself.  He  became  a  contractor 
and  among  the  contracts  he  had  was  one  for  the 
brick  work  on  tha  court-house  that  was  built  in 
1837.  This  was  the  first  court-house  built  of  brick, 
the  structure  previously  used  having  been  made  of 
hewed  logs. 

As  a  contractor  and  builder  Mr.  Taggart  con- 
tinued to  labor  until  1840,  when  he  engaged  in  the 
sale  of  merchandise  in  company  with  A.  S.  Walker 
and  William  Phelps.  They  bought  goods  in  St. 
Louis,  then  the  chief  western  market,  and  had  them 
hauled  to  Carlinville  by  teams.  The  firm  also  car- 
ried on  a  branch  store  at  Taylorville.  Mr.  Taggart 
pursued  a  mercantile  career  most  of  the  lime  until 
after  the  war  and  proved  that  be  was  possessed  of 
financial  tact  and  business  enterprise. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Taggart  was  solemn- 
ized in  1845,  his  bride  being  Ann  V.  1  lesser,  a  lady 
who  was  born  in  Virginia  and  died  in  Carlinville; 
she  left  a  daughter,   Mary    E.,    who   married  John 


328 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mc  Neal  and  has  six  children.  She  lives  in  Carlin- 
ville.  The  second  wife  of  Mr.  Taggart  was  Dar- 
inda  Renshaw,  a  native  of  the  State,  who  also  died 
in  Carlinville.  I  lis  present  companion  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  T.  V.  Walker  and  is  a  native  of 
Tennessee.  She  is  a  sister  of  Charles  A.  Walker, 
to  whose  sketch  the  reader  is  referred  for  her  par- 
ental history.  She  is  a  lady  of  One  character,  be- 
longing, like  her  husband,  to  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church. 


'OSEPII  DTZ.  We  are  pleased  to  mention, 
among  the  enterprising  farmers  and  promi- 
nent workers  in  every  good  cause,  the  name 
which  we  have  given  at  the  head  of  this 
paragraph.  The  excellent  farm  and  pleasant  home 
of  Mr.  Utz  is  an  object  of  interest  to  every  one 
who  passes  along  the  highway  near  its  location, 
and  those  who  know  the  man  best  most  truly  re- 
spect and  esteem  him. 

Daniel  Utz,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born 
near  Little  York,  Pa.,  and  his  mother,  Magdalena 
Mumard,  was  a  native  of  York  County,  Pa.,  and 
died  in  her  native  State  in  Cumberland  County, 
while  her  husband's  last  days  were  spent  in  Mont- 
gomery County,  Ohio.  Five  of  their  children  grew 
to  years  of  maturity,  and  the  one  of  whom  we 
write  was  next  to  the  eldest,  being  born  in  York 
County,  Pa.,  August  19,  1828.  His  early  educa 
tion  and  training  were  received  in  his  native  home 
upon  his  father's  farm,  and  when  quite  a  young 
man  he  accompanied  that  parent  to  Maryland,  and 
lived  there  for  some  four  years. 

In  Carroll  County,  Md.,  the  young  man  found 
his  bride  in  the  person  of  Miss  Elizabeth  Sharer, 
daughter  of  William  and  Margaret  (Uimbey) 
Sharer,  both  natives  of  that  State.  Mr.  Sharer  died 
in  Maryland  and  his  widow  afterward  came  to 
Illinois  and  made  her  home  in  Morgan  County, 
until  her  death.  Their  daughter  Elizabeth  was  the 
youngest  in  a  family  of  three  and  was  born  in  Car- 
roll County,  Md.,  December  23,  1879. 

Soon  after  their  marriage  which  was  celebrated 
January  9,  1851,  the  young  couple  came  to  Mont- 


gomery County,  Ohio,  and  thence  to  Darke  County, 
the  same  State,  and  in  the  fall  of  1865  journeyed 
still  farther  West,  and  coming  to  the  Empire  State, 
made  their  home  for  one  year  in  Morgan  County, 
after  which  they  came  to  this  county  and  settled  in 
North  Otter  Township,  which  became  their  per- 
manent home.  To  them  were  born  ten  children, 
namely:  Ellen,  who  grew  to  a  beautiful  young 
womanhood,  and  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-three; 
Mary,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  William  Ilockviet- 
ner:  George  W. ;  Ann  C.  the  wife  of  .lames  M. 
Nead ;  Ilattie,  who  married  Charles  Crump;  Nora, 
who  is  Mrs.  William  McGinnis;  Talitha  the  wife 
of  Melvin  Reafsnyder;  Tabitha,  who  married  Al- 
bin  Driver;  Franceanna  and  Edward  E. 

Agricultural  pursuits  have  always  claimed  the 
entire  attention  and  efforts  of  Mr.  Utz,  ami  in  this 
work  he  has  been  successful  and  prosperous.  Upon 
his  farm  of  seventy-two  acres  of  rich  and  fertile  soil 
he  has  erected  a  pleasant  and  commodious  new 
home  and  has  outbuildings,  which  accommodate 
well  the  work  of  the  farm.  Me  has  been  an  incum- 
bent of  the  office  of  School  Director,  and  in  that 
has  been  thoroughly  satisfactory.  Both  he  and 
his  capable  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  South,  and  in  this  connection  he 
has  Oiled  the  offices  of  Steward,  Class-Leader  and 
Trustee.  He  ever  takes  a  great  interest  in  religious 
affairs,  and  his  well-known  reputation  for  reliabil- 
ity and  thoroughness  as  well  as  his  devotion  to  the 
cause  of  Christianity  have  made  him  a  power  in 
church  circles. 


A  WILLIAM  C.  MERRILL,  of  the  firm  of 
\/sJ/l  Merr"l  &  Chase,  who  are  the  leading 
ffly  dry-goods  merchants  of  the  village  of 
Brighton,  and  one  of  the  oldest  houses  in  this  part 
of  the  State,  is  a  gentleman  whose  biography  we 
are  pleased  to  present  to  our  readers.  This  firm 
has  existed  under  the  Arm  name  for  nearly  thirty 
years  and  prior  to  that  time  our  subject  was  en- 
gaged in  the  business  on  his  own  account  for  one 
year  and  for  one  year  also  under  the  Arm  name  of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


329 


Crandall  &  Merrill.  Mr.  Merrill  is  a  thorough 
business  man  as  also  his  partner  and  their  business 
association  has  grown'inloa  close  and  warm  friend- 
ship. 

Mr.  Merrill  came  to  Brighton  in  1857,  and  in 
the  spring  of  that  year  he  established  a  grocery 
store  under  the  firm  name  of  Merrill  &  Bean. 
Later  he  introduced  a  drug  department  and  man- 
aged this  business  for  some  time,  and  then  under 
the  same  title  did  business  in  the  line  of  merchan- 
dise. Mr.  Merrill  has  been  closely  associated  with 
everything  of  interest  in  Brighton  since  before  the 
village  was  incorporated  and  lie  has  been  identified 
witli  the  business  interests  of  the  place  for  many 
years.  He  has  also  been  helpful  and  active  in  po- 
litical matters  and  was  one  of  the  first  members  of 
the  village  board  of  trustees. 

Previous  to  his  coming  to  this  county,  our  sub- 
ject had  been  a  resident  of  California,  having  gone 
there  in  the  spring  of  1852,  from  New  York,  his  na- 
tive State,  traveling  by  the  water  route  through 
the  Straits  of  Magellan  and  around  Cape  Horn, 
landing  there  in  the  fall  of  the  year  after  a  six 
month's  vo3'age.  The  vessel  was  a  propeller  and 
made  many  stops  on  the  South  American  Conti- 
nent and  Mexico,  including  San  Juan,  Valparaiso, 
Talqua-Calsawana  and  other  points.  At  the  last 
named  place  they  met  with  a  terrible  storm  that 
nearly  caused  the  loss  of  the  vessel,  and  later  the}' 
continued  the  journey  having  barely  escaped  the 
"yellow  jack"  at  Rio  Janeiro,  one  of  their  stop- 
ping places. 

After  landing  on  the  Western  Slope  our  subject 
turned  his  attention  to  the  gold  mines,  working 
first  at  Murphy's  Camp  and  spent  the  last  year  of 
the  three  years  he  was  in  the  Golden  State  at  Vol- 
cano, a  mining  town.  After  the  varied  experiences 
known  only  to  the  miner  of  those  times,  he  finally 
in  1855,  returned  East  by  the  way  of  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama  to  New  York  City  and  returned  to  his 
old  home  in  Franklin  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  first 
saw  the  light  in  Malone,  May  4,  1828.  He  came  of 
good  Huguenot  stock,  who  left  their  native  country, 
France,  and  came  to  England  at  the  time  of  the 
persecutions  and  later  in  Colonial  times  emigrated 
to  the  New  World  with  the  Hartford  Colony. 
There  the  first  two  brothers  of  this  family,  Abraham 


and  Isaac  Merrill  (whose  name  in  France  was 
spelled  Merl)  made  their  home.  The  family  di- 
vided and  subdivided  and  is  now  to  be  found  in 
almost  erery  Slate  in  the  Union.  Some  of  them 
were  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  of  the  second 
or  third  generation  from  the  two  original  brothers. 
His  name  was  l'aul  Merrill.  He  was  originally  a 
carpenter  but  he  reasoned  as  he  pounded  away  with 
bis  tools  that  he  was  making  something  while  he 
worked,  but  that  if  he  were  a  farmer  his  work 
would  go  on  while  he  slept,  so  he  changed  his  occu- 
pation. He  lived  to  be  over  ninety  years  old.  His 
son  Enoch,  the  father  of  cxir  subject,  is  supposed 
to  be  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  and  was  reared 
in  that  state.  He  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Betsey  Bean  who  came  of  an  old  New  England 
family  of  good  stock  and  was  born  and  reared  in 
New  Hampshire. 

After  marriage  Enoch  Merrill  and  his  young  wife 
came  to  New  Yolk  Stale  in  the  early  days  of  Frank- 
lin County,  when  it  was  all  wild  woods,  and  there 
they  hewed  out  of  the  timber  a  pleasant  home  and 
a  fine  farm.  They  lived  for  years  in  the  log  bouse 
which  they  erected,  and  cultivated  a  large  farm, 
and  there  they  both  died,  Mr.  Merrill  in  1854, 
being  sixty-four  years  old,  and  his  wife  five  years 
later,  having  attained  about  the  same  age.  They 
were  earnest  and  devout  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

Three  sons  and  four  daughters  formed  the  family 
of  this  worthy  and  enterprising  couple  upon  the 
old  homestead,  and  they  have  all  lived  to  establish 
homes  of  their  own,  and  to  reflect  crndit  upon 
their  parents.-  Their  home  training  made  of  them 
worthy  citizens  and  industrious  and  good  men  and 
women.  They  were  taught  practical  home  duties 
and  the  care  of  the  farm  and  were  given  a  good 
education.  Our  subject:  was  a  teacher  before  com- 
ing West  and  was  at  the  time  of  his  emigration  a 
single  man,  but  somewhat  later  he  went  back  to 
bring  to  his  new  home  the  "girl  he  left  behind 
him." 

The  marriage  of  William  C.  Merrill  and  Harriet 
A.  Smith  took  place  in  Franklin  County,  N.  Y.,  in 
1859.  They  were  both  reared  in  that  county  and 
she  was  also  a  teacher  in  her   girlhood   days.     She 


330 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


is  the  daughter  of  Giles  \V.  and  Sallie  (Blanchard) 
Smith.  Mrs.  Smith  is  now  living  with  a  sister  in 
New  York  City  and  has  readied  the  limit  of  three- 
score years  and  ten.  Mr.  Smith  died  some  years 
ago  while  living  in  Minnesota  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  his  political  views. 
Our  subject  and  his  wife-  have  been  prominent 
figures  in  both  social  and  church  circles  in  Brigh- 
ton. Mrs.  Merrill  being  connected  with  the  Metho- 
dist Church.  Mr.  Merrill  is  a  member  of  the  Blue 
Lodjje  No.  249,  at  Brighton.  He  is  a  Democrat  in 
his  political  views  as  was  his  father  before  him,  and 
belongs  to  the  old  Jacksonian  school.  Three  chil- 
dren still  live  of  the  number  born  to  this  worthy 
couple.  Herbert  F.  now  lives  at  Phcenix,  Ariz., 
and  is  engaged  in  mining  interests.  He  took  to 
wife  lone  Winton;  Almedia  is  at  home  and  is  the 
local  editor  of  the  Brighton  Times,  for  her  brother 
Frank  whose  biography  will  be  fou-id  elsewhere  in 
this  Rkcokd.  They  have  all  been  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Brighton  and  the  daughter  is  a  graduate 
of  the  Jacksonville  Female  College. 

,    <^r^    „ 


-"iltv"' 


\T/  AMES  WIRT,  one  of  the  most  public-spir- 
ited and  intelligent  citizens  of  section  2, 
Virden    Township,    was  born    in   Delaware 

J  County,  Ind.,  July  23,  1849.  When  still 
quite  a  child  he  was  bereaved  by  death  of  a  fath- 
er's care  and  love,  and  soon  after  this  sad  event  his 
mother  removed  to  Clark  County,  where  the  boy 
passed  some  ten  years  of  his  life,  working  upon  a 
farm  and  attending  the  district  school.  After  this 
he  came  with  the  family  to  Sangamon  County,  III., 
and  settled  about  five  miles  northeast  of  Virden, 
where  he  grew  up  to  a  vigorous  and  useful  young 
manhood. 

It  was  near  Girard,  III.,  that  Mr.  Wirt  found  the 
lovely  and  attractive  young  woman  whom  he  chose 
as  his  companion  through  life,  and  to  her  he  was 
married  June  4,  1878.  She  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Hannah  Gibson  and  is  a  daughter  of  C.  C. 
Gibson,  a  more  full  account  of  whom  will  be 
found  upon  another  page  of  this  Record.  Mrs. 
Wirt    was  born    near  Franklin,    Morgan  County, 


III.,  January  23,  1854.  After  marriage  the  young 
couple  made  their  home  on  section  2,  Virden 
Township,  where  they  now  reside,  and  where  they 
own  a  beautiful  tract  of  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
eight  acres,  upon  which  are  excellent  improve- 
ments. On  another  page  will  be  found  a  view  of 
the  comfortable  residence.  Their  beautiful  and 
inviting  home  is  more  than  ordinarily  cheerful 
and  pleasant,  and  is  a  fit  index  to  the  lives  of 
the  occupants.  They  are  most  highly  esteemed 
and  beloved  by  their  neighbors,  and  Mr.  Wirt 
stands  well  in  commercial  circles,  as  he  is  a  man 
of  integrity,  reliability,  and  public  spirit. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wirt  have  been  granted  four 
beautiful  children,  all  of  whom  are  living  and 
are  not  only  the  care  but  the  joy  of  their  faithful 
and  devoted  parents.  To  them  have  been  given 
the  following  names:  Virgil  I.,  Vioia  Lee,  Lela 
G.,and  Chalmer  C.  These  children  have  all  been 
trained  in  the  Christian  faith  and  doctrine  by  their 
parents,  who  are  members  of  the  German  Baptist 
Church.  In  this  harmonious  household  the  con- 
stant effort  of  all  is  to  promote  the  happiness  and 
prosperity  of  everyone,  and  as  is  always  the  case 
when  such  noble  efforts  are  made,  a  good  degree 
of  success  follows  the  occupants  of  this  home. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  James  Wirt,  who 
was  a  son  of  Israel  F.  Wirt.  The  grandfather  died 
in  Randolph  County,  Ind.,  as  did  also  the  father, 
who  passed  away  in  March,  1849.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  was  Lydia  Studebaker,  and  her  life 
ended  in  Sangamon  County,  this  State  in    ISlI'.t. 

ILLIAM  C.  ALDERSON,  one  of  the  pros- 
perous and  enterprising  agriculturists  of 
this  county,  lives  on  section  16,  North 
Otter  Township,  where  he  has  an  attractive  and 
arable  tract  of  land.  He  is  the  son  of  Robert  Al- 
derson,  a  native  of  Sumner  County,  Tenn.,  where 
he  was  born  in  1810.  His  worthy  mother  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Elizabeth  C.  Clack,  she  being  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  and  born  in  1812.  This 
couple  were  married  in  Kentucky  and  thinking 
they    could   better  their    fortunes   by    emigrating 


RESIDENCE  OF   W.    C.  ALDERSON  ,  SEC. 16., NORTH   OTTER    TR,  MACOUPIN    CO., ILL. 


- ,. — _ 


RESIDENCE  OF    JAMES     WIRT,    SEC.  2., VI RDEN    TR, MACOUPIN    CO.,  ILL. 


II8RARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  lUJNOIS 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


333 


westward,  decided  upon  Illinois  whence  they  came 
early  in  the  '30s.  After  their  arrival  here  they 
settled  in  Morgan  County,  where  the}-  remained 
nearly  three  years.  Thence  they  came  to  this 
county  and  took  up  land  in  North  Otter  Township 
on  what  is  known  as  Elm  Grove.  They  continued 
to  reside  in  this  township  most  of  the  time  until 
they  removed  to  Kansas  during  the  latter  part  of 
the  '70s  and  spent  their  last  days  in  Cherokee 
County. 

The  worth}'  parents  of  our  subject  had  born  un- 
to them  an  interesting  family  of  eleven  children, 
of  whom  our  subject  was  the  second  in  the 
order  of  birth.  lie  first  saw  the  light  of  life  in 
Morgan  County,  February  12,  1834,  and  when  he 
was  still  an  infant  of  less  than  one  year  his  parents 
came  to  North  Otter  Township,  this  county.  Here 
he  received  the  rudiments  of  his  education  in  the 
district  schools  and  as  soon  as  old  enough  began 
the  occupation  of  agriculture  which  he  has  fol- 
lowed all  his  life.  He  has  always  made  a  good 
success  of  his  work,  having  a  great  deal  of  push, 
pluck  and  perseverance,  and  he  has  added  at 
times  to  his  tract  until  he  now  has  nine  hundred 
and  two  broad  and  fertile  acres,  one  hundred  and 
sixty  of  which  are  located  in  Sangamon  County, 
this  State.  It  is  necessary  that  everything  should 
be  in  a  line  with  the  land,  which  is  highly  culti- 
vated and  under  the  best  of  supervision,  and  hence 
Mr.  Alderson  has  erected  on  his  place  a  good  set 
of  farm  buildings  for  the  accommodation  of  his 
stock,  tools,  and  all  necessary  outbuildings.  But 
besides  these  the  residence  in  which  the  family  re- 
sides is  one  of  great  attractiveness,  a  fact  which  a 
glance  at  the  view  presented  in  this  connection 
will  at  once  prove  to  the  reader. 

The  lady  who  presides  over  the  home  of  Mr. 
Alderson  with  so  much  grace  and  dignity  was 
united  in  marriage  with  him  March  25,  1858.  In 
her  maiden  days  she  bore  the  name  of  Miss  Lucre- 
tia  A.  Raffety,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Thomas  H. 
and  Mary  (Wriston)  Raffety.  The  father  is  a  na- 
tive of  Kentucky  where  he  was  born  in  1812,  and 
the  mother  was  born  in  1810,  in  Tennessee.  They 
emigrated  to  Greene  County,  III.,  with  their  par- 
ents and  were  united  in  marriage  in  that  count}' 
where  they  have  since  made  their    home.     They 


became  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
the   wife   of    our    subject    was    the    fourth    born. 

The  genial  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alderson  has 
been  blest  by  the  birth  of  ten  children  who  are 
named  as  follows:  Robert  T.  who  died  in  infancy; 
John  II.,  who  married  Miss  Dora  Woodman  Mini 
is  a  liveryman;  Worner  J.,  who  took  to  wife  Nora 
Nivins  and  is  a  farmer  in  North  Otter  Township; 
William  E.,  who  married  Carrie  Kable  and  is  a 
farmer  in  North  Otter  Township;  Etta  A.,  who 
married  William  Riffey;  Mary  E..  who  is  the 
wife  of  Charles  M.  Brcnnan;  Ella  M.,  Francis  B., 
Iva  M.,  and  one  child  who  died  in  infancy  un- 
named. 

Mr.  Alderson,  though  not  an  office  seeker  has 
held  the  responsible  position  of  School  Director  of 
his  district  and  not  only  did  so  with  credit  to  him- 
self but  with  great  advantage  to  the  community. 
In  politics  he  casts  his  vote  with  the  Democratic 
party.  Religiously  he  and  his  amiable  wife  are 
active  and  e$}Jgjsjjemt  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  CITtfVcb'»«$»d  are  la-Id  in  the  highest  es- 
teem by  all  with  whom  they  come  in  contact. 


\j~^  ENRY  ETTER  occupies  an  honorable  posi- 
tion among  the  farmers  and  stock-raisers  of 
this  county,  who  have  made  it  a  great  agri- 
cultural centre,  developing  it  from  the 
wilderness  to  a  highly  improved  condition,  with 
many  fine  farms  and  beautiful  homes  within  its 
borders.  The  homestead  of  our  subject  is  pleas- 
antly located  in  South  Palmyra  Township,  and  here 
he  has  been  engaged  ;it  his  vocation  many  years. 

Mr.  Etter  was  born  in  Anderson  County,  Tenn., 
May  14,  1820.  His  father,  who  was  also  named 
Henry  Etter,  was  born  in  Wythe  County,  Ya.,  in 
1783.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject 
was  born  of  German  parentage  either  in  Germany 
or  Virginia.  He  spent  his  last  years  in  the  Old 
Dominion,  where  he  carried  on  the  occupation  of  a 
fanner. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  young  when  his 
father  died.  He  was  bound  out  to  a  batter  in 
Wythe   County  to  learn  the  trade,  and  after  serv~ 


334 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ing  his  apprenticeship  he  made  a  quantity  of  hats, 
and  went  to  Tennessee  to  sell  them.  There  he  met 
and  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Parks,  a  native  of  An- 
derson County,  that  State,  and  he  settled  in  that 
county,  following  his  trade  there  some  years,  lie 
bought  a  home  eight  miles  from  Clinton,  and  re- 
sided there  until  1820,  when  he  sold  his  properly 
and  came  to  Illinois,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and 
nine  children,  making  the  removal  with  a  team  of 
four  horses  and  a  wagon,  camping  and  cooking  by 
the  way  at  nigiit-fall.  He  located  in  Greene  County, 
eight  miles  east  of  Carrollton,  where  he  entered 
eighty  acres  of  Government  land,  at  $1.25  per 
acre,  which  took  all  his  money,  lie  erected  a 
cabin  of  hickory  logs,  riving  the  boards  to  cover 
the  roof,  which  was  held  in  place  by  poles,  the 
tloor  was  made  of  puncheon,  and  the  door  made  of 
boards  rived  by  hand.  No  nails  were  used  in  the 
construction  of  the  cabin,  the  door  was  hung  with 
wooden  hinges,  and  its  wooden  latch  was  raised  by 
a  string. 

In  1836  Mr.  Etler  sold  his  possessions  in  Greene 
County,  and  coming  to  Macoupin  County,  bought 
a  tract  of  land  in  Western  Mound  Township,  on 
which  he  proceeded  to  build  a  home.  A  log  cabin 
stood  on  the  place,  and  that  with  a  few  acres  of  the 
land  under  tillage  constituted  the  only  improve- 
ments. He  erected  good  frame  buildings,  and  in 
time  had  a  valuable  farm,  upon  which  he  spent  his 
days  in  comfort  and  happiness  until  he  departed 
this  life  in  1853.  He  was  twice  married,  his  sec- 
ond marriage  being  with  Betsy  Griswold.  His 
twelve  children  were  the  fruit  of  his  first  marriage. 

Our  subject  was  five  years  old  when  he  came  to 
Illinois,  and  he  remembers  well  the  incidents  of 
pioneer  life  here  in  those  early  days  of  the  settle- 
ment of  the  State.  He  made  his  home  with  his 
father  until  his  marriage.  Before  that  time  lie  had 
bought  a  tract  of  land  in  Western  Mound  Town- 
ship, upon  which  there  was  a  log  cabin,  and  in  that 
humble  abode  he  and  his  bride  began  life  together. 
His  means  were  very  limited,  and  as  a  consequence 
they  had  to  begin  housekeeping  on  a  meagre  scale. 
The  house  had  but  little  furniture,  and  all  the 
chairs  were  made  by  his  hand.  The  young  couple 
had  no  stove,  and  Mrs.  Etter  did  her  cooking  be- 
fore the  fire  in  the  fireplace  for  a  number  of  years. 


There  were  no  railways  here  and  the  people  had  to 
go  to  Alton  to  sell  their  products,  and  to  obtain 
such  supplies  as  were  absolutely  necessary,  for 
many  articles  now  considered  indispensable  were 
unknown  luxuries  to  the  settlers,  who  were  home- 
livers,  subsisting  on  what  they  could  raise  on  their 
farms,  and  on  the  wild  game  that  was  abundant. 
Mrs.  Etter  was  an  expert  in  the  use  of  the  spinning 
wheel  and  loom,  and  made  all  the  cloth  needed  by 
her  family. 

Mr.  Etter  resided  on  the  farm  in  Western  Mound 
Township  a  few  months  after  marriage,  and  then 
sold  and  bought  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land  in  South  Palmyra  Township,  going  into  debt 
tor  it  to  the  sum  of  $800.  lie  hail  been  reared  to 
habits  of  industry,  was  well-endowed  with  a  capac- 
ity for  hard  and  well-directed  labor,  had  an  excel- 
lent knowledge  of  agriculture,  and  he  had  no  diffi- 
culty in  paving  his  indebtedness  in  due  time.  He 
bought  other  land,  and  besides  owning  valuable 
property  has  assisted  his  children  in  securing 
homes. 

November  11,  1814,  Mr.  Etter  was  married  to 
Miss  Asbereen  Elizabeth  Davidson,  and  in  her  he 
has  had  a  true  helpmate.  To  them  have  been  born 
four  sons:  George,  who  married  Mary  C.  McCoy, 
and  has  four  children;  James,  who  married  Julia 
E.  Richie,  and  has  four  children ;  Smith,  who  mar- 
ried Julia  R.  Range,  and  lias  one  child;  and  Elijah, 
who  married  Kate  Hulse,  and  has  one  son. 

Mrs.  Etter  was  born  in  Barren  Count)',  Ky., 
May  12,  1824.  Her  father,  Ellis  Davidson,  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  a  native  of  the  same  State.  He 
was  a  son  of  the  Rev.  John  Davidson,  who  was 
a  preachei  in  the  Baptist  Church,  and  was  a  pioneer 
of  Greene  County,  111.;  besides  pursuing  his  sacred 
calling,  he  farmed  in  Greene  County,  until  his 
mortal  career  was  closed  in  death. 

Mrs.  Elter's  father  was  reared  and  married  in 
Kentucky.  He  learned  the  trade  of  a  gunsmith, 
and  carried  it  on  in  his  native  State  until  1828, 
when  he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  wife  and  two 
children,  making  the  journey  overland.  He  located 
in  Greene  County,  of  which  he  thus  became  a  pio- 
neer, and  he  bought  a  tract  of  land  live  miles  west 
of  Greenfield.  He  built  a  camp  of  rails,  in  which 
the   family   lived  a  few  months  until  he  erected  a 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


335 


cabin.  Wolves  were  plenty,  and  used  to  come 
close  to  the  camp  and  make  night  hideous  with 
their  howls.  Mr.  Davidson  bought  other  land,  and 
furnished  all  his  sons  with  homes.  He  spent  his 
last  years  in  Christian  County,  and  he  and  his  wife 
now  lie  side  by  side  in  Grove  City  Cemetery.  The 
maiden  name  of  Mrs.  Etter's  mother  was  Margaret 
Wright.  She  was  a  native  of  Barren  County,  Ky., 
and  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Wright. 


f[ EYE  EILERS,  one    of    the    successful    and 

well-to-do  farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  this 
county,  owns  and  operates  a  tine  farm  of 
three  hundred  aud  twenty  acres  on  section 
30,  Cahokia  Township.  He  there  has  a  pleasant 
and  comfortable  home,  good  farm  buildings,  the 
latest  improved  machinery  and  also  raises  fine 
grades  of  stock.  His  well-tilled  fields  present  a 
neat  appearance  and  there  is  not  a  neglected  look- 
ing corner  upon  the  whole  place;  everything  will 
bear  the  closest  inspection  which  is  excellent  evi- 
dence of  the  thrift,  industry  and  enterprise  of  the 
owner.  He  also  owns  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land  in  Gillespie  Township,  which  is  like- 
wise under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  His  entire 
possessions  have  been  acquired  since  his  arrival  in 
this  county.  He  first  set  foot  on  this  soil  Novem- 
ber 28,  1859,  and  having  no  capital  had  to  begin 
life  here  as  a  farm  laborer,  but  per.-everanec  and 
economy  soon  did  for  him  what  inheritance  does 
for  many  others  and  he  has  worked  his  way  up- 
ward to  an  enviable   position. 

Mr.  Eilers  was  born  in  East  Friesland,  in  the 
province  of  Hanover,  Germany,  February  23, 
1836,  and  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth 
upon  the  farm  of  his  father,  Egge  Eilers,  who  died 
when  the  son  was  a  youth,  his  death  occurring  June 
9,  1849,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years.  He  had  mar- 
ried in  Hanover,  Miss  Ekhoflf  Taitze,  who  lived  and 
died  in  her  native  kingdom,  departing  this  life  at 
the  age  of  sixty-one  years.  Both  were  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church.  Iltye  Eilers  remained  at 
home  until  the  loth  of  September,  1859,  when  on 
board   the  sailing  vessel  "Albert"    he     waved  an 


adieu  to  his  native  land  and  was  en  route  for 
America.  <  >n  the  18th  of  November,  the  vessel 
dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  New  Oilcans  after 
a  pleasant  ocean  voyage  of  eight  weeks,  and  he 
went  up  the  Mississippi  to  St.  Louis,  where  he 
spent  one  day.  Coming  on  to  Alton  and  across 
the  country  to  Gillespie,  he  has  since  made  his 
home  in  Macoupin  County. 

Mr.  Eilers  was  united  in  marriage  in  this  county 
with  Miss  Trientjc  Goesmann.  a  native  of  Han- 
over, Germany,  born  June  24,  1842.  In  1804  she 
came  to  this  country  landing  in  New  York.  By 
their  union  have  been  born  nine  children,  eight  of 
whom  are  still  living — Tetteis  now  deceased;  John 
resides  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  Edward,  William,  Jo- 
hanna, Jurgen,  Heye,  Anna  andTillieare  at  home. 
Mr.  Eilers,  his  wife  and  children  are  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church.  In  politics  he  is  independent, 
voting  for  the  man  whom  he  thinks  will  best  fill 
the  office,  regardless  of  party  affiliations.  One  of 
his  chief  characteristics  is  shown  by  the  fact  that 
during  the  four  years  he  was  working  as  a  farm 
hand  for  M.  W.  Dorsey,  he  never  lost  but  half  a 
day.  The  same  perseverance  and  fidelity  to  duty 
has  marked  his  entire  career,  proving  important 
factors  in  his  success. 


"T^HOMAS  W.  TIIACKER  is  a  gentleman 
v  who  has  attained  much  prominence  in  the 
township  in  which  he  resides,  because  of  his 
broad  intelligence,  liberal  views,  public-spirited 
measures  and  from  the  fact  that  in  himself  he  is  a 
dynamic  force  stirring  others  to  profitable  actions, 
lie  is  the  owner  and  resident  on  a  tine  farm  located 
on  section  7,  Nilwood  Township  and  the  thorough- 
ness that  characterizes  his  dealings  with  mankind 
in  every-day  life  is  also  seen  in  ever}'  feature  of  his 
well-improved  and  finely-cultivated  farm. 

Our  subject  is  a  son  of  '/..  Thacker  of  whom  a 
sketch  appears  on  another  page  of  this  volume. 
He  was  born  in  North  Palmyra  Township,  Novem- 
ber 29,  1844,  and  was  reared  to  manhood  in  Ma- 
coupin County,  there  receiving  a  good  common- 
school  education,  after  which  lie  attended  Earlham 


336 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


College  at  Richmond,  Ind.  He  is  also  a  graduate 
of  Jones  Commercial  College  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Mr.  Thacker  absorbed  all  the  benefits  that  could 
be  derived  from  college  life  and  to-day  his  in- 
tellectuality and  the  advantages  that  he  gained  from 
his  college  life  arc  felt  in  his  intercourse  with  his 
less  favored  brother  farmers. 

The  young  man's  sense  of  patriotism  was  fired 
when  the  call  was  made  for  volunteers  to  tight  for 
the  old  flag.  He  entered  the  army  August  10,  1862. 
joining  Company  H,  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-second  Regiment,  lie  served  from  that 
time  until  August  1,  1865  when  he  was  discharged 
at  Springfield,  III.  That  bloody  period  was  im- 
pressed upon  his  mind  indelibly  by  participation  in 
some  of  the  desperate  engagements  of  the  war.  He 
was  at  Parker's  Roads,  Tenn.,  and  at  Paducah,  Ky., 
also  at  Town  Creek,  Ala.,  Tupelo,  Miss.,  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  and  at  Ft.  Blakely,  Ala.  After  the  war  was 
over  and  our  subject  had  received  his  discharge  he 
returned  to  bis  father's  home  bis  health  being 
greatly  impaired  by  the  privations  suffered  in  the 
war. 

On  March  24,  1867  Mr.  Thacker  was  married 
near  Gi  rani,  111.,  to  Miss  Julia  A.  Lynch,  a  daughter 
of  the  late  Alfred  and  Elizabeth  (Bristow)  Lynch. 
The  lady's  family  were  among  the  first  settlers  in 
ibis  section  of  the  country,  coming  to  this  State  at 
a  very  early  day.  They  died  in  Girard  Township. 
Mrs.  Julia  Thacker  was  born  in  Macoupin  County, 
November  2,  1847  and  here  passed  the  early  days 
of  her  childhood.  After  the  marriage  of  the  young 
couple  they  settled  a  little  east  of  Girard  and  lived 
there  for  about  five  years  after  which  they  located 
on  a  farm  where  our  subject  now  lives.  He  has 
improved  his  place  greatly  since  his  advent  hither 
and  has  erected  good  buildings,  having  a  pleasant 
home  that  is  delightfully  presided  over  by  his  cul- 
tured and  amiable  wife.  For  two  years  Mr.  Thacker 
lived  in  Kansas,  this  change  being  made  on  ac- 
count of  his  health.  He  returned  however  to  his 
farm  where  he  has  ever  since  lived.  He  now  owns 
three  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  good  land,  to 
which  he  unreservedly  gives  his  attention.  He  en- 
gages in  general  farming  and  stock-raising. 

The  original  oi  this  sketch  and  his  wife  are  the 
parents  of  six  children,  they  are:     Nola  E.  who  is 


the  wife  of  Joseph  D.  Francis;  William  W.  Jennie, 
Julia  15.,  Thomas  and  John  A.  Logan.  In  the  fall 
of  1890  Mr.  Thacker  was  a  candidate  for  County 
Treasurer  on  the  Republican  ticket.  He  was  de- 
feated by  his  Democratic  opponent,  A.  Frey.  He  has 
filled  the  office  of  Assessor,  Collector  and  School 
Trustee.  His  symathics  and  vote  is  with  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  takes  a  great  deal  of  interest 
in  all  local  affairs,  especially  in  those  that  promise 
material  advancement  to  the  locality.  Socially 
Mr.  Thacker  is  a  member  of  Luke  May  Meld  Post 
No.  516,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Girard.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Our  subject  and  his 
wife  are  attendants  and  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  of  which  body  he  is  Superintendent  of  the 
Sunday-school. 


»<*o..(^y><^Q}-o*>- 


(IX.  JAMES  B.  WILSON,  a  sketch  of 
whose  parents  appears  on  another  page 
of  this  volume,  is  a  resident  farmer  and 
stock  breeder  of  this  county,  living  in  Carl- 
inville  Township  on  section  20.  He  was  born  in 
New  York  City  on  the  25th  of  April,  1840,  and 
was  the  second  son  of  a  family  of  ten  children. 
When  six  years  old  he  moved  with  his  parents  to 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  three  years  later  he  accom- 
panied them  to  Southeastern  Iowa,  where  the  fol- 
lowing eleven  years  of  his  life  were  passed.  When 
Hearing  his  majority  bis  father  gave  him  the  choice 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  or  a  class- 
ical education.  To  a  brilliant  young  man  of  twen- 
ty who  had  already  seen  something  of  the  world,  a 
collegiate  course  was  extremely  attractive  and  with 
judgment  rare  in  one  of  his  age,  he  preferred  to 
complete  bis  studies,  going  to  Aurora,  III.,  where 
he  spent  two  years  in  a  preparatory  school  and 
entered  upon  and  completed  a  commercial  course 
at  Wyoming  College,  Pennsylvania.  His  thirst 
for  knowledge  led  him  to  Hillsdale  College,  Mich- 
igan, where  be  consecrated  all  his  energies  to  his 
studies  for  a  period  of  two  years.  He  wished  then 
to  study  law,  that  with  a  honorable  profession  he 
might  be  able  to  obtain  an  independent  support. 
Witli  this  object  in  view  he  entered   the  law   office 


i/BRARY 
.     Of  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINGI: 


gfrt-a^  VV>  Jj^  tuJ^^~ 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


:;:;:> 


of  John  E.  Rosette  in  Springfield,  this  State, 
at  that  time  United  States  District  Attorney.  In 
the  meantime,  his  father,  had  changed  his  residence 
to  Macoupin  County  and  settled  in  Honey  Point 
Township,  whither  after  his  sojourn  in  the  capital 
city  Mr.  Wilson  rested  from  his  arduous  studies. 
After  spending  a  few  months  at  home,  lie  improved 
a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  the  same  township,  living 
there  some  five  years.  His  next  move  was  the 
purchase  of  a  tract  of  two  hundred  acres  where 
he  now  resides.  He  is  thoroughly  familiar  with 
all  classes  of  high-grade  stock,  the  breeding  of 
such  occupying  the  greater  part  of  his  time  and 
care. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  married  in  St.  Louis  to  Miss 
Mary  M.  Eastham,  a  lady  of  culture  and  re- 
finement and  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Their  children  were  three  in  number:  Vir- 
gil D.,  Alice  E.,  and  Mattie  L.  Mrs.  Wilson's 
death  occurred  in  March,  1884.  Mr.  Wilson  mar- 
ried in  October,  1887,  Miss  Martha  J.  Eastham, 
a  sister  of  his  former  wife. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  selected  to  represent  the  consti- 
tuents in  the  district  in  which  he  lives,  in  the 
State  legislature  of  Illinois,  in  the  fall  of  1886. 
He  was  the  first  clerk  of  Honey  Point  Township 
after  its  organization.  He  is  identified  with  the 
interests  of  the  Democratic  party  and  has  taken  an 
active  part  in  political  questions  of  the  day. 


•$s^3» 


~»T*~ 


RANCIS  LANCASTER.  Among  the  Brit- 
ish-American citizens  of  Macoupin  County, 
we  are  pleased  to  present  to  our  readers  the 
portrait  and  a  sketch  of  the  life  of  that  genial  and 
prominent  resident  of  Bunker  Hill  Township,  who 
is  so  well  known  in  the  county  as  Francis  Lancas- 
ter. He  is  a  successful  and  practical  farmer  and 
progressive  stock-raiser,  and  lives  on  a  fine  farm 
located  on  sections  1,  2,  and  12,  of  Bunker  Hill 
Township.  This  tract  comprises  eight  hundred 
acres,  most  of  which  is  in  a  fine  state  of  improve- 
ment. His  handsome,  two-story  brick  residence 
and  his  barns  and  other  farm  buildings,  are  located 
on  section    1,  and  have  been  placed  there  by  Mr. 


Lancaster.  He  has  owned  and  lived  on  the  home- 
stead since  1848,  and  procured  most  of  the  land 
when  it  was  in  its  unbroken  stale. 

Mr.  Lancaster  did  not  have  a  dollar  of  capital 
when  he  entered  this  county  in  18-11,  and  has  made 
his  fortune  out  of  the  soil  by  the  help  of  his  pluck, 
push  and  perseverance.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1841,  voyaging  on  a  three  mast  sailor,  the 
••Ontario,"  being  on  the  ocean  seven  weeks  and  two 
days,  and  landing  in  New  York  City,  March  7.  It 
was  three  years  later  before  he  was  able  to  send 
back  for  his  wife  and  children  whom  he  had  left  at 
the  old  home.  He  had,  in  the  meanwhile,  earned 
the  money  for  their  transportation,  and  to  give 
them  a  suitable  welcome  in  the  new  home.  His 
wife  has  ever  been  a  faithful  and  ellicient  helpmate 
in  his  struggle  for  the  attainment  of  a  comfortable 
fortune. 

Our  subject  was  born  August  7,  1H 13,  in  Buck- 
inghamshire, England,  and  came  of  a  good,  old 
yeoman  family,  who  were  foi  generations  residents 
in  that  shire.  It  was  there  that  the  father  and 
mother  of  our  subject  lived  and  died,  passing  away 
after  they  had  both  completed  the  limit  of  three- 
score years  anfl  ten.  The  father,  Joseph  Lancaster, 
was  a  brickniaker  and  fruit  dealer  by  occupation, 
and  the  mother,  Harriet  (Downey)  Lancaster,  was 
also  of  an  old  English  family.  She  became  the 
mother  of  fourteen  children,  and  four  of  her  sons 
came  to  the  United  States,  two  of  them  now  hav- 
ing died. 

Our  subject  learned  the  trade  of  a  brickniaker, 
anil  after  he  became  of  age,  niarrieda  wife  in  his 
native  shire.  She  was  Miss  Elizabeth  Collins,  who 
was  born  in  1812  in  the  same  shire;  she  was  reared 
there  by  her  parents  who  came  of  good  old  English 
stock,  and  who  lived  anil  died  in  their  native  home. 
She  followed  her  husband  to  this  country,  helped 
him  to  gain  the  splendid  property  which  he  owns 
today,  and  died  at  her  home  May  12,  1883.  She 
was  a  woman  of  unusual  intelligence  and  a  lively 
Christian  faith,  which  was  shown  forth  in  a  life  of 
unpretentious  goodness.  She  was  brought  up  in 
the  church  of  England,  and  was  always  strongly 
attached  to  the  Episcopal  service. 

She  was  the  mother  of  ten  children,  four  of  whom 
have  passed  to  the  other  world.     Frank  died  after 


340 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


his  marriage,  and  the  birth  of  his  six  children.  His 
wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Caroline  Hooker, 
and  is  now  living  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.  The  others 
who  died  passed  away  when  young.  One  was  an 
infant  unnamed,  and  the  others  were  Harriet  and 
Albert.  Those  who  are  living  arc  as  follows:  Will- 
iam, who  took  to  wife  Mary  Hovey,  and  lives  at 
Girard,  where  he  is  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser; 
Elizabeth  the  wife  of  Henry  Wise,  a  miller  at 
Bunker  Hill;  Mary,  the  wife  of  Esop  Barnes,  a 
dentist  of  Girard;  John,  a  farmer  in  Bunker  Hill 
Township,  who  married  Hannah  Parmetcr;  Matilda 
the  wife  of  Joseph  Barnes,  a  farmer  of  Sumner 
County.  Kan.:  the  second  son,  Joseph,  is  a  heavy 
stock  dealer  in  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  and  married  Miss 
Mary  l'armeter.  This  valuable  family  stands  high 
in  the  social  and  industrial  circles  of  Macoupin 
County,  and  its  members  have  done  much  to  de- 
velop the  resources  of  this  section  of  the  country. 


-€-*-§^— * 


NDREW  J.  CRl'M.  Among  the  attractive 
farms  anil  homes  of  North  Palmyra  Town- 
Si  ship,  the  traveler  is  sure  to  notice  those 
belonging  to  the  gentleman  whose  name 
appears  at  the  head  of  this  sketch.  His  property  is 
located  on  section  20,  and  bears  every  mark  of  the 
hand  of  a  thorough  and  systematic  farmer,  who 
takes  pride  not  only  in  making  his  acres  yield  a 
profitable  income  but  also  in  providing  for  his 
family  and  his  stock,  suitable  and  comfortable  ac- 
commodations. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  Joseph  Crura,  was 
born  in  Clark  County,  Ind.,  and  his  mother,  Maria 
L.  Burnett,  was  a  Kentuckian.  Their  marriage 
took  place  in  Macoupin  County  and  they  settled 
in  North  Palmyra  Township  at  first  but  afterward 
removed  to  South  Palmyra  where  they  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  days.  Their  son  Andrew  was 
one  of  the  older  in  a  large  family  of  children  and 
was  born  in  South  Palmyra  Township  July  13, 
1846,  and  there  was  reared  to  manhood. 

September  9,  1873,  was  the  happy  wedding  day 
of  Andrew  J.  Crum  and  Phoebe  E.  Allmond, 
daughter  of  Dr.  R.  J.    and  Ann  G.    (Talley)    All- 


mond. For  further  historical  facts  in  regard  to  the 
family  of  this  well-known  physician  we  recom- 
mend our  readers  to  peruse  the  sketch  of  Dr.  All- 
mond to  be  found  upon  another  page  of  this 
volume.  His  daughter  Phoebe  had  her  nativity  in 
Ohio,  May  5,  1851. 

The  young  married  couple  settled  at  once  in 
North  Palmyra  Township,  and  engaged  in  farming 
which  they  made  their  life  business.  They  owned 
one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  upon  which  they 
had  erected  a  good  house  and  made  various  sub- 
stantial improvements.  They  have  been  the  par- 
ents of  nine  children,  namely:  Nellie  M.,  Edwin 
\\\,  Lee  IS.,  Joseph  R.,  Robert  R.,  Golda  T.,  Ola 
B.,  Carl  C,  and  a  baby  whose  name  is  Glen  P. 
Two  of  the  sons,  Lee  and  Joseph,  died  in  early 
childhood. 

The  offices  of  Collector  and  School  Director  have 
been  bestowed  upon  Mr.  Crum.  He  takes  an  active 
part  in  political  matters,  his  sympathies  and  vole 
being  with  the  Democratic  party.  Religious  move- 
ments find  in  this  couple  hearty  support,  and  al- 
though they  are  not  united  in  their  church  connec- 
tion they  are  in  their  sympathies  id  all  good  works, 
Mr.  Crum  being  an  active  and  efficient  member  of 
the  Church  of  Christ  and  his  wife  a  devoted  worker 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chinch.  This  inter- 
esting family  make  a  blight  spot  in  the  social  and 
business  life  of  the  community  in  which  they  re- 
side, as  they  are  universally  esteemed  and  justly  so. 


^^WS?<^^ 


\f/OHN  GELDER.  One  of  the  most  successful 
farmers  in  Macoupin  County  and  the  owner 
of  one  of  the  most  delightful  homes  in  Yir- 
den,  is  the  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this 
sketch.  lie  is  the  possessor  of  thirteen  hundred 
and  ninety  five  acres  of  splendid  farming  lands 
located  in  the  counties  of  Macoupin,  Sangamon, 
Montgomery  and  Christian.  This  property  is  di- 
vided into  nine  farms  which  are  placed  in  the  hands 
of  responsible  and  efficient  tenants.  He  was  born 
in  Chesterfield  Township,  this  county,  August  II, 
1837.  His  father,  Thomas  S.  Gelder,  was  born  on 
a  farm  near  Snaith,    Yorkshire,  England,  and  was 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


341 


the  son  of  John  Gelder,  who  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  his  native  home  until  1831.  when  accompan- 
ied by  his  wife  and  three  of  his   Ave    children,    he 

emigrated  to  America  and  located  in  Chesterfield 
Township  on  a  farm  adjoining  his  son's,  where  he 
died  at  a  ripe  old  age.  His  son  Thomas  had  pre- 
ceded him  to  this  country.  John  Gelder,  Sr.,  pro- 
ceded  at.  once  to  build  a  home  and  his  log  cabin 
was  at  the  time  of  its  construetio  n  the  largest  log 
binding  in  the  county  with  the  exception  of  the 
court  house.  He  died.  December  20,  1851,  having 
passed  his  three-score  years  and  ten.  His  wife, 
and  the  grandmother  of  our  subject,  bore  the  mai- 
den name  of  Elizabeth  Shearburn.  She  was  born 
in  England,  and  died  in  Chesterfield  Township 
March  24,  1847.  Both  she  and  her  husband  were 
members  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  after  com- 
ing to  this  country  assisted  in  organizing  the  Epis- 
copal church  at  Chesterfield,  of  which  John  Gelder 
was  Warden  from  its  organization  to  the  date  of 
his  death. 

The  father  of  our  subject  secured  his  early  edu- 
cation in  his  native  shire  in  England,  attending 
the  common  parish  schools  and  also  a  boarding 
school  at  Whiston.  He  emigrated  to  America  in 
1830,  landing  at  Baltimore  July  16.  He  reached 
Greene  County,  111.,  in  November  of  that  year  and 
the  following  summer  he  enlisted  in  the  army  for 
service  in  the  Black  Hawk  War.  Soon  after  his  re- 
turn, to  Carrollton. Captain  Gelder  had  the  pleasure 
of  welcoming  his  parents  and  the  other  members  of 
his  family.  He  was  shortly  afterward  naturalized 
and  was  the  first  person  of  foreign  birth  to  make 
application  for  citizenship  after  the  organization  of 
of  Macoupin  County. 

The  first  wife  of  Thomas  S.  Gelder  was  Ann 
Quarton.  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Lydia  (Juar- 
ton,  of  Yorkshire,  England.  By  this  marriage 
there  were  nine  children,  five  of  whom  are  living. 
Our  subject,  Elizabeth  Ann,  the  wife  of  Lewis  Ter- 
rel,  of  Jersey  County;  Mary  Frances,  wife  of 
Charles  Lewis;  Sarah  KUen,  now  Mrs.  F.  W.  Shear- 
bum,  and  Clara,  who  married  Peter  J.  Randolph, 
of  Morrisonville,  Christian  County.  The  mother 
of  these  children  died,  December  12,  1855,  at  the 
age  of  forty  years.  Mr.  Gelder's  second  marriage 
occured  May   14,  1857,  to   Ruth    Louisa   Chapin, 


daughter  of  Daniel  Chapin.  She  was  born  at 
Newport,  N.  IL,  and  was  a  lady  of  more  than  ordi- 
nary culture  and  refinement.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  first  class  which  graduated  from  Monti- 
cello  Seminary,  and  was  for  seven  years  a  teacher 
in  that  institution.  C'apt.  Gelder  had  the  honor 
of  voting  twice  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  with  whom 
he  was  on  terms  of  personal  acquaintance,  and 
with  whom  he  served  in  the  Black  Hawk  War.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gelder  have  passed  away,  his  death 
occurring  November  25,  1881. 

John  Gelder  commenced  when  very  young  to 
assist  upon  the  farm  but  was  also  given  the  best 
advantages  for  obtaining  an  education.  He  first 
attended  the  pioneer  schools  which  were  taught  in 
a  log  school  house,  the  benches  upon  which  he  sat 
being  slabs  with  pin  legs.  At  one  end  a  board  was 
placed  against  the  wall,  and  served  as  a  desk  for 
the  larger  scholars,  lie  advanced  his  education  by 
attendance  at  Chesterfield  Seminary  and  enjoyed 
for  two  years,  the  privileges  of  ShurtleS  College. 
After  leaving  college  he  spent  fourteen  months  in 
Europe,  traveling  in  England,  Holland,  Belgium 
and  France,  visiting  during  1862  and  1863  all  the 
principal  places  of  interest  in  these  countries.  Re- 
turning home  in  1863  he  went  to  farming  in  Ches- 
terfield Township. 

The  marriage  of  John  Gelder  and  Clara  Tolman, 
daughter  of  James  Toliuan  of  Macoupin  Count}-, 
took  place  September  11,  1866.  The  mother  of 
Mrs.  Gelder  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Nancy  B.  Lor- 
ton.  After  maniagethe  young  couple  mover!  to 
the  farm  which  they  now  occupy,  which  is  a  fine 
tract  of  one  hundred  and  fort}*  acres.  Five  chil- 
dren have  blessed  their  union,  namely,  Tolman  T., 
Charles  C,  Stella  J.,  Edgar  E.  and  Edith.  Tolman 
is  a  graduate  of  Virden  High  School,  and  further 
carried  on  his  education  at  the  Illinois  State  Uni- 
versity at  Champaign.  After  this,  he  entered  the 
Law  Department  of  the  State  University  ai  Ann 
Arbor,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years  at  Lansing,  Mich.  He  is  now 
associated  with  ex-Gov.  Hamilton  of  Chicago. 
Charles  C.  is  a  clerk  in  the  wholesale  house  of  Wil- 
son Bros.,  of  Chicago,  in  the  line  of  gentlemen's 
furnishing  goods.  The  three  younger  children  are 
still  carrying  on  their  education.     They,  with  their 


342 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


parents.  spent  several  months  in  Europe  in  1890. 
They  visited  Antwerp,  Bru-sels,  Cologne,  Weisha 
den,  Frankfort- on-the- Main,  Heidelburg,  Straus 
burg,  Paris;  and  in  England,  Brighton,  London, 
York,  Liverpool;  and  crossing  into  Scotland,  the 
cities  of  Glasgow  and  Edinburg.  Mr.  Gelder  is  a 
Republican  in  politics  and  always  takes  an  interest 
in  public  affairs.  He  has  served  for  twelve  years 
as  School  Trustee,  and  for  two  terms  as  a  member 
of  the  County  Board  of  Supervisors.  His  lands  in 
Sangamon,  Montgomery  and  Christian  Counties, 
he  bought  unimproved,  and  they  now  form  fine 
and  valuable  farms.  Those  in  Christian  are  situated 
near  Ilarvel,  on  the  Wabash  railway.  His  home 
has  recently  been  re-built  and  is  now  in  the  best 
modern  style  of  architecture  and  adornment. 

— ~g-*$*-2~- 


ylLLIAMG.  BARTELS.  President  of  the 
Carlinville  Coal  and  Mining  Company,  is 
a  native  of  Carlinville  and  has  from  his 
early  manhood  been  engaged  in  business  here.  He 
was  born  March  20,  1858,  and  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen  he  entered  Blackburn  University  at  Carlin- 
ville, where  he  carried  on  an  advanced  course 
of  study.  After  leaving  school  he  worked  at  the 
carpenter's  trade  with  his  father  until  1871,  then 
assumed  supervision  of  the  work  at  the  South  Car- 
linville coal  shaft,  of  which  his  father  was  propri- 
etor. Since  1883  he  has  had  full  charge  of  the 
business. 

As  the  patronymic  indicates,  the  paternal  ances- 
tors of  our  subject  came  from  Germany.  His 
father  and  grandfather  each  bore  the  name  of 
Henry  and  were  born  in  Brunswick.  The  grand- 
father served  in  the  army  of  the  Empire  eight 
years  and  with  that  exception  devoted  his  mature 
life  to  the  carpenter's  trade.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject was  the  only  member  of  the  family  who  flame 
to  America.  He  attended  school  steadily  until  he 
was  fourteen  years  old  and  then  began  to  learn  the 
trade  vvith  his  father.  In  1854  he  decided  to  seek 
a  home  in  the  New  World  and  in  October  set  sail 
from  Bremen,   landing  at  New   Orleans  six  weeks 


.later.  He  came  up  to  St.  Louis,  spent  a  month 
there,  and  then  came  to  Carlinville  and  began  work 
at  his  trade. 

Mr.  Bartels  had  left  his  family  in  Germany  in- 
tending if  he  did  not  like  America  to  return  to 
that  country.  But  being  pleased  with  the  pros- 
pects here  he  sent  for  Ihem  and  was  joined  by  his 
wife  and  four  children  about  a  twelvemonth  after 
his  own  arrival.  He  bought  a  residence  and  has 
continued  to  live  in  Carlinville.  He  followed  his 
trade  some  lime  and  during  those  years  bought 
thirty  acres  of  land  in  the  city  limits  and  in  1870 
opened  a  coal  mine,  which  he  personally  superin- 
tended some  years.  For  a  few  years  past  he  has 
been  living  in  retirement,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  a 
well-spent  life.  He  is  advanced  in  years,  having 
been  born  April  18,  1816.  The  lady  who  became 
his  wife  in  1847  was  born  February  7,  1820,  in  the 
same  locality  as  he,  and  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Minnie  Larke. 

William  G.  Bartels  and  Emma  Singelman  were 
united  in  marriage  September  13,1883.  The  bride's 
parents,  Henry  and  Louisa  Singelman,  are  natives 
of  Germany,  and  were  early  settlers  in  Carlinville. 
Mrs.  Bartels  was  born  here,  received  a  good  educa- 
tion and  careful  attention  from  her  parents.  To 
her  and  her  husband  three  children  have  come, 
who  are  named  respectively:  Eda,  Leonora  and 
Leila.  Mr.  Bartels  has  served  as  Collector  of  Car- 
linsville  Township  and  represented  the  Second 
Ward  in  the  City  Council  two  years.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Republican.  The  family,  including  his  par- 
ents, belong  to  the  Evangelical  Church.  They  are 
classed  among  the  best  citizens  and  have  many 
friends. 


EI^M- 


<it  IVILLIAM  M.  JONES,  who  represents  one  of 
\rs,J/f  the  oldest  families  in  Illinois  and  now  of 
V^\y  Honey  Point  Township,  was  born  in  Mad- 
ison County,  February  G,  1818,  at  which  time  Ill- 
inois was  but  a  territory.  His  father,  Mai  tin  Jones, 
was  a  Virginian  by  birth,  the  son  of  the  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Jones,  who,  it  is  thought,  was  born  in  Giles 
County,  Virginia.     The  father  of  the  latter,  great- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


343 


grandfather  of  our  subject,  John  Junes,  was  of  Eng- 
lish ancestry,  and  coming  from  Ireland  to  America 
in  Colonial  times,  he  settled  in  Virginia,  where  he 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  life.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  wife  was  Lovina  Pruitt. 

William  Jones,  his  son,  was  reared  in  the 
Old  Dominion,  where  he  married  and  went  thence 
to  Tennessee,  and  from  there  came  to  the  North- 
west Territory,  locating  in  what  is  now  Illinois. 
For  a  short  time  he  resided  in  that  part  of  the  Ter- 
ritory now  known  as  Bond  County,  and  thence 
went  to  Madison  County  and  settled  on  land  now 
included  in  Wood  River  Township,  where  he 
erected  a  fort  known  as  Jones'  Fort.  In  that  early 
dnv  Indians  were  vastly  more  numerous  than 
whites  and  had  full  sway,  ofttimes  being  hostile  to 
the  settlers.  For  a  few  years  he  resided  at  the  fort 
and  then  built  a  dwelling  which  continued  to  be 
his  home  until  his  death. 

The  father  of  cur  subject  was  about  twelve  years 
old  when  his  parents  brought  him  to  Illinois. 
During  the  time  of  the  trouble  with  the  Indians  he 
joined  the  Rangers  and  he  was  also  an  active  par- 
ticipant in  the  Black  Hawk  War.  Upon  settling 
down  he  procured  a  tract  of  land  near  the  old  home 
and  lived  upon  it  until  death  closed  his  earthly  ca- 
reer. His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mar- 
garet Wright,  was  also  born  in  Virginia,  and  was 
the  daughter  of  Toliver  Wright,  who  was,  so  far  as 
known,  a  native  of  the  same  State.  He  located  in 
what  is  now  Wood  River  Township  in  1806,  being 
one  of  its  first  settlers.  In  1814,  on  the  10th  of 
July,  Mrs.  Reagan,  accompanied  by  six  children, 
visited  his  home.  Just  before  night  she  started 
for  her  home  and  the  mother  of  our  subject  set  out 
with  her.  As  Mrs.  Jones  afterward  expressed  it, 
Divine  Providence  seemed  to  have  interposed  in 
her  behalf,  for  all  at  once  she  was  prompted  to  re- 
turn home.  In  less  than  five  minutes  she  heard 
gun  shots,  which  told  only  too  plainly  of  the  mas 
Bacre  of  Mrs.  Reagan  and  her  children,  not  one  of 
whom  was  left  to  tell  the  terrible  tale  of  that  cruel 
slaughter.  Mrs.  Jones  had  escaped  miraculously 
from  one  of  the  most  brutal  massacres  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Northwestern  Territory.  Her  mar- 
riage to  Mr.  Jones  was  contracted  in  1814  and  of 
their   union   there   were  nine  children.     .She  was  a 


devoted  member  of  the  United  Baptist  Church,  in 
which  faith  she  reared  her  family.  Mrs.  Jones 
died  August  11,  1861,  at  the  ripe  age  of  eighty- 
three  years. 

The  early  life  of  our  subject  was  passed  in  his 
native  county.  In  his  youthful  days  the  schools 
were  taught  on  the  subscription  plan,  each  family 
paying  for  tuition  according  to  the  number  of  chil- 
dren sent.  The  people  lived  principally  from  the 
products  of  the  farm  and  by  hunting  and  fishing. 
There  was  no  scarcity  of  game,  deer,  wild  turkeys, 
bears  and  wolves  abounding  and  having  free  range 
of  the  country.  St.  Louis  was  then  a  small  place, 
in  fact,  at  the  time  of  our  subject's  birth  was  but  a 
trading  post.  In  common  with  the  other  women 
of  that  day,  Mrs.  Jones  used  to  card,  spin  and 
weave  all  the  cloth  used  by  the  family.  Mr. 
Jones  continued  to  live  in  Madison  County  the 
greater  part  of  the  time  until  1866,  when  he  came 
to  this  county  and  bought  his  present  desirable 
farm  in  Honey  Point  Township,  where  he  has  ever 
since  lived  in  comfort  and  prosperity.  He  has  one 
hundred  and  three  acres. 

Mr.  Jones  was  first  married  in  Bond  County,  to 
Elizabeth  P.  Jones,  a  native  of  that  county.  She 
died  in  Honey  Point  Township.  July  28,  1882, 
leaving  two  children,  Emanuel  and  Melinda  A. 
Emanuel  is  the  father  of  two  children,  Mary  A. 
and  Robert  L.  Melinda  is  the  wife  of  G.  B.  Ash- 
ton  and  has  four  children:  Janetta,  Magnolia,  Car- 
rie A.  and  Lena  Belle. 

Mr.  Jones'  second  marriage  took  place  in  May, 
1885,  at  which  time  he  was  wedded  to  Mrs.  Jtdia 
Pauline  (Powers)  Karnes.  She  was  born  in  Greene 
County,  Tenn.,  October  1,  1839,  a  daughter  of 
Benjamin  and  Cynthiana  (Gower)  Powers.  She 
was  reared  in  her  native  county  and  when  eighteen 
years  old  accompanied  her  parents  to  their  new 
home  in  this  county.  She  was  married  in  1860  to 
William  Karnes.  He  was  a  native  of  this  county, 
born  May  30,  1832,  son  of  Peter  and  Sarah  A.  (Proc- 
tor) Karnes,  who  were  natives  of  Kentucky.  From 
that  State  they  went  to  Indiana  ami  thence  coming 
to  Illinois,  were  pioneers  of  Macoupin  County. 
They  settled  in  Cahokia  Township,  where  the 
father  took  up  Government  land,  improved  a  farm 
and  made  his  home  as  long  as  he  lived.     His  son 


344 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


William  \v:is  brought  up  on  that  farm.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  a  house-painter,  which  he  followed  in 
this  county  until  1878,  when  he  went  to  South- 
western Missouri,  where  he  remained  four  years. 
Returning  to  this  county  at  the  expiration  of  that 
time,  he  soon  after  died  at  his  father's  home.  By 
her  first  marriage  Mrs.  Jones  has  two  children  liv- 
ing, Oscar  A.  and  Thomas  Frederick. 

In  Mr.  Jones  Honey  Point  Township  finds  a 
worthy  citizen,  who  lives  an  upright  life  and  is  ac- 
corded full  respect  by  all  who  know  him.  He  is  an 
earnest  worker  in  the  United  Baptist  Church,  of 
which  he  has  been  a  member  forty  years,  and  ev- 
ery project  tending  to  uplift  the  people  and  ad- 
vance the  cause  of  Christianity  has  in  him  a  liberal 
supporter. 


ANIEL  E.  WITT,  a  well-known  citizen 
residing  upon  section  28,  Polk  Township, 
is  the  son  of  the  late  James  S.  Witt  who 
was  born  in  Tennessee.  Mrs.  James  S. 
Witt  bore  the  maiden  name  <>f  Elizabeth  Wagner, 
who  is  a  native  of  Madison  County,  HI.  They 
first  settled  in  Hilyani  Township,  and  afterward 
removed  to  Polk  Township,  where  they  ended 
their  days,  Mrs.  Witt  dying  in  1877  and  her  hus- 
band in  July,  1888.  They  had  two  children,  Dan- 
iel E.  and  James  T. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Polk 
Township,  this  county,  July  12,  1857.  Here  he 
grew  to  manhood  and  received  thorough  training 
in  farm  duties  and  the  benefit  of  a  common  school 
education.  His  native  township  has  been  his  resi- 
dence through  life  and  he  has  followed  farming  as 
a  vocation  and  now  owns  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  fine  land. 

Mr.  Witt  was  married  at  Carlinville,  III..  Octo- 
ber 11,  1877,  to  Miss  Martha  E.  Stewart,  daughter 
of  Robert  and  Sarah  (Barnes)  Stewart.  The  father 
was  born  in  Tennessee  and  the  mother  is  a  native 
of  the  Prairie  State.  She  died  in  Honey  Point 
Township  in  April,  1884.  Mrs.  Witt  who  was  the 
fourth  in  a  family  of  seven  children,  was  born  in 
Morgan  County,  111..  November  20,   1858. 


Three  children  have  come  to  bless  the  home  of  our 
subject,  James  R.,  William  E.  and  Grover  C.  The 
name  of  the  youngest  son  of  this  family  tells  the 
story  of  the  father's  political  preferences,  as  can 
easily  be  seen  his  convictions  have  led  him  into 
the  Democratic  party  with  which  he  votes  and 
works.  His  fellow-citizens  have  placed  him  in  the 
position  of  Supervisor  of  Polk  Township,  in  which 
office  he  began  to  serve  in  the  spring  of  1890. 


AMES  TUCKER,  who  is  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock-raising  on  section 
16,  Brighton  Township,  is  a  native  of  Eng- 
land, born  in  Somersetshire,  on  the  15th  of 
March,  1846,  and  the  only  son  of  James  and  Betsy 
(Browning)  Tucker,  who  were  also  natives  of 
Somersetshire,  and  came  of  pure  English  stock, 
their  ancestors  having  for  generations  resided  in 
that  locality.  In  the  county  of  their  nativity  they 
were  reared  and  James  Tucker  became  a  mason, 
following  that  occupation  until  his  death.  He  died 
when  a  young  man  only  a  few  months  after  his 
marriage  and  before  the  birth  of  their  only  child, 
our  subject.  His  widow  was  afterward  again  mar- 
ried in  her  native  county  to  William  Eddmgton 
who  was  also  born  and  grew  to  manhood  in  Somer- 
setshire. Soon  after  their  nuptials  were  celebrated 
and  when  our  subject  was  only  a  year  old,  Mr.  am 
Mrs.  Eddingtou  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  United 
States  and  came  on  at  once  to  Macoupin  County, 
111.,  locating  in  Brighton  Township,  where  the  deatl 
of  Mr.  Eddingtou  occurred  when  in  the  prime  of 
life.  Mrs.  Eddington  was  a  third  time  married  to 
a  brother  of  her  second  husband,  Samuel  Edding- 
ton, who  after  some  years  also  passed  away.  She 
survived  him  until  she  had  attained  the  age  of 
fifty-eight  years.  By  her  second  marriage  she  hac 
three  children  and  unto  the  last  union  were  bori 
five  children.  The  mother  and  her  family  were 
all  Methodists  and  she  was  a  lady  of  many  excel- 
lencies of  character. 

James  Tucker,  whose  name  heads  this  sketch, 
has  practically  spent  his  entire  life  in  this  county 
where    his  education    was   acquired    in   the   public 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


345 


schools  which  lie  attended  (luring  llic  winter 
months,  working  upon  the  farm  during  the  remain- 
der of  the  year.  After  he  had  attained  to  years  of 
maturity  he  was  united  in  man  iage  with  Miss  Anna 
Lee,  who  was  born  in  this  county  in  1857,  and 
here  passed  the  days  of  her  girlhood,  while  she  too 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools.  She  is  the. 
second  daughter  and  third  child  of  Joseph  Lee, 
whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
I'nto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tucker  has  been  given  an  inter- 
esting family,  numbering  six  children,  three  sons 
and  three  daughters,  as  follows:  Allen  E.,  James, 
Betsy,  Mary,  Emma  and  Joseph  F.  The  family  circle 
still  remains  unbroken  and  all  are  yet  under  the 
parental  roof. 

The  farm  upon  which  Mr.  Tucker  now  resides 
has  been  his  home  for  two  years.  It  comprises  one 
hundred  and  fifty-nine  acres  of  valuable  land,  the 
greater  part  of  which  is  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation.  It  is  well  supplied  with  good  build- 
ings for  the  care  and  shelter  of  his  stock.  The 
fields  are  well  tilled  and  the  place  presents  a  neat 
appearance  which  indicates  the  thrift  and  enterprise 
of  the  owner.  The  slock  which  he  raises  is  all  of 
good  giades,  no  inferior  animals  being  seen  upon 
the  farm  and  he  may  well  be  numbered  among  the 
leading  agriculturists  of  (he  community.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  stalwart  Republican  and  is  a  stanch  ad- 
vocate of  the  principles  which  he  has  long  support- 
ed and  upheld  by  his  ballot.  Mr.  Tucker  and  his 
wife  attend  the  Episcopal  Church. 


OHX  B.  MASTERS  is  a  descendant  of  son>e 
of  the  earliest  pioneer  families  of  Illinois, 
and  is  one  of  the  native-born  citizens  of  this 
State  who  lias  materially  assisted  in  its  agri 
cultural  development.  For  many  years  he  was 
actively  identified  with  the  farmers  of  this  county, 
"owning  and  managing  very  profitably  a  large  and 
well-improved  farm.  January  8,  1825,  is  the  date 
of  the  birth  of  our  subject  in  the  pioneer  home  of 
his  parents,  fifteen  miles  northeast  of  the  city  of 
Jacksonville,  in  Morgan  County.  His  father  was 
William   I.  Masters,  a  native    of    South    Carolina 


whose  father  is  thought  to  have  been  bom  in  Wales 
or  to  have  been  a  native  of  this  country,  but  of 
Welsh  parentage.  He  spent  his  last  years  in  the 
Palmetto  State,  after  having  served  faithfully  as  a 
soldier  during  the  Revolution. 

William  I.  Masters  grew  to  manhood  in   his  na- 
tive State,  and   when  about  twenty-five    years  of 
age  emigrated  to  Illinois  in  1817  in  the  Territorial 
days  of  the  State,  accompanying  a  neighboring  fam- 
ily hither,  the   removal    being   made  with  a  team. 
He  first  settled  for  a  time  in    Sangamon    County, 
but   after   marriage   took  up  his  abode  on  a  forty- 
acre  tract  of  Government  land  in  Morgan  County. 
Someone    unknown    to   him  entered  the  land,  and 
being  thus  deprived   of   his  claim  in  1827  he  lo- 
cated  on  Government  land  that  lay  on  both  sides 
of  the  line  between  Morgan  and  Macoupin  Counties. 
That  part  of  his  homestead  in  this  county  was  situ- 
ated in  what  is  now  North  Palmyra  Township  and 
he  was   one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  this  section, 
building  a  log  house  on   the  Morgan   County  side 
of  the  line.     Not  a  nail  entered  into  the  construc- 
tion of  that  dwelling,  and  he  rived  the  shingles  by 
hand  for  the  roof,  hewed  puncheon  for  a  floor,  split 
boards    for    the    door,  which   was    provided  with 
wooden   hinges,  and    the  chimney  was  made  with 
sticks   and    mud.     At  that  time  the  people  were 
home-livers,  subsisting  on   the   products  of  their 
farms.     The  father  of  our  subject  raised  sheep  and 
also  planted  flax  and  hemp,  and  the  mother  used  to 
card,  spin  and  weave  the  wool  and  the  fibre  of  the 
flax  and  hemp  to  make  cloth  for  garments  for  her 
children.     There  were  no  railways  in  this  part  of 
the  country  for  years,  and  for  some  time  the  father 
of  our  subject  used  to  market  his  grain  at  St.  Louis 
with   ox-teams.     His   busy  life  was  terminated  by 
his  death  on  his  homestead  in  1840. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Nancy  Jones,  and  she  was  a  native  of  Kentucky. 
Her  father,  Clayborn  Jones,  was  also  a  native  of 
that  State  and  was  of  Welsh  descent.  In  the  year 
1800  he  emigrated  from  his  old  home  to  the  wilds 
of  that  part  of  the  Northwestern  Territory  now 
embraced  in  Illinois,  and  was  one  of  the  first  perm- 
anent settlers  of  the  commonwealth.  He  secured 
a  tract  of  timber  land  fifteen  miles  west  of  Spring- 
field and  resided  upon  it  until  his  demise  in   1840, 


346 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


li is  wife  also  flying  there.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject died  on  the  home  farm  on  the  county  line,  1838. 
The  parents  of  our  subject  reared  four  children, 
named  as  follows:  Bets}',  John  B.,  Melissa  and 
Phebe  Ann.  They  were  young  when  their  parents 
died,  and  as  John  was  the  only  son  the  care  of  his 
sisters  devolved  upon  him  and  nobly  did  he 
shoulder  his  burden,  supporting  himself  and  them 
by  working  out  by  the  month.  In  the  fall  of  1845 
he  went  to  Southwestern  Missouri  and  renting  land 
put  in  a  crop  in  the  spring  of  1846.  He  soon  sold 
his  crop  and  returning  to  Illinois  worked  for  a  time 
near  Carlinville.  We  next  hear  of  him  at  Shaw's 
Point  Township,  where  he  was  employed  by  the 
month  for  two  years,  and  during  that  time  saved 
money  enough  to  buy  a  team.  After  that  he  was 
enabled  to  enter  eighty  acres  of  land  on  section  2, 
Honey  Point  Township.  He  built  a  small  frame 
house  thereon,  and  resided  there  three  years. 
Meanwhile  he  bought  other  land  adjoining  his  first 
purchase  and  erected  a  dwelling  on  the  line  be- 
tween Honey  Point  and  Shaw's  l'oint,  the  house 
lying  in  both  townships.  As  there  were  not  people 
enough  between  his  residence  and  Litchfield  to  or- 
ganize a  school  district  he  decided  to  declare  Honey 
Point  Township  his  residence  instead  of  Shaw's 
Point  Township  on  account  of  its  superior  educa- 
tional facilities.  He  has  been  very  successful  as  a 
farmer  and  at  one  time  owned  five  hundred  acres 
of  fine  land,  a  part  of  which  he  has  since  deeded  to 
his  children.  In  1891  he  bought  a  residence  at 
Carlinville,  and  now  lives  retired  from  active  labor, 
enjoying  an  income  ample  for  all  his  wants. 

May  3,  1846,  our  subject  took  unto  himself  a 
wife  in  the  person  of  Miss  Nancy  Sims,  a  daughter 
of  James  and  Margaret  (Robinson)  Sims,  and  a 
native  of  this  county,  born  April  3,  1826.  The 
following  are  the  children  that  have  been  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Masters:  James  and  John,  dow  de- 
ceased; Melissa  A.,  wife  of  Andrew  Robinson,  of 
Honey  Point;  Telitha  M.  and  Margaret,  both  of 
whom  are  deceased;  Charles,  a  resident  of  Shaw's 
Point  Township;  Emma,  deceased;  Kattie  and. 
Myrta  who  are  at  home;  Philui  Jane,  wife  of  Dr. 
Buttington,  of  Atwater,  and  Henry  I.  who  lives  in 
Honey  Point  Township. 

Mr.  Masters  is  a  man  of  self-respecting  character, 


is  well  dowered  wilii  those  qualities  necessary  to 
success  in  life  and  to  secure  the  confidence  of  others 
and  no  one  is  more  deserving  of  trust  and  esteem 
than  he.  His  fellow-citizens  have  recognized  his 
worth  and  capability,  and  have  called  him  to  im- 
portant offices.  He  served  many  years  as  School 
Director  and  Highway  Commissioner  and  repre- 
sented Honey  Point  Township  on  the  County 
Board  of  Supervisors  at  the  time  the  county  debt 
was  funded.  His  political  sentiments  are  in  accord 
with  the  policy  of  the  Democratic  party. 


II ARLES  TOWSE,  a  resident  of  Bird  Town- 
ship and  a  brother  of  the  Hon.  W.  A.  Towse, 
is  a  son  of  Simpson  Towse,  an  Englishman 
from  Yorkshire.  The  mother  of  these  gentlemen 
was  Ann  Kettlewood,  who  was  also  a  native  of  the 
same  shire,  where  she  was  born  in  1799.  When 
they  emigrated  to  America  in  1850  they  first  made 
their  home  in  Oriskany,  N.  Y.,  where  they  lived 
about  two  years  and  in  1853  came  to  Illinois  and 
settled  in  Macoupin  County.  They  lived  in  Ches- 
terfield and  Bird  Townships.  Mrs.  Towse  was 
bereaved  of  her  husband  in  the  fall  of  1865  and 
she  lived  until  January  14,  1886,  when  her  days 
ended  in  Western  Mound  Township.  They  had  a 
fine  family  of  nine  children  who  were  born  in  Eng- 
land, seven  sons  and  two  daughters.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  age.  His 
birth  look  place  in  Yorkshire,  England,  February 
24,  1834. 

Charles  Towse  passed  his  boyhood  days  on  a 
farm  in  Yorkshire,  and  came  with  his  parents  to 
America.  He  continued  with  them  until  he  mar- 
ried in  Macoupin  Count)-,  when  he  made  his  home 
in  this  county  and  resided  here  from  that  day  to 
this.  He  has  always  followed  agricultural  pursuits 
anil  now  owns  three  hundred  and  ninety  acres. 
I' pon  this  property  is  erected  an  attractive  and 
commodious  home  and  good  farm  buildings,  in- 
cluding large  barns. 

February  22,  1859,  was  the  wedding  day  of 
Mr.  Towse  and   Miss   Louisa   Dews,  a  daughter  of 


ilBRART 
Of  THE 

UNfVtRSITy  OF  ILUNOir 


WZJ^tf 


7&U*( 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


349 


John  and  Sylvia  (Morris)  Dews.  The  marriage 
took  place  in  Western  Mound  Township  where  the 
bride  resided.  The  father  was  born  in  Yorkshire, 
England,  and  the  mother  was  also  a  native  of  that 
Island.  They  both  came  to  this  country  when 
young  and  were  married  in  Alton,  III.  They  made 
their  home  in  Western  Mound  Township  for  many 
years  and  there  Mr.  Dews  passed  away  from  earth. 
His  widow  who  survives  is  making  her  home  with 
her  children  by  whom  she  is  truly  honored  and 
cherished. 

Of  a  large  family  of  nine  children,  Mrs.  Towse 
was  the  second.  She  was  born  in  Western  Mound 
Township,  December  9,  1840.  The  first  home  of 
this  young  wedded  couple  was  in  that  township. 
After  a  residence  there  of  seven  years  they  came  to 
Bird  Township,  where  they  have  since  resided. 
Seven  children  crown  this  union,  namely:  Selina 
A.,  Albert  W.,  John  D.,  Annette,  Lillie  M.,  Abiah 
S.  and  Annie  E.  Selina  is  now  the  wife  of  Wil- 
man  E.  Haley,  and  Annette  is  Mrs.  Leonard  E. 
Leach,  while  Albert  has  married  Miss  Ella  M.  Hun- 
ter. The  father  of  this  family  has  ever  taken  a 
deep  interest  in  educational  matters  and  is  now 
serving  on  the  School  Board.  He  has  always  act- 
ively promoted  all  efforts  to  improve  the  district 
schools.  His  political  views  and  his  vote  are  with 
the  Republican  part}-.  Both  he  and  his  good  wife 
are  earnest  and  efficient  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  and  they  have  ever  contributed 
liberally  in  all  church  affairs. 


^W-fE^^^ 


v  ETER  E.  AHRENS,  senior  member  of  the 
j|i  firm  of  Ahrens  Bros.,  lumber  dealers  of 
Staunton,  and  a  representative  of  one  of  the 
early  families  of  the  county,  was  born  in 
the  city  which  is  yet  his  home  January  25,  1804, 
lie  is  a  son  of  John  M.  Ahrens,  a  pioneer  merchant 
and  prominent  citizen,  who  is  now  living  a  retired 
life.  He  was  carefully  reared,  and  in  the  common 
schools  began  his  education,  which  was  completed 
in  the  commercial  department  of  the  college  of 
Warrentown,  Mo.     He  was  graduated  in   the  Class 


of  '80,  when  sixteen  years  of  age  and  carried  off 
m  cond  honors. 

Since  that  time  Mr.  Ahrens  has  been  actively  en- 
gaged in  business  and  is  now  at  the  head  of  the 
oldest  and  largest  lumber  interest  of  Staunton.  His 
father  established  a  lumber  yard  in  18C7,  the  first 
in  the  place  and  operated  it  on  his  own  account  un- 
til 1883,  when  he  associated  with  him  his  sons,  J.  C. 
and  P.  F.  Together  they  carried  on  operations  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  John  M.  Ahrens  &  Sons  for  a 
short  time,  when  the  father  and  J.  C.  established  a 
yard  in  Worden,  Madison  County,  of  which  the  lat- 
ter had  the  management  and  soon  became  sole  pro- 
prietor. He  sold  out  in  1887,  and  is  now  doing  a 
good  business  in  the  same  line  in  Rivenjale  III. 

From  1884,  until  October,  1887,  the  father  and 
our  subject  was  associated  in  the  management  of  the 
yard  at  Staunton,  but  at  the  last-named  date  John 
Ahrens  withdrew  and  a  partnership  was  formed  be- 
tween the  brothers  P.  E.  and  A.  E.  which  has  con- 
tinued to  the  present.  This  yard  has  every  little 
opposition.  One  firm  which  established  business 
was  bought  in  1881,  and  another  in  1885,  eacli 
having  existed  only  a  short  time.  The  present 
business  of  Ahrens  Bros,  is  located  on  the  half  block 
of  which  they  became  owners  ftt  the  lime  of  their 
first  purchase  in  1881.  They  are  dealers  in  all 
kinds  of  pine  lumber  for  house-building  purposes 
and  all  other  building  materials. 

In  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  May  1G,  1890,  Mr.  Ahrens  was 
married  to  Miss  Gertrude  Jacobs,  who  was  born 
in  La  Grange,  Mo.,  in  1869.  When  quite  young 
she  removed  to  St.  Louis  with  her  parents  who  are 
still  living  in  that  city,  and  there  she  was  educated 
and  grew  to  womanhood,  remaining  under  the  par- 
ental roof  until  her  marriage.  The  young  couple 
take  a  prominent  part  in  social  and  religious  inter- 
ests. They  are  both  active  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  in  which  Mr.  Ahrens  now  holds 
the  office  of  Elder  and  Sunday-school  Superinten- 
dent, having  filled  the  latter  position  for  eight 
years.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of 
Staunton  and  in  connection  with  the  interests  be- 
fore mentioned  he  is  the  present  Secretary  of  the 
Retail  Lumber  Association  which  was  organized  in 
Springfield  in  June,  1890,  he  being  one  of  the  prime 
movers  of  the   affair.      For  two  years   previous  he 


350 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


had  beeu  a  Director  of  the  National  Association  of 
Lumber  Dealers.  One  of  the  public  spirited  and 
progressive  young  men  of  this  community,  he  man- 
ifests a  commendable  interest  in  all  things  pertain- 
ing to  its  good,  and  is  a  worthy  and  valued  citizen 
The  attention  of  the  reader  is  invited  to  a  litho- 
graphic portrait  of  Mr.  Ahrens,  presented  in  con- 
nection witli  his  biographical  sketch. 


— -i-+-£=^*^=4-«~*— 


\/\   RS.  ELIZABETH  SHUTT,  one  of  the  most 

prominent,  wealthy  and  influential  women 
h  of  Yirden  Township,  resides  on  section  2, 
where  her  excellent  farm  and  pleasant 
home  are  an  attractive  spot  to  every  passer-by.  Her 
business  ability  and  true  womanliness,  added  to  her 
neighborly  kindness  and  hospitality,  give  to  her  a 
popularity  which  is  broad  and  enduring.  Her 
father  was  the  late  Thomas  Baldwin,  a  native  of 
Ohio,  and  her  mother  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Anna  Stonebrakep,  and  was  also  a  native  of  Ohio, 
where  she  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mr.  Baldwin. 
After  marriage  this  couple  settled  in  Montgomery 
County,  Ind..  but  early  in  the  '50s  they  left  that 
State  and  emigrated  to  Illinois,  where  they  settled 
in  Greene  County,  for  four  years.  They  then  re- 
moved to  Sangamon  County,  where  they  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  earthly  career. 

Elizabeth  Baldwin  was  the  third  child  in  a  fam- 
ily of  five  sons  and  five  daughters,  and  was  born  in 
Montgomery  County,  Ind.,  July  21,  1834.  She 
came  to  Illinois  with  her  parents  and  here  met  the 
gentleman  to  whom  she  was  afterward  united  in 
marriage.  She  was  married  in  Carlinville,  III., 
April  10,  1856,  to  John  II.  Shutt,  a  son  of  Jacob 
and  Elizabeth  (_ Wagner)  Shutt,  who  were  murried 
in  Kentucky,  and  emigrated  to  Illinois,  settling  in 
Sangamon  County.  They  made  their  home  in  San- 
gamon County  until  the  death  of  Jacob  Shutt  and 
somewhat  later  his  bereaved  widow  passed  away 
while  visiting  a  daughter  in  Yirden. 

John  H.  Shutt  was  born  in  Kentucky,  January 
29,  1822,  and  was  seven  years  old  when  his  parents 
emigrated  to  Illinois.  Being  so  young  at  that  time 
he  called  himself  a  thorough  Illinoisian,  as  he  here 


received  his  education  and  training  for  life's  du- 
ties. After  his  marriage  he  resided  for  several 
months  in  Sangamon  County,  and  then  removed 
to  Macoupin  County,  making  his  home  where  his 
widow  now  resides,  on  section  2.  Virden  Township. 
Here  he  was  actively  engaged  in  farming  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  April  1,  1872. 

Mrs.  Shutt  is  the  mother  of  seven  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living  and  have  taken  their  places  with 
credit  in  the  community.  They  are  as  follows: 
Eliza  A.,  who  is  the  wife  of  John  A.  Lotion;  Will- 
iam A.;  George  W.,  who  took  to  wife  Ettie  Huston; 
Elizabeth  J.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Calvin  E.  Stowe: 
John  E.,  who  married  Miss  Martha  J.  Woodman; 
Sarah  F.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Knoll,  and 
Thomas  J. 

This  estimable  lady,  is,  with  the  assistance 
of  her  unmarried  sons,  carrying  on  the  farm 
to  the  best  advantage,  and  she  has  kept  it  in 
excellent  condition  since  it  has  come  into  her 
hands.  Upon  it  she  has  a  fine  set  of  farm  build- 
ings. Her  home  is  delightful,  and  within  its  walls 
she  exercises  the  graces  of  hospitality.  The  barns 
and  outbuildings  are  finely  adapted  to  farm  pur- 
poses and  her  stock  is  in  a  good  condition  and 
well  cared  for.  Her  sons  are  carrying  out  well  the 
fine  reputation  which  was  left  them  as  a  heritage  by 
their  father,  a  reputation  for  integrity,  fair  dealing, 
and  reliability. 


-£g*S* 


ON.  WATSON  A.  TO WSE,  who  resides  on 
section  2,  Polk  Township,  is  one  of  the 
prominent  and  honored  residents  of  Macou- 
lfe>)  pin  County.  For  the  history  of  his  parents 
and  ancestry  the  reader  will  kindly  consult  the 
sketch  of  his  brother,  Charles  Towse,  which  ap- 
pears in  this  Record.  This  son  was  the  youngest 
of  his  father's  family  and  was  born  in  Yorkshire, 
England,  November  2,  1843.  He  was  but  a  little 
lad  of  seven  years  when  his  parents  emigrated  to 
America  and  he  was  nine  years  old  when  he  made 
his  entrance  into  this  country.  Here  he  grew  to 
manhood  and  became  one  of  the  favorite  sons  of 
that  section. 

Like    many    another  adapted  son   of  America, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


351 


young  Towse  sprang  to  the  help  of  the  Union  flag 
when  it  was  assailed,  and  enlisted  October  27,  1861, 
in  Company  C,  Thirty-second  Illinois  Infantry. 
He  served  three  years  under  the  stars  and  stripes, 
and  took  active  part  in  the  following  engagements: 
Pittsburg  Landing,  siege  of  Corinth,  siege  of 
Vicksburg  and  Atlanta.  At  Pittsburg  Landing  he 
was  severely  wounded  in  the  left  knee.  At  Vicks- 
burg he  received  in  his  left  arm  a  bullet  which 
still  remains.  At  Nickajaek,  Ga.,  he  was  wounded 
by  a  shell  in  the  left  hip.  He  was  detailed  for 
quite  a  long  time  as  Ward  Master  in  the  Overton 
Hospital  in  Memphis,  Tenn.  When  he  was  mus- 
tered out  of  the  service  he  returned  to  his  old 
home  in  Bird  Township. 

Experience  in  the  field  of  war,  only  made  this 
young  hero  appreciate  more  keenly  the  J03'S  of 
home  life,  and  he  now  decided  to  establish  a  home 
of  his  own.  He  chose  as  his  wife  Miss  Ann 
M  or  foot,  daughter  of  Richard  and  Isabella  Mor- 
foot,  both  natives  of  Yorkshire,  England,  in  which 
section  of  the  British  Isles  the  lady  herself  was 
born.  The  marriage  took  place  on  May  27,  1867. 
After  marriage  the  young  couple  made  their  home 
on  section  2,  Polk  Township,  where  they  have  since 
continued  in  the  pursuit  of  agriculture,  making 
permanent  and  valuable  improvements  on  the 
farm. 

Mr.  Towse  had  always  been  truly  interested  in 
State  as  well  as  local  political  movements  and  has 
cultivated  a  broad  outlook  upon  the  affairs  of 
the  State  and  Nation.  He  had  often  been  called  to 
serve  i;i  local  offices  of  trust  and  in  the  fall  of 
1888  he  was  elected  to  the  Illinois  State  Legisla- 
ture, where  he  served  for  the  full  terra.  He  has 
held  the  office  of  Supervisor  of  Polk  Township,  for 
several  years,  being  Chairman,  of  the  County  Board 
of  Supervisors  for  two  terms;  also  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  which  office  he  still  holds.  He  has  also  acted 
as  Assessor  and  Collector,  and  ever  since  leaving  the 
army  has  taken  an  active  part  in  political  affairs, 
being  a  member  of  the  Republican  party  and  having 
for  some  time  belonged  to  the  County  Central 
Committee  of  that  part)-.  He  is  identified  with  the 
Grand  Array  of  the  Republic  and  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Farmers'  Mutual  Benefit  Association. 
He  is  wide  awake  to  the  necessity  of  promoting  the 


interests  of  the  farming  community  and  takes  great 
pride  in  his  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 
Take  him  all  in  all  he  is  one  of  the  most  thor- 
oughly representative  men  of  Macoupin  County 
and  with  his  intelligent  and  amiable  wife  isapower 
in  the  community.  They  are  earnest  and  active 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
which  he  has  filled  important  offices. 


APT.    JOSEPH     F.     BALLINGER,    now 

deceased,  was  born  January  11,  1812,  Gar- 
JJJ  raid  County,  Ky.,  and  died  at  his  home  in 
Brighton,  on  the  16th  of  February,  1882.  He  was 
one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  community  and  a 
man  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who  knew  him.  In 
the  State  of  his  nativity  he  was  reared  to  manhood, 
the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  being  passed  in 
the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads.  During  the 
summer  season  lie  worked  upon  the  farm  and  in 
the  winter  he  attended  school.  When  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age  he  left  Kentucky  ami  came  to 
Illinois,  being  accompanied  by  his  father,  Henry 
Ballinger.  They  resided  in  Fayette,  111.,  where 
the  death  of  the  father  later  occurred.  The  Cap- 
tain went  to  Greene  County,  111.,  where  he  became 
acquainted  with  and  wedded  Miss  Mary  F.  Peter, 
who  was  born  in  Newcastle,  Ky.,  June  28,  1823. 
For  mention  of  her  family  see  the  sketch  of  Daniel 
Blodgett  on  another  page  of  this  work.  When  a 
child  of  eight  summers  she  was  brought  by  her 
parents  to  Illinois,  the  family  locating-in  Godfrey, 
Madison  County,  where  they  resided  for  ten  years 
and  then  removed  to  a  farm  in  Greene  County. 

Captain  and  Mrs.  Ballinger  began  their  domestic 
life  on  a  farm  near  Dover,  Greene  County,  where 
they  resided  for  many  years,  so  developing  ami 
improving  their  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  until 
it  was  called  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  that  county. 
At  length,  having  acquired  through  his  individual 
efforts  and  the  assistance  of  his  estimable  wife  a 
comfortable  competence,  C'apt.  Ballinger  resolved 
to  lay  aside  business  cares  and  in  the  fall  of  1875 
they  went,  to  Brighton,  where  he  lived  in  quiet 
retirement,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labors  until 


352 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


called  to  the  home  beyond.  Many  friends  mourned 
1 1 is  loss  and  in  ti is  death  the  county  lost  one  of  its 
best  citizens,  the  church  a  faithful  member  and  his 
wife  a  loving  and  tender  husband.  He  was  prom- 
inent in  public  affairs  and  in  politics  supported  the 
Wiiig  party  until  its  dissolution,  when  he  became 
an  advocate  of  Demociatic  principles.  He  was  a 
consistent  and  faithful  member  of  the  Christian 
Church  and  it  was  his  daily  endeavor  to  follow  in 
the  footsteps  of  the  Master.  He  won  his  title 
while  serving  in  the  home  militia  in  Kentucky, 
being  commissioned  Captain  by  Gov.  French  ami 
his  rank  was  afterward  recognized  on  account  of 
his  proficient  skill  and  faithful  service  as  one  of 
the  Home  Militia  in  Illinois. 

Mrs.  Ballinger  still  survives  her  husband  and 
yet  resides  in  Brighton  in  the  pleasant  home  left 
her  by  the  Captain.  The  properly  which  lie  ac- 
quired informer  years  is  amply  sufficient  to  supply 
all  her  wants.  She  loo  is  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  and  is  a  noble  woman  whom  all  esteem 
for  her  many  excellencies  of  character.  Generous 
and  free-hearted,  charitable  and  benevolent,  she 
has  won  many  friends. 


#>^ 


-V- 


p^ERRIN 

J)  County 
■r      Ihroiiiji 


^p%ERRIN  KENT,  an  old  settler  of  Macoupin 
ty  who  is  well  and  favorably  known 
;hout  Virden  Township,  had  his  i  a- 
tivity  in  Stock  Township.  Harrison  County, 
Ohio,  February  3,  1835.  His  father,  so  far  as  is 
known,  was. a  native  of  the  same  Stale,  and  thc- 
grandfather,  Absalom,  (a  native  of  Pennsylvania) 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Ohio,  who  resided  upon 
a  farm  in  that  State  for  many  years.  From  there 
he  came  to  Illinois  about  the  year  1830,  and  set- 
tling in  Macoupin  County,  bought  land  west  of 
Carlinville.  He  was  very  successful  in  the  conduct 
of  his  affairs  and  eventually  owned  large  tracts  of 
land  in  different  parts  of  the  county.  After  the 
death  of  his  beloved  and  faithful  wife  he  made  his 
residence  with  his  children  and  his  last  days  were 
passed  in  Chesterfield. 

The  father  of  our  subject  received  his  early  ed- 
ucation and   training   in  Ohio,  and    resided  there 


for  several  years  after  his  marriage.  It  was  in 
1  838,  when  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  five  child- 
ren, he  came  to  Illinois,  traveling  by  way  of  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers.  He  located  first  in 
Knox  County,  111.,  and  lived  there  for  two  years 
before  coming  to  Macoupin  County.  He  became 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Virden  Township,  mak- 
ing his  home  upon  a  tract  of  land  given  him  by 
his  father  on  section  1  8. 

At  the  time  of  this  settlement  the  country  was 
sparsely  settled  and  deer  and  other  kinds  of  wild 
game  abounded,  and  where  Girard  and  Virden  now 
stand  the  land  was  owned  hy  the  Government.  He 
improved  his  farm  and  resided  upon  it  until  about 
the  year  1863,  when  he  sold  this  property  and 
bought  land  in  North  Otter  Township,  where  he 
resided  until  called  hence  by  death.  His  wife's 
maiden  name  was  Diana  Hevlin.  She  was  of  Ohio 
parentage  and  birth,  her  father  being  Isaac  Hevlin. 
She  died  on  the  home  farm  in  Virden  Township, 
leaving  her  family  to  greatly  mourn  her  loss  as  her 
faithful  devotion  and  loveliness  ef  character  had 
greatly  impressed  her  life  upon  theirs. 

When  three  years  old  Perrin  Kent  first  came  to 
'  Illinois  with  his  parents  and  although  he  was  only 
five  years  of  age  when  he  first  saw  Macoupin 
County  he  remembers  well  the  incidents  of  pioneer 
life  here.  He  received  the  education  granted  in 
the  pioneer  schools  and  the  faithful  home  training 
of  the  domestic  circles,  and  resided  under  the  par- 
ental roof  until  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen 
after  which  he  traveled  for  awhile.  In  18G3  he 
settled  upon  the  farm  which  lie  now  owns  upon 
section  18,  Virden  Township. 

In  1800  Mr.  Kent  was  happily  united  in  marriage 
with  Martha  A.  Writers  who  was  born  in  Jessa- 
mine County,  Ky.,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Noble  P.. 
and  Elizabeth  (Davis)  Walters,  natives  of  Ohio 
and  Virginia  respectively,  who  came  to  Illinois 
about  the  year  1845.  They  settled  in  Sangamon 
County,  making  their  residence  there  for  some 
3'ears.  The  father  died  while  on  business  in  Mc- 
Lean County,  Illinois.  The  mother  passed- away 
after  coming  to  Virden  Township.  Of  the  child- 
ren who  came  to  share  the  love  and  care  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Kent  two  only  are  living,  Noble  A.  and 
Willie.  Our  subject  is  truly  interested  in   national 


RESIDENCE  OF  JOHN    G.  H  AGLER  ,  SEC16.  .NORTH  OTTER    TR,  MACOUPIN   CO., ILL. 


&  *$mt 


RESIDENCE   OF    PERRIN     KENT  ,  SEC. 18.  ,VI  RDEN    TR  ,  M  ACOU  PI  N    CO., ILL. 


>'.> 


UBRAflV 
OF  T«? 

tlV'VERSITY  OF  ILL 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


355 


affairs  ami  keeps  himself  well  informed  in  regard 
to  political  movements.  Mis  convictions  have  led 
him  to  ally  himself  with  the  Republican  party 
with  whom  he  casts  his  vote  and  influence. 

A  view  of  Mr.  Kent's  attractive  home  is  shown 
in  connection  with  his  biographical  sketch. 

<il/OHN  G.  IIAGLER.  One  of  the  most  hos- 
pitable homes  in  North  Otter  Township  is 
the  beautiful  one  presided  over  by  the  wife 
j  of  the  gentleman  whose  name  appears  at  the 
head  of  this  sketch.  They  are  people  of  more  than 
ordinary  qualities,  intelligent  and  with  a  rich  fund 
of  information  on  all  subjects  of  interest.  The  su- 
perior abilities  of  Mr.  Hagler  make  him  a  man  of 
note  in  the  county,  and  his  long  residence  here 
has  put  him  in  the  way  of  making  a  broad  ac- 
quaintance which  gives  him  extensive  influence. 
His  father,  Benjamin  J.  Hagler,  was  born  in  North 
Carolina  in  1791,  and  his  mother,  Elizabeth  Gra- 
ham, a  native  of  the  same  Stale,  was  born  in  1  788. 

When  Benjamin  was  but  thirteen  years  old  his 
father,  John  Hagler,  St'.,  removed  from  North  Car- 
olina to  Tennessee,  settling  in  Stewart  County. 
Here  the  boy  grew  to  manhood  and  in  Todd 
County,  Ky.,  he  found  the  lady  whom  lie  made  his 
wife.  It  was  there  they  settled  and  made  their 
home  until  1817,  when  the}'  emigrated  to  Madison 
County,  111.,  which  remained  their  place  of  resi- 
dence until  they  were  called  hence  by  death.  His 
wife  died  about  18G1,  and  he  followed  her  to  the 
better  world  some  five  years  later. 

He  of  whom  we  write  was  among  the  older  ones 
in  a  large  family  of  children,  seven  sons  and  seven 
daughters,  and  his  birthplace  was  Todd  County, 
Ky.  Here  he  made  his  advent,  November  26,  1816, 
and  was  therefore  about  a  year  and  a  half  old 
when  his  parents  removed  to  Illinois.  In  the  Prai- 
rie State  he  received  his  education  and  his  practical 
training  upon  the  farm,  both  of  which  he  fully 
improved  and  thus  obtained  a  foundation  for  the 
noble  and  intelligent  manhood,  which  is  his  to-day. 
He  remained  in  Madison  County  until  he  was  about 
twenty-two  years  old    when    he  made  the  removal 


which  proved  permanent  and  settled  on  section  16, 
North  Otter  Township,  .Macoupin  County.  Agri- 
cultural pursuits  was  his  early  choice  for  a  life 
work  and  he  has  carried  on  fanning  and  stock- 
raising  most  successfully  and  prudently  through - 
•  hi i  life. 

The  marriage  of  John  (i.  Hagler  and  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Steveson  look  place  in  North  Otter  Town- 
ship November  15,  1838,  and  thus  began  a  life  of 
more  than  ordinary  domestic  happiness  and  pros- 
perity. This  lady  was  also  a  native  of  Todd 
County,  Ky.,  being  born  there  in  1818.  To  her 
were  born  six  children,  all  but  one  of  whom  grew 
to  years  of  maturity.  Little  Martha,  the  youngest, 
was  snatched  from  the  arms  of  her  parents  at  the 
age  of  four  years  and  Elizabeth,  the  third  child, 
died  when  a  beautiful  young  lady  of  twenty  years 
old.  James  G.  lived  to  be  thirty-six  years  old, 
and  John  F,,  who  was  a  member  of  the  One  Hun- 
dred aui^TWnty-second  Illinois  Infantry,  died  at 
Jackson,  Tenn.,-<f«o#bwounds  received  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Parker's  Cross  Roads.  Two  useful  and 
prosperous  sons  now  survive,  and  have  established 
homes  for  themselves  in  North  Otter  Township, 
namely:  Benjamin,  who  married  Miss  Sarah  Al- 
deison,  and  Harvey  T.,  who  took  to  wife  Miss  Mi- 
nerva Young.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hagler  died  August 
15,  1854. 

The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Hagler  look  place 
in  North  Otter  Township  November  23,  1854,  and 
at  that  time  Sarah  J.  Wilson  became  his  wife.  She 
was  the  mother  of  three  children:  William  B. ; 
who  married  Miss  Susan  Gunn  and  resides  in  Ne- 
braska. Sarah  Emeline,  who  is  the  wife  of  Will- 
iam Goocli,  and  Hiram,  who  died  in  infancy.  The 
mother  of  these  children  was  called  away  from  her 
family  by  death,  March  10,  1SG3. 

Our  subject  was  again  married  in  North  Palmyra 
Township,  November,  1!).  1864,  to  Miss  Sarah  T. 
Young,  who  was  born  in  Morgan  County,  this 
Slate.  November  7,  1827,  They  have  had  two  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom  has  died.  The  surviving  son, 
Wallace  ('..  is  a  farmer  at  home  and  has  married 
Miss  Julia  E.  Steele.  The  high  esteem  in  which 
Mr.  Hagler  is  held  by  his  friends  and  neighbors  is 
shown  by  the  responsible  position  in  which  he  has 
been  placed.      For  a   term   of  sixteen  years  he   has 


356 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


held  the  onerous  post  of  School  Treasurer  and  lias 
performed  the  duties  incident  to  that  office  in  such 
a  way  as  to  still  further  enhance  his  reputation  for 
integrity  and  honorable  dealing,  lie  has  also  been 
School  Director  for  a  long  term  of  years  and  in  this 
way  has  done  much  to  advance  the  educational  in- 
terest of  the  township,  and  to  place  the  schools 
upon  a  substantial  and  progressive  basis.  As  Su- 
pervisor of  North  Otter  Township  for  four  terms 
he  has  done  excellent  service  and  given  genuine 
satisfaction  to  those  who  have  placed  him  in  oflice. 
He  has  ever  taken  an  active  part  in  political  affairs 
and  is  a  strong  Jacksonian  Democrat,  faithfully 
upholding  the  principles  of  that  party. 

Mr.  Hagler  has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church  for  fifty  years  and  in  its  service  and  ordi- 
nances he  has  been  faithful  and  consistent.  Mrs. 
Hagler  is  also  an  earnest  and  active  member  of  the 
same  church.  Upon  his  beautiful  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred and  five  acres,  this  progressive  farmer  has 
erected  a  tine  set  of  buildings.  On  another  page 
of  this  volume  appears  a  view  of  his  delightful 
home.  His  barns  are  well  arranged  and  thoroughly 
constructed,  and  the  outbuildings  in  general,  .is 
well  as  the  fences  and  fields  show  the  hand  of  a 
systematic  and  painstaking  agriculturist. 


OSEPH  F.  CLARK.  Among  the  repre- 
sentative farmers  of  Macoupin  County  is 
this  gentleman,  who  is  the  owner  of  a  fine, 
large  farm  on  section  36,  Brushy  Mound 
Township.  He  has  erected  a  commodious  brick 
house,  frame  barn  and  other  outbuildings,  replete 
with  modern  improvements,  and  surrounded  with 
well-kept  grounds,  beautiful  shade  and  fruit  trees, 
the  place  presents  a  most  pleasing  appearance  indi- 
cative of  the  enterprise  and  progressive  spirit  of  the 
proprietor. 

A  native  of  Logan  County,  Ky.,  Mr.  Clark  was 
born  December  4,  1825.  His  father,  Samuel  B. 
Clark,  was,  it  is  thought,  a  native  of  the  same  State, 
and  his  father  was  a  pioneer  of  Logan  County, 
where  he  resided  many  years,  coming  thence  to 
Illinois,  where  he  spent  his  last  years  with  his  chil- 


9 


dren.  His  son  Samuel  was  reared  and  married  in 
Kentucky,  and  lived  there  until  1828,  when,  ac- 
companied by  his  wife  and  eight  children,  he 
started  for  Illinois.  Their  mode  of  conveyance 
was  by  wagons,  one  being  drawn  by  oxen,  and  the 
other  by  one  horse.  They  brought  all  their  house- 
hold goods  with  them,  and  camped  by  the  way  at 
nightfall.  Mr.  Clark  first  located  one  and  one-half 
miles  from  Edwardsville,  where  he  rented  land  for 
one  year,  then  removed  into  that  town  and  engaged 
in  teaming,  residing  there  until  1832,  when  he  re- 
moved to  a  farm  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  Brighton, 
which  he  rented  for  a  )  ear.  He  then  bought  a 
tract  of  wild  land  in  the  same  locality,  and  built  a 
hewn  log  house,  splitting  shakes  for  the  roof.  In 
1835  he  sold  that  and  removed  to  a  farm  near  Car- 
linvilleon  which  he  lived  one  year,  and  in  1836 
settled  in  Brush}'  Mound  Township. 

At  that  early  day  wild  game  was  to  be  had  in 
abundance,  deer  and  turkeys  being  very  plentiful. 
There  was  then  no  railway  here  and  Alton  and  St. 
Louis  were  the  nearest  markets  for  supplies.  In 
this  section  the  gristmills  were  mostly  operated  by 
oxen.  The  wives  and  mothers  did  their  full  share 
towards  lightening  the  labors  of  the  sterner  sex 
and  the  spinning  wheel  and  loom  were  in  constant 
requisition.  The  mother  of  our  subject  dressed 
her  children  in  homespun  cloth  that  was  the  pro- 
duct of  her  own  deft  hand. 

In  Brushy  Mound  Township  the  father  purchased 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  on  section 
26,  forty  acres  of  which  were  under  improvement, 
and  a  log  house  was  standing  thereon.  On  this 
place  he  resided  the  remainder  of  his  life,  passing 
away  in  1840,  leaving  a  worthy  record  as  a  useful 
pioneer  and  a  good  citizen  in  every  way.  His  wife, 
who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth  Floyd, 
survived  him  only  one  year.  She  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  is  thought  to  have  been  of  (Ger- 
man ancestry.  She  was  the  mother  of  eight  chil- 
dren, of  whom  these  are  the  names:  Mary  Mar- 
garet, James  II.,  Robert  B.,  John  J.,  Benjamin  F., 
Joseph  F.,  Samuel  N.  and  Susan  B. 

Joseph  Clark  was  but  two  years  old  when  his 
parents  brought  him  to  Illinois,  and  he  was  reared 
in  this  State  under  pioneer  influences  to  be  self- 
reliant,  manly  and  capable    of  doing  any   and    all 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


357 


kinds  of  work  that  fell  to  his  share  as  a  farmer's 
boy.  His  education  was  received  in  the  primitive 
schools  of  the  early  years  of  the  settlement  of 
Illinois  that  were  taught  in  log  houses,  and  pro- 
vided with  rude,  home-made  furniture,  the  seats 
being  made  by  splitting  saplings  and  hewing  one 
side  smooth,  and  inserting  wooden  pins  for  legs. 
Each  family  paid  for  tuition  according  to  the  num- 
ber of  scholars  that  it  sent,  there  being  no  public 
money  to  expend  for  educational  purposes  at  that 
time,  and  the  teacher  usually  boarded  "around." 

At  au  early  age  Joseph  was  left  an  orphan,  and 
then  worked  out  by  the  month,  in  the  winter  work- 
ing for  his  board  and  attending  school.  When 
twenty -one  years  old  he  received  his  inheritance 
from  his  father's  estate,  the  home  farm  having  been 
sold  for  $8  per  acre,  his  share  being  *  130.  This, 
with  what  he  had  saved,  was  his  entire  capital  with 
which  to  face  the  world.  He  first  purchased  thirty 
acres  of  prairie  land  on  section  25,  also  ten  acres 
of  timber  on  section  24.  He  erected  a  frame 
house,  14x16  feet  in  size,  with  a  lean-to  10x16  feet 
in  dimensions.  He  rived  and  shaved  the  shingles 
by  hand,  and  also  the  weather  boards. 

In  1846  our  subject  laid  aside  his  work  to  enlist 
in  the  army  to  take  part  in  the  Mexican  War,  and 
he  served  with  credit  until  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged, when  he  returned  home  and  quietly  re- 
sinned fanning.  In  1855  he  removed  to  Gillespie 
Township,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  grain  busi- 
ness until  1860.  During  that  time  he  sold  his  farm 
and  bought  the  place  where  he  now  resides.  As 
before  stated  he  has  improved  the  land,  and  added 
all  modern  conveniences  until  it  is  now  regarded 
as  a  model  farm  and  an  ornament  to  the  township. 
He  has  been  remarkably  successful  in  his  operations, 
and  altogether  he  is  the  owner  of  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  fine  land,  all  included  in  Brushy 
Mound  Township. 

March  4,  1850,  Mr.  Clark  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Melinda  Huddleston.  She  is  a  native  of 
this  county,  Cahokia  Township  her  birthplace, 
where  she  was  born  to  John  and  Nancy  Huddle- 
ston. For  her  parental  history  see  sketch  of  R.  W. 
Huddleston.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark  are  the  parents 
of  eight  children — Mary  J.,  Albert  F.,  Charles  W., 
Emma  Elnora,   Nancy  E.,  May ,  Hettie,   Minnie  O. 


and  Harvey  W.  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Charles 
Boosinger,  and  has  h've  children  living.  Albert 
married  Mary  Reed,  and  has  four  children.  Charles 
married  Minnie  Williams,  and  has  one  child. 
Nancy  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Hargess,  and  has  five 
children.  May  married  Arthur  Loveless,  and  lias 
one  child.  Hettie  is  the  wife  of  Frank  lloehn,  and 
has  two  children. 

Mr.  Clark  is  a  man  of  sound  mental  calibre, 
whose  judgment  in  regard  to  business  matters  is 
keen,  and  thrift,,  energy  and  foresight  are  also 
among  his  characteristics,  and  have  gained  him  the 
important  place  that  he  occupies  among  the  pros- 
perous men  of  his  community.  He  is  just,  liberal 
and  sagacious  in  his  views  on  all  social  and  religious 
subjects,  and  though  not  identified  with  any  church, 
he  is  a  generous  supporter  of  all  enterprises  which 
tend  to  u pi i ft  aud  purify  the  people  regardless  of 
denominations. 


oC5o~ 


W 


ILLIAM  E.  SANDERS.     Among  the  pub- 
lic-spirited  and    prosperous  business  men 


and  genial,  and  hospitable  gentlemen  of 
Macoupin,  we  are  pleased  to  rank  high  the  name 
which  appears  at  the  beginning  of  this  biographical 
sketch.  This  merchant  who  occupies  the  position 
of  Postmaster  at  Macoupin  has  made  a  success  of 
life  by  his  natural  ability,  supplemented  by  a  thor- 
ough-going honesty  and  a  desire  to  accommodate 
those  with  whom  he  deals  in  life. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  the  late  Brantley 
N.  Sanders,  who  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
and  his  mother  was  the  late  Sarah  (Sandera)  San- 
ders, also  of  North  Carolina.  They  had  resided  in 
Missouri  previous  to  their  coming  to  Macoupin 
County,  111  ,  and  they  settled  in  Polk  Township  in 
1863  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  their  days. 
Their  lives  were  harmonious  and  truly  united  and 
they  were  not  long  separated  by  death  as  the 
mother  passed  away  in  February,  1866,  and  her 
devoted  husband  followed  her  about  one  month 
later.  Twelve  children  had  gathered  about  their 
hearthstone  and  they  h»d  given  them  thorough 
and  practical  training  in  life. 

The  gentleman  of  whom  we  write  was  one  of  the 


;;;,s 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


eldest  in  a  large  family  of  children  and  early  felt 
the  responsibilities  of  life.  He  was  born  in  Jack- 
son County,  Ala.,  January  7.  1848,  ami  was  about 
eleven  years  old  when  his  parents  removed  to  Mis- 
souri and  he  accompanied  them  when  they  made 
their  final  removal  to  Macoupin  County  in  1863. 
Here  he  grew  to  manhood,  receiving  the  best  in- 
struction which  his  parents  could  find  for  him  in 
the  district  schools  of  that  day  and  upon  the  farm. 
For  several  years  his  time  was  devoted  to  wood- 
chopping. 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  1869  that  young  Sanders 
first  engaged  in  mercantile  business  at  Macoupin, 
then  known  as  Macoupin  Station,  and  this  initial 
effort  was  so  successful  that  he  has  continued  in 
that  line  from  that  day  to  this  with  the  exception 
of  about  two  years,  lie  carries  a  general  stock  of 
merchandise  and  enjoys  a  good  share  of  trade.  In 
the  year  I  8'.M)  he  erected  a  lino  brick  store  and  res- 
idence, which  is  an  ornament  to  the  town  and  in 
which  his  business  has  prospered  even  more  than 
before.  For  about  fifteen  years  he  was  station  agent 
at  Macoupin  and  with  the  exception  of  about  four 
years  he  has  been  Postmaster  since  186'.). 

The  fellow  citizens  of  Mr.  Sanders  have  placed 
him  in  the  office  Township  Clerk  for  some  fifteen 
years,  and  he  was  elected  Supervisor  of  Polk  Town- 
ship and  served  for  one  term  and  is  the  present 
Supervisor.  He  has  filled  the  office  of  Justice  of 
the  Peace  for  two  years  and  has  for  many  years 
held  the  office  of  Township  Treasurer.  While  sta- 
tion agent  he  was  also  the  United  States  Express 
Company's  agent. 

The  event  of  greatest  importance  in  I  he  life  of 
Mr.  Sanders  was  his  marriage  November  11,  1869, 
in  Polk  Township,  to  Miss  Cynthia  Ritche}-,  daugh  • 
ter  of  James  and  Melvina  (Fowler)  Ritchey.  The 
father  was  a  Tennesseean  and  the  mother  a  native 
of  Kentucky.  Mr.  Ritchie  died  in  this  township  in 
February,  1866.  The  daughter  Cynthia  was  born 
in  Arkansas  February  15,  1851.  Her  maternal 
affection  and  care  have  been  shared  by  five  chil- 
dren, namely:  Famey,  Emma,  Nellie,  Melvina  and 
Jesse  W.  E.  Melvina  died  when  about  four  years 
old.  Mr.  Sanders  is  the  owner  of  seventy. five 
acres  in  Polk  Township,  of  which  he  takes  a  per- 
sonal oversight.     He  is  a  Republican  in  his  political 


views  and  always  takes  an  active  and  intelligent 
interest  in  political  movements.  Roth  he  and  his 
interesting  and  capable  wife  are  earnest  and  effi- 
cient members  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 


AMES  TAYLOR,  now  deceased,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  banking  house  of  Wall  ife  Taylor, 
of  Staunton.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Staun- 
ton, 111.,  May  6,  1881,  having  just  retired 
from  active  business  in  connection  with  the  bank. 
After  his  departure  the  business  was  carried  on 
successfully  for  years  when  the  partners  concluded 
to  sell  out  and  close  up  the  business.  When  Mr. 
Taylor  came  to  Macoupin  County,  in  about  1851, 
lie  was  a  poor  man.  He  began  life  in  the  West  by 
renting  land.  When  he  had  gained  sufficient  means 
to  do  so  he  purchased  and  farmed  for  a  number  of 
years.  Later  he  sold  out  and  put  his  money  into 
a  general  merchandise  business  in  Staunton.  He 
was  thus  engaged  for  several  years  before  entering 
upon  the  banking  business  with  Mr.  Wall.  After 
retiring  from  the  bank  on  account  of  ill  health, 
Mr.  Taylor  invested  his  means  in  real-estate  in 
Staunton  Township. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Jefferson 
County,  W.  Va..  September  21.  182*.  His  father, 
Joseph  Taylor  was  a  West  Virginia  farmer,  and  he 
married  a  West  Virginia  lady,  Margaret  Rowers  by 
name.  The}-  resided  in  their  native  State  for  sev- 
eral years  after  marriage,  and  then  removed  to 
Maryland,  where  Joseph  Taylor  died.  His  wife 
was  married  a  second  time  to  George  Gill,  and 
they  came  early  in  the  '50s  to  Macoupin  County, 
and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Bunker  Hill  Township. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gill  were  respected  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  they  lived 
lives  of  Christian  purity  and  repute  until  a  green 
old  age.  They  are  both  laid  to  rest  in  the  ceme- 
tery near  their  home. 

James  Taylor  was  the  youngest  of  his  father's 
eight  children,  and  as  he  was  quite  young  at  the 
time  of  his  father's  death  he  was  reared  mostly  by 
his  mother  and  step-father.      He  came   with  them 


1/BRART 
Of  THE 

WVtRSITY  OF  ILUNOI 


1 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


3G1 


to  Macoupin  County,  and  spent  his  school  days  on 
the  farm  and  in  the  district  schools.  Having  ar- 
rived at  manhood  lie  chose  for  himseif  a  wife,  and 
was  married  in  C'arlinville,  to  Sarah  O'Neal,  who 
was  born  .September  7,  1830,  in  Bourbon  County, 
Kv.  Mrs.  Taylor  was  left  an  orphan  at  a  very  early 
aye,  too  young  in  fact  to  have  interested  herself  in 
the  early  history  of  her  family,  which  she  now 
greatly  regrets.  She  came  with  kinsmen  to  Illinois 
when  only  eight  years  old,  and  resided  for  some 
years  in  Coles  and  Moultrie  Counties.  In  1848  she 
came  to  Macoupin  County,  within  the  borders  of 
which  she  has  since  resided.  Although  now  some- 
what advanced  in  years  she  maintains  her  mental 
and  physical  activity,  and  enjoys  life  in  her  retired 
home  on  North  Franklin  Street,  at  Bunker  Hill. 
She  has  a  fine  income  left  her  by  her  husband,  to 
whom  she  had  been  a  most  devoted  and  helpful 
wife.  She  was  the  mother  of  two  children:  Joseph 
and  Emma,  both  of  whom  died  in  infanc}'.  She 
has  been  the  foster  mother  of  one  child,  Lucretia 
Price,  who  became  the  wife  of  Louis  Powers,  and 
died  after  becoming  the  mother  of  five  children. 
Mr.  Taylor  was  a  quiet  and  retired  man  in  his  na- 
ture, and  never  was  an  orliee-sceker  or  willing  to 
be  put  in  prominence  by  his  fellow-citizens.  After 
the  war  he  consistently  voted  the  Republican  ticket 
and  was  interested  in  public  affairs.  Mrs.  Taylor 
is  a  life-long  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  in 
which  she  is  a  quiet  but  effective  worker.  She  is 
highly  esteemed  by  all  her  friends  and   neighbors. 


•*&£&&&&****- 


\i)OHN  H.  LOVELESS.  The  Central  States 
are  so  productive  of  grain  that  it  is  not 
surprising  that  a  large  number  of  people 
have  reaped  from  the  bountiful  harvests  of 
Mother  Earth,  a  reasonable  amount  of  this  world's 
goods.  Among  the  number  who  are  successfully 
engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  is  the  gentleman  whose 
name  introduces  this  biographical  notice,  and 
whose  portrait  appears  on  the  opposite  page.  His 
fine  farm  is  located  in  Bird  Township  and  is  em- 
bellished with  a  good  set  of  buildings,  the  most 
important  of  which  is  the  residence  of  the  family. 


Near  it  are  such  structures  as  the  practical  devel- 
opment of  a  model  farm  calls  for,  while  through 
the  proper  rotation  of  crops  and  fertilizing  the 
soil,  the  land  is  brought  to  a  high  state  of  improve- 
ment. 

Our  subject  is  the  son  of  William  Loveless,  who 
was  born  in  Blount  County,  'lYnn.,  in  1808.  His 
mother  was  .lane  Bell  in  her  maidenhood,  and  her 
native  home  was  in  Knox  County,  Tenn.  In  that 
State  they  were  married  ami  resided  until  1841, 
when  they  removed  to  Illinois  and  made  their  home 
on  section  8,  Bird  Township,  this  county.  Here 
they  lived  in  happiness  until  the  death  of  the 
mother,  December  1,  1881,  when  seventy-one 
years  old.  The  father  still  survives  at  an  advanced 
age  and  makes  his  home  with  his  children.  Twelve 
children  clustered  around  this  worthy  pioneer 
couple, who  were  named  as  follows:  John  H.,  Matil 
da,  Elizabeth,  Samuel  L.,  Zeddock,  William  J., 
George  W.,  Hugh  F.,  Mary  A..  Marion  F.,  Martha 
and  Charles  M.  Matilda  is  the  widow  of  Malhias 
Underwood;  Elizabeth  and  Martha  are  deceased; 
Mary  A.,  is  Mrs.  William  Bumgardner. 

John  H  ,  the  eldest  of  this  family  and  the  sub- 
ject of  this  biographical  sketch,  was  born  in  Eastern 
Tennessee,  December  30,  1825.  lie  was  therefore 
sixteen  years  of  age  when  he  accompanied  the  pa- 
rental family  to  Macoupin  County,  this  State,  and 
here  passed  the  remaining  days  of  his  youth. 
He  remained  at  home  with  his  parents  until  his 
inarriage,since  which  he  has  made  a  permanent  home 
upon  another  tract  of  land  not  far  from  the  old 
homestead,  with  the  exception  of  two  years  when 
he  resided  in  Champaign  County,  this  State,  lie 
has  always  been  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  agri- 
culture. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Loveless  to  Miss  Rhuhama 
Brown  took  place  it;  Bird  Township.  December  23, 
1817.  This  lady  was  the  daughter  of  John  M.  and 
Christina  (Etter)  Brown  who  came  from  Virginia 
to  Indiana,  and  thence  to  this  county,  making  their 
home,  in  Western  Mound  Township  in  18  12. 
Here  they  resided  until  Mrs.  Etter  was  called 
away  from  earth  about  the  year  1850.  After  her 
death  her  husband  removed  to  Montgomery 
County,  where  he  died  about  two  years  later. 
They  were  blessed    with   thirteen  children,  twelve 


362 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


daughters  and  one  son.  Mrs.  Loveless  was  the 
seventh  daughter  in  this  family,  and  was  horn 
near  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  January  1,  1826.  Eleven 
children  have  blessed  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Loveless,  namely:  William  R.,  James  M.,  Eliza- 
beth J.,  Emanuel,  Matilda,  George,  Sarah  K.,  Mary 
V.,  Robert  A.,  Cyrus  O.  and  John  B.  William  R. 
married  Anna  Crowder;  James  M..  who  married 
Mary  Clark,  died  in  November,  1876:  Elizabeth 
J.  died  in  infancy;  Matilda  is  the  wife  of  Lewis 
Keorner;  George  married  Alano  Hoover;  Sarah  is 
the  wife  of  Jasper  W.  Wheeler;  Mary  V.  died 
in  childhood;  Robert  A.  married  Hannah  Ward. 
Mr.  Loveless  is  wide-awake  to  the  educational 
interests  of  the  community  and  for  many  years 
has  been  School  Director.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Democratic  party,  and  always  takes  an  active 
part  in  political  affairs.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
have  been  active  members  of  the  Baptist  Church 
for  about  forty  years.  The  event  in  his  life  the 
most  tragic  and  heart-breaking,  was  the  distressing 
death  of  his  mother.  Her  clothes  took  fire  from 
a  fireplace  near  which  she  was  sitting,  and  the  in- 
juries resulted  in  her  death.  The  pain  she  endured 
was  agonizing,  and  she  was  conscious  throughout 
the  whole  period  of  suffering,  and  met  her  death 
with  remarkable  fortitude  and  cheerfulness.  Mr. 
Loveless  owns  and  occupies  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  the  old  homestead,  which  was  his  father's. 
He  is  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  a  man  of  uncom- 
mon energy.  His  wife  who  is  a  woman  of  great 
capabilities  and  of  sound  Christian  character  is  a 
worthy  mate  for  her  husband,  and  is  honored  and 
respected  by  all  who  know  her. 

AVIS  AMES.  The  owner  of  the  farm  on 
section  27,  North  Otter  Township,  is  the 
gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch. 
The  farm  comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  fertile  land  in  the  most  desirable  part  of  the 
county.  An  air  of  prosperity  is  felt  to  rest  over 
the  place  and  is  explained  by  the  good  class  of 
buildings  and  high  state  of  cultivation  under 
which  the  place  is  kept.     While  our  subject  makes 


fanning  his  business,  it  is  not  so  much  the  work 
of  life  as  to  provide  the  comforts  that  home  should 
bring  to  every  family.  The  house  is  pleasantly 
located  on  a  slight  eminence,  from  which  there  is 
a  charming  vista  of  trees  and  misty  clouds  with  a 
glimpse  of  water  in  the  distance.  That  part  of 
life  which  is  so  frequently  neglected  by  farmers — 
the  social  side — is  here  recognized  at  its  full 
worth,  and  the  friends  who  have  the  privilege  of 
coming  to  the  home  find  it  a  meeting-place  from 
which  they  go  away  more  thoughtful,  happier  and 
better  in  every  way.  Books  and  papers  are  the 
companions  of  the  inmates  and  the  current  topics 
are  here  intelligently  discussed. 

Mr.  Ames'  father  was  John  Ames,  a  native  of 
Lancaster  County,  Pa.  His  mother  was  Sarah 
(Staufer)  Ames,  also  a  native  of  the  same  county. 
The  father  died  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  and  the 
mother  passed  away  in  Elkhart  County,  Ind.  Our 
subject  was  brought  up  to  a  farmer's  life,  that  hav- 
ing been  his  father's  calling.  John  Ames  and  his 
wife  had  six  children,  of  whom  our  subject  was  the 
third  child.  His  birth  took  place  in  Lancaster 
County,  Pa.,  on  February  13,  1835.  He  was  but 
eighteen  months  old  when  his  parents  removed  to 
Wayne  County,  Ohio,  and  there  grew  to  manhood. 

After  reaching  years  of  maturity  Mr.  Ames  de- 
termined to  take  unto  himself  a  wife,  and  he  was 
married  early  in  February,  1858,  to  Miss  Mary- 
Weaver,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Martha  Weaver. 
Their  first  home  was  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  and 
there  they  enjoyed  together  the  first  four  years  of 
marital  life.  They  then  removed  to  Elkhart  County, 
Ind.,  living  there  six  years,  and  in  March,  1869, 
they  came  to  Macoupin  County,  settling  on  the 
farm  where  they  now  live  in  August.  He  has  ever 
since  been  a  resident  of  North  Otter  Township. 
The)'  were  the  parents  of  six  children — Leander, 
who  married  Nettie  M.  Smith;  Sarah,  who  became 
the  wife  of  Christian  Roesch;  Lydia,  who  died  at 
the  early  age  of  seventeen;  Eli  W.,  Elmer  and 
Delia  M.  Mrs.  Mary  Ames  died  in  North  Otter 
Township  February  5,  1883. 

Our  subject  was  again  married,  Miss  Mary  A. 
Bechtold  becoming  his  wife  in  Sangamon  County, 
June  15,1884.  The  lady  is  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Elizabeth  L.  (Bin baker)  Bechtold,  both  of  Lan- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


.{63 


easier  County,  Pa.  The  mother  died  in  Macoupin 
County,  111.;  the  father  still  survives.  Mrs.  Ames 
was  horn  in  Lancaster  Count}',  Pa.,  July  9,  1851. 
One  ehilil  has  been  the  fruit  of  this  marriage,  a 
daughter,  who  was  christened  Dora  E. 

Mr.  Ames  has  always  been  engaged  in  farming, 
and  is  thoroughly  conversant,  not  only  with  the 
best  ways  and  means  in  use  in  agriculture,  but  of 
the  most  direct  way  the  object  he  desires  may  be 
obtained.  In  politics  he  is  an  adherent  of  the 
Republican  party.  He  has  been  elected  School 
Director  in  his  township,  having  discharged  the 
duties  incident  to  that  office  to  the  satisfaction 
of  his  constituents.  Our  subject  has  taken  an  act- 
ive part  in  religious  work  and  is  a  member  of  the 
German  Baptist  Church,  as  is  also  his  wife  and  as 
was  the  companion  of  his  early  life. 

— *■    -3K-— -*— 


^OHN  M.  SCHMIDT.  One  of  the  largest 
farmers  in  Gillespie  Township  is  the  man 
whose  name  heads  this  sketch.  He  lives  on 
section  35,  and  owns  in  his  homestead  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  but  in  all  the  land  that 
he  has  accumulated  aggregates  nine  hundred  and 
seventy  acres,  the  whole  of  which  property  is  well 
improved  and  stocked.  The  fact  that  Mr.  Schmidt 
came  to  this  land  a  poor  man  only  thirty-six  years 
ago,  and  that  he  has  amassed  what  is  a  comfortable 
fortune,  is  a  commentary  upon  the  possibilities  that 
are  to  be  found  in  the  United  States. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Hanover,  German}',  Oc- 
tober 22,  1828.  For  a  history  of  his  parents,  see 
biography  of  Weye  Schmidt  on  another  page. 
Our  subject's  parents  were  farmers  and  he  grew  up 
with  a  knowledge  of  all  the  duties  incident  to  agri- 
cultural life.  He  was  a  single  man  when  he  deter- 
mined to  come  to  America,  and  took  passage  at 
Bremen,  Hanover,  on  a  sailing  vessel,  August  31, 
1855.  He  landed  in  New  Orleans  where  he  spent 
seven  weeks  in  becoming  somewhat  familiar  with 
the  English  tongue  and  American  ways;  thence  he 
came  to  St.  Louis  and  then  to  Alton  and  from  here 
he  proceeded  to  Macoupin  County,  Gillespie  Town 
ship,  where  he  settled  November  18,  of  that  year. 


He  has  ever  since  made  this  place  his  home,  having 
here  accumulated  his  fortune  and  being  determined 
that  it  shall  be  the  shelter  for  his  last  days.  For 
the  first  three  years  of  Mr.  Schmidt's  life  in  Amer- 
ica he  worked  as  a  laborer  for  M.  W.  Dorsey  and 
then  he  rented  a  farm  for  live  years,  after  which 
he  purchased  his  first  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  on  section  35,  to  which  he  has  since  added 
his  large  increase  of  land.  He  is  one  of  the  thrift- 
iest farmers  among  the  German  settlers  in  the 
count}'. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  this  township  to 
Miss  Meta  E.  Milfs.  She  was  born  and  reared  in 
Hanover,  and  in  1H58  came  to  this  country  with 
her  future  husband,  who  had  gone  on  a  trip  to  his 
native  home  and  on  his  return  to  this  country  he 
brought  the  young  lady  with  him  who  was  soon  to 
be  his  bride.  They  were  married  in  the  spring  of 
1859,  and  they  have  since  lived  and  labored  to- 
gether, the  wife  being  a  true  and  good  woman  and 
a  great  help  to  him  in  every  way.  She  is  the 
mother  of  thirteen  children,  only  one  of  whom  is 
deceased.  The  living  children  arc  as  follows: 
Charles,  who  took  to  wife  Weptka  Schmidt,  and 
they  live  on  a  farm  in  this  township;  Etta,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Fritz  Harines;  they  are  also  farmers  in 
this  township;  John,  who  took  to  wife  Gepta  Gosh- 
niann,  also  lives  on  a  farm  in  this  township ; Weptka, 
the  wife  of  Louis  Kartum;  they  are  farmers  in  this 
township;  Milf  is  proprietor  of  a  farm  with  his 
brother;  he  is  unmarried.  Weye,  Weert,  Jacob, 
Minnie,  Zena,  John  and  Adolpii  all    live  at  home. 

Mr.  Schmidt,  wife  and  family  are  all  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church.  The  father  and  sons  arc 
Democrats  in  politics. 


\fl  AMES  W.  FORK,  one  of  the  oldest  settleri 
of  Honey  Point  Township,  is  a  native  of 
of  Tennessee,  being  born  in  Murray  County, 
W  that  State,  August  28,  1813.  His  ancestors 
were  of  English  and  Irish  origin;  his  paternal  grand- 
father, James,  emigrated  from  England  to  North 
Carolina,  and  married  a  young  lady  named  Whit- 
taker.     Here  his  father,  Joel,  was  born  in  Surrey 


364 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


County  in  the  year  1784,  and  moved  when  a  young 
man  to  the  State  of  Tennessee,  where  he  married 
Talitha  Jackson,  who  was  of  Irish  descent,  and 
whose  family  had  come  from  North  Carolina  to 
Tennessee.  Our  subject's  grandmother  on  his  moth- 
er's side  was  Charity  Boyd,  who  was  born  in  North 
Carolina,  and  was  living  there  during  the  Revolu- 
tionaiy  War,  and  who  always  enjoyed  recounting 
how  she  heard  in  her  home,  the  sound  of  musketry 
during  the  Battle  of  Cowpens. 

When  James  W.  York  was  quite  a  small  child, 
his  father  removed  from  Murray  to  Bedford  County, 
Tenn.  where  the  family  lived  until  1828.  While 
living  in  this  State  he  bought  timber  land  and 
built  a  log  house  for  the  family  home.  The  next 
removal  of  the  family  was  to  Morgan  County,  111  , 
and  this  son  was  fifteen  years  old  at,  that  time. 
The  county  was  thinly  settled  and  Jacksonville 
was  then  such  a  place  as  Gillespie  now  is.  The 
farmers  had  no  market  for  their  produce  but  every- 
body lived  in  a  rough  and  primitive  way;  all  were 
sociable,  good-hearted  and  neighborly,  and  had 
many  good  times  together.  The  journey  from  Ten- 
nessee to  Illinois  occupied  thirty  days  and  was  ac- 
complished by  the  help  of  a  four-horse  team  which 
had  been  hired  at  the  rate  of  $2.50  a  day.  After 
a  seven  years'  residence  near  Jacksonville,  the  fam- 
ily removed  to  Macoupin  County  and  entered  land 
near  Carlinville  which  is  the  farm  now  owned  by 
James  McClure.  The  father  died  in  1847  upon  a 
farm  a  mile  further  east.  The  mother  died  two 
months  later. 

After  coming  to  Illinois,  our  subject  had  only 
six  weeks  of  schooling,  but  he  had  attended  good 
private  schools  in  Tennessee.  As  he  was  the  oldest 
son  his  course  of  study  was  cut  short  by  the  family 
necessities.  After  his  father's  removal  to  Macou- 
pin Count}-,  he  stayed  in  Morgan  Country  for  two 
years  and  worked  on  a  farm  at  $15  a  month,  and 
from  his  earnings  he  accumulated  sufficient  money 
to  enter  eighty  acres  of  land,  which  have  been  in  his 
possession  ever  since  and  on  which  now  stands  his 
pleasant  home.  Upon  this  he  moved  in  the  spring 
of  1838,  bought  an  ox-team  and  began  breaking 
prairie.  He  iiad  prepared  for  this  new  venture  by 
engaging  a  life  partner  to  help  him  in  establishing 
a  home  upon  the  new  farm,  and  he  was  married  in 


February,  1838,  to  Mary  E.  Keplinger,  daughter 
of  John  and  Elizabeth  Keplinger,  and  a  sister  of 
Peter  Keplinger,  whose  biography  will  be  found 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.  This  lady  was  born  in 
Washington  Count}-,  Tenn.  and  came  to  Morgan 
County  in  1830. 

It  was  in  the  fall  after  his  marriage  that  James 
York  built  a  log  cabin.  For  a  long  time  he  had  to 
haul  his  wheat  to  Alton  and  St.  Louis  and  go  to 
mill  at  Alton  and  Edwardsville;  but  later  a  mill 
was  built  at  Woodburn,  and  also  in  Montgomery 
County.  In  those  early  times  a  pioneer's  life  was 
by  no  means  an  easy  one,  and  hard  labor  and  un- 
tiring energy  were  necessary  to  the  accumulation 
of  property.  But  these  our  subject  was  willing  to 
give  and  he  finally  gained  a  position  where  he  could 
enjoy  a  comfortable  competence.  Atone  time  he 
was  the  owner  of  six  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land,  nearly  half  of  which  he  has  now  given  to  his 
older  children.  A  part  of  his  present  residence  is 
the  original  old  log  house,  built  in  the  fall  of  1838, 
which  has  been  remodeled  and  improved,  and  in 
1875  was  finally  changed  into  a  neat  and  attractive 
dwelling. 

By  his  first  marriage  Mr.  York  had  ien  children, 
all  of  whom  died  when  quite  young,  except  three: 
Maria  is  tin.'  wife  of  John  II.  Shears,  Sophronia  E. 
married  John  Saunders,  and  Elbert  is  farming  in 
Honey  Point  Township.  Their  mother  died  Novem- 
ber 24,  1873.  The  second  wife  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Hester  Hamilton,  and  their  marriage  took 
place  in  January  1875.  Her  five  children  are  all 
living  and  they  bear  the  names  of  Minnie  Viola, 
James  VV.,  Vesta  L.,  Nancy  Almira,  and  Herbert 
A.  Mrs.  York  is  a  daughter  of  Frederick  A.  and 
Nancy  (Hampton)  Hamilton,  natives  of  Virginia 
and  Kentucky,  respectively,  and  now  residents  of 
Carlinville.  Mr.  York  has  commanded  through 
life  the  warm  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fcllow-cit- 
zens.  He  is  a  man  of  decided  convictions,  but 
concedes  to  others  the  same  freedom  of  opinion 
which  he  has  claimed  for  himself.  His  first  Presi- 
idential  vote  whs  in  1836,  for  Martin  Van  Burcn, 
and  he  has  ever  been  attached  to  the  party  of  Jeffer- 
son and  Jackson,  yet  in  local  elections  he  has  al- 
ways claimed  the  privilege  of  supporting  the  best 
man  for  the  office.     He  has   had    opportunities   to 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


365 


occupy  public  positions  and  upon  the  first  organ- 
ization of  Honey  Point  Township,  served  for  one 
term  ns  Supervisor,  and  was  twice  re-elected,  but 
declined  to  serve.  In  the  days  of  the  old  militia 
organization,  lie  was  first  Lieutenant  of  his  com- 
pany and  was  always  on  hand  at  the  annual  mus- 
ters. In  January,  1857,  he  became  connected  with 
the  United  Baptist  Church,  and  two  years  later  was 
made  a  Deacon. 

Like  most  men  in  Illinois  who  have  reached  a 
position  of  influence  and  competence,  he  began  al- 
most entirely  without  means,  and  what  he  has  ac- 
complished has  beci  the  result  of  his  own  industry 
and  energy.  He  is  a  man  of  liberal  and  generous 
disposition  and  has  provided  comfortably  for  his 
children.  He  is  one  of  the  best  known  of  the  old 
pioneers  in  Macoupin  County,  and  has  done  his 
full  share  to  change  it  from  a  wilderness  to  a  pros- 
perous, thriving  and  populous  community.  He 
has  lived  a  life  of  usefulness  and  integrity  and  now 
at  the  close  of  a  long  and  industrious  career,  he 
can  look  hack  over  a  life  which  has  been  a  benefit 
to  himself,  to  his  family,  and  his  fellow-men. 


0^-j.^S)- 


OHN  LYONS,  a  practical  farmer  of  Ililyard 
Township,  residing  on  section  5,  is  a  native 
of  the  Emerald  Isle.  He  was  born  in  the 
North  of  Ireland  on  the  29th  of  April,  1829, 
lie  is  a  grandson  of  Robert  and  Fannie  (Ful- 
ton) Lyons,  who  were  also  born  in  the  North  of 
Ireland,  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage  and  of  the  Pres- 
byterian faith.  His  father,  Thomas  Lyons,  was 
also  born  in  that  locality  and  was  one  of  a  large 
family.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  the  usual  manner 
of  farmer  lads  and  then  wedded  Miss  Mary  A. 
Taggert,  of  the  North  of  Ireland,  who  likewise 
came  of  Protestant  Irish  parentage.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Jane  Taggert,  who  were  born 
and  reared  in  the  North  of  Ireland  and  there  spent 
their  entire  lives,  dying  when  well  advanced  in 
years.  Thomas  Lyons  and  his  wife  began  their 
domestic  life  upon  a  small  farm  on  the  Green  Isle 
of  Erin  and   there  three    children    were   born  unto 


and 


them.  In  the  spring  of  183G  they  sailed  from 
Belfast  to  this  country,  landing  in  Philadelphia 
after  a  long  voyage  of  eight  weeks.  The  summer 
after  their  arrival  they  spent  in  Montgomery 
County,  Pa.,  and  in  the  succeeding  autumn  started 
for  Peoria,  111.,  but  the  Illinois  River  was  frozen 
up  and  they  had  to  stop  at  what  is  now  Coon  Creek, 
Jersey  County,  where  they  decided  to  make  their 
home.  They  settled  upon  a  new  farm  live  miles 
west  of  Jerseyville,  where  the  parents  continued 
to  spend  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  both  dying 
when  [last  seventy  years  of  age.  They  were  classed 
among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Jersey  County  and 
were  people  of  worth  and  ability.  Their  family 
numbered  five  children  who  grew  to  manhood  and 
womanhood,  while  three  are  yet  living.  One  son 
died  from  a  wound  received  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh 
during  the  late  war.  He  had  only  been  in  the  ser- 
vice a  few  months  when  pierced  by  an  enemy's 
bullet,  he  gave  up  his  life  for  his  country. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  only  seven  years 
of  age  when  lie  bade  good-by  to  the  land  of  his 
birth  and  accompanied  his  parents  to  America. 
Under  the  parental  roof  he  vvas  reared  to  manhood 
in  Jersey  County,  where  he  was  the  first  time  mar- 
ried, the  lady  of  his  choice  being  Miss  Nancy 
Campbell,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  who  when  a 
child  went  to  Jersey  County,  111.,  with  her  parents, 
William  and  Mary  Campbell,  both  of  whom  are 
now  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lyons  were  married 
in  February,  1853,  and  in  September,  1855,  the 
lady  was  called  to  her  final  home  when  thirty-five 
years  of  age.  Mr.  Lyons  was  again  married  in 
Greene  County,  his  second  union  being  with  Mrs. 
Alvira  A.  (Tunnell)  Parker,  who  was  born  on  the 
22d  of  August,  1839,  in  Greene  County,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Calvin  and  Jane  Tunnell,  natives  of 
Virginia,  who  on  emigrating  to  Illinois  located  in 
Madison  County,  and  later  removed  to  Greene 
County,  where  Mr.  Tunnell  procured  land  and  de- 
veloped a  good  farm  near  Carrollton,  where  they 
spent  their  last  days.  In  Greene  County,  Alvira 
Tunnell  became  the  wife  of  Daniel  L.  Parker,  who 
died  in  Hilyard  Township,  leaving  two  children: 
Mary  E.,  wife  of  John  Caywood,  of  Ililyard  Town- 
ship; and  Henry  L.,  a  farmer  of  Greene  County, 
who    married  Carrie  Cornell.      Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


366 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Lyons  have  been  born  six  children  but  three  died 
in  childhood:  Thomas  C,  Luther  and  John.  The 
living  are  Robert  N.,  who  married  Jessie  B.  Cor- 
nell and  lives  on  a  farm  in  Hilyard  Township;  and 
James  T.  and  Alvira  A.,  at  home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lyons  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  which  he  is  now  serving  as  Deacon 
and  Trustee,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  They 
reside  upon  a  pleasantly  situated  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  which  is  now  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  Mr.  Lyons  located  there  on 
the  13th  of  March,  18G5,  and  has  since  made  all 
the  improvements  seen  upon  the  place.  He  is  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  enterprising  and  successful 
farmers  of  the  community  and  well  deserves  a  rep- 
resentation in  the  history  of  his  adopted  county. 


«^€ 


/p^)EORGE  M.  KILLAM.  This  section  of  the 
fll  <=-  country    has  always  proved  very  attractive 

5^8  to  citizens  of  foreign  birth,  who  have  come 
lo  America  with  a  desire  to  give  their  children  the 
benefits  of  a  home  in  the  land  of  liberty  and  an  op- 
portunity for  independence.  The  fertility  of  Illi- 
nois was  early  made  a  matter  of  comment  and  con- 
versation among  the  yeomanry  of  England,  and 
their  attention  was  called  to  the  advantages  which 
were  offered  here.  In  consequence  of  this  many  of 
them  emigrated  to  this  country  and  among  them  we 
find  Samuel  Killam,  the  father  of  our  subject.  His 
wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  M.  Morris. 
They  were  married  in  England  and  coming  to 
America,  made  their  first  home  in  Morgan  County. 
This  worthy  and  intelligent  couple  finally  re-, 
moved  to  Macoupin  Count}-  and  settled  in  South 
Palmyra  Township,  where  they  ended  their  days 
in  peace  and  happiness.  Ten  children  had  gath- 
ered about  theii  home,  of  whom  our  subject  was 
the  seventh.  He  was  born  in  South  Palmyra 
Township,  August  28,  1840.  Here  he  grew  to 
manhood  and  has  always  remained  a  resident  of 
this  county.  He  remained  at  home  most  of  the 
time  till  his  marriage,  after  which  he  lived  for  two 
years  in  Carlinville  Township  and  then  settled  in 
Bird    Township,   where  he  owns  two  hundred  and 


nine  acres.  He  has  erected  good  buildings  on  his 
farm,  which  is  finely  improved.  He  has  always 
been  engaged  in  stock-raising  and  agricultural  pur- 
suits. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Killam  with  Emily  Baker 
took  place  on  March  15,  1866,  in  South  Otter 
Township.  The  lady  whom  he  marie  his  wife  was 
a  daughter  of  Robert  Baker,  of  South  Otter  Town- 
ship. They  set  up  their  home  in  Carlinville  Town- 
ship and  four  children  crowned  their  union:  Mary 
F.,  George  A.,  Charles  W.  and  Emily  J.  The 
mother  of  these  children  was  snatched  from  the 
companionship  of  her  husband  and  children  Au- 
gust 23,  1878. 

The  second  marriage  of  this  gentleman  took 
place  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  on  April  22,  1880.  His 
bride  was  Miss  Rosalie,  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Rachael  Standiford.  Mr.  Standiford  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Civil  War  and  met  his  death  while  in  the 
service.  His  wife  has  also  passed  to  the  other 
world.  Their  daughter  Rosalie  was  born  in  Frank- 
lin County,  Mo.,  June  20,  1855.  She  has  become 
the  mother  of  three  children,  namely:  John  A.. 
Samuel  C.  and  Nellie  R. 

Mr.  Killam  is  an  earnest  and  efficient  member  of 
the  Republican  party  and  his  advocacy  of  his  po- 
litical principles  is  intelligent  and  convincing. 
He  is  a  man  of  influence  in  the  community  and  has 
held  a  number  of  township  offices  in  the  county. 
His  farm  is  in  excellent  condition  „nd  the  build- 
ings upon  it  are  worthy  of  note.  His  estimable 
wife  is  a  devoted  and  active  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  in  which  she  finds  a  broad 
field  of  usefulness. 


RANK  A.  GELDER,  dental  surgeon,  has 
an  extensive  and  lucrative  practice  at  Pal- 
myra, where  he  bears  a  high  reputation  for 
skill  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  his  profession. 
He  is  a  native  born  citizen  of  this  county,  Barr 
Township  the  place  of  his  birth,  and  September  14, 
1854,  the  date  thereof.  His  father,  Thomas  GeWler, 
was  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  his  par- 
ents were  life-long  residents  of  that  country.     The 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


367 


fiillier  of  our  subject  and  his  cousin,  Capt.  Thomas 
Gelder,  who  settled  in  Chesterfield  Township,  were 
the  only  male  raen)bers  of  the  family  that  ever  came 
to  America.  The  former  was  a  youth  of  eighteen 
years  when  he  landed  on  these  shores.  He  at  first 
lived  in  Chesterfield  Township,  where  several  Eng- 
lish families  had  previously  located.  He  had  no 
means  at  that  time  and  sought  employment  on  a 
farm.  He  worked  by  the  monlh  a  few  years,  and 
during  that  time  wisely  saved  his  earnings  so  that 
he  might  invest  in  land  and  become  independent. 
He  finally  gathered  together  enough  to  purchase  a 
quarter-section  of  timbered  land  in  Barr  Township, 
on  which  was  a  small  frame  house  built  entirely  of 
oak  and  black  walnut  lumber.  Mr.  Gelder  com- 
menced at  once  the  pioneer  work  that  lay  before 
him  of  evolving  a  farm  from  the  wilderness,  but 
while  he  was  thus  busily  engaged  death  cut  short 
his  career  in  1864,  and  a  loyal  and  useful  citizen 
was  lost  to  his  township. 

By  the  untimely  death  of  the  father  the  mother 
cf  our  subject  was  left  in  limited  circumstances 
with  live  children  to  care  for,  as  follows:  William 
H.,  Frank  A.,  Mary  A.,  Clara  E.  and  Ada  F.  The 
maiden  name  of  the  mother  was  Mary  Shearburn, 
and  she  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England.  Her 
father  was  Thomas  Shearburn,  and  he  was  also  a 
native  of  Yorkshire.  He  emigrated  to  this  coun- 
try with  his  family,  and  was  a  pioneer  of  Barr 
Township,  where  he  improved  a  good  farm,  upon 
which  he  resided  until  his  decease.  When  a  young 
man  living  in  the  old  country  he  married  Ann 
Bell,  the  daughter  of  an  Episcopalian  clergyman. 
Some  years  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Gelder  his  widow 
married  Henry  Bracewell,  and  now  lives  in  Wayne 
County,  Iowa. 

As  soon  as  he  was  large  enough  our  subject  be 
gan  to  work  for  various  parties  to  earn  money  to 
assist  his  mother  in  the  support  of  the  family.  The 
little  lad  was  but  eight  years  old  when  he  Grst 
.sought  and  found  employment,  and  was  given  §4 
a  month  for  his  services.  Until  he  was  eighteen 
years  old  he  continued  to  work  by  the  month,  ex- 
cept for  a  short  time  each  winter  season,  when  he 
attended  school.  During  that  time  he  was  a  student 
in  a  school  at  Pana,  III.,  two  years.  At  the  age 
mentioned  he  rented   the  home  farm,  and  devoted 


himself  to  agricultural  pursuits  the  following  two 
years.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  accepted  a  position 
as  clerk  at  Taylorville.  in  which  capacity  be  was 
engaged  one  year. 

At  the  expiration  of  that  time  deciding  to  adopt 
the  profession  of  dentistry,  Mr.  Oelder  began  to 
prepare  himself  for  that  vocation  at  Pana.  under 
Dr.  T.  II.  McCoy.  He  served  an  apprenticeship  of 
two  years  without  any  remuneration  so  as  to  gain  a 
thorough  master}-  of  the  details  of  the  calling.  He 
proved  to  be  such  a  bright,  apt  pupil,  that  when 
his  preceptor  went  to  Europe  at  the  end  of  that 
time  he  placed  such  confidence  in  his  ability  that 
he  left  him  in  charge  of  his  office.  He  remained 
in  Pana  three  years,  and  then  came  to  Palmyra, 
which  at  that  time  was  a  small  village  of  about 
three  hundred  inhabitants,  and  he  has  since  been  in 
active  practice  here,  and  is  meeting  with  merited 
success,  as  he  applies  himself  closely  to  his  profes- 
sion. He  has  a  neat,  and  well-litted  up  office, amply 
supplied  with  all  the  modern  appliances  of  dental 
surgery,  and  he  keeps  well  abreast  of  the  times  in 
his  methods  of  work.  He  possesses  many  frank 
and  prepossessing  qualities,  is  courteous  and  affable 
in  his  intercourse  with  others,  and  with  his  amiable 
wife  occupies  a  high  social  position  among  our  best 
people. 

Dr.  Gelder  was  married  in  1882  to  Miss  Flora  E. 
Gardner,  a  native  of  this  county,  and  a  daughter 
of  John  T.  and  Hester  A.  (Edwards)  Gardner. 
Five  children  complete  the  pleasant  home  circle  of 
our  subject  and  his  wife:  Frank  G.,  Wilbur  Max, 
Ola  Roll,  Isla,  and  an  infant  as  yet  unnamed. 

Our  subject  is  now  President  of  the  Town  Hoard, 
also  of  the  School  Board. 


A VII)  STEAD.  England  has  sent  so  many 
jjj  of  her  sons  to  this  country,  and  they  are 
tfm^  almost  always  of  so  good  a  class  of  people, 
that  we  have  come  to  look  upon  them  as 
most  desirable  acquisitions  in  every  community. 
To  say  that  a  man  is  an  Englishman,  is  usually  a 
pledge  for  his  standing  as  a  loyal  American  in  all 
questions  of  equity   and  right.     Our  subject  is   not 


368 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


only  of  English  parentage  bul.  he  himself  was  born 
in  the  quaint  portion  of  England,  in  which  the  dia- 
lect is  so  broad  as  to  remind  one  of  the  variety  in 
origin  of  its  people.  He  was  bom  in  Yorkshire, 
November  22,  1829.  Mr.  Stead  now  is  the  owner 
of  a  fine  farm  located  on  section  10,  of  Nilwood 
Township. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Benjamin  and 
Martha  (Taylor)  Stead.  They  were  both  natives 
of  Yorkshire.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  the 
original  of  our  sketch  was  also  Benjamin  Ste.id.  He 
lived  and  died  in  Yorkshire,  England,  having  fol- 
lowed the  calling  of  a  farmer  for  the  greater  por- 
tion of  his  life.  David  Stead's  father  emigrated  U, 
America  early  in  the  '40s,  and  at  once  settled  in 
Nilwood  Township,  Macoupin  County,  where  one 
year  afterward  his  decease  took  place.  His  wife 
followed  him  in   1858. 

( )f  a  family  of  eight  children  our  subject  was  the 
fourth;  his  early  education  was  received  in  his  na- 
tive country,  and  he  came  to  America  with  his 
father  and  settled  with  the  family  in  Nilwood 
Township,  July  G,  1851.  The  next  important  event  | 
in  his  history  was  his  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  A. 
Boston.  She  was  born  in  Harrison  County,  End., 
June  4,  1829.  Her  parents  were  Beverly  and  Eliza- 
beth (Boston)  Boston.  The  former  was  a  native 
of  Virginia,  and  the  latter  of  Kentucky.  After 
tlieir  marriage  they  settled  in  Floyd  County.  Ind. 
The  father  came  to  Macoupin  County,  in  1838,  the 
family  following  him  a  short  time  after.  They 
settled  in  what  is  now  Nilwood  Township,  where 
the  mother  died,  September  7,  1851.  The  father 
died  in  September,  1853.  They  had  ten  children,  of 
whom  Mrs.  Stead  was  the  ninth. 

Our  subject  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  five 
children.  They  are  Benjamin  A.,  who  is  a  farmer 
in  Montgomery  County,  this  State;  George  N.,  who 
follows  his  father's  calling  in  Nilwood  Township; 
John  H.,  who  is  an  agriculturist,  also  of  Nilwood 
Township;  James  D.,  who  is  also  a  farmer.  The 
second  child.  William  E.  died  in  childhood.  All 
of  Mr.  Stead's  life  has  been  engaged  in  devotion  to 
his  agricultural  pursuits.  His  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  located  most  favorably  is 
well  improved  and  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
His   residence  is  especially  noticable,  proclaiming 


its  builder  a  man  of  taste  as  well  as  judgment.  All 
the  comforts  and  conveniences  that  give  the  people 
of  the  present  day  so  much  the  advantage  of  those 
of  years  ago  are  to  be  found  about  the  house.  His 
townsmen  have  shown  tlieir  confidence  in  Mr. 
Stead's  ability  in  executive  matters,  by  appointing 
him  a  School  Trustee.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Christian  Church,  in  which  the 
former  has  been  an  Elder  for  many  years.  Mrs. 
Stead  is  a  woman  whose  amiability  and  charm  of 
manner  endear  her  to  friends  and  commend  her  to 
acquaintances.  A  woman  whose  realm  is  in  her 
family  life,  but  who  always  has  a  kind  and  encour- 
aging word  for  any  one  in  trouble.  She  and  her 
husband  are  generous  and  open  hearted,  and  are 
counted  among  the  progressive  people  of  the  town- 
ship. 

SSS383- 


ILL1AM  H.  DEWS.  One  of  the  substan- 
tial farmers  of  English  origin  is  he  who 
resides  on  section  34,  Western  Mound 
Township.  The  farm,  which  was  originally  that 
of  his  father,  comprised  six  hundred  acres  of  fine 
land  and  the  present  proprietor  cultivates  it  to  the 
highest  possible  degree.  Our  subject's  father  was 
John  Dews,  who  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England. 
The  mother  was  Sylvia  (Morris)  Dews,  also  a  na- 
tive of  Yorkshire.  They,  however,  met  and  mar- 
ried in  this  country,  Alton.  111.,  being  the  scene  of 
their  courtship  and  union.  After  their  marriage 
they  came  to  Macoupin  County  and  settled  in 
Western  Mound  Township,  upon  the  farm  which 
our  subject  at  present  occupies.  Here  the  father 
died,  December  18,  1888. 

Her  gracious  Majesty.  Queen  Victoria,  has  set 
her  seal  of  approval  upon  the  rearing  of  large  fam- 
ilies by  offering  a  prize  to  the  mother  of  the  larg- 
est family  of  living  children.  This  is  not  an 
individual  opinion  but  rather  shows  the  sentiment 
of  the  nation,  for  English  families  are,  as  a  rule, 
larger  than  the  families  of  American  parents.  Our 
subject's  parents  showed  themselves  to  be  true  to 
the  English  idea  by  rearing  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, of  whom  our  subject  was  one  of  the  junior 
members.     His   present   home    was  his  birthplace, 


IfBRAHY 

"WPRSITY  OF  ILLiNC 





' 


1 


*•  ~J&-'  '•' 


J/Cl^L    /?  S^^^- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


371 


his  natal  day  being  March  20,  1852.  Here  he  was 
reared  to  manhood  and  has  ever  been  a  resident  at 
the  place  where  he  is  now  owner. 

( »ur  subject's  father,  John  Dews,  erected  a  fine 
scries  of  buildings  upon  his  farm  and  at  one  time 
was  the  proud  proprietor  of  one  thousand  acres  of 
as  good  land  as  there  was  iu  the  county.  At  pres- 
ent everything  about  the  place  indicates  the  careful 
and  progressive  farmer.  The  buildings  are  in  beau- 
tiful order  and  meadows,  paddocks  and  wood  lots 
are  rich  with  their  respective  productions. 

Our  subject  is  very  popular  among  the  people  of 
his  locality  and  has  a  turn  for  political  life.  His 
interest  in  the  affairs  pertaining  to  his  calling  is 
shown  by  the  prominent  part  that  he  takes  in  the 
Farmers'  Alliance  of  this  section.  He  has  held  the 
office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  four  years  and  was 
Census  Enumerator  for  Western  Mound  Township 
iD  1890.  Our  subject's  father  was  a  member  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  and  the  religious  preference  of 
William  Dews  is  in  the  same  direction. 


-*$4¥*«~- 


i.^*^. 


T\  R.  J-  1'.  BINNEY,  who  is  now  living  a  re- 
tired life,  resides  on  a  fine  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  on  section  3b\  Staun- 
ton Township.  He  is  of  English  birth 
and  a  native  of  Sheffield,  Yorkshire,  where  he  was 
born  on  the  3d  of  July,  1 H 1  f i .  His  parents  were 
also  Yorkshire  people.  At  the  early  age  of  fifteen 
years,  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  medicine  and 
surgery  in  Lancaster,  England,  under  Dr.  William 
Prescott,  with  whom  he  remained  until  his  emigra- 
tion to  America  in   the  year  1842. 

Hearing  very  favorable  reports  of  this  country 
and  the  advantages  it  afforded  young  men,  Dr. 
Binney  determined  to  seek  a  home  across  the  wat- 
ers and  in  the  month  of  December  of  the  year 
previously  mentioned,  sailed  from  Liverpool,  in 
one  of  the  vessels  of  the  North  Sea  line,  which  was 
commanded  by  Capt.  Wynn.  After  a  long  tedious 
:  voyage  of  nine  weeks,  anchor  was  dropped  in  the 
harbor  of  New  Orleans  and  the  Doctor  made  his 
way  up  the  Mississippi  River  to  St.  Louis,  proceed- 


ing to  Macoupin  County  the  same  year.  Here  he 
has  resided  continuously  since  and  from  the  be- 
ginning has  been  numbered  among  the  prominent 
anil  leading  men  in  the  county. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  Dr.  Binney  embarked  in 
the  practice  of  medicine  and  his  skill  anil  ability 
at  once  won  him  an  excellent  practice  and  he  was 
ranked  high  by  his  professional  brethren.  His 
patronage  came  from  all  over  the  country  for  miles 
around  and  he  successfully  and  profitably  engaged 
in  the  prosecution  of  his  chosen  profession  until 
1888,  when  he  retired  to  private  life.  He  also  de- 
voted a  part  of  his  lime  and  attention  to  farming, 
and  in  this  branch  of  his  business  also  met  with 
prosperity.  His  home  farm  now  comprises  a  quar- 
ter section  of  valuable  land,  upon  which  are  sub- 
stantial buildings  and  man}-  excellent  improve- 
ments. His  residence  is  one  of  the  finest  and 
largest  brick  dwellings  in  the  county  and  every- 
thing about  the  place  is  in  keeping  with  his  home. 
He  also  owns  eight  improved  lots  in  New  Douglas, 
HI. 

In  Madison  County,  Dr.  Binney  led  to  the  mar- 
riage altar  Miss  Martha  L.  Martin,  one  of  the  fair 
daughters  of  that  county,  where  her  parents,  David 
and  Maltha  Martin,  were  early  settlers.  They  came 
to  Illinois  from  Kentucky  in  a  very  early  day  and 
located  in  Madison  County,  where  they  improved 
a  farm  upon  which  they  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives.  Mrs.  Binney  received  good  educational 
advantages  for  that  day  and  is  an  intelligent  and 
cultured  lady  who  has  won  many  friends.  She  re- 
mained under  the  parental  roof  until  she  gave  her 
hand  in  marriage  to  the  Doctor,  to  whom  she  has 
proved  a  true  helpmate.  They  have  traveled  life's 
journey  together  for  moiethan  forty  years,  labor- 
ing for  their  mutual  good  and  their  lives  have 
been  blessed  in  many  ways.  The  greatest  adver- 
sity which  has  come  upon  them  is  the  loss  of  their 
three  children,  John,  Thomas  and  liessie,  all  of 
whom  died  in  childhood.  In  political  sentiment, 
the  Doctor  is  a  Republican,  but  his  business  duties 
in  former  years  were  so  manifold  that  he 
conld  not,  if  he  had  desired,  lake  an  active  part 
in  political  affairs.  lie  anil  his  wife  are  numbered 
among  the  most  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  the 
county,  where  for  almost  half  a  century  they  have 


372 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ill 


made  their    homo,  and    the    confidence    and    good 
wishes  of  the  community  are  accorded  them. 

In  connection  with  this  brief  biographical  review 
the  reader  will  notice  a  lithographic  portrait  of  Dr. 
Binney,  whose  lineaments  will  be  thus  perpetuated 
for  coming  generations. 


— * 6s-*HB»- «- 

EWIS  F.  BECKER,  of  the  firm  of  J.  G. 
Becker  &  Son,  contractors  and  builders, 
was  born  in  St.  Louis.  Mo.,  July  1.  1854. 
He  is  the  eldest  son  of  .1.  G.  and  Catherine  Becker, 
of  whom  we  read  more  in  the  father's  sketch  which 
precedes  this.  He  was  only  seven  years  old  when 
be  came  to  Virrlen  with  his  parents  and  here  lie 
attended  the  public  school  steadily  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  fifteen.  He  then  commenced  work  with 
his  father  at  the  carpenter's  trade  and  when  he 
reached  his  majority  became  a  partner  with  his 
father  in  the  firm. 

The  marriage  of  Lewis  Becker,  and  Miss  Caro- 
line Bijor  was  solemnized  February  1,  1877.  The 
bride  was  born  in  JerseyviDe,  111.,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  Bernard  and  Martha  Bijor,  both  na- 
tives of  Germany.  Six  children  have  come  to  the 
home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Becker,  namely :  Fred,  Ota, 
Ada,  Oscar,  Annie  and  Carrie.  Mr.  Becker  is  a 
member  of  Virden  Lodge  No.  161,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
in  which  he  officiates  as  Past  Master,  lie  is  a  man 
of  public  spirit  and  ever  ready  to  promote  the  best 
interests  of  the  community.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Virden  School  Board  and  is  now  serving  his  second 
term  as  a  member  of  the  City  Council. 


OHN  Q.  ADAMS.  The  gentleman  of 
whom  this  sketch  is  written  is  one  of  the 
prominent  residents  of  Bird  Township,  re- 
siding on  section  16,  where  he  has  a  fine 
farm  adorned  with  handsome  buildings.  He  is  the 
youngest  in  a  family  of  ten  children.  His  father, 
Horatio  Adams,  and  his  mother,  Siopha  Muier, 
were     natives    of    Kentucky.       He    was   born    in 


Bird  Township,  January  13,  1842,  and  here  he  grew 
to  manhood,  receiving  an  ordinary  district-school 
education  and  being  trained  in  all  the  duties  of  a 
truly  manly  character. 

Devotion  to  country  was  not  one  of  the  least  of 
the  virtues  which  were  instilled  by  his  parents  and 
when  the  time  came  that  our  nation  was  in  peril, 
this  brave  boy  responded  to  her  call  and  enlisted 
August  9,  1862,  in  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty  second  Illinois  Infantry.  He  was  about 
twenty-one  years  old  when  he  enlisted  and  he 
served  until  July,  1865,  being  mustered  out  of  the 
service  August  4  of  that  year.  He  took  part  in 
the  conflicts  of  Nashville,  Tenn.,  Parker's  Cross 
Roads,  Tupelo,  Miss.,  Town  Creek,  Ala.,  and  the 
siege  and  capture  of  Mobile,  and  many  smaller 
engagements. 

Notwithstanding  his  willingness  to  fight  for  his 
nation's  honor,  this  young  hero  hailed  with  delight 
a  return  to  the  joys  of  home  and  the  delights  of 
peace.  After  his  discharge  he  returned  to  Bird 
Township,  which  he  has  always  made  his  home, 
and  where  he  has  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
and  stock-raising.  Two  hundred  and  thirt3-seven 
acres  are  comprised  within  the  boundaries  of  Mr. 
Adams'  farm,  and  upon  it  he  has  erected  excellent 
and  commodious  farm  buildings. 

The  marriage  of  John  0-  Adams  with  Par- 
thena  Comer,  a  daughter  of  Aaron  Comer,  took 
place  in  Bird  Township,  September  27,  1867.  This 
lady  was  bom  in  this  township, September  17,  1848. 
Ten  children  came  to  call  her  mother,  namely : 
Eva  M..  who  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Chiles;  Etta 
L.,  who  married  Albert  Loveless,  and  eight  little 
ones  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Parthena  Adams 
was  called  away  from  earth  November  15,  1885. 
She  was  a  devout  member  of  the  Baptist  Church 
and  a  faithful  wife  and  mother.  The  second  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  Adams  was  solemnized  in  McLean 
County,  Septembers,  1889,  and  he  was  then  united 
with  Mrs.  Amanda  (Purvis)  Hoblit,  a  daughter  of 
Allen  and  Angeline  Purvis,  and  the  widow  of 
Francis  M.  Hoblit,  who  died  in  Florida,  January 
28,  1883.  Mrs.  Amanda  Adams  was  born  in  Ten- 
nessee, March  24,  1843,  and  she  became  the  mother 
of  six  children  by  Mr.  Hoblit:  Dora  A.,  William 
A.,  Aurilla  M,  John  E.,  Kate  and   James  A.     The 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECOKD. 


373 


citizens  of  this  township  have  twice  shown  their 
appreciation  of  Mr.  Adams  and  their  confidence  in 
his  educational  views,  by  placing  him  upon  the 
BoKrd  of  School  Directors  and  he  has  been  serving 
in  that  capacity  for  nine  years.  The  farming  inter- 
ests are  dear  to  him  and  he  has  identified  himself 
as  a  member  of  the  Farmers'  Mutual  Benefit  Asso 
ciation,  believing  that  this  is  the  best  organization 
for  protecting  the  rights  of  the  agricultural  people. 
The  Baptist  Church  receives  the  loyal  allegiance 
of  our  subject  and  in  it  he  is  a  power  for  good. 


£•*'!'£  •>•- 

^fl  JOSEPH  LINK,  M.  D.,  is  a  young  physician 
of  undoubted  talent  and  liberal  education 
who  has  already  acquired  a  high  reputation 
among  his  patients  in  C'arlinville,  where  he 
is  located,  and  elsewhere,  for  his  skill  and  success 
in  combating  the  various  diseases  to  which  man- 
kind is  heir.  He  is  a  native  of  this  county,  son  of 
John  Joseph  Link,  a  well-known  resident  of  this 
city,  who  was  for  many  years  actively  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  in  this  county,  but  is  now 
living  in  retirement,  though  he  still  retains  his 
faun. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Baden, 
Germany,  May  3,  1824,  a  son  of  John  Lorenz 
Link,  who  was  a  native  of  the  same  country  as 
himself.  His  father,  the  great-grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  a  farmer  and  spent  his  entire  life  in 
the  Fatherland.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject 
was  reared  on  a  farm.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he 
was  pressed  into  the  army,  and  served  under  Napo- 
leon I.  He  also  passed  his  whole  life  in  Ger- 
many, giving  his  attention  to  farming  after  he 
left  the  army.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was 
Annie  Mary  Mussig,  and  she  was  also  a  life-Jong 
resident  of  Germany.  She  was  the  mother  of 
five  children — Frank,  John  J.,  Maggie,  Ann  Mar}' 
and  Lorenz. 

The  father  of  our  subject  and  his  sister  Mary 
were  the  only  members  of  the  family  to  come  to 
America.  The  former  was  reared  in  the  land  of 
his  nativity  and  in  the  German  schools  received 
an   excellent   education.      After    he   left  school    he 


devoted  his  time  to  farm  labor.  He  was  ambitious 
to  see  something  of  the  world,  and  desirous  to 
avail  himself  of  the  many  superior  advantages  of- 
fered to  capable,  energetic,  self-reliant  young  men 
by  the  fertile  soil  and  genial  climate  of  the  West- 
ern prairies  of  the  United  States,  he  therefore 
set  sail  in  May,  1854,  from  Havre  for  this  land 
of  promise,  and  landed  at  New  York  on  our  Na- 
tional holiday,  forty-four  days  later.  He  immedi- 
ately made  his  way  to  Illinois,  and  after  staying 
two  weeks  in  Chicago,  he  came  to  this  county. 
When  he  arrived  he  found  himself  a  stranger  in  a 
strange  land  with  no  money  in  his  pockets.  But 
he  was  willing  and  able  to  work,  and  he  at  once 
procured  employment  on  a  farm  at  $1.25  a  day 
during  the  harvest  season.  After  that  he  had  to 
content  himself  with  ¥1 2  a  month,  but  even  with 
those  small  wages  he  managed  to  save  money 
enough  to  become  independent,  as  he  was  frugal 
and  prudent,  and  in  time  he  was  able  to  buy  one 
hundred  acres  of  good  land  in  Honey  Point  Town- 
ship at  $25  an  acre.  There  was  a  small  house  and 
stable  on  the  place  and  fifty  acres  of  land  were 
under  tillage.  Busy  years  of  persistent  and  well- 
directed  toil  followed,  in  which  he  made  many 
valuable  improvements,  so  that  his  farm  became 
a  fine  piece  of  property.  He  made  it  his  dwelling- 
place  until  1889,  when  he  rented  it  on  good  terms, 
and  coming  to  Carlinville,  has  lived  in  retirement 
in  this  city  ever  since.  He  bought  a  home,  pleas- 
antly located  on  the  corner  of  Pine  and  Plum 
Streets.  It  is  a  commodious  brick  house,  and  here 
he  enjoys  all  the  comforts  of  life,  free  from  care 
and  labor. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  married  in 
1859.  His  mother  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Kate 
Roelher.  She  was  born  in  Bavaria,  and  was  a 
young  lady  when  she  came  to  America.  She  is 
the  mother  of  the  following  children:  Adam,  a 
resident  of  Litchfield;  John,  who  lives  at  Carlin- 
ville; August  J.,  a  resilient  of  Chicago;  1' rank  J., 
who  carries  on  the  drug  business  in  Chicago; 
Laurenz,  a  resident  of  Carlinville;  William,  a  resi- 
dent of  St.  Louis;  Alois  ami  Clara,  twins,  living  at 
home  with  their  parents;  Albert  and  Anthony,  also 
at  home,  the  four  latter  attending  school;  and 
Maggie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  one  year-. 


374 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Dr.  Link  was  given  fine  advantages  for  a  sound 
education  and  received  his  early  instruction  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  township.  He 
subsequently  pursued  a  thorough  course  of  study 
at  the  Wesleyan  Seminary  at  Bloomington,  where 
he  laid  a  solid  foundation  for  his  professional 
studies.  He  began  to  read  medicine  at  the  age  of 
eighteen,  with  Dr.  Long  as  his  preceptor.  He 
made  a  rapid  advance  in  Ii is  pursuit  of  knowledge 
ami  in  due  time  entered  the  Chicago  Medical  Col- 
lege, from  which  institution  he  was  graduated 
with  a  good  rank  for  scholarship  in  1890.  After 
graduation  lie  opened  an  office  at  Carlinville,  and 
is  steadily  gaining  a  lucrative  practice,- applying 
himself  closely  to  his  professional  duties,  still  find- 
ing opportunity  to  keep  himself  well  informed  on 
cut  rent  medical  topics,  keeping  abreast  of  the 
times  as  to  new  methods  of  treatment,  and  win- 
ing golden  opinions  from  his  older  medical  breth- 
ren. On  the  10th  of  June,  1891,  Dr.  Link  was 
married  to  Miss  Lina  M.  Michel,  of  St.  Louis. 


•-**• .$S^- 


!>HOMAS  J.  TURNER.  It  is  a  truism  that 
early  observation  and  discipline  make  so 
indelible  an  impression  on  the  after  life  as 
to  give  it  its  whole  tone.  Our  subject,  who  is  a 
farmer,  owning  and  residing  on  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  on  section  1  1,  North  Otter  Township, 
was  born  and  reared  on  a  farm  in  England,  where 
agriculture  is  carried  on  as  a  science,  and  the  earth 
is  made  to  yield  the  fullest  possible  amount.  Al- 
though he  left  his  native  land  while  yet  a  lad,  the 
aspect  of  the  home  farms  and  their  methods  of  cul- 
tivation he  brought  with  him  to  this  country,  and 
his  own  farm  bears  evidence  of  his  early  impres- 
sion. 

Our  subject's  father  was  Thomas  Turner,  who 
was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England.  His  mother  was 
Mary  Ann  (Sampson)  Turner,  born  in  the  town  of 
Hull,  Yorkshire,  England.  Mrs.  Turner,  our  sub- 
ject's mother,  died  in  her  native  shire  about  1851, 
and  her  husband  afterward  married  a  sister  of  his 
first  wife,  by  name  Charlotte  Sampson.  The  father 
with   his   famil}'    emigrated   to    America  in  June, 


18(35,  with  the  intention  of  remaining,  but  he  either 
experienced  unusual  difficulty  in  becoming  acclima- 
ted or  was  suffering  from  some  incipient  disease, 
and  because  of  illness  he  returned  with  his  wife  the 
following  October  to  his  native  land,  where  they 
remained  until  their  death,  he  passing  away  in  July, 
1884.  His  wife,  Charlotte  Turner,  died  July  9, 
about  1875. 

Our  subject's  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation 
and  his  children  were  brought  up  with  a  knowledge 
of  that  calling.  There  were  five  children  by  the 
first  marriage.  Our  subject  was  the  youngest  child, 
being  born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  July  22,  1849, 
and  remaining  there  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  at 
which  time  he  came  to  this  country  with  his  par- 
ents. He  remained  in  this  county  after  his  par. 
ents  returned  to  England,  making  his  home  with 
the  late  Capt.  Gelder,  in  Chesterfield  Township  for 
a  period  of  two  years.  At  that  time  he  came  to 
Virden  Township  and  lived  for  one  year  with  John 
Gelder. 

In  the  spring  of  1868  Mr.  Turner  rented  some 
land  in  Sangamon  County.  Here  he  remained  for 
one  year  and  then  in  company  with  his  brother 
William  Turner,  rented  some  land  three  miles  from 
his  present  location.  After  this  he  paid  a  visit  to 
his  parents  and  friends  in  England,  remaining  dur- 
ing the  winter  of  1871-72.  He  returned  in  the 
spring  of  1872,  and  has  ever  since  been  a  resident 
of  North  Otter  Township  with  the  exception  of 
about  two  years  spent  in  California.  He  made  a 
trip  to  the  Pacific  Coast  in  October,  1882,  and  re- 
turned in  July,  1884.  While  there  he  was  engaged 
in  farming  and  in  the  mercantile  business,  and  buy- 
ing and  selling  grain.  Farming,  however,  has  been 
his  chief  business  in  life,  and  the  tract  of  laud 
whereon  he  is  at  present  located  bears  evidence  of 
incessant  work  and  intelligent  improvement. 

Mr.  Turner  was  married  in  North  Otter  Town- 
ship, February  11,  1873,  his  wife's  maiden  name 
being  Anna  J.  Chamberlin,  a  daughter  of  Nathan 
and  Lorette  (Twitchcll)  Chamberlin.  Mrs.  Turner 
was  born  in  the  count}'  in  which  she  was  married 
April  11,  1853.  She  and  her  husband  are  the  par- 
ents of  three  children — Mary  L.,  George  N.  and 
Lena  L.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Turner  are  progressive  peo- 
ple, having  great  faith  in    the   possibilities  of    the 


RESIDENCE  OF   PHILIP    SCH  EU  RER  J  5  EC.  14. ,  BR  I  GHTON    TP.,MACOUPIN    CO., ILL. 


RESIDENCE  OF  THOMAS  J.  TURNER    SEC. 11., NORTH    OTTER  TP.,MACOUPl  N   CO., ILL. 


11BRARY 

OF  THE 

UMVFP^     •   '■    .UNO! 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


377 


future.  He  has  been  appointed  School  Director  of 
his  district,  in  which  capacity  he  has  done  efficient 
service.  Both  arc  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church. 

Elsewhere  in  this  volume  may  be  found  a  view 
of  the  commodious  residence  where  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Turner  are  comfortably  domiciled. 


— **&&S&&te^ 


IIILIP  SCHEURER,  who  is  engaged  in 
genera]  farming  on  sectious  1-t  and  15, 
Brighton  Township,  is  one  of  the  worthy 
German  citizens  of  the  county.  He  was 
born  in  Nassau,  August  25,  183G,  and  is  a  son  of 
Christian  and  Catherine  (Meichael)  Schenrer.  Un- 
der the  parental  roof  Philip  was  reared  to  man- 
hood and  in  his  native  tongue  acquired  a  good 
education,  such  as  fits  one  for  the  practical  duties 
of  life.  On  attaining  his  majority  when  he  felt  it 
time  to  begin  life  for  himself,  he  decided  to  make 
America  the  scene  of  his  future  labors  and  in  Sep- 
tember, 1857,  sailed  from  Havre,  France,  reaching 
New  Orleans  in  December  following.  Boarding  a 
river  vessel  he  came  up  the  Mississippi  to  Alton, 
and  thence  to  Brighton,  where  he  has  since  nade 
his  home.  He  had  no  capital,  in  fact  had  borrowed 
£40  with  which  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  journey 
but  he  possessed  a  resolute  will,  a  strong  right  arm 
and  a  determination  to  succeed.  He  began  as  a 
farm  hand  and  as  soon  as  he  had  acquired  some 
capital  made  purchase  of  land  and  developing  a 
good  farm  has  since  been  numbered  among  the 
leading  agriculturists  of  the  county. 

After  ten  years  Mr.  Scheurer  went  back  to  his 
native  land  on  a  visit  and  on  his  return  to  his 
home  brought  with  him  his  parents  who  continued 
to  reside  with  their  son  until  their  deaths.  The 
father,  who  was  born  in  1708,  died  in  1883,  and 
the  mother  who  was  born  in  1811,  died  in  1885. 
They  were  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
Church  anil  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who  knew 
them.  Mr.  Scheurer  at  once  resumed  his  farming 
operations  and  developed  the  wild  prairie  into  rich 
and  fertile  fields,     lie  now  has  one   hundred  and 


sixty  acres  of  arable  land   under  a  high  state    of 
cultivation  besides  considerable  timber  land. 

Mr.  Scheurer  has  been  twice  married.  In  Brigh- 
ton Township  he  was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Emma 
Diel,  who  was  born  in  Germany  and  when  a  child 
came  to  this  country  with  her  parents,  where  she 
was  reared.  She  died  in  1865,  when  not  quite 
twenty  years  of  age,  in  the  faith  of  the  Catholic 
Church  of  which  she  was  a  member.  One  child 
was  born  of  her  marriage,  who  died  before  his 
second  birthday.  Mr.  Scheurer  was  afterward 
united  in  marriage  in  Madison  County  with  Miss 
Margaret  Fiinfcr,  also  a  native  of  Germany,  who 
came  alone  to  this  country  in  18G7.  Her  parents 
spent  their  entire  lives  in  the  Fatherland.  By  this 
union  have  been  born  seven  children  and  the  fam- 
ily circle  yet  remains  unbroken.  They  are  as  fol- 
lows: Henry,  Frank,  Anna,  Mary,  Philip,  Louisa 
and  Rosa.  The  parents  are  both  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  and  in  the  social  world  they  hold 
an  en.yiablc  position,  while  throughout  this  com- 
Dj|MaitftAheir  friends  are  many.  In  politics,  Mr. 
Scheuret»4%yj^D.emocral,  having  voted  with  that 
party  for  many  years. 

On  another  page  appears  a  view  of  the  home- 
stead of  Mr.  Scheurer,  which  is  justly  considered 
one  of  the  linest  in  the  community,  the  improve- 
ments on  it  speaking  volumes  for  the  thrift  and  en- 
terprise of  the  owner. 

ILF  L.  SCHMIDT.  The  successful  gen- 
ii eral  farmer  who  is  located  on  section  2~ . 
Gillespie  Township,  is  the  gentleman  whose 
name  heads  this  sketch.  He  has  lived  on 
his  farm  in  the  above-mentioned  township  for  the 
past  three  years,  and  he  also  owns  a  line  farm  of 
two  hundred  and  thirty-one  acres,  most  of  which 
is  well  improved  and  well  stocked;  it  also  has  very 
good  farm  buildings.  He  formerly  owned  and  lived 
on  another  farm  in  this  township. 

Mr.  Schmidt  came  to  this  county  in  1869,  and 
has  ever  since  lived  in  Gillespie  Township,  hav- 
ing improved  the  property  which  he  has  owned  to 
:i  very  great   degree.     Twenty  years   ago  our  sub- 


378 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ject  was  a  poor,  laboring  man.  lie  was  born  in  the 
Province  of  Hanover,  Germany,  April  18,  1853. 
lie  grew  up  and  was  educated  in  his  native  coun- 
try and  [Hides  himself  that  he  comes  from  a  good 
long-lived  race  of  people.  His  father  was  born 
and  reared  in  Hanover,  where  he  operated  a  small 
farm,  and  there  lived  until  the  fall  of  the  year  1890, 
when  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  at  once  to 
Illinois,  joining  his  sons  in  theii  home.  The  father 
is  now  seventy-nine  years  of  age,  having  nearly 
reached  that  age  when  he  crossed  the  ocean.  He  is 
still  hale  and  hearty  and  anticipates  with  great  pleas- 
ure the  return  voyage  in  a  few  months.  He  likes 
the  new  country.  1ml  feels  that  he  is  too  fir 
advanced  in  life  to  learn  the  language  and  ways 
of  Hie  laud.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  and  all  his  life  has  been  characterized  by 
a  simplicity  of  action,  justness  of  purpose  and  the 
greatest  kindness  of  heart.  Our  subject's  mother 
was  a  Hanover  lady,  her  maiden  name  being  Han- 
nah Meyer.  She  lived  all  her  life  in  her  native 
province,  where  she  died  in  1871,  being  at  the 
time  three-score  years  of  age.  She  also  was  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  She  was  the 
mother  of  six  children,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the 
fourth  in  order  of  birth;  two  sons  and  one  daughter 
are  still  living.  Our  subject  and  two  brothers, 
Mona  &.  and  Henry  H.,  came  to  this  country,  the 
former  of  whom  now  lives  in  Sheridan  County, 
Neb.,  at  Hayes  Springs,  where  he  is  a  farmer;  the 
latter  died  after  his  arrival  in  this  country.  His 
decease  took  place  in  Gillespie  Township  and 
county. 

Our  subject  was  the  first  of  his  family  to  leave 
the  Fatherland.  He  took  passage  from  Bremen  on 
the  steamer  "Bremen,"  leaving  the  harbor  May 
2G,  1869.  After  his  landing  in  New  York  City 
lie  came  on  immediately  to  this  county  and  town- 
ship. Mr.  Schmidt  was  soon  afterward  married 
in  this  place  to  Miss  Joanna  D.  Heien,  who  was 
born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  April  4,  1851,  being 
only  a  few  months  old  when  her  parents,  William 
and  Doratere  (Schoeling)  Heien.  came  to  this 
country,  leaving  Bremen  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
year  1851,  and  landing  in  New  Orleans.  In  coming 
North  they  ascended  the  Mississippi  River  to  Al- 
ton,  where    they  lived    for  some    time  and   then 


came  on  to  Macoupin  County,  where  they  settled 
in  Gillespie  Township.  The  father  procured  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  upon  which  he  made 
many  improvements,  and  upon  which  both  par- 
ents died,  being  comparatively  young  people  at 
the  time  of  their  deaths.  The  mother  died  five 
years  after  coming  to  this  country  and  the  father 
some  years  later.  Like  most  of  their  countrymen, 
they  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Mrs.  Schmidt,  the  wife  of  our  subject,  is  the  sec- 
ond of  five  children  and  the  only  one  now  living 
of  the  children  born  to  her  mother,  the  father 
having  had  other  children  by  another  marriage. 
Mrs.  Schmidt  was  reared  and  educated  in  this 
country.  She  is  the  mother  of  seven  children, 
iwo  of  whom  died  at  an  early  age,  namely: 
William  and  Jessie.  Her  living  children  are: 
Anna,  Dora  T.,  Fritz  M.,  Wickie  L.  and  Minnie,  all 
of  whom  are  living  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schmidt 
and  the  members  of  their  family  are  attendants 
upon  and  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Mr. 
Schmidt  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a  member 
of  the  Farmers'  Mutual  Benefit  Association. 


^-^"? 


TTO  E  HINTZ.  A  member  of  the  firm  of 
Ilintz  Bros.,  dealers  in  fresh  and  salt  meats 
'  and  buyers  and  shippers  of  live  stock,  whose 
place  of  business  is  located  on  Warren  Street,  is  the 
gentleman  of  whom  we  give  a  brief  history.  He 
has  been  doing  business  at  his  present  location  for 
many  years.  It  was  formerly  known  as  the  old 
meat  market,  first  established  by  an  older  brother, 
Ernest,  now  deceased,  who  opened  it  in  1870,  and 
was  therewith  connected  until  1889.  The  business 
has  since  been  conducted  by  our  subject  and  his 
brother  Charles,  the  latter  operates  in  another  shop 
on  the  same  street.  Mr.  Ilintz  has  been  an  active 
partner  in  the  business  since  1882,  and  had,  prior 
to  that  time,  been  connected  with  the  work  of  the 
business  since  1871.  He  is  an  expert  carver  of 
meats,  and  is  well  acquainted  with  his  trade,  hav- 
ing grown  up  in  it  and  owning  a  perfectly-equipped 
shop. 

As   his   name   would    indicate,  he   is  of  German 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


379 


parentage,  being  burn  in  Ilolstein,  Germany,  Octo- 
ber 6,  1855.  Here  be  grew  up  and  received  Ins 
education,  while  under  the  roof  of  his  father  and 
iiiui her.  Like  many  other  foreigners,  America 
seeming  to  offer  golden  promises,  the  father  and 
mother  with  other  members  of  the  family  set  out 
on  the  long  journey  across  I  lie  "three  thousand 
miles  of  wet"  and  in  the  spring  of  1871,  taking 
passage  on  a  German  steamer  at  Hamburg,  after 
a  stormy  passage  of  nearly  three  weeks,  they  landed 
in  New  York  City,  and  came  thence  to  Bunker 
Hill,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided.  During  this 
time  he  has  made  one  trip  back  to  Europe  to  bis 
native  home.  He  is  a  young  man  and  possesses  all 
the  sterling  qualities  that  make  the  people  of  his 
nation  so  successful  and  respected  wherever  they 
may  go.  For  a  full  history  of  his  family  see  bio- 
graphical sketch  of  Charles  H.  A.  Hintz. 

Our  subject,  who  is  a  bachelor,  lias  proved  him- 
self a  true  American  citizen  by  the  interest  that  he 
takes  in  affairs  municipal  and  national.  No  paper 
or  petition  would  be  complete  without  his  name. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Guttenberg  Lodge, 
D.  O.  11.,  No.  402,  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  has  tilled 
all  the  chairs  in  his  lodge.  In  polities  he  is  a  strong 
Republican. 


\Tpy,  ANSOM  L.  TWITCHKLL.  Our  subject  is 
L-/  a  substantial  farmer  in  the  county,  owning 
tL  \\\  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  section  a, 
^@)  North  Otter  Township.  He  is  the  son  of 
Sidney  L.  Twitchell  of  Virden,  whose  history  will 
be  found  under  the  sketch  of  S.  L.  Twitchell.  The 
original  of  our  sketch  is  one  of  a  family  of  five 
children,  he  being  the  second,  and  was  born  in 
Ninth  Otter  Township,  January  13,  1855.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  be  reached  manhood,  receiv- 
ing the  advantages  common  among  the  farmer 
boys  of  that  district. 

April  17,  1879,  our  subject  was  united  in  mar- 
riage in  North  Otter  Township  to  Miss  Luora  A. 
Kable,  a  daughter  of  James  Kable,  of  North  Otter 
Township,  for  whose  history  see  sketcli  of  James 
Kable  on  another  page.     Mrs.  Twitchell    was  born 


in  Miami  County,  Ohio.  October  15,  185G.  Her 
parents  removed  to  this  State  during  her  early 
maidenhood  and  settled  on  a  farm  here.  She  at- 
tracted our  subject  by  her  bright  winning  way- and 
housewifely  capabilities  and  they  have  been  very 
happy  in  their  union. 

Five  children  have  i-oiile  to  break  the  stillness  Of 
the  family  home.  They  are  Edith  S.,  Raleigh  J., 
Fula  M..  Charles  S.  and  Harry  A.  All  are  living 
and  are  children  of  whom  their  parents  may  well 
be  proud.  Mr.  Twitchell  has  been  School  Director 
of  the  district.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 


-*- ^       -h 


*=*REDERICK  CHRISTIAN  KEUNE.  Many 
I— (S);  of  the  best  and  most  reliable  citizens  of 
/Jk  Macoupin  County  did  not  have  their  na- 
tivity in  this  land,  but  being  of  foreign  birth  and 
parentage  and  having  come  to  this  country  to  bet- 
ter their  fortune!  and  provide  more  generously  for 
their  children,  they  have  adopted  America  fully 
as  their  home  and  have  aided  freely  in  building 
up  our  American  institutions  and  promoting  the 
prosperity-  of  the  community  in  which  they  live. 
Among  these  there  are  none  more  industrious, 
more  frugal  and  more  enterprising  than  our  Ger- 
man-American citizens,  and  Mr.  Keune,  who  is 
residing  on  section  G,  Shaw's  Point  Township,  is  a 
worthy  example  of  bis  class.  His  push,  pluck  and 
perseverance  have  earned  for  him  a  handsome 
property,  including  a  six  hundred  acre  farm  and 
a  line  brick  house,  and  his  intelligence  leads  him  to 
thoroughly  understand  the  genius  of  American  in- 
stitutions so  as  to  work  in  harmony  with  bis  fellow- 
citizens. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Germany,  December 
7,  1816.  There  he  grew  to  manhood  and  under- 
took the  business  of  life.      Louisa  Hasten,  to  whom 

he  was  united  in   marriage   in    their   native    h e, 

was  born  in  Germany  in  September,  1818,  being 
thus  two  years  younger  than  her  husband.  Their 
union  was  solemnized  in  Germany,  April,  1842, and 
a  few  years  later,  in  the  fall  of  1852,  tiny  were  con- 
vinced that  they  might  belter  their  fortunes  by 
coming    to    America.     They    had   not   been  in  this 


380 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


country  long  before  they  came  to  Macoupin  County 
and  made  a  settlement  in  Shaw's  Point  Township, 
where  their  home  has  been  from  that  date  to  this. 
Five  of  the  nine  children  who  blessed  this  union 
are  still  upon  earth,  namely:  Louisa,  Lena,  Henry, 
Emma  and  Amelia.  The  other  children  died  when 
quite  young.  Upon  the  rich  prairie  lands  of  Illinois 
Mr.  Keunc  has  wrought  out  a  fortune  and  has  ac- 
cumulated a  property  of  which  any  man  may  well 
feel  proud.  His  farm  consists  of  between  five  and 
six  hundred  acres,  besides  valuable  property  in  Car- 
linville.  He  has  made  a  thorough  study  of  politi- 
cal matters  and  his  judgment  has  led  him  to  ally 
himself  with  the  Republican  party.  To  the  Ger- 
man Lutheran  Church  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keune 
arc  attached. 


■■:••#- 


^^EORGK  P.  HOLLIDAY.  The  genial  pro- 
'II  (— ,  prietor  of  the  farm  located  on  section  10, 
^JJl  North  Otter  Township,  is  he  whose  name 
keads  this  sketch.  His  father  is  Arthur  D.  and  his 
mother  Amanda  . I.  (Orr)  Ilolliday.  A  sketch  will 
be  found  of  Mrs.  Holiday's  family  in  another  part 
of  this  volume.  Our  subject  was  early  a  half  or- 
phan, his  mother  dying  early  in  the  '60s.  His 
father  had  by  this  marriage  seven  children,  of 
whom  our  subject  is  the  fifth. 

Mr.  Ilolliday  was  born  in  North  Otter  Township 
March  5,  1853.  He  here  grew  to  manhood  and  has 
spent  the  greater  portion  of  his  life,  being  absent 
only  three  or  four  years,  when  he  was  engaging  in 
the  stock  business.  A  farmer  by  inheritance,  nat- 
ural aptitude  and  ability,  he  has  devoted  himself 
to  this  the  greater  part  of  his  life  and  has  made  of 
it  a  poin'ed  success. 

Mr.  Ilolliday  finds  stock-raising  a  more  lucra- 
tive business  than  the  following  of  some  special 
line  in  agriculture  and  that  with  general  farming 
occupies  his  time  and  attention.  On  coming  here 
with  his  father,  our  subject  settled  on  about  six 
hundred  acres  of  land  and  there  made  the  home  to 
which  he  afterward  brought  his  young  wife.  Oc- 
tober 12,  1876,  he  was   married   to  Miss  Martha  E. 


Crane,  daughter  of  Albert  S.  and  Mary  (Armstrong) 
Crane.  Mrs.  Ilolliday  was  born  in  Greene  Count}', 
111.,  October  15,  1855. 

Mrs.  Ilolliday  presides  with  much  grace  and 
dignity  over  the  commodious  home  that  her  hus- 
band has  built  on  their  beautiful  farm.  Both 
hospitable  and  entertaining,  no  more  desirable  place 
can  be  found  at  which  to  spend  an  agreeable  vaca- 
tion than  with  the  pleasant  couple  whom  it  is  our 
pleasure  to  chronicle  in  this  sketch. 


OHN  W.  LIND,  a  general  farmer,  residing 
on  section  31,  Gillespie  Township,  owns  a 
good  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
I  acres,  all  under  improvement.  It  was  in 
August,  1874,  that  he  purchased  and  moved  upon 
this  farm  having  come  here  from  Jersey  County, 
this  State,  to  which  he  had  removed  with  his  par- 
ents ten  years  previously  from  Macoupin  County. 
Our  subject  was  born  in  Nassau,  Germany,  April 
19,  1811,  and  was  eight  years  old  when  his  parents, 
Jacob  and  Catherine  (Sawyer)  Lind  left  the 
Fatherland,  taking  passage  with  their  family  at 
Rotterdam,  and  setting  sail  for  New  York  City, 
which  trip  they  made  in  three  weeks.  Reaching 
New  York  City,  the  father,  mother  and  three  chil- 
dren, journeyed  to  Cincinnati. 

About  eighteen  months  later  the  family  came  on 
to  this  county,  and  settled  upon  a  farm  near  Brigh- 
ton. Here  they  resided  for  some  years  and  then 
removed  to  Jersey  County,  where  the  father  died 
at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years.  The  mother, 
who  still  survives,  now  lives  with  her  children  in 
Madison  Count}-,  III.  She  is  now  seventy  years  of 
age  and  is,  as  was  her  husband,  an  active  member 
of  the  German  Lutheran  Church.  Our  subject  was 
reared  upon  a  farm  and  before  he  grew  to  manhood 
accepted  the  life  of  a  farmer  as  his  vocation. 

Miss  Anna  Dehne,  who  was  born  in  the  Province 
of  Hanover,  in  Prussia,  Germany.  June  18,  1852, 
became  the  wife  of  John  W.  Lind,  in  Brighton 
Township,  this  county,  December  1,  1872.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  Frank  and  Fredricka  (  Bauchmann  ) 
Dehne,  natives  of  the  Kingdom  of  Bavaria.     They 


ilBRARY 
OF  THE 


SSEs 


m 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


383 


lived  in  their  native  home  until  1858,  and  then 
emigrated  -A-ith  their  family  to  the  United  States. 
and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Brighton  Township,  this 
county.  They  are  now  living  on  the  original  farm 
which  they  took  upon  reaching  this  county,  and 
while  not  old  people,  are  beginning  to  get  on  in 
years,  being  fifty -eight  and  sixty-three  years  of  age, 
respectively.  They  are  members  of  the  German 
Methodist  Church,  at  Brighton.  Mrs.  Lind  is  the 
eldest  of  eight  children  of  her  parental  home.  Two 
of  this  number  were  born  in  Germany,  and  six  in 
this  county,  and  all  of  them  are  now  living.  Mrs. 
Lind  is  true  hearted  and  capable,  and  is  an  excel- 
lent helpmate  to  her  husband,  and  a  faithful  and 
affectionate  mother  to  her  five  children.  One  in- 
fant, Bertha  by  name  has  been  called  from  earth, 
and  the  children  who  still  brighten  this  home  are 
George  F.  E.,  Ferdinand  P.,  Lena  C.  R.,  and  K.  C. 
Miranda.  This  family  are  faithful  attendants  upon 
the  services  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  Mr.  Lind's 
political  views  are  expressed  in  the  declarations  of 
the  Democratic  party. 


«|f  BRAM  B.  PARKE  is  the  owner  of  a  fine 
'@/J  farm  of  ninety  acres  situated  on  sections 
lii  21  and  28,  Staunton  Township,  where  he 
has  made  his  home  since  1875.  All  of  the 
conveniences  of  the  model  farm  are  there  seen  and 
the  neat  appearance  of  the  place  gives  evidence  of 
the  thrift  and  industry  of  the  owner.  He  was  born 
in  Washington,  Warren  County.  N.  J.,  December 
24,  1819,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Parke,  a  native  of 
Hunterdon  County.  His  grandfather  Ozias  Parke, 
was  a  native  of  Maryland,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood upon  a  farm,  removing  thence  to  Hunterdon 
County,  N.  .T.  There  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  dying  at  the  very  advanced  age  of  ninety- 
five  years.  He  served  for  a  short  time  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary War. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  member  of  the 
militia  organized  for  home  protection  during  the 
War  of  1812.  He  married  a  New  Jersey  lady, 
Charlotte  Bryan,  and  they  lived  in  that  State  until 
1852,  when   with  their  children   they    crossed    the 


mountains  with  teams  and  located  in  Ohio.  Some 
years  later  they  came  to  Illinois  but  after  two  years 
John  Parke  returned  to  the  Buckeye  state,  where 
he  passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 
His  wife,  however,  remained  in  Illinois  with  her 
children  and  died  at  the  home  of  her  son  Abram  in 
Moultonville,  Madison  County,  at  a  ripe  old  age. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and 
an  excellent  lady  whom  all  loved. 

Of  the  parental  family  one  sister  now  resides  in 
Brooklyn,  N,  Y.,  the  other  in  Chicago.  In  the 
county  of  his  nativity,  Abram  Parke  spent  the 
days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  but  was  married  in 
Morris  County,  N.  J.,  the  lady  of  his  choice  being 
Miss  Sarah  A.  Hoffman,  who  was  born  in  that 
county,  October  31,  1816.  She  is  of  German  de- 
scent and  is  a  daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Anna 
(Youngs)  Hoffman,  natives  of  New  Jersey,  who 
lived  upon  a  farm  in  that  State  from  their  marriage 
until  death.  Both  passed  away  when  about  seventy- 
five  years  of  age.  The  maternal  grandfather  of 
Mrs.  Parke,  William  Youngs,  was  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolutionary  War  and  participated  in  many  hard 
fought  battles. 

On  leaving  New  Jersey,  Abram  Parke  removed 
with  his  family  to  Ohio,  where  he  spent  eight  years, 
lie  then  came  to  Illinois  and  for  fourteen  years  re- 
sided upon  a  farm  in  Olive  Township.  Madison 
County,  near  Moultonville.  The  year  1875  wit- 
nessed his  arrival  in  Macoupin  County  and  since 
that  time  he  has  resided  upon  his  present  farm, 
being  owner  at  one  lime  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  but  he  has  since  disposed  of  thirty  acres.  He 
is  industrious  and  lias  led  a  busy  anil  useful  life, 
paying  little  attention  to  public  or  political  affairs, 
but  laboring  untiringly  for  the  interests  of  his 
family. 

For  almost  half  a  century  Abram  and  Anna 
Parkes  have  traveled  life's  journey  together  and  to 
their  lot  have  fallen  both  adversity  and  prosperity, 
but  in  the  main  their  efforts  have  been  blessed  with 
success.  They  have  reared  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren but  three  are  now  deceased,  namely:  Mary  J. 
became  the  wife  of  William  Crook,  ami  died 
leaving  one  daughter,  Alice,  now  Mrs.  Bumgartner 
of  Sedalia,  Mo.;  E.  Maria  who  wedded  William  F. 
Pell  and  at  her  death  left  four  children — Ruby  M., 


384 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Lillie  G.,  Katie  J.  and  James  A.;  Elias  died  when 
about  twenty-one  years  of  age.  Four  children 
survive;  Charlotte  M.  is  now  the  wife  of  George 
\V.  Hamel,  auctioneer  and  clerk  of  Lebanon,  Mo., 
and  they  have  five  children — Lizzie,  Jessie,  Lula 
II.,  Georgia  and  Charles.  John  who  is  engaged  in 
fanning  in  Olive  Township,  Madison  County, 
married  Elizabeth  Tabor,  who  died  leaving  four 
children,  Stella  M.,  C.  M.,  George  II.  and  Albert, 
Wesley,  who  is  living  on  a  farm  in  Staunton  Town- 
ship, wedded  Amanda  Coalson,  by  whom  he  has 
three  children — Grace  1!.,  Myrtle  and  Clarence. 
Louisa  is  the  wife  of  Albert  Davis,  and  they  reside 
on  the  old  homestead  farm.  Three  children  grace 
their  union — Harry  A.,  Arthur  G.  and  Ethel  A. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parke  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Staunton.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Farmers'  Mutual  Benefit  Association  and  in  politi- 
cal sentiment  affiliates  with  the  Prohibition  party. 
His  portrait  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 


I^ENPvY  BRINKMAN.  Among  the  promi- 
nent and  leading  citizens  of  Shaw's  Point 
Township,  our   readers   will    lie   pleased  to 

!$•))  peruse  a  sketch  of  Mr.  Brinkman,  who  made 
his  mark  in  Macoupin  County,  and  has  been  an  ef- 
ficient, factor  in  promoting  its  interests.  He  is  of 
German  birth  and  his  earlier  education  was  taken 
in  his  native  land,  but  he  came  to  America  before 
he  had  grown  to  manhood. 

Mr.  Brinkman's  natal  day  was  January  14,  1842. 
He  was  ten  years  old  wlun  his  parents  migrated  to 
the  New  World  and  he  accompanied  them,  eager  to 
see  a  new  country  and  to  learn  new  ways.  Ma- 
coupin County  was  the  scene  of  his  youth  and 
early  manhood  and  here  he  has  made  his  home 
since  1853,  and  here  he  has  engaged  in  farming 
with  success.  He  owns  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  upon  which  he  has  made  good  improve- 
ments. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  married  in  Carlin- 
ville,  111.,  March  29,  1869,  his  bride  being  Kather- 
ine  C.  Kasten.  This  lady  was  born  in  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  November    26,  1851.     She    brought  to    her 


husband  eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  living  and 
are  a  joy  and  a  comfort  to  their  parents.  Their 
names  are  August,  Mary,  Mena,  Frederick,  Lotta 
and  Otto.  Two  little  ones  passed  away  in  infancy. 
Upon  March  20,  1890.  Mrs.  Brinkman  was  sud- 
denly stricken  with  heart  disease  and  dropped 
dead.  She  was  a  useful  woman  and  an  active 
member  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church  to  which 
Mi1.  Brinkman  is  also  attached.  His  political  views 
have  led  him  to  affiliate  with  the  Democratic  party 
and  he  believes  that  its  platform  embodies  the  prin- 
ciples which  will  carry  this  country  to  a  successful 
issue  of  its  perplexities  and  problems. 


Ef*^ 


•— «'  FORGE  E.  GOODHEAD.     No  men  have  a 

III  (—-  greater  opportunity  to  wield  a  broad  and 
V_^  permanent  influence  over  the  minds  and 
lives  of  their  fellow-citizens,  nor  a  grander  oppor- 
tunity to  exercise  an  educative  power  in  the  com- 
munity than  the  newspaper  men  of  our  country 
towns  and  small  cities.  The  preacher  of  the  press 
is  more  sure  of  an  audience  than  the  preacher  of  the 
pulpit  and  if  bis  efforts  are  in  the  right  line  he  has 
an  opportunity  to  do  great  good  and  to  acquire  a 
genuine  ascendancy  over  the  minds  of  his  hearers. 
Among  the  newspaper  men  of  Southern  Illinois, 
who  are  doing  genuine  good  work  in  the  line  of 
publishing  a  first-class  newspaper,  we  are  pleased 
to  mention  the  name  which  appears  at  the  head  of 
this  paragraph. 

Our  subject  was  born  May  5,  1856,  in  the  then 
very  sparsely  settled  Northwest,  where  his  father 
was  a  trader  among  the  Sioux  and  Poltawattomie 
Indians.  His  father,  Joseph  Good  head,  now  de- 
ceased, was  a  native  of  Vienna,  Austria,  where  from 
the  age  of  six  years  he  was  educated  in  a  Jesuit 
monastery,  being  designed  by  his  parents  for  the 
priesthood,  which,  when  he  had  arrived  at  the  age 
of  maturity  he  renounced.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Auerswald,  a  native  of  Prague,  Bohemia,  who  is 
now  a  resident  of  Westport,  a  suburb  of  Kansas 
City. 

When  George  E.  Goodhead  was  eighteen  years 
of  age   he   turned   his  attention  in  the  direction  of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


:;s.-, 


newspaper  work, and  having  removed  with  his  par- 
ents to  Griggsville,  111.,  he  started  a  paper  there, 
which  he  called  the  Commercial  Advertiser,  but  the 
young  man  had  hardly  attained  sufficient  age  and 
experience  to  make  a  success  of  so  dubious  a  pro- 
ject as  starting  a  new  paper,  and  the  life  of  this  pa- 
per was  brief.  He  devoted  himself  to  other  linos 
of  business  for  some  time  after  this  and  waited  for 
more  age  and  experience  before  again  putting  forth 
an  independent  venture.  In  1880,  having  made 
his  home  in  Perry,  111.,  he  established  in  June  the 
weekly  Transcript,  wbicu  he  carried  on  for  over 
three  years  with  good  success,  but  a  great  disas- 
ter befell  him,  as  his  establishment  was,  November 
19,  1883,  destroyed  by  fire.  He  sustained  a  total 
loss  of  the  whole  business  to  the  amount  of  $1,600, 
with  no  insurance.  He  had  thirty-five  cents  in  his 
pocket  and  with  this  capital  lie  commenced  his  bus- 
iness anew.  Thanks  to  a  good  commercial  stand- 
ing, he  had  a  new  outfit  on  the  road  within  ten 
days  and  at  once  resumed  publication.  In  June, 
1886,  he  removed  to  Franklin,  111.,  but  remained 
there  only  until  the  beginning  of  1890,  when  he 
transferred  his  business  to  Palmyra,  where  he  is  now 
publishing  the  weekly  Transcript,  enjoying  a  lucra- 
tive newspaper  and  job  patronage. 

He  was  united  April  25,  1884,  to  Miss  Manic  A. 
LaRue  at  Perry.  Three  children  have  crowned 
this  union:  G.  Emmet,  now  seven  years  old;  a 
baby  who  died  in  infancy;  and  Retta,  who  has  now 
reached  the  charming  age  of  four  years. 


ifp^ft  AMl'EL  L.  BOYD.     Nature  has  sometimes 
^^?     been    accused    of    partiality  in    endowing 
aLz^S)  some   °f  ner   children    more    richly    than 
others  with  those  qualifications    which  in- 
sure them  success  in  life,  but    when  such  provision 
supplements  the  disadvantages   of  a  lack  of  educa- 
tion and  means,  everyone  must  rejoice  at  such  en- 
dowment.    The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  in  very 
early  life  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  for  sup- 
port, and  his  advantages  for  an  education  were  ex- 
tremely limited,  but   lie   was   more    fortunate  than 
many  in  being    possessed  of  excellent   judgment 


and  good  sense  and  more  than  ordinary  business 
ability,  which  have  thus  aided  him  in  making  a  suc- 
cess of  life. 

Our  subject,  was  born  in  Garrard  County,  Ky., 
September  9,  1822.  His  father.  Andrew  Boyd, 
was  a  native  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  and  his  grandfather, 
Moses  Boyd,  emigrated  from  Scotland  to  America 
and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Allegheny 
Count}',  Pa.  lie  was  one  of  six  brothers  that  came 
to  America  and  he  died  in  the  service  of  his 
adopted  country  during  the  War  of  American  In- 
dependence. 

Andrew  Boyd  was  reared  to  manhood  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  removed  from  that  State  to  Kentucky, 
thus  becoming  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Garrard 
County.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade  and  a  man 
who  did  honor  to  his  business,  as  every  conscien- 
tious worker  must.  He  followed  this  line  of  busi- 
ness for  some  years  in  Garrard  County,  which  he 
made  his  home  until  called  away  from  earth  in 
August,  1833.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Me- 
linda  Eorsyllie  and  her  native  home  was  Lincoln 
Count}-,  Ky.  She  accompanied  her  children  to 
Macoupin  County,  111.,  where  she  died  in  1866. 
Her  six  children  are  named  Moses,  Samuel  L., 
Priscilla  A.  Elizabeth,  Catherine,  and  James  A. 

Samuel  L.  Boyd  was  only  in  his  eleventh  year 
when  orphaned  by  the  death  of  his  father,  and  he 
became  one  of  the  main  stays  of  his  widowed 
mother,  who  was  left  in  limited  circumstances  with 
six  young  children  to  care  for  and  support.  This 
brave  boy  at  once  went  to  work  to  assist  in  the 
support  of  the  family  and  it  is  almost  pitiful  to  re- 
late that  in  this  brave  endeavor  he  received,  for 
for  some  time  only,  the  mere  pittance  of  ten  cents 
a  day.  After  some  years  he  obtained  a  situation 
as  overseer  on  a  plantation  at  *7  a  month.  He 
continued  in  that  work  until  1851,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Illinois  where  he  was  employed  on  a 
farm  for  eighteen  months.  He  returned  in  Oc- 
tober, 1853,  to  Kentucky,  and  arranged  for  the  re- 
moval of  his  mother  and  brothers. 

Our  subject  and  his  brother  James  formed  a 
partnership  to  engage  in  farming.  Their  capital 
consisted  of  a  team  with  wagon  and  harness,  and 
■sCi)  in  cash.  They  rented  land  for  a  time  in  Scott- 
ville   Township,  and   in    1861,  were    able  to  pur- 


:;si; 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


chase.  The  first  land  they  ever  owned  was  a  tract 
of  ninety  acres  for  which  they  paid  12.200.  The 
brothers  continued  in  partnership  until  the  death 
of  James,  since  which  time  Samuel  has  continued 
alone.  He  now  owns  fifteen  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  land,  all  in  Macoupin  County.  His  happy 
marriage  in  October,  1885,  united  him  with  Caro- 
line Crook,  a  native  of  Western  Mound  Township, 
this  county.  This  lady  is  a  daughter  of  George 
W.  and  Eliza  (Kinkaid)  Crook.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Boyd  have  been  granted  three  children  who  are  at 
once  the  care  and  the  joy  of  their  parents.  They 
bear  the  names  of  May,  James  G,  and  Caroline. 
Mr.  Boyd  is  one  of  the  most  successful  business 
men  of  Scottville  Township,  and  is  a  stockholder 
and  one  of  the  original  movers  in  founding  the 
Bank  of  Palmyra. 


vir=!5)  LI  L.  HUPP.  There  must  be  a  satisfaction 
id  serene  content  to  a  man  who  has  cn- 
red  the  privations  and  hardships  of  pio- 
neer life  in  a  Western  settlement,  and  who  has 
known  what  it  is  to  take  his  corn  to  mill  at  a  dis- 
tance of  many  miles  before  he  could  have  flour  to 
make  his  bread,  and  to  take  his  crops  to  a  distant 
market,  where  he  found  a  sale  for  them  at  a  very 
low  price,  to  now  enjoy  the  comforts  and  advan- 
tages of  life  at  the  present  day.  with  its  railroad 
facilities,  its  comparatively  high  prices  for  farmers' 
produce,  and  easy  access  to  the  commodities  of  life, 
and  to  know  that  he  has  been  intrumental  in 
effecting  this  change,  for.  although  we  may 
not  all  be  railroad  contractors,  or  even  have 
had  the  means  to  build  up  communities,  every 
individual  effort  helps  to  complete  the  perfect 
whole. 

Mr.  Hupp,  who  lives  on  section  34,  of  Shipman 
Township,  came  into  this  country  at  a  time  when 
Lincoln  still  had  his  reputation  to  make,  and  be- 
fore there  was  any  great  metropolis  to  which  the 
products  of  the  agriculturist  could  be  sent  and  find 
a  ready  and  lucrative  market.  Mr.  IIupp's  father 
was  Philip  Hupp,  and  his  mother  Phoebe  (Johnson) 
Hupp.     They  came  from  Pennsylvania  to  Illinois, 


about  1842,  and  settled  in  Jersey  County,  where 
the  mother  died.  The  father  passed  away  at  the 
home  of  his  son,  our  subject,  in  Shipman  Town- 
ship. They  were  the  parents  of  five  sons  and  one 
daughter,  of  whom  Eli  L.  was  the  youngest,  lie 
was  born  in  Washington  County,  Pa.,  October  6, 
1826,  and  came  with  his  father  and  family  to  Jer- 
sey County,  ami  in  the  spring  of  1.S12  returned 
with  his  father  to  Washington  County,  Pa.,  where 
tiny  staid  until  the  fall  of  1845,  when  our  subject 
returned  to  Jersey  County. 

His  first  efforts  at  making  a  livelihood  were  in 
the  direction  of  farm  labor.  At  first  he  received 
the  modest  sum  of  $8  per  month  for  his  work. 
He  had,  however,  while  yet  in  Pennsylvania,  par- 
tially learned  the  trade  of  a  harnessmaker,  which  he 
perfected  in  this  State.  He  was  then  in  the  employ 
of  G.  W.  Sid  way,  of  Alton,  for  nearly  four  years, 
Mr.  Sidway  being  a  harnessmaker  at  that  place. 
After  working  at  his  trade  for  a  short  time  in  Graf- 
ton. 111.,  he  resumed  farming  on  his  own  account, 
having  purchased  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  in 
Jersey  County,  which  he  operated  for  about  seven 
years.  He  then  sold  out,  but  in  1855  he  settled  on 
the  farm  where  he  now  lives,  having  purchased  it 
three  years  previous  to  his  settlement  there.  His 
first  purchase  comprised  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  unimproved  land.  Upon  lhis.be  erected 
good  buildings,  and  has  since  devoted  himself  to 
general  agriculture  and  stock-raising,  having  ac- 
quired a  wide  reputation  as  being  the  owner  of 
one  of  the  best  stock  farms  in  'his  section.  He  now 
owns  about  four  hundred  acres  of  land. 

Aside  from  his  engagement  in  the  harness-mak- 
ing business  above  spoken  of,  our  subject  has  en- 
gaged chiefly  in  farming,  lie  was  married  in 
Jersey  Count}',  December  31, 1848,  to  Miss  Minerva 
J.  Piggolt,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Anna  (Spur- 
lock)  Piggott.  They  were  natives  of  Virginia, 
having  emigrated  thence  to  St.  Clair  County,  111., 
and  from  there  to  Jersey  County,  where  both  pa- 
rents died.  They  had  a  family  of  six  children,  of 
whom  Mrs.  Hupp  is  the  youngest,  with  one  excep- 
tion. She  was  born  in  the  county  in  which  her 
marriage  was  celebrated,  May  8,  1828. 

Our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife,  who  is  a  lady 
of  many  marked  personal  advantages,  culture  and 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


387 


refinement,  are  the  parents  of  seven  living  chil- 
dren, most  of  whom  have  made  homes  for  them- 
selves, and  are  respected  and  useful  members  of 
Society.  The  children  are:  Philip  M.,  who  mar- 
ried Alice  Ryan;  Henry  N.  was  united  in  mat- 
rimony to  Miss  Alice  Whiteside;  Alice  is  the  wife 
of  Bates  Ilamer;  Lincoln  married  Miss  Lizzie 
Miller;  Franklin  wooed  and  won  Miss  Mattie 
Marshall.  The  remaining  children  are  William  F. 
and  Zella  H.     One  son  died  in  infancy. 

He  of  whom  we  write  is  high  in  the  esteem  of 
his  agricultural  co  laborers,  and  has  been  elected 
by  them  to  several  township  offces.  He  has  been 
School  Trustee,  and  takes  an  active  part  in  political 
affairs,  casting  his  vote  with  the  Republican  party. 
Mr.  Hnpp  makes  a  specialty  of  bleeding  Clydes- 
dale horses  that  arc  sent  to  the  cities  to  be  employed 
in  heavy  drafting.  He  also  has  bred  many  fine 
roadsters.  Our  subject  is  a  genial  man  who  com- 
mends himself  both  to  old  friends  and  new  ac- 
qnaintances.  The  buildings  upon  his  farm 
indicate  careful  management  and  unreserved  at- 
tention. 


* 


OBERT    BROWN     has    been    prominently 
connected   with    the    business   interests   of 


Gillespie  since  1871.  For  two  years  he 
i)  engaged  in  merchant  tailoring,  but  for 
eighteen  consecutive  years  has  been  manager  and 
weigher  for  the  Scale  Company.  He  has  also  since 
his  arrival  in  this  place  held  the  office  of  Village 
Clerk  and  Justice  of  the  Peace.  Being  thus  widely 
and  favorably  known,  his  sketch  will  prove  of  in- 
terest to  many  of  our  readers.  He  was  born  on  the 
8th  of  November,  1833,  in  County  Monaghan,  Ire- 
land and  is  of  Scotch  descent.  His  parents,  Thomas 
and  Maria  Brown,  were  also  born  and  reared  in  the 
same  locality.  The  father  was  a  tailor  b}r  trade 
and  followed  that  business  on  the  Emerald  Isle  un- 
til the  latter  part  of  his  life,  when  accompanied  by 
his  wife  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  they  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  days  near  Mailahide  in  the  Pro- 
vince of  <  Ontario,  Canada.  In  religious  belief  they 
were  Presbyterians,  having  been  life-long  members 
of  that  church.     Their  family  numbered   fen   chil- 


dren, seven  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  nine 
grew  to  manhood  and  womanhood  and  all  came  to 
this  country. 

In  Mr.  Brown  we  see  a  self  made  man,  who  by 
his  own  efforts  has  made  of  his  life  a  signal  success. 
At  the  early  age  of  ten  years  he  was  put  upon  the 
tailor's  trade  and  followed  that  occupation  in  con- 
nection with  his  father  for  seven  years,  when  he 
decided  that  it  was  time  to  begin  business  on  his 
own  account.  The  New  World  seemed  to  furnish 
better  opportunities  than  the  old  countries,  and 
bidding  good-by  to  home  and  friends  he  crossed 
the  channel  and  at  Liverpool,  England,  took  pas- 
sage upon  the  sailing-vessel  "Ocomoco"  in  the  win- 
ter of  1849.  After  a  voyage  of  eleven  weeks  and 
five  days  anchor  was  dropped  in  tne  harbor  of  New 
Orleans  in  January,  1850.  Mr.  Brown  remained 
in  the  Crescent  City  for  two  years  and  then  went  up 
the  Mississippi  to  St.  Louis,  whence  in  1854  he  re- 
moved to  Bunker  Hill  in  this  countyr.  On  the  5th 
of  April,  185fi.  he  arrived  in  Gillespie  after  having 
spent  two  years  at  journeyman  work  in  the  county. 
The  same  period  of  time  he  devoted  to  his  trade  in 
this  village  and  then  accepted  his  present  position 
as  manager  of  the  Scale  Company.  His  long  con- 
tinued service  in  that  capacity  well  indicates  his 
efficiency  and  faithfulness  and  the  confidence  of  his 
employers  in  an  unwonted  degree  is  given  him. 

In  Macoupin  County  Mr.  Brown  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Mary  Drennan,  who  was  born 
in  Tennessee,  December  4,  1835.  When  two  years 
old  she  was  brought  by  her  parents  to  Illinois,  the 
family  settling  in  Bunker  Hill  Township,  this 
county,  where  her  mother  died  when  she  was  a 
mere  child.  She  was  reared  by  her  father  and 
step-mother,  both  of  whom  are  now  deceased. 
Into  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  have  been  born  eight 
children,  but  they  have  lost  three — Thoma,  Will- 
iam and  Frederick,  all  of  whom  died  in  childhood. 
Those  who  still  survive  are  M.  I).,  a  blacksmith  by 
trade;  Robert  D.,  a  miner;  Anna,  wife  of  John 
Kanous,  a.  miner  of  Gillespie;  Emma  F.  and  May 
at  home.  The  children  were  all  afforded  good 
educational  advantages  such  as  would  fit  them  for 
the  practical  duties  of  life  and  are  an  honor  to 
their  parents. 

In   politics  Mr.  Brown  is  a  stalwart    Democrat, 


388 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


who  with  vigor  supports  the  principles  of  his  party. 
Since  coming  to  this  place  he  lias  been  prominent 
in  public  affairs  and  has  held  several  positions  of 
honor  and  trust.  Under  all  the  different  organi- 
zations of  Gillespie  he  has  been  officially  connected 
with  the  place  and  since  1871  has  been  Village 
Clerk.  lie  was  also  for  a  nu  in  her  of  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  and  for  a  long  period  has  been 
Justice  of  the  Peace.  True  to  every  trust  reposed 
in  him  the  duties  of  those  offices  have  been  faith- 
fully and  conscientiously  performed  in  a  manner 
acceptable  to  all  concerned.  He  manifested  his 
loyalty  to  his  adopted  country  during  the  perilous 
days  of  the  Civil  War  by  enlisting  in  1862  as  a 
member  of  the  Ninety -seventh  Illinois  Infantry, 
commanded  by  Col.  Rutherford  and  was  assigned 
to  Company  A,  under  Capt.  Willard.  The  regi- 
ment vvas  organized  at  Springfield  and  attached  to 
the  Thirteenth  Army  Corps  under  (Jen.  MeCler- 
nand,  while  Gens.  Sherman  and  Grant  were  the 
chief  commanders.  They  fought  the  enemy  at 
Arkansas  Post  and  afterward  in  other  engagements, 
but  before  his  term  of  service  had  expired  Mr. 
Brown  was  honorably  discharged  in  March,  1863, 
on  account  of  physical  disability.  In  his  social  re- 
lations he  is  a  Master  Mason  and  for  some  time  has 
been  one  of  the  leading  officers  in  the  Gillespie 
Lodge,  No.  214,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  His  wife  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and,  like 
her  husband,  has  many  warm  friends  throughout 
this  community. 


■*f|HH£»- 


HRISTOPHEP.  C.  ARMSTRONG  is  classed 
among  the  business  men  of  Girard  who 
-#•  have  been  most  active  in  advancing  its  ma- 
terial interests,  as  for  many  years  he  has  success- 
fully conducted  a  general  store  here,  and  he  has 
also  aided  in  the  administration  of  public  affairs. 
He  is  a  fine  representative  of  one  of  the  old  pio- 
neer families  of  Illinois,  and  is  himself  a  native  of 
this  State,  born  on  a  farm  near  Fielden,  Jersey 
County,  January  2,  1837. 

Our   subject's    father    was  named  Maurice  Ann 


strong,  and  he  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  a  son  of 
one  of  its  early  pioneers,  Joshua  Armstrong,  who 
was  a  Pennsylvania^  by  birth.  He  was  also  a  pio- 
neer of  this  State  in  territorial  days,  migrating 
from  Kentucky  with  teams  in  1810,  and  one  of  the 
first  to  settle  in  what  is  now  Madison  County.  At 
that  time  there  were  but  few  white  settlers  in  Illi- 
nois, and  the  Indians,  who  were  often  hostile,  still 
held  possession  of  their  ancient  hunting  grounds. 
The  few  whites  who  had  boldly  ventured  within 
their  domain  to  avail  themselves  of  the  advantages 
afforded  by  its  rich  virgin  soil,  built  block  houses 
in  which  to  live  when  the  Indians  were  on  the  war 
path,  and  they  always  went  armed  into  the  fields. 
The  grandfather  of  our  subject  after  spending  sev- 
eral years  in  Madison  County,  removed  to  Jersey 
Countj*,  and  there  died  in  the  fullness  of  time.  His 
wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Sarah  Morris,  and 
she  was  born  in  Virginia,  of  French  ancestry. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  young  when  the 
family  came  to  Illinois,  and  he  grew  to  a  stalwan, 
vigorous  manhood  in  the  wilds  of  Madison  County. 
When  he  started  out  in  life  on  his  own  account  he 
bought  a  tract  of  land  in  that  county,  with  a  few 
improvements,  and  lived  upon  it  until  1833,  when 
l.c  sold  that  place,  and  took  up  his  abode  in  what 
is  now  Jersey  County,  where  he  bought  a  tract  of 
timber  lai.d  and  built  the  log  house  in  which  his 
son  of  whom  we  write  was  born.  He  rived  shingles 
for  the  roof,  and  made  the  house  in  the  primitive 
way  common  in  the  construction  of  dwellings  id 
those  days.  After  he  had  his  family  comfortably 
domiciled,  he  commenced  to  evolve  a  farm  from 
the  wilderness.  He  had  not  the  conveniences  of 
modern  machinery  to  aid  him  in  his  work,  and 
there  were  no  railways  to  bring  the  markets  within 
easy  access,  so  that  whenever  he  needed  supplies, 
or  wished  to  dispose  of  his  produce,  he  had  to  go 
to  Alton  with  a  team,  that  being  the  nearest  city. 
His  wife,  who  was  an  adept  at  the  old  fashioned 
arts  of  carding,  spinning  and  weaving,  used  to  man- 
ufacture the  cloth  from  which  she  clothed  her  chil- 
dren, and  she  cooked  their  meals  before  the  fire  in 
the  rude,  open  fireplace  of  the  olden  days. 

In  1854  Mr.  Armstrong  sold  his  place  in  Jersey 
County,  and  going  to  Montgomery  County,  settled 
on  land  that  he  had  entered  from  the  Government. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


389 


lie  built  upon  it  anil  resided  thereon  one  year.  At 
tlie  expiration  of  that  time  lie  rented  it,  and  com- 
ing to  Girard  bought  a  home  in  the  village,  in 
which  he  lived  quietly  until  his  life  was  rounded 
oul  by  death.  In  early  manhood  he  married  Eliza- 
beth Sims,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  She  died  at  a 
venerable  age  at  Girard.  She  was  the  mother  of 
twelve  children:  Aholla,  James,  Eveline,  Mary 
Adeline,  William.  Thomas,  Andrew,  Jane,  Christo- 
pher C,  Benjamin  F.,  Maurice,  Elizabeth. 

Christopher  C.  Armstrong  was  reared  under  pio- 
neer influences,  and  obtained  his  education  in  the 
primitive  schools  of  Jersey  County,  that  were 
taught  in  log  schoolhouses  with  slab  benches,  that 
were  without  backs,  aud  had  wooden  pins  for  legs. 
There  were  no  desks  in  front  of  the  seats.  The 
light  was  admitted  by  a  log  being  cut  out.  of  the 
wall,  and  a  row  of  glass  inserted  into  the  aperture 
thus  made.  Our  subject  can  well  remember  the 
wild  condition  of  the  country  in  which  he  passed 
his  boyhood,  when  deer,  wolves  and  other  kinds 
of  wild  game  were  plentiful.  Before  he  attained 
his  majority  he  left  his  old  home  with  its  familiar 
scenes,  and  in  1855,  came  to  Girard,  then  a  small 
but  nourishing  village,  and  he  soon  became  one  of 
its  most  enterprising  merchants,  opening  a  general 
store  here,  and  he  has  been  engaged  in  business 
here  continuously  since.  In  1870  he  established 
himself  in  the  drug  trade,  and  is  still  carrying  it 
on  very  prosperously,  having  a  neat  and  well- 
equipped  store,  fully  stocked  with  everything  usu- 
ally found  in  such  an  establishment. 

Mr.  Armstrong  was  married  in  18G2  to  Miss 
Fanny  D.  Weed,  and  they  have  made  their  home 
the  centre  of  a  charming  hospitality,  as  all  find 
who  cross  its  threshold  and  are  welcomed  by  the 
kindly  host  and  pleasant  hostess.  These  four  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  them:  Herbert,  Paul, 
Byron  and  Irene. 

Mr.  Armstrong  is  justly  held  to  be  one  of  our 
best  citizens,  both  as  regards  to  his  private  life, 
which  is  irreproachable,  and  in  every  public  posi- 
tion that  he  has  held,  in  which  he  always  acted  for 
the  best  interests  of  city  and  county.  His  fellow- 
citizens,  appreciating  his  worth,  his  sound  business 
talent,  and  his  genuine  integrity  of  character  have 
often  called  him  to  fill  responsible  ollices.      He  has 


represented  Girard  as  a  member  of  the  County 
Board  of  Supervisors  several  terms;  he  has  served 
as  a  member  of  the  City  Council,  and  also  on  the 
School  Board.  He  belongs  to  Girard  Lodge,  No. 
171,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  to  Girard  Chapter.  No.  132, 
R.  A.  M.;  is  a  member  of  Macoupin  Council,  R.  & 
S.  M.;  and  of  St.  Omar  Commandery,  No.  .'50.  K. 
T.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  always 
stood  firmly  by  his  party.  Aside  from  his  private 
business  our  subject  is  identified  with  the  financial 
interests  of  this  city  as  Treasurer  of  the  Girard 
Building  and  Loan  Association,  and  as  President  of 
the  Girard  Coal  Company,  and  he  has  contributed 
greatly  to  their  success  and  importance. 

^p^EORGE  W.  ARNETT,  who  is  now  living  in 
If  j— ,  retirement  in  one  of  the  attractive  homes 
%Jj)  of  Carlinville,  his  handsome  residence  finely 
located  on  College  Avenue,  is  still  connected  with 
the  agricultural  interests  of  this  county  as  the  pro- 
prietor of  one  of  the  many  highly  improved  farms 
found  within  its  bounds.  He  is  a  son  of  one  of  the 
early  pioneers  of  this  section  of  the  State,  and 
though  a  native  of  Overton  County,  Tenn.,  born 
there  June  24,  1829,  the  most  of  his  life  has  been 
passed  here,  and  he  has  lived  to  see  the  country 
develop  from  a  wilderness  to  a  well  settled  and 
nourishing  community,  with  beautiful  farms  and 
busy  towns,  and  with  well-stocked  pastures  of  fine 
horses  and  cattle  where  formerly  deer,  bears,  wolves 
and  other  wild  animals  roamed  at  will  over  wild 
and  uncultivated  (dairies  or  through  the  forest 
growths  on  the  banks  of  the  streams. 

Our  subject  is  of  sturdy  Scotch  descent.  His 
father,  Thomas  Arnetl,  was  born  in  North  Carolina 
in  1804,  and  was  a  son  of  John  Arnett,  who  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  born  in  the  same  State,  whence 
he  removed  to  Tennessee  and  was  a  pioneer  of  that 
State.  In  1829  he  came  from  there  to  this  State 
and  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Morgan  County. 
where  he  dwelt  until  1834,  and  then  came  to  this 
county  where  he  died  in  1876. 

Thomas  Arnett  was  ten  years  old  when  his  par- 
ents  went  to   Tennessee,   crossing   the   mountains 


390 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


with  pack  horses  and  carls.  He  grew  to  man's  es- 
tate amid  pioneer  surroundings,  and  continued  to 
live  in  Tennessee  until  1829.  In  the  meantime  he 
had  taken  unto  himself  a  wife  in  the  person  of 
Elizabeth  G.,  a  daughter  of  Jeptha  and  Winifred 
(Harrison)  Reeder,  who  was  born  in  Virginia  in 
1 805.  In  the  3rear  mentioned,  ho  started  forth  from 
his  old  home  to  push  forward  to  the  frontier  to  try 
life  in  the  wilds  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  accom- 
panied on  his  momentous  journey  by  his  wife  and 
three  children,  and  traveling  with  a  yoke  of  oxen 
and  a  wagon,  in  which  all  their  earthly  possessions 
were  conveyed.  Camping  and  cooking  by  the 
wayside  at  night-fall,  the  little  family  proceeded 
slowly  to  their  destination.  On  their  arrival  in 
Morgan  County  Mr.  Arnett  rented  land  on  Buck 
Horn  Prairie,  and  dwelt  there  until  1834,  when  he 
pulled  up  stakes  and  coming  to  Macoupin  County, 
became  a  pioneer  of  what  is  now  Bird  Township. 
At  that  time  this  legion  had  but  few  white  settlers, 
and  the  greater  part  of  the  land  was  held  by  the 
Government  and  for  sale  at  $1.25  an  acre.  The 
father  of  our  subject  rented  land  for  a  time  and 
then  bought  a  tract  in  the  same  township.  He 
worked  steadily  at  the  pioneer  task  of  preparing 
his  land  for  cultivation  and  making  improvements, 
and  on  the  farm  that  he  developed  he  spent  his  re- 
maining days.  His  wife  also  died  thereon.  They 
were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  eight  of  whom 
were  reared  to  maturity. 

Our  subject  was  an  infant  when  he  was  brought 
to  Illinois  and  as  he  grew  up  he  was  a  witness  of 
the  gradual  change  of  the  country  from  its  primi- 
tive state  to  its  present  advanced  condition  as  a 
wealthy  agricultural  centre.  He  can  remember 
when  the  farmers  of  other  days  had  no  machinery 
to  assist  them  in  their  hard  task  of  subduing  the 
forces  of  nature;  when  they  were  obliged  to  cut 
their  grain  by  hand  with  a  sickle  or  cradle,  and 
thresh  it  with  a  flail,  or  have  it  tramped  out  by 
horses  or  oxen.  There  were  no  free  schools  for 
him  to  attend  in  his  early  boyhood,  as  they  were 
all  conducted  on  the  subscription  plan.  They  were 
taught  in  log  houses,  that  had  seats  made  of 
puncheon  and  supported  by  wooden  pegs,  and  a 
board  laid  on  wooden  pegs  driven  into  the  wall 
served  as  a  writing  desk  for  the  scholars. 


As  soon  as  large  enough  to  be  of  assistance,  Mr. 
Arnett  had  to  work  on  the  farm,  and  he  helped  his 
father  until  he  was  twenty-one.  At  that  age  he 
engaged  with  his  uncle  in  farming  in  Bird  Town- 
ship, remaining  with  him  three  years.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  that  time  he  rented  the  farm  for  a  pe- 
riod of  two  years,  and  then  bought  land  on  section 
9,  of  the  same  township.  A  log  cabin  and  a  small 
tract  of  broken  prairie  constituted  the  improve- 
ments at  the  time  of  the  purchase.  Our  subject 
erected  a  comfortable  frame  house,  which  he  later 
replaced  by  a  more  modern  and  commodious  res- 
idence, besides  making  many  other  substantial  im- 
provements, that  made  that  farm  one  of  the  best  in 
its  vicinity.  It  comprises  two  hundred  and  ten 
acres  of  farming  land  and  forty  acres  of  choice 
timber.  In  1888  he  rented  his  farm  and  retired  to 
his  piesent  pleasant  home  on  College  Avenue,  Car- 
linville,  where  he  and  his  amiable  wife  can  enjoy 
the  fruits  of  their  years  of  industry  at  their  leisure. 
They  are  among  the  most  worthy  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  as  they  carry  their  religion  into 
their  every-day  lives  and  in  all  things  do  as  they 
would  be  done  by.  Their  place  in  the  community 
is  among  our  best  people,  and  they  are  held  in 
universal  esteem. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arnett  entered  upon  their  wedded 
life  in  October  14,  1852,  and  their  marriage  has 
been  hallowed  by  the  birth  of  four  children,  one  of 
whom  awaits  them  on  the  other  shore,  Horace  \V., 
their  second  child,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  years.  The  children  who  have  been  spared  to 
bless  their  declining  years  are  Viola,  wife  of  Elery 
P.  Deeds;  Lillie,  wife  of  Harry  Wilhite;  and 
George  B. 

Prior  toher  marriage  Mrs.  Arnett's  name  was 
Serena  E.  Lasater.  She  is  a  native  of  Greene 
County,  111.,  and  a  daughter  of  Enoch  Lasater,  a 
native  of  North  Carolina.  His  father,  Standford 
Lasater,  is  also  supposed  to  have  been  born  in  that 
State.  His  last  years  were  spent  in  Tennessee,  of 
which  he  was  a  pioneer.  Mrs.  Arnett's  father  went 
to  Tennessee  with  his  parents,  and  came  from  there 
to  Illinois  when  he  was  a  young  man.  He  was  an 
early  settler  of  Greene  County,  where  he  bought  a 
tract  of  land  six  miles  east  of  Carrollton,  and  in  the 
log  house  that    he  built    upon  it    his  daughter  of 


MBRART 
Of  THE 
UNIVFPr    • 


A 


^^iOd 


Ctjlrfyisi^ 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


393 


whom  we  write  was  born.  He  improved  a  good 
farm,  upon  which  he  dwelt  until  his  death.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Charity  Hill.  She 
was  born  near  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Abner  and  Annie  (Johnson)  Hill.  She  was 
married  a  second  time,  becoming  the  wife  of  John 
Courtney,  and  she  died  in  Bird  Township,  this 
county. 


•   '  *3- 


zIMN^ 


rsHOMAS  MAIIAN.  One  of  the  most  prom- 
niinent  men  in  the  township  in  which  he 
lives,  both  financially  and  socially,  is  the 
gentleman  whose  portrait  appears  on  the  opposite 
page,  and  whose  name  introduces  these  paragraphs. 
He  stands  at  the  head  of  the  solid  men  in  his  vicin- 
ity. From  his  father,  who  was  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, he  inherited  the  geniality  and  charm  of 
manner  for  which  the  Kentuckians  are  noted,  and 
also  a  fondness  for  the  breeding  of  fine  stock, 
another  Kentucky  weakness.  He  is  a  man  of  stir- 
ring business  ability,  as  one  must  be  who  would 
not  be  left  in  the  rear  among  so  much  compe- 
tition as  we  have  hue  in  every  branch  of  business 
life. 

As  before  stated,  our  subject  inherits  many  of 
the  Southern  inclinations  and  tastes  from  his  pa- 
rents, who  were  both  natives  of  Kentucky.  His 
father  was  the  late  James  Mahan,  born  in  Bourbon 
County,  Ky.  His  mother  was  Elizabeth  Ann  En- 
dicott,  wno  was  born  in  Fayette  County,  of  the 
same  State.  After  marriage  their  first  home  was 
made  in  their  native  State,  where  they  lived  for  a 
feu  years  and  then  lured  by  the  inducements  tiiat 
the  Central  States  offer  to  industry  and  energy, 
they  removed  to  Rush  County,  Ind.,  and  lived 
there  for  several  years. 

In  the  fall  of  either  1849  or  1850,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Mahan.  Sr.,  came  to  Morgan  County,  III.,  and  lived 
for  one  winter  near  Waverly.  They  then  came  to 
Macoupin  County,  and  settled  in  South  Otter 
Township,  remaining  there  for  about  one  year.  A 
change  was  made  to  the  southeast  part  of  North 
Palmyra  Township,  where  they  remained  until  the 
father  died,  in  November,  1808.     The  mother  died 


in  South  Palmyra  Township,  in  July,  L8&9.  Tiny 
had  ten  children,  of  whom  our  subject  was  the 
third. 

Thomas  Mahan  was  born  in  Rush  Gffunty,  Ind., 
January  6,  1837.  There  he  passed  the  early  years 
of  his  life  to  the  age  of  about  eleven  years,  when 
he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents.  He  enjoyed 
good  common-school  educational  advantages  dur- 
ing his  boyhood,  assisting  his  parents  with  the  work 
incident  to  farm  life  in  the  intervals.  He  remained 
under  his  father's  roof  until  his  marriage.  The 
lady  whom  he  invited  to  preside  over  his  home  was 
Miss  Sarah  Ditson,  and  their  marriage  was  cele- 
brated October  4,  1860,  in  North  Otter  Township. 
The  lady's  parents  were  Jesse  and  Nancy  (Tosh) 
Ditson,  natives  of  New  York  and  Ohio  respectively. 
They  were  married  in  Sangamon  County,  and  soon 
after  moved  to  North  ( titer  Township,  being  among 
the  early  settlers  in  this  place.  The  father  passed 
away  here  in  March,  18(13.  The  mother  died  in 
North  Palmyra  Township,  January  17,  1K«7. 
They  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  of  whom 
Mrs.  Mahan  was  the  youngest.  She  was  born  in 
North  Otter  Township,  April  16,  1843. 

Soon  after  the  marriage  of  our  subject,  he  with 
his  wife  settled  on  section  6,  South  Otter  Township, 
of  which  he  has  since  been  a  resident.  He  has  al- 
was  been  faithful  to  his  chosen  calling,  which  is  that 
of  agriculture,  but  makes  a  specialty  of  dealing  in 
stock,  and  in  this  particular  department  has  built 
up  a  fine  and  lucrative  business.  He  is  the  owner 
of  a  fine  farm  of  two  bundled  and  sixty  acres. 
The  house  is  well  appointed  and  adapted  perfectly 
to  rural  life,  while  all  necessary  outbutldings  arc 
conveniently  arranged  for  the  storage  of  grain  and 
the  shelter  of  stock.  Mr.  Mahan  and  his  estimable 
wife  are  the  parents  of  twelve  children:  Nancy  E.j 
Pit. -.Ion  G.,wbo  married  Miss  Anna  Arnett;  Charles 
S.;  Carrie  1!..  who  is  the  wife  of  George  Hays;  Ida 
I...  who  is  the  wife  of  Harry  Potter;  Hattie  A.; 
Minnie  S. :  Thomas  M.;  Waller  S. ;  Ethel  M.;  Cyn- 
thia L.  and  Cecil. 

Our  subject  has  been  Supervisor  of  South  Otter 
Township  for  two  terms,  and  Collector  for  the  same 
length  of  time.     He  has  also  satisfactorily  filled  the 

positions  of    School  Trustee    and    Scl 1     Director. 

and  was  a  candidate  tor  (  OUllty  Sheriff  On  the   Re- 


394 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


publican  ticket  in  the  fall  of  1 880,  but  was  defeated 
by  his  Democratic  opponent,  who  had,  however,  a 
majority  of  only  two  hundred  and  twenty  votes. 
Like  all  loyal  American?,  Mr.  Mahan  has  taken  a 
great  interest  in  political  affairs  as  well  as  an  active 
part  in  local  politics.  He  is  also  an  ardent  worker 
in  religion,  and  with  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
Christian  Church,  in  which  he  has  been  Elder  for 
many  years. 


y 


<*l  fclLLIAM  DAMS.  The  farming  sections  of 
our  country  are  dotted  over  with  settle- 
ments made  by  English  people.  Some  of 
these  colonies  are  sent  out  by  wealthy  landowners, 
others  are  made  by  small  farmers  who  have  but  little 
more  than  their  individual  efforts  to  look  forward 
to,  but  under  whatever  circumstanes  these  settle- 
ments are  made,  they  are  invariably  characterized 
by  an  appearance  of  thrift.  Although  as  Americans 
we  cannot  but  regret  that  so  many  of  the  industries 
and  so  much  of  the  wheat  land  in  our  country  is 
owned  by  English  capitalists,  the  producing  class 
are  always  gratefully  welcome  in  any  community. 
Their  nationality  is  a  pledge  for  their  usefulness 
as  members  of  society. 

Macoupin  County  has  many  residents  of  English 
birth  and  parentage  who  have  done  much  to  de- 
velop the  resources  of  the  locality  in  which  they 
have  settled.  Among  the  many  is  our  subject,  who 
owns  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  on  section  34, 
Western  Mound  Township.  Mr.  Dams'  farm  is  no 
exception  to  the  well-improved  and  highly  culti- 
vated places  of  his  countrymen  and  he  is  besides  a 
great  addition  to  the  community  because  of  the  in- 
terest he  takes  in  local  affairs.  The  original  of  our 
sketch  is  a  native  of  Lincolnshire.  England.  His 
father  was  John  P.  Dams,  who  was  also  born  in 
England.  His  mother  was  Elizabeth  (Stoddard) 
Dams,  whose  early  home  and  marriage  place  was 
that  of  her  husband. 

The  Dams  family  emigrated  to  America  in  an 
early  day.  They  located  in  Pennsylvania  first,  re- 
maining there  about  one  year.     They  then  came  to 


Macoupin  County  and  settled  in  Western  Mound 
Township  where  the  father  died  in  1848.  There 
were  six  children  in  the  Dams  family  and  of  these 
our  subject  was  the  eldest.  He  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania July  20,  1832.  He  attained  manhood  in 
Western  Mound  Township  in  which  he  has  always 
been  a  resident.  He  not  unnaturally  continued  the 
calling  in  which  he  had  early  training — that  of 
farming — and  has  pursued  it  most  successfully. 

Mr.  Dams'  marriage  took  place  in  Western  Mound 
Township.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Matilda 
Barrows.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Austin  S.  Bar- 
rows,  who  is  now  a  resilient  in  the  State  of  Kansas. 
Our  subject  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  five 
children,  three  of  whom  are  deceased.  The  chil- 
dren living  who  are  the  pride  and  comfort  of  their 
fund  parents  are  Oscar  and  Frank.  Those  deceased 
are  Arthur,  John  and  Edward. 

Mr.  Dams  is  held  high  in  the  esteem  of  his  fel- 
low-townsmen. He  is  genial  and  open-hearted,  a 
man  who  makes  many  friends  and  who  receives  the 
confidence  of  others,  but  one  who  keeps  his  own 
counsel,  and  while  he  has  many  acquaintances  con- 
fides in  but  few.  He  has  most  satisfactorily  filled 
the  office  of  School  Director  for  some  time  and 
other  ottices  that  have  been  urged  upon  him  have 
been  declined,  because  it  seemed  that  he  could  not 
neglect  his  own  affairs  for  a  position  that  could  he 
filled  by  others. 


-T^=i     „ 


y> 


OIIN  GEORGE  BECKER,  of  the  firm  of  J. 
G.  Becker  it  Son,  of  Yirden,  was  born  in 
Bavaria,  Germany,  in  1828,  June  15,  being 
his  natal  day.  His  father,  John  Phillip 
Becker,  was  born  in  the  same  locality  in  1800.  His 
parents  spent  their  entire  days  there,  and  the  father 
of  our  subject  followed  farming  all  his  days,  and 
spent  his  entire  life  in  his  native  home,  dying  there 
in  1874.  Four  of  his  children  came  to  America. 
Frederick  lives  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio;  and  Louis  F. 
went  to  California  in  1861,  and  the  last  heard  of 
him  was  from  Salt  Lake  City. 

Our  subject  attended  school  until  thirteen  years 
of  age  and   then  learned   the  trade  of  a  cabinet- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


395 


maker  in  which  he  served  for  two  anrl  a  half  years 
and  then  worked  as  a  joiner  until  1850.  He  then 
decided  to  come  to  the  New  World  and  try  his  for- 
tunes here.  He  set  sail  from  Havre  in  March  on 
the  sailing  vessel  '"Calender,"  and  landed  in  New 
Orleans  after  a  voyage  of  fifty-two  days.  He  spent 
two  weeks  in  New  Orleans  and  then  came  to  St. 
Louis  where  he  remained  until  1861.  He  then 
came  to  Virden,  where  he  has  ever  since  made  his 
home. 

On  settling  in  Virden  he  began  business  as  a 
contractor  and  builder,  and  has  continued  in  this 
line  up  to  the  present  date.  Some  of  the  finest 
buildings  in  Virden  have  gone  up  under  bis  super- 
vision. In  18GG  he  erected  the  first  brick  building 
in  Virden.  This  edifice  is  now  occupied  as  a  bank 
and  drugstore.  His  marriage,  which  took  place  in 
June,  1852,  united  him  with  Catherine  Steelier, 
who  was  born  in  Ilesse-Cassel,  Germany,  and  came 
to  America  in  1851. 

Five  children  have  blessed  the  union  of  this 
worthy  and  interesting  couple,  namely,  Lewis  F., 
who  is  a  partner  with  his  father  in  business  and 
whose  biography  will  be  found  in  connection  with 
this  sketch;  Anna,  Amelia,  Oscar  and  Carrie.  This 
gentleman  is  a  member  of  Virden  Lodge  No.  161, 
A.  F.  it  A.  M.,  and  is  a  Director  in  the  Homestead 
and  Loan  Association. 

-^^cv^-5^^ 


i^HOMAS  15.  ALLEN.  The  original  of  this 
f/T\  sketch  is  the  owner  and  resident  upon  a 
farm  on  section  G,  North  Otter  Township. 
His  father  was  William  Allen,  who  was  a  native  of 
North  Carolina,  and  came  to  Greene  County,  111., 
when  he  was  about  twenty-six  years  old,  being  one 
of  the  first  settlers  there.  There  was  a  life  of  hard 
work  before  him,  for  he  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
the  State,  but  on  his  entry  here  he  was  at  the  age 
when  the  very  fact  of  living  is  divine,  and 
hardships  and  deprivations  seem  the  smallest  pos- 
sible consideration  in  the  face  of  youth  and 
strength. 

The  father  of  our  subjet  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Mary  Pinkerton,  who  was  a  native  of  Virginia. 


Mrs.  Allen  had,  however,  made  her  home  in  this 
State  some  time  previous  to  her  marriage,  anil 
when  they  set  up  their  household  gods  in  their  own 
little  home,  they  settled  in  Greene  County,  this 
State,  where  they  died  after  having  reared  a  family 
of  nine  children,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the  eld- 
est. He  was  born  in  Greene  County,  III.,  May  81, 
1822. 

Our  subject's  father  was  a  farmer,  and  his  chil- 
dren were  brought  up  with  an  acquaintance  with 
the  duties  of  farm  life.  He  of  whom  we  write 
early  learned  how  to  swing  the  ax  and  milk  the 
cows,  plant  and  hoe  corn.  Thus  he  worked  until 
he  reached  manhood  years,  when  lie  was  married 
in  his  native  township  and  county,  to  Miss  Martha 
A.  Ha/.lewood,  March  21,  184.'L  She  was  a  daugh 
ter  of  Pleasant  and  Lillias  ( Bradfute)  Hazlewood, 
both  natives  of  Virginia,  although  they  were  mar- 
ried in  Tennessee,  and  from  there  came  to  the 
county  where  their  daughter  entered  her  married 
life.  There  they  made  their  home  until  their  death. 

Mrs.  Allen  is  the  youngest  of  her  father's  fam- 
ily, and  was  born  in  Tennessee,  August  1,  182G. 
For  several  years  after  the  marriage  of  our  sub- 
ject, he  with  his  wife  made  his  home  in  Greene 
County,  after  which  he  came  to  Macoupin  County, 
and  settled  on  section  6,  North  Otter  Township, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  Throughout  his 
life  he  has  been  engaged  chiefly  in  farming. 
His  farm  here  com  [irises  two  hundred  acres, 
that  covers  portions  both  of  North  Otter  and 
North  Palmyra  Townships.  Upon  his  farm  here 
he  has  erected  good  buildings,  and  has  a  delightful 
home. 

Mr.  and  Mr.  Allen  are  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren. They  are  as  follows:  Lillias  A.,  who  is 
the  wife  of  John  W.  Hohrev;  William  P..  who  is 
a  farmer  in  Sangamon  County,  III.;  Harriet  R.  is 
the  wife  of  William  Simms;  Maria  J.,  who  married 
H.  C.  Cooper;  and  Edward  G..  who  is  a  farmer  in 
North  Palmyra  Township.  The  children  who  are 
deceased  are  Alfred  P.,  Thomas  15.  and  Mary  M.; 
two  of  these  died  in  infancy. 

Our  subject  and  his  amiable  family  are  worthy 
of  the  respect  shown  them  by  the  community  in 
which  they  reside,  and  which  has  been  pleased  to 
honor  Mr.  Allen  with  several  positions  in   the  gift 


396 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  the  township, 
and    Trustee,    in 


He  has  been  School  Director 
which  stations  lie  has  well  ac- 
quitted himself  of  tiie  public  trust  placed  in  him. 
Tn  politics  he  is  an  adherent  of  the  Republican 
party. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen  are  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Chinch,  of  which  they  are  generous 
supporters.  Mr.  Allen  has  for  several  years  held 
the  position  of  Steward  and  Trustee  of  the  body 
with  which  he  is  connected.  Our  subject's  place 
is  notable  for  the  good  class  of  buildings  upon  it, 
all  in  excellent  condition  and  carefully  kept.  lie 
is  well  known  as  a  public-spirited  man,  whose  own 
interests  are  always  secondary  to  those  of  the  pub- 
lic good.  While  in  Greene  County,  Mr.  Allen  was 
elected  Captain  of  the  State  Militia. 


Yf/AMES  ,1  ONES,  who  is  engaged  in  general 
farming  on  section  22,  Brighton  Township, 
was  born  in  Wales,  in  December,  18.57 
and  is  the  eldest  son  of  James  and  Mary 
Jones,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  same 
country.  The  mother  there  died  when  in  middle 
life.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
Some  years  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  Mr.  .Tones 
crossed  the  Atlantic  to  this  country,  and  died  at 
the  home  of  his  son  Tom,  in  Brighton  Township, 
having  reached  the  allotted  three-score  years  and 
ten.  He,  too,  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
The  first  one  of  the  family  to  cross  the  ocean 
was  our  subject,  who,  when  a  young  man  of  twenty 
years  resolved  to  try  his  fortune  in  America,  and 
in  185'.),  made  his  passage  from  Liverpool  to  New 
York  on  a  steamer.  Choosing  Illinois  as  the  scene 
of  his  future  labors,  he  soon  afterward  began  life 
here  as  a  poor  man.  The  first  year  be  worked  for 
John  Bennett  for  $100,  and  continued  farm  labor 
for  three  .years  in  the  employ  of  others,  when  he 
began  work  on  his  own  account.  Whatever  suc- 
cess he  has  achieved  in  lite  is  due  to  his  own  ef- 
forts. He  certainly  deserves  great  credit,  for  he 
began  at  the  very  lowest  round  of  the  ladder  and 
has  worked  his  way  upward  step  by  step  until  he 
is  now  numbered  among  the  well-to-do  citizens  of 


the  community.  His  farm  in  Brighton  Township 
comprises  two  hundred  and  eighty-eight  acres  of 
arable  land,  much  of  which  is  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation  and  well  improved.  It  yields  to  him 
a  good  income  and  he  can  now  provide  himself  and 
family  with  all  the  comforts  of  life,  of  which  he 
was  once  denied  on  account  of  his  limited  means. 
A  view  of  his  pleasant  homestead  is  presented  on 
another  page  of  this  volume. 

Mr.  Jones  has  been  twice  married.  In  this 
county  he  wedded  Miss  Emma  Bradley,  who  was 
born  in  England,  and  during  her  childhood  came 
with  her  parents  to  America,  the  family  settling  in 
this  county,  where  she  grew  to  womanhood.  She 
died  at  her  home  in  Brighton  Township,  at  the 
early  age  of  twenty-four  years.  Four  children 
were  born  of  their  union,  but  William  and  May- 
are  now  deceased.  Charles  and  Mary  A.  still  sur- 
vive and  are  both  married.  The  former  now  en- 
gages in  farming  in  Colorado  and  the  latter  is  the 
wife  of  Josiah  Morris,  a  resident  farmer  of  Kansas. 
On  the  8th  of  April,  1875,  Mr.  Jones  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Emma  Barnes,  nee  Spencer, 
who  was  born  in  Marshawood  Parish,  Dorsetshire, 
England,  December  8,  1853,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Barnett  and  Flora  (Mecch)  Spencer,  also  natives  of 
Dorsetshire,  who  came  of  pure  English  stock.  Af- 
ter their  marriage  they  settled  in  their  native 
county,  where  they  spent  their  entire  lives,  Mr. 
Spencer  following  the  occupation  of  farming.  He 
died  on  the  1st  of  March,  1882,  at  the  age  of  sixty 
years.  His  widow  still  survives  him  and  will  have 
attained  her  sixty-ninth  year  in  December,  1891. 
She  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  to  which 
her  husband  also  belonged,  and  is  still  enjoying 
good  health,  retaining  much  of  the  vigor  which 
characterizes  middle  life. 

Mrs.  Jones  is  one  of  a  large  family  and  in  the 
county  of  her  nativity  she  grew  to  womanhood 
and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools.  She  was 
first  married  to  Charles  Barnes,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  Dorsetshire,  England,  and  in  1873,  they 
sailed  for  America,  locating  upon  a  farm  in 
Brighton  Township,  Macoupin  County,  111.,  where 
the  death  of  Mr.  Barnes  occurred  March  27,  1874, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years,  leaving  one  child, 
Eliza  J.,  who  still  resides  with  her  mother.     Unto 


:= 


■A-Jl^-g-    4v  ■•■-; ;, .;.->■  tg 


**j    /••%••.«  «\<»£>     -•*»*?'   "ISsS**  •■'•.'--.' 


*.^*^m\<st< 


RESIDENCE    OF     JURGEN    H  AUSCHI  LD  ,  SEC.30.,GI  LLESPI  E  TR,  M  ACOU  PIN   CO.,  I  LLS. 


RESIDENCE  Of    JAMES     JON  E5  ,  5EC.-22., BRIGHTON   TR, MACOUPIN    CO.,  ILLS. 


tIBRAFY 
OF  THE 

wwvfwm 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


399 


Mr.  anil  Mrs.  Jones  have  been  born  the  following 
children:  A.  Zealy,  Ellen  F.,  George  E.,  Emma 
S.,  M.  Lucy,  and  Grover  C.  The  parents  attend 
the  Baptist  Church,  and  in  politics,  Mr.  Jones  affil- 
iates with  the  Democratic  party. 


-i~i-!'=53*EH-M- 


J1  URGEN  HAUSCHILD,  a  self-made  man 
and  enterprising  farmer  and  stock-raiser 
living  on  section  29,  Gillespie  Township, 
first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  of  day 
September  20,  1842,  in  Schleswig-Holstein,  tier- 
many,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Anna  Hauseliild, 
who  were  also  natives  of  the  same  Province.  In 
their  later  years  they  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  Amer- 
ica and  became  residents  of  Macoupin  County, 
where  the  father  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-three 
years,  his  wife  in  the  sixty-sixth  year  of  her  age. 
They  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church  and 
were  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  them. 

Under  the  parental  roof  our  subject  was  reared 
to  manhood  and  received  a  liberal  education  in 
his  native  tongue.  No  event  of  special  importance 
marked  his  boyhood,  but  after  he  had  grown  to 
mature  years  an  important  incident  in  his  life 
look  place  in  his  native  Province  in  the  winter 
of  1 863— his  marriage  with  Miss  AViebke  Johnson, 
who  was  born  in  Holstein  in  1835.  Her  father 
died  in  his  native  land  about  1863,  after  which 
Airs.  Johnson  emigrated  to  this  country  and  spent 
her  last  days  near  Shipman,  III.,  where  she  passed 
rnvay  when  well  advanced  in  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hauschild  began  their  domestic 
life  in  the  land  of  their  birth  and  their  home  was 
blessed  by  the  presence  of  two  children.  At  length 
they  determined  to  try  their  fortune  in  America, 
and  upon  the  steamer "Clytouia"  sailed  from  Ham- 
burg in  the  autumn  of  18G6.  Upon  American 
soil  they  first  set  foot  in  New  York  City,  but  they 
did  not  long  tarry  there,  coming  at  once  to  Ma- 
coupin County.  111.,  and  the  same  year  making  a 
settlement  in  Gillespie  Township.  For  seventeen 
years  they  have  resided  upon  the  farm  which  is 
now  their  home,  and  a  view  of  which  is  shown  on 
another  page.     A  rich  and  valuable   tract  of  laud 


comprising  two  hundred  acres  yields  a  golden  trib- 
ute for  the  care  and  cultivation  bestowed  upon  it. 

and  the  many  excellent   improvements  seen   upon 

the  place  all  indicate  the  owner  as  a  man  of  thrift. 

possessing    practical    and    progressive    ideas.      He 

started  out  in   life  empty  handed,  but  had  a  young 

man's  bright  hope  of  the    future,  and,  determined 

to  succeed,  he  has  overcome   the  obstacles   in  his 

path    and   reached    the   goal  of  success,  being  now 

numbered    among    the  well-to-do    farmess  of  this 

community. 

In  politics  Mr.  Hauschild  is  a   Republican,  but 

has  never  sought  public    office;   he    and    his   wife 

are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.     Unto  them 

have  been  born  eight  children,  but  they  have  lost 

three — Herman,  Charles  and  Heniick.     The  Ifving 

are:   Anna,  wife  of  Charles  Freezs,  who  is  engaged 

in    agricultural    pursuits    in    Gillespie    Township: 

Jacob,  a  resident    farmer   of  California;  John    E., 

Minnie  and  Otto  at  home. 
v.,..;v:r 


[CHARD  BALL,  a  member  of   the    County 

Board  of  Supervisors,   in  which  he  reptv. 

i\V      sents  Virden  Township,  is  a  man  who  has 

not  only  been  strikingly  successful  in  bus- 
iness, but  has  also  mule  good  use  of  the  property 
which  he  has  been  so  fortunate  to  acquire,  lie  was 
born  in  Braeonshire,  Wales,  December  18,  1831, 
and  was  one  of  the  children  of  Richar  1  and  Maria 
(Evans)  Ball.  For  further  minutiae  in  regard  to 
the  personal  history  of  this  family,  the  reader  will 
be  pleased  to  read  the  biography  of  Henry  Ball, 
which  appears  on  another  page  of  this  work. 

After  receiving  an  elementary  education  in  the 
schools  of  Wales,  the  boy  at  the  aye  of  fifteen  un- 
dertook to  learn  the  trade  of  a  machinist  and  served 
an  apprenticeship  of  six  years,  and  worked  at,  his 
trade  until  1855,  when  as  his  father's  family 
had  decided  to  emigrate  to  America,  he  accom- 
panied them  and  made  his  home  in  Virden, 
which  was  then  a  small  village.  He  found  in  it 
and  in  the  surrounding  country  but  little  inde- 
pendent employment  in  his  line  and  worked  for  a 
time  for  Mr.  Emerson,  who  eventually  took   him 


400 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


into  partnership,  the  firm  name  being  Emerson  & 
Ball.  This  pleasant  and  profitable  business  asso- 
ciation continued  for  seventeen  years,  after  which 
our  subject  sold  his  interest  and  became  a  part- 
ner of  J.  J.  Cox  and  Amos  C.  Hutchinson,  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Cox.  Hutchinson  <fc  Ball. 
They  engaged  in  manufacturing  wagons,  buggies, 
etc.,  as  well  as  carrying  on  a  general  blacksmith- 
ing  business.  This  connection  continued  un- 
changed until  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Hutchinson 
the  firm  became  Cox  &  Ball  and  still  continues 
to  carry  on  a  flourishing  and  prosperous  business. 
The  lady  who  has  since  1877  shared  the  joys 
and  sorrows  of  our  subject  was  before  her  union 
with  him  Mrs.  Jennie  B.  (Goss)  Ranch.  Her  na- 
tivc'place  is  Littleton,  N.  11.,  and  she  was  the 
daughter  of  Richard  Goss  and  the  widow  of  James 
Ranch.  The  Presbyterian  Church  constitutes  the 
religious  home  of  our  subject  and  his  valuable 
wife  and  in  its  work  they  take  an  active  part  and 
ate  highly  prized. 

Mr.  Ball  is  prominently  identified  with  several 
of  the  social  orders,  being  a  member  of  Virden 
Lodge,  No.  161,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  the  Virden  Home- 
stead and  Loan  Association  and  the  Fanners'  Mu- 
tual Insurance  Company.  His  political  views  ally 
him  with  the  Republican  party.  He  was  elected 
Supervisor  in  1890,  and  has  served  as  a  member 
of  the  village  Board  a  number  of  years.  His  suc- 
cess as  a  business  man  and  his  genuine  integrity 
have  made  him  a  marked  man  in  the  community 
and  he  well  deserves  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held 
by  his  neighbors. 


»°*>"£c^v>'v®-0*<>- 


i 


EROME  B.  BALDWIN,  a  resident  of  the 
village  of  Virden,  is  classed  among  the 
wide-awake  and  prosperous  farmers  who  are 
upholding  the  great  agricultural  interests 
of  this  county,  and  are  thus  closely  associated  with 
its  progress  and  material  welfare.  He  was  born 
April  22,  1843.  on  a  farm  near  Crawfordsville, 
Montgomery  County,  Iud.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late 
William  C.  Baldwin,  who  was  a  native  of  Butler 
County,  Ohio,  coming  of  the  old  pioneer  stock  of 


that  State,  and  his  parents  are  also  thought  to  have 
been  natives  of  Butler  Count)-. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  amid  the 
primitive  scenes  of  his  birth,  and  when  a  young 
man  he  became  a  pioneer,  seeking  to  build  up  a 
home  in  the  primeval  wilds  of  Indiana.  He  bought 
a  tract  of  forest-covered  land  in  Montgomery 
County,  on  which  he  built  a  log  house,  which  hum- 
ble abode  was  the  birthplace  of  his  son  of  whom 
we  write.  The  father  cleared  a  part  of  his  land, 
and  continued  his  residence  on  it  until  1852,  when 
he  came  with  his  family  to  Illinois.  He  lived  for 
a  time  in  Greene  County,  and  then  came  to  Macou- 
pin County  to  take  up  his  abode  here  for  the  rest 
of  his  life.  He  bought  a  tract  of  partly  improved 
land  a  half  mile  from  the  village,  and  there  he 
made  his  home  until  he  closed  his  eyes  in  death  in 
in  June,  1888.  His  wife  passed  away  before  he  did, 
dying  July  31,  1880.  Her  name  in  her  maiden 
days  was  Cyrena  Dalton,  and  she  was  a  native  of 
Madison  County,  Ky. 

We  will  now  turn  our  attention  to  ihe  son  of 
those  worthy  people  who  forms  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  He  was  a  lad  of  nine  years  when  his  par- 
ents brought  him  to  Illinois,  and  he  was  carefully 
trained  by  them  to  a  useful  manhood,  being  given 
such  education  as  the  local  schools  afforded,  which 
he  attended  whenever  opportunity  offered,  and  he 
also  gained  a  sound  practical  knowledge  of  farm- 
ing in  all  its  branches.  He  remained  an  inmate  of 
the  home  of  his  father  and  mother  until  after  he 
attained  his  majority.  After  his  marriage  at  the 
age  of  twenty  seven  years  he  settled  on  a  farm  two 
and  one-half  miles  northwest  of  Virden,  and  dur- 
ing the  fourteen  years  he  lived  on  it  he  brought 
it  to  a  high  point  of  cultivation,  and  by  the  various 
improvements  that  he  made  he  greatly  increased 
its  value.  In  1884  he  came  to  Virden  and  bought 
land,  upon  which  he  built  his  present  weli-appointed, 
conveniently  arranged  residence,  in  which  he  has 
made  his  home  ever  since.  He  still  retains  his 
farm,  a  part  of  which  he  rents,  and  the  remainder 
he  operates  himself  with  good  financial  results. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Baldwin  with  Miss  Mary 
E.  Gates  was  duly  celebrated  September  1,1870. 
One  child  has  blessed  their  union,  John  M.,  who  is 
a  cripple  from  hip  disease.     Mrs.  Baldwin,  who  is 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


101 


descended  from  the  early  pioneer  stuck  of  this 
State,  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  three  miles  from 
Virden  m  Sangamon  County.  .March  2.">.  1844. 
Her  father,  Andrew  Gates,  was  born  in  Muhlen- 
berg County,  K}'.,  and  was  a  son  of  Michael  Gates, 
who  was  born  and  I  eared  in  Pennsylvania.  lie 
went  from  that  Slate  to  North  Carolina,  and  was 
there  married.  Prom  there  he  removed  to  Ken- 
tucky, and  was  a  pioneer  of  Muhlenberg  County, 
while  he  resided  until  1830.  In  that  year  he  came 
to  Illinois  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Auburn  Town- 
ship. Sangamon  County,  where  his  death  occurred 
al  :i  venerable  age. 

Mrs.  Baldwin's  father  passed  his  early  life  in  the 
stale  of  his  nativity,  whence  he  came  to  Illinois  in 
the  spring  of  1831,  and  settled  on  the  line  of  San- 
gamon and  Macoupin  counties.  At  the  time  of 
his  marriage  he  rented  land,  and  farmed  as  a  renter 
two  years.  He  was  a  pioneer  of  that  region,  which 
was  sparsely  settled,  and  deer  and  all  kinds  of 
game  abounded  in  the  forests  and  on  the  wild  prai- 
ries. There  was  no  railway,  and  Alton  was  the 
nearest  marketing  point.  As  soon  as  able  Mr. 
Gates  entered  land  in  Auburn  Township,  Sanga- 
mon County,  and  in  Virden  Township,  making  his 
home  in  the  former  county  until  his  life  was  closed 
in  death  in  1882.  His  venerable  wife,  to  whom  he 
was  wedded  February  13,  1833,  survives  him,  and 
is  a  welcome  inmate  of  the  household  of  our  sub- 
ject and  his  wife.  She  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Lucinda  Wood,  and  was  born  December  31,  1816, 
in  Madison  County,  lib.  when  this  State  was  a 
territory.  Her  father,  whose  name  was  William 
Wood,  was  a  native  of  Knox  County,  Tenn.,  and 
was  left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age.  He  came  to 
Illinois  in  1810,  and  was  a  pioneer  of  Madison 
County,  which  at  that  time  had  but  few  white  set- 
tlers, who  stood  in  constant  fear  of  the  Indians 
who  were  numerous  and  troublesome.  After  a 
residence  there  of  some  years  he  bought  land  in 
North  Otter  Township,  this  county,  and  in  the 
home  that  he  built  thereon  be  dwelt  some  years, 
devoting  himself  to  the  improvement  of  his  land. 
He  finally  went  to  Texas,  where  he  died.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Polly  Cox,  and  she 
was  born  in  Kentucky,  a  daughter  of  George  and 
and  Joanna  (Hubbard)  Cox,  who  were  natives  of 


South  Carolina.  The  grandmother  of  Mrs.  Bald- 
win returned  from  Texas  to  Illinois  after  the  death 
of  her  husband,  and  died  at  the  home  of  a  son  in 
Knox  County.  Mis.  Baldwin  is  one  of  a  familj 
of  four  daughters  and  two  sons.  She  was  carefully 
trained  in  all  household  work,  and  was  early  taught 
by  her  mother  to  card,  spin  ami  weave  Max  and 
wool  of  which  all  the  garments  worn  by  the  family 
were  made,  and  she  also  learned  to  knit.  1'nder 
such  instruction  she  became  an  excellent  house- 
keeper, and  understood  full  well  lion-  to  manage 
her  home  when  she  became  a  wife. 

Our  subject  has  made  a  creditable  record  as  a 
thrifty,  capable  farmer,  and  in  him  his  community 
finds  a  citizen  sound  and  true,  an  accommodating 
neighbor  and  a  sincere  friend.  He  and  his  wife 
and  son  are  active  members  of  the  Baptist  Church 
and  are  identified  with  its  every  good  work.  Mrs. 
Baldwin's  father -was  a  devoted  member  of  the 
German  Baptist  Brethren  Church. 

AMl'KL  K.  KILLAM,  a  son  of  William  11. 
Killam,  an  Englishman,  makes  his  home  on 
section  2,  Bird  Township.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  was  Mary  Hall,  who  was  also 
born  in  England.  This  couple  came  to  America 
when  young  people  and  after  their  arrival  here 
were  married  and  settled  in  Morgan  County.  III., 
where  they  made  their  home  for  the  remainder  of 
their  days.  Tbid  son,  Samuel  E.,  was  one  of  the 
eldest  in  a  large  family  of  children.  He  was  born 
in  Morgan  County,  July  7,  1835.  Here  he  resided 
until  he  reached  manhood,  and  here  lie  made  his 
home  until  his  marriage  when  he  rented  a  farm 
west  of  Jacksonville  and  lived  there  until  the  fall 
of  1868  when  he  came  to  Macoupin  County  and 
made  his  home  in  Bird  Township,  where  he  has 
since  been  a  resident. 

Mr.  Killam  has  always  been  engaged  in  fanning 
and  stock-raising,  and  his  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  is  an  illustration  of  his  energy  and  good 
judgment.  The  buildings  are  commodious  and 
capacious  and  he  has  every  convenience  necessary 
to  the  successful  carrying  on  of  a  farm.     His  mar- 


-102 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


riage  took  place  in  Morgan  County,  February  20, 
1862,  his  bride  being  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  John 
and  Esther  (Peekering)  Grime,  both  natives  of 
England.  Mr.  Grime  died  in  New  York  anil  Mrs. 
Grime  in  Whitehall,  this  State.  Mrs.  Killam  was 
born  in  Onondaga  County,  N.  Y.,  January  12, 
1840. 

To  this  worthy  and  prosperous  couple  have  been 
born  five  children:  Mary  E.,  Frances  G.,  Elizabeth 
A.  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  John  W. 
and  Samuel  E.  Their  mother  is  an  earnest,  and 
devoted  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  she  lias  faithfully  trained  her  children  in  the 
duties  of  the  Christian  religion. 

Mr.  Killam  held  the  oflice  of  Supervisor  of  Bird 
Township  for  two  years.  He  has  been  Justice  of 
the  Peace  for  five  years  and  School  Director  for 
many  terms.  He  votes  and  works  for  the  success 
of  the  Republican  party,  with  which  he  has  been 
identified  since  its  organization.  He  is  a  public 
spirited  man  and  ever  active  in  promoting  the 
best  interests  of  the  community. 


**-* 


~«* — 


,ROF.  HENRY  D.  FOLTZ,  a  resident  of  Pal- 
myra,  is  a  gentleman  of  broad  culture  and 
advanced  views  who  occupies  a  high  posi- 
tion among  the  leading  educators  of  this 
county  as  a  teacher  who  has  met  with  more  than 
ordinary  success  in  his  profession.  He  is  a  native 
of  Westmoreland  County,  Pa.,  born  near  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant October  3,  1847.  His  father,  Henry  W.  Foltz, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Andover,  Essex  Counts-, 
Mass.,  while  his  father,  whose  name  was  George 
Foltz,  was  a  native  of  Dauphin  County,  Pa.  The 
great  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  a  native  of 
Germany.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject,  who 
was  a  wagon  maker  by  trade,  removed  to  Andover, 
Mass.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  manufacturing 
wagons  a  few  years.  He  then  returned  to  Penn- 
sylvania and  carried  on  his  trade  in  Westmoreland 
County  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  young  when  his 
parents  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  and  the  remain- 
der of   his   boyhood  was   passed    in  Westmoreland 


County.  In  his  youth  he  learned  the  trade  of  a 
shoemaker,  but  he  was  of  a  thoughtful,  scholarly 
turn  of  mind,  and  the  legal  profession  having  pecu- 
liar attractions  for  him  he  prepared  himself  for  it 
and  in  due  time  opened  an  office  to  practice  law  in 
Mt.  Pleasant,  where  he  still  resides.  He  has  served 
as  assistant  Justice  of  Westmoreland  County  and 
has  won  an  honorable  position  at  the  bar.  In  early 
manhood  he  married  Mary  Smitley  and  theirs  has 
been  a  felicitious  wedded  life.  Mrs.  Foltz  is  a 
native  of  Edinboro,  Scotland,  a  daughter  of  John 
Smitley.  who  was  horn  in  the  North  of  Ireland  and 
was  of  Scotch  ancestry.  He  came  to  the  I'nited 
Slates  when  a  young  man  and  was  he;e  married  to 
Catherine  Golden, a  native  of  Cumberland  County, 
Pa.  He  settled  seven  miles  from  the  Westmoreland 
County  line  and.  was  a  resident  there  until  ls.">2. 
when  he  went  to  Allen  County.  Ind.  He  bought 
a  large  tract  of  land  there,  engaged  in  farming  and 
there  quietly  passed  his  last  day's.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  and  her  twin  brother  Jacob  arc  thfl 
only  survivors  of  the  family. 

The  subject  of  this  biographical  review  laid  the 
foundation  of  a  liberal  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  county,  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  he 
entered  the  Normal  School  at  Millersville,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  with  honor  in  1866.  He 
had  also  gained  a  practical  knowledge  of  his  chosen 
profession,  as  while  he  was  a  student  at  the  Norma] 
he  taught  school  four  terms  and  thus  earned  the 
money  to  pay  his  expenses.  After  graduation  lie 
taught  two  terms  at  Oak  Grove,  Pa.,  was  next  en- 
gaged at  Lemon  Centre,  and  in  1  868  went  to  Ft. 
Wayne  to  take  charge  of  a  school  in  that  city.  A 
year  later  he  came  to  Macoupin  County,  and  has 
since  been  closely  identified  with  the  educational 
interests  of  this  part  of  the  State.  In  1873  the 
Professor  came  to  Palmyra,  and  the  next  year 
bought  his  present  residence,  and  he  has  also  pur- 
chased other  village  property,  investing  his  money 
judiciously,  and  with  much  business  acumen  demon- 
strating the  fact  that  his  talents  are  by  no  means 
confined  to  bis  profession.  His  education,  his  famil- 
iarity with  books  and  his  wide  range  of  knowledge 
concerning  subjects  of  general  interest,  together 
with  a  good  address  and  a  pleasant  manner,  have 
made  him    popular   in   social  circles  and   have  at- 


MMMmr 

Of  THE 

vfNVERtfTY  Of  RUMms 


1 


lAAA/^ 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


405 


traded  to  him  the  friendship  of  some  of  the  best 
citizens.  He  is  a  member  of  Palmyra  Camp  No. 
1  19,  M.  \V.  A.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  de- 
cided Republican. 

The  marriage  of  Prof.  Foltz  with  Miss  Bella 
C'hisholm  was  solemnized  September  1G,  1873. 
Mrs.  Foltz  is  a  native  of  South  Palmyra  Township, 
born  April  6,  185G,  and  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Sarah  (Killam)  C'hisholm.  The  Professor  and  his 
wife  have  a  charming  home,  and  their  pleasant 
family  circle  is  completed  by  their  three  children — 
Floddie,  Minnie  Lucretia  and  Benjamin  Harrison. 
Mrs.  Foltz  and  tier  daughter  Floddie  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  their  names 
are  associated  with  ever}*  good  work. 

OLOMON  JOINER,  one  of  the  influential 
farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  Bird  Town- 
0Lf_J$  8n'Pi  's  a  son  °f  Thomas  and  Martha  A. 
(Pulliam)  Joiner.  The  father,  who  died 
in  1883  is  mentioned  prominently  in  the  sketch  of 
his  wife  which  will  be  found  in  another  part  of  this 
book.  His  widow  still  survives  and  is  one  of  the 
representative  women  of  the  township.  Of  a  fam- 
ily of  eight  children,  our  subject  is  I  he  second  in 
order  of  birth,  and  he  was  born  in  what  is  now 
North  Palmyra  Township,  July  5,  1849. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  manhood  on 
his  father's  farm  in  Macoupin  County,  and  made 
his  home  with  his  parents  until  his  marriage,  which 
momentous  and  interesting  event  took  place  in 
Bird  Township,  November  14,  1872.  The  lady 
who  became  his  wife  was  Mary  E.,  daughter  of 
Joseph  M.  and  Lucinda  (Burford)  YanArsdale. 
Mrs.  VanArsdale  died  in  South  Palmyra  Town- 
ship. She  was  the  happy  mother  of  twelve  chil- 
dren, of  whom  her  daughter  Mar}',  the  wife  of  our 
subject,  was  the  tenth,  and  she  was  born  in  Ma- 
coupin County,  July  IG,  1854. 

After  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joiner  they 
decided  to  make  their  home  in  Bird  Township,  and 
have  since  resided  upon  their  fine  farm.  They  have 
one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  rich  and  productive 
soil,  and  upon   it  are    located   excellent    buildings 


and  all  other  improvements  necessary  to  mark  it 
as  the  property  of  an   enterprising  and  thorough 

farmer.  Seven  children  were  born  to  Mr.  Joiner 
and  his  estimable  wife  as  follows:  Thomas  M.. 
deceased,  Martha  L.,  Joseph  E.,  Loretta  E.,  Gcr- 
tiude  A.,Ettie  E.,  and  George  R.  Mrs.  Joiner  is  an 
earnest  and  devoted  member  of  the  Baptist  Church, 
in  the  belief  and  practice  of  which  she  is  faithfully 
bringing  up  her  children.  Our  subject  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  has 
been  School  Director  and  is  ever  active  in  promot- 
ing the  interests  of  the  district  school.  Aside  from 
the  interest  in  these  matters  he  devotes  himself  en- 
tirely to  agricultural  pursuits,  where  his  persistent 
industry  and  good  judgment  are  crowning  his 
efforts  with  success. 

The  attention  of  the  reader  is  invited  to  the 
lithogaphic  portrait  of  Mr.  Joiner  which  is  pre- 
sented in  connection  with  this  sketch. 


1IARLES  II.  A.  H1NTZ.  dealer  in  meats  and 
live  stock  in  Bunker  Hill,  established  busi- 
'fj  ncss  in  that  place  in  1870,  in  which  year 
he  emigrated  from  Germany  to  America.  With 
his  brother  as  a  partner,  he  carried  on  operations 
under  the  firm  name  of  Ilintz  &  Co,  until  1874, 
when  the  firm  title  was  changed  to  E.  &  C.  Ilintz. 
In  1881  another  change  was  made  and  the  business 
has  since  been  conducted  by  the  firm  of  Ilintz 
Bros.  They  have  been  very  successful  in  their 
dealings  and  so  rapidly  has  their  trade  increased 
that  they  found  it  expedient  to  establish  two  shops, 
thus  to  more  conveniently  attend  upon  the  wants 
of  their  customers.  Their  shops  are  well  equipped, 
having  all  the  modern  conveniences  for  preserving 
and  retaining  all  the  freshness  of  their  meats.  They 
do  a  large  shipping  trade,  theii  principal  markets 
being  St.  Louis  and  Indianapolis. 

Charles  Hintz  is  a  native  of  Germany,  bis  birth 
having  occurred  on  the  24th  of  July,  1846,  in  the 
Province  of  Holstein.  where  his  ancestors  had  lived 
for    many    generations.        His    grandfather.     Peter 

Ilintz,  was  a  baker  ami   brewer  of  thai  Province 

and    there  spent   his  entire  life,  dying  at  the  age  of 


406 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


sixty-five  years.  He  married  .Sophia  Hahn  and 
she  also  lived  throughout  life  in  Ilolstein,  her  death 
occurring  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years.  They  were 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  in  their 
family  were  thirteen  children,  of  whom  K.  Hintz, 
father  of  our  subject,  was  the  second  in  order  of 
birth,  lie  was  also  the  only  one  who  ever  came 
to  the  United  States,  but  eight  of  his  brothers  and 
sisters  are  still  living  in  the  Fatherland.  He  grew 
to  manhood  in  Ilolstein  and  in  his  youth  learned 
the  cabinetmaker's  trade,  which  he  followed 
throughout  his  residence  in  his  native  country. 
He  married  Johanna  Dressel,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  Lutjenburg,  Ilolstein.  and  is  also  of  pure 
German  descent.  Eight  children  were  born  unto 
them  and  with  their  family  they  emigrated  to 
America  in  May,  1870, taking  passage  at  Hamburg 
upon  the  steamer  ••Germania.'*  After  a  very  rough 
voyage  of  twenty-three  days  the  vessel  dropped 
anchor  in  the  harbor  of  New  York  and  the  Hintz 
family  found  themselves  in  the  New  World  which 
was  to  be  their  home  from  hence  forth.  They  be- 
came residents  of  Bunker  Hill,  where  the  parents 
and  a  number  of  the  children  are  yet  living.  For 
a  short  time  after  his  arrival,  K.  Hintz  carried  on  a 
meat  market  but  now  is  practically  living  a  retired 
life,  performing  no  labor  unless  perhaps  he  some- 
times does  a  little  cabinet  work  for  his  children. 
He  is  now  seventy-eight  years  of  age  but  is  a  hale 
and  hearty  old  man,  still  possessing  much  of  the 
vigor  of  younger  manhood.  His  estimable  wife, 
who  so  long  has  traveled  life's  journey  with  him 
and  proved  to  him  a  true  helpmate,  has  reached  the 
age  of  seventy  five  years.  They  still  hold  to  the 
faith  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  under  the  auspices 
of  which  they  were  reared. 

According  to  the  laws  of  his  country  our  subject 
attended  school  and  when  twenty-one  years  of  age 
he  enlisted  in  the  French  War  under  Frederick 
Charles  in  the  regular  army  and  served  three  and 
a  half  years.  He  participated  in  many  engage- 
ments, including  the  noted  battle  of  Gravellote,  on 
the  16th,  17th  and  18th  of  August,  1870.  He  also 
bore  his  part  in  the  many  battles  which  occurred 
around  the  city  of  Metz  and  was  wounded  in  Or- 
leans. France,  during  a  street  battle  which  occurred 
between   the   citizens    and   soldiers,  known  as  the 


Orleans  Massacre.  It  was  a  gunshot  wound  and 
the  bullet  he  yet  carries  in  his  left  leg.  He  served 
throughout  as  a  private  and  was  a  brave  and  val- 
iant soldier. 

When  tin;  family  turned  their  faces  Westward, 
Mr.  Hintz  also  c-ossed  the  broad  ocean  ami  as  be- 
fore stated  established  himself  in  business  in  Bunker 
Hill.  After  four  years  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Louisa  Kahl,  who  was  born  in  Ilolstein, 
Germany,  January  4,  1858,  and  was  brought  by 
her  parents  to  the  United  States  when  a  child  of 
eight  summers,  the  family  locating  in  Hunker  Hill, 
which  has  since  been  her  home.  She  has  four 
brothers  and  a  sister  yet  living  there.  Her  educa- 
tion was  acquired  in  the  schools  of  this  community 
aud  her  native  land  and  she  remained  at  home  un- 
j  til  she  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  Mr.  Hintz. 
Seven  children  have  been  born  of  their  union,  live 
of  whom  are  yet  living:  Cora,  Dora,  Emma,  Maria, 
and  Ella.  Charles  is  now  deceased  and  the  other 
child  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hintz  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  he  holds 
membership  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  and  the  Ilaryue,  a  German  order.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  keeps  himself  well 
informed  on  the  political  issues  of  the  day,  also 
upon  all  matters  of  general  interest.  He  has  never 
sought  ofliee  but  is  now  serving  as  a  member  of  the 
School  Board.  In  addition  to  his  other  interests 
he  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Bunker  Hill  Nail  Com- 
pany and  also  in  the  Building  and  Loan  Associa- 
tion. He  was  one  of  the  enterprising  and  successful 
business  men  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  by  courteous 
treatment  and  fair  dealing  has  won  a  liberal  patron- 
age and  is  accounted  a  valued  citizen  of  the  com- 
munity. 


■     5£x>    * 

ICIIARD  RIDGLEY.  One  by  one  the  old 
settlers  are  being  called  away  from  the 
L%  scenes  of  time  and  sense,  leaving  records 
\^)  more  or  less  beneficial,  according  as  their 
deeds  were  useful  in  advancing  the  general  welfare 
and  their  characters  upright  and  noble.  Numbered 
among  those  whose  careers  can  be  looked  upon 
with  interest  and    whose    works  may  well  be  emu- 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRA  1'HICAL  RECORD. 


HIT 


lated  by  others,  is  tbe  late  Richard  Ridgley,  wlio 
resided  in  Bunker  Hill  nearly  thirty  years  and  who 
passed  away  March  25,  1887.  lie  was  an  earnest, 
honest  mat:,  diligent  in  business,  liberal  in  his 
views  and  his  means,  and  stanch ly  supporting  that 
which  was  worthy,  whether  for  molality,  education 
or  civil  government. 

Mr.  Ridgley  was  of  pure  Knglish  blood  and  was 
born  in  the  Mother  Country,  May  12,  1810.  Ilis 
parents,  Thomas  and  Lydia  (Cross)  Ridgley,  emig- 
rated in  1816,  landing  at  Boston,  Mass.,  and  sub 
sequently  settling  at  Medford.  They  lived  there 
until  1838,  when  they  set  out  for  the  West,  coming 
overland  and  being  ten  weeks  en  route.  Some  of 
the  children  had  already  come  West  and  on  this 
occasion  the  others  accompanied  their  parents.  A 
settlement  was  made  at  Alton  and  a  few  years  later 
the  parents  removed  to  Monmouth,  where  the 
mother  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years.  The 
father  1:  ter  went  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  be 
breathed  his  last  at  the  ripe  age  of  eighty-four 
years.  Both  were  life  long  members  of  the  Meth- 
od isl  Episcopal  Church. 

The  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch  grew  to 
manhood  in  the  old  Bay  State,  and  after  his  marriage 
came  West  with  his  parents  and  other  members  of 
the  family.  He  established  his  home  in  Alton,  but 
in  1840  came  to  Bunker  Hill  Township,  this  county, 
and  rented  a  farm.  A  year  later  he  returned  to 
Alton  and  the  next  year  went  to  St.  Louis,  where 
he  lived  until  1858.  His  brother  Stephen  had  in- 
troduced in  that  city  an  invention  for  the  lighting 
of  the  streets,  and  was  carrying  on  the  manufacture 
in  connection  with  Abner  Stone.  In  1846  Richard 
Ridgley  secured  control  of  the  plant  and  from  that 
time  until  he  came  to  Bunker  Hill  permanently,  he 
conducted  the  business.  The  spirit-lighting  was 
then  superseded  by  more  modern  means  of  illumi- 
nation, and  he,  having  in  the  meantime  accumulated 
a  fortune,  decided  to  spend  his  last  days  quietly, 
and  left  the  Missouri  metropolis  for  the  pleasant 
town  of  Bunker  Hill.  He  had  here  an  attiaclive 
home,  which  is  still  occupied   by  his  widow. 

In  1837  Mr.  Ridgley  was  married  to  Mary  A. 
Cnpen,  the  ceremony  taking  place  at  the  bride's 
home  in  Wrentham,  Mass.  She  was  born  in  Dor- 
chester, that   State,    March    31,    1818,   and   is  the 


youngest  of  four  daughters,  all  of  whom  lived  t" 
rear  families,  but  of  whom  she  is  the  only  one  now 
living.  Her  parents,  John  and  Margaret  (Carpen- 
ter) Capen,  were  natives  of  Massachusetts  and  be- 
longed to  old  families  of  that  State.  They  lived 
on  a  farm  near  Dorchester  for  some  years,  then  re- 
moved to  Wrentham,  which  was  their  final  home. 
Mr.  Capen  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
six  years,  but  Mrs.  Capen  died  in  1801.  Both  be- 
longed to  the  Congregational  Church.  The  mater- 
nal grandfather  of  Mrs.  Ridgley  was  a  Revolution- 
ary patriot  and  was  one  of  those  who  crossed  the 
Delaware  River  with  Washington.  Mrs.  Ridgley 
having  had  no  children  has  been  a  foster  mother 
to  some  whose  parents  could  not  give  them  the  best 
opportunities  and  has  aided  them  to  an  education 
and  n  good  start  in  life. 

The  late  Mr.  Ridgley  was  a  sound  Republican 
and  during  the  Civil  War  was  a  taithful  friend  of 
the  Union  cause.  For  years  he  was  connected  with 
the  Congregational  Church  and  held  the  oflices  of 
Deacon  and  Trustee.  By  his  will  he  bestowed  up- 
on the  church  at  Bunker  Hill  the  sum  of  $1,000. 
Mrs.  Ridgley  belongs  to  the  same  religious  society. 


v,  HILIl'  LAUCK,  who  is  engaged  in  busi- 
ness as  a  dealer  in  all  kinds  of  fresh,  dressed 
and  cured  meats  on  Main  Street  in  Brighton 
was  born  in  the  Province  of  Nassau,  Ger- 
many. December  4,  1845,  and  is  the  eldest  child  of 
Conrad  and  Hannah  (Henn)  Lauck.  natives  of  the 
same  province,  where  they  were  reared  and  married. 
Several  years  later  in  September,  1857,  they  started 
for  America,  taking  passage  atllarvrc,  France  upon 
a  vessel  which  after  some  weeks  landed  in  New  Or- 
leans, The  family  came  up  the  Mississippi  River 
to  Illinois  and  settled  upon  a  farm  near  Brighton. 
Mr.  Lauck  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade  but  in  this 
country  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  his 
death,  in  1875,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  His  wife 
died  two  years  previous  at  about  the  age  of  fifty 
years.  They  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church 
and  people  of  sterling  worth. 


408 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ii  a 
in 


Coming  to  this  country  with  his  parents,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  aided  his  father  in  the  develop- 
ment of  a  farm.  His  educational  advantages  were 
such  as  the  common  schools  afforded  and  by  read- 
ing and  observation  be  has  made  himself  a  well-in- 
formed man.  He  was  married  in  St.  Louis,  to  Miss 
Henrietta  Schneider,  also  a  native  of  Germany, 
born  in  Saxony,  in  January,  1847.  She  was  only 
seven  years  old  when  her  father,  Gotleib  Schneider! 
brought  his  family  to  America.  After  crossing  the 
broad  ocean  they  settled  in  Ohio,  and  about  two 
years  later  came  on  to  Illinois,  traveling  with  teams 
and  wagons  overland  to  Springfield,  where  they 
remained  until  i 858,  which  year  witnessed  their  r..r- 
rival  in  Brighton,  where  the  parents  both  died.  The 
mother  and  her  son  Henry  were  both  killed  while 
driving  over  a  railroad  crossing,  by  a  fast-running 
passenger  train,  their  death  occurred  instantly.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schneider  were  life-long  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church  and  were  people  whose  lives 
entitled  them  to  universal  esteem. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lauck  have  been  born  seven 
children  but  the}'  have  lost  three — an  infant,  Harry 
and  Louisa.  Ada,  Edward  C,  Albeit  and  Frank 
are  still  with  their  parents.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lauck 
are  both  members  of  the  Lutheran.  Church  and  he 
is  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Brighton.  His 
fellow-townsmen  recognizing  his  worth  and  ability 
have  frequently  called  upon  him  to  serve  in  posi- 
tions of  public  trust  and  for  the  long  period  of 
thirteen  years  he  has  filled  the  office  of  Councilman, 
a  fact  which  indicated  his  faithfulness  and  efficiency. 
A  stanch  advocate  of  the  Republican  parly  he  ex- 
ercises his  right  of  franchise  in  its  behalf  and  exerts 
every  honorable  means  in  his  power  to  promote  its 
interests.  Mr.  Lauck  is  also  regarded  as  one  of  the 
leading  business  men  of  Brighton.  He  began  op- 
erations in  his  present  line  as  a  partner  of  the  Shuf- 
fle Bros.,  and  for  twenty  years  has  been  alone.  He 
is  supplied  with  all  the  best  apparatus  for  dressing 
and  preparing  meats,  has  one  of  the  finest  establish- 
ments in  the  place  and  is  enjoying  a  well-deserved 
patronage. 

Our  subject  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  late  war, 
enlisting  in  March,  1864,  in  Company  D,  Twenty- 
seventh  Illinois  Infantry.  He  was  in  the  army  of  the 
Cumberland  under  Gen.   Sherman,  and   was  in  all 


the  principal  engagements  of  that  campaign  an 
was  honorably  discharged  at  Springfield  III.,  in 
August  18G5.  Our  subject  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows of  Brighton,  the  Knights  of  Honor,  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  the  0.  I.  II.  all 
of  Brighton. 


•>■;*> 


n 


IpjVHLLIFF  DEY.  one  of  the  prominent  far 
I  ^  mers  of  Hilyard  Township,  resides  upoi 
section  24,  where  he  operates  a  good  farm 
V£)'  of  two  hundred  acres,  all  of  which  is  thor- 
oughly cultivated  and  well  stocked.  It  is  now 
twenty-one  years  since  he  took  charge  of  this  place 
and  he  has  lived  in  this  township  since  1854,  that 
being  the  year  when  the  family  removed  from  Jer- 
sey County  to  this  county. 

Jersey  villi',  Jersey  County,  III.,  is  the  birthplace 
of  our  subject,  whose  natal  day  was  February  18, 
1841.  He  is  a  son  of  Cornelius  Dey,  a  native  of 
Somerset  County,  N.  J.,  who  was  born  there  Au- 
gust  2G,  1817.  His  father,  Enoch,  a  New  Jersey 
fanner,  died  at  the  age  of  fifty  years.  His  wife, 
Rebecca  Shaw,  who  with  her  husband  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  died  when 
she  was  fifty-live  years  old. 

Cornelius  Dey  was  the  fifth  in  a  large  family  of 
children  and  was  reared  to  farming  pursuits  in 
Somerset  County,  N.  J.,  and  there  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Catherine  Rodgers  who  was 
born  in  that  county  January  4,  1819.  Her  parents, 
William  and  Ann  (Perrine)  Rodgers  were  both  na- 
tives of  that  county  and  came  of  Scotch  ancestry. 
This  worthy  couple  emigrated  to  the  West  with 
their  children,  including  Mrs.  Dey  and  her  husband, 
in  April,  1838,  coming  by  lake,  canal  and  river, 
reaching  Jersey  ville,  which  was  then  a  hamlet  in 
a  new  country.  Wolves  and  wild  animals  of  all 
kinds  then  abounded  and.  here  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rod- 
gers took  up  a  new  life  in  this  new  country.  In  1  852 
they  came  to  this  count}'  and  took  property  which 
had  been  slightly  improved  in  Hilyard  Township. 
After  living  upon  it  for  some  years  they  retired 
from  active  life  and  making  their  home  in  Bunker 
Hill  there  spent  the  remainder  of  their  days.  They 
both   passed   the  line  of  four-score  years,  and  after 


PORTRAIT  AND  1UOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


409 


:i  quiet  season  of  retirement  died  during  the  decade 
of  the  '50s.  For  many  years  they  had  been  con- 
nected with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  but  at  the 
time  of  their  death  were  members  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church.  Mr.  Rodgers  ever  remained  a 
strong  Whig  in  politics. 

The  year  following  their  marriage,  Cornelius 
Dey  and  wife  emigrated  with  Mrs.  Dey's  parents  to 
Jerseyville  and  there  Cornelius  found  employment 
at  his  trade  of  a  mason  and  plasterer.  In  1854  he 
came  to  Macoupin  County  and  taking  land  in  II  il- 
yard  Township  followed  the  avocation  of  a  farmer. 
Mr.  Dey's  death  occurred  October  30,1874.  He 
had  made  a  success  of  his  farming  and  had  acquired 
a  handsome  property.  He  had  been  an  earnest  and 
consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and 
had  been  exceedingly  helpful  in  religious  move- 
ments in  this  new  country.  His  political  convic- 
tions had  allied  him  with  the  Republican  party  in 
whose  future  he  had  great  faith.  His  widow,  who 
still  survives  him,  is  in  the  enjoyment  of  excellent 
health,  and  with  faculties  unimpaired  puisnes  a  life 
of  usefulness,  spending  most  of  her  time  with  her 
son  Rhuliff.  She  is  an  earnest  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church. 

The  gentleman  of  whom  we  write  is  one  of  a 
family  of  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  and  with 
one  sister  constitutes  the  remnant  of  the  family. 
His  brother,  William  H.,  who  was  a  farmer  in  this 
township,  departed  this  life  March  8,  1891.  His 
sister,  Mrs.  Mary  Ferguson,  is  the  wife  of  David 
Ferguson,  a  retired  farmer  of  Staunton,  III. 

Having  reached  his  majority  Rhuliff  Dey  began 
work  on  his  own  account  and  before  long  was  mar- 
ried in  llilyard  Township  to  Miss  Catherine  M. 
Snedeker,  who  was  born  in  Champaign  County, 
Ohio,  October  13,  1845.  Her  father,  Jacob,  and 
her  mother,  Eleanor  (Jay)  Snedeker,  were  natives 
of  New  Jersey,  the  former  coming  of  Jersey  Dutch 
ancestry.  After  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snedeker 
removed  to  New  York  State  and  some  years  later 
to  Champaign,  Ohio  and  there  a  part  of  their 
family  were  born.  In  the  fall  of  1850  they  emi- 
grated with  the  family  to  Jerseyville,  this  State, 
and  one  year  later  c>me  to  this  county,  making 
their  home  in  Hilyard  Township.  They  settled  on 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  wild  land  and  here 


the  father  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  eighty-five;  the 
mother  died,  March  21,  1891,  aged  seventy-eight 
years.  In  their  retirement  they  enjoyed  the  com- 
panionship of  a  large  circle  of  friends  who  truly 
esteemed  them  for  their  excellent  qualities  of  heart 
and  mind. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dey  are  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, one  of  them,  Edward,  died  in  infancy,  Charles 
R.  is  at  home  with  his  parents;  Orval  A.  and  Nellie 
C.  are  attending  the  Normal  School  at  Bushnell, 
preparatory  to  teaching,  and  Frank  C.  and  H attic 
L.  are  at  home.  I.oth  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dey  are  earn- 
est and  consistent  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  in  which  Mr.  Dey  acts  as  a  faithful 
and  efficient  Trustee.  His  political  views  lead  him 
to  vote  and  work  with  the  Republican  party.  This 
happy  couple  are  among  that  thrifty  class  of  resi- 
dents who  go  to  make  up  a  truly  prosperous  and 
desirable  community. 


EORGE  W.  DUNCAN,  who  resides  on  sec- 
tion 3,  Cahokia  Township,  where  he  carries 
on  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  is  a 
representative  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  the 
county,  his  father,  Dr.  Nathan  Duncan,  having 
here  settled  at  an  early  day.  lie  was  born  in 
North  Carolina  as  were  the  grandparents  of  our 
subject  and  the  family  is  of  English  origin.  The 
Doctor  married  a  North  Carolina  lady.  Miss  E. 
Lavina  Linebargev,  whose  parents,  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania, were  of  German  descent.  Two  children 
were  born  unto  them,  Mary  and  Absalom,  but  be- 
fore they  left  North  Carolina  the  daughter  died. 
The  Doctor  with  his  wife  and  son  and  her  parents 
came  to  the  North,  locating  tirsl  in  Indiana  and 
after  a  year  the  Duncan  family  came  to  Illinois, 
locating  first  on  the  farm  which  is  now  occupied 
by  our  subject.  This  lalid  the  Doctor  entered 
from  the  Government  and  in  true  pioneer  style  he 
began  life,  being  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the 
township.  The  nearest  postolliee  was  in  Cailin- 
ville,  fifteen  miles  away  and  their  markets  were  St. 
Louis  and  Alton,  where  they  journeyed  with  ox- 
teams,  live  days  being  required    to    make  the  trip. 


•110 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Some  yours  later  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Duncan  went  to 
Montgomery  County,  111.,  where  the  lady,  who  was 
a  consistent  member  and  active  worker  in  the 
Methodist  Church,  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-five. 
The  Doctor  survived  his  wife  some  years  and 
passed  away  in  Sherman,  Tex.  He  became  a 
prominent  man  in  every  community  in  which  he 
resided  and  was  for  many  years  Class-Leader  in  the 
Methodist  Church.  He  was  not  a  graduated  physi- 
cian but  won  his  title  on  account  of  his  home 
practice,  he  doctoring  with  herbs  which  he  gathered 
from  the  woods. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  first  opened  his  eyes 
to  the  light  of  day  on  the  farm  which  is  still  his 
home,  February  13,  1834,  and  there  his  childhood 
and  youth  were  passed.  It  has  been  his  home  con- 
tinuously since  yet  he  has  traveled  extensively 
over  the  country.  He  has  been  engaged  in  the 
stock  business  both  in  Illinois  and  Kansas  on  his 
own  account  and  for  other  patties  and  in  this  way 
has  come  in  contact  with  many  people.  His  trav- 
els have  made  him  familiar  with  the  ways  of  the 
world  and  he  has  gained  thereby  a  knowledge  of 
men  and  their  customs  which  lie  could  not  have 
acquired  from  text  books. 

In  Montgomery  County,  111.,  Mr.  Duncan  led  to 
the  marriage  altar  Miss  Sarah  O.  Johnston,  who  was 
born  in  Plainfield,  Will  County,  111.,  in  1843, 
and  when  young  removed  to  Montgomery  County 
with  her  parents,  Andrew  and  Laura  (Maltby) 
Johnston,  who  located  in  Litchfield,  where  the  hus- 
band engaged  in  railroad  contracting.  Subsequently 
they  removed  to  a  farm  but  finally  went  to  the 
Upper  Peninsula  of  Michigan,  where  Mr.  John- 
ston's death  occurred.  His  widow  is  yet  living  in 
that  Slate,  at  the  age  of  three-score  and  ten.  Six 
children  grace  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duncan, 
of  whom  four  are  yet  living:  Edgar,  who  married 
Alice  Simmons,  is  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising  in  Dickinson  County,  Kan.;  Laura  B.,  O. 
Leroy  and  Myrtic  are  at  home;  Minnie  is  now  de- 
ceased; and  the  sixth  child  died  in  infancy. 

In  politics  Mr.  Duncan  is  a  Republican  and  a 
stalwart  advocate  of  the  party  principles.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  in  which  he  has  served  as  Steward  and 
Trustee.     He  is  charitable  and  benevolent,  a  friend 


to  the  poor  and  needy  and  has  lead  a  useful  and 
upright  life.  With  the  history  of  this  county  he 
has  been  identified  for  fifty-seven  years,  having 
witnessed  almost  its  entire  growth  and  develop- 
ment and  in  all  possible  ways  he  has  aided  in  its 
upbuilding,  proving  himself  a  worthy  citizen  who 
has  the  best  interests  of  the   community  at  heart. 


"'     '    *hj- 


J^ 


sA   RS.    MARGARET    IIOCHREITNER.     It 

is  unusual  that  a  lady  develops  a  business 
enterprise  and  tact  enough  to  go  ahead 
and  independently  make  her  own  fortune. 
A  century  ago  such  a  thing  was  almost  unheard  of. 
Now  it  is  more  common,  but  the  traditions  of 
womanly  dependence  are  still  strong  upon  the  sex 
and  when  one  steps  out  and  makes  a  success  of  busi- 
ness life  she  really  becomes  a  notable  personage. 
The  lady  whose  name  heads  this  sketch  owns  a  fine 
farm  on  section  18,  North  Otter  Township,  and  has 
so  ably  managed  it  that  it  is  one  of  the  most  desir- 
able places  in  the  township. 

The  lady  of  whom  we  write  is  a   native   of  Ger- 
many, where  she  was  born  Januar}'  8,    1824.     Her 
father  was   Christopher  Sturm   and    her    mother 
was  Christin  (Braznar)  Sturm,  both  natives  of  Ger- 
many.    Both  of  our  subject's  parents  died  in  their 
native    land.      Margaret  grew  to    womanhood    in 
Germany  and  continued  to  live  there  until  she  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age  when  she  went  to  Switzer- 
land.    There  she  worked  as  a    domestic   until    her 
marriage,  which  took  place  April    17,    1848,   when 
she  took  up  the  duties  of  life  for  better   or   worse 
with  Jacob  Hochreitner,  who  was  a  native  of  Swit- 
erland,  being  there  born  August  25,    1799.     After 
their  marriage  the3-  lived  in  Switzerland    for  three 
years  and  then  they  emigrated  to  America  in  1851. 
Our  subject  and  her  husband  on  coming  to  this 
country  settled  first  in  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  where  the 
head  of  the  family  plied  his  trade  which   was  that 
j    of  a  blacksmith.     They  remained  in  Knoxville  un- 
|    til  early  in  January,  1852,   when   they   removed  to 
I   St.   Louis,  but  being  unable  to  find    employment 
|   there  they  came  to  Macoupin  County  and  purchased 
I   a  tract  of  land  in    North    Otter   Township.     Here 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


411 


they  settled  and  the  home  they  erected  was  soon 
after  saddened  by  the  death  of  the  husband.  .Mr. 
Hochreitner  died  June  17,  1868. 

The  original  of  this  sketch  has  since  carried  on 
the  farm  herself  and  now  owns  one  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  acres,  live  acres  of  which  she  rents. 
She  has  made  valuable  improvements  upon  the 
farm,  having  erected  a  nice  home  and  built  several 
outbuildings.  She  is  the  mother  of  the  following 
children:  the  eldest,  William,  is  a  farmer  in 
North  Otter  Township;  George  died  at  the  early 
age  of  one  and  one-half  years;  and  Mary  E.  is  the 
wife  of  Charles  Hagler.     Two  are  deceased. 

Mrs.  Hochreitner,  who  is  a  member  of  the  Luth- 
eran Church,  is  an  intelligent  woman  who  knows 
how  to  attend  to  her  own  affairs  without  interfer- 
ing with  the  business  of  others.  Kind  and  gener- 
ous in  her  natural  impulses,  she  is  liked  and  re- 
spected by  all  who  know  her. 


^p^EORGE  Q.  GORDY,  a  well-known  business 
man  of  Carlinville.  is  a  dealer  in  agricul- 
£j  tural  implements,  carriages,  wagons,  etc. 
He  is  a  native  of  Maryland,  born  in  that,  State,  in 
the  town  of  Salisbury,  Worcester  County,  January 
31,  1844.  His  father,  Leonard  Gordy,  was  born 
near  that  town  on  a  farm,  and  was  a  son  of  William 
Gordy,  a  native  of  the  same  place,  who  was  derived 
from  earl}-  English  ancestry,  and  passed  his  entire 
life  in  Worcester  County,  where  lie  was  engaged 
both  as  a  farmer  and  as  a  Methodist  preacher. 

The  father  of  our  subject  learned  the  trade  of  a 
carpenter  in  his  youth,  and  followed  it  in  Mary- 
land until  he  went  to  Missouri,  when  he  was  a 
young  man.  After  a  stay  there  of  five  years  he 
went  back  to  his  native  State,  married,  and  spent 
the  rest  of  his  days  there,  dying  in  1849.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Mary  E.  Mitchell,  anil 
she  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Salisbury,  Md.  Her 
father,  William  Mitchell,  was  born  on  the  same 
farm,  and  spent  Ins  whole  life  in  his  native  county, 
devoting  himself  to  his  occupation  asa  farmer.  He 
married  Mary  Hall,  a  native  of  the  same   locality, 


and  :ilso  a  life-long  resident  of  Worcester  County. 
She  was  still  a  young  woman  when  her  husband 
died  and  left  her  with  three  small  children  to  care 
for.  She  continued  to  live  on  the  farm,  and  care- 
fully reared  her  offspring  to  good  and  useful  lives. 
She  has  attained  a  venerable  age,  and  now  makes 
her  home  with  her  son  John  15.  James  A.  and 
George  Q.  are  the  names  of  her  other  children. 

The  latter  of  whom  we  write  was  but  about  five 
years  old  when  his  father  died,  lie  grew  up  much 
bke  other  farmer  boys,  early  learning  to  do  farm 
work,  attending  school  only  in  the  winter  seasons 
that  he  might  assist  in  farming  the  rest  of  the  year. 
He  remained  at  home  with  his  mother  until  he  was 
sixteen  yens  old.  and  then  commenced  life  for 
himself,  working  out  on  a  farm  by  the  month  in 
Maryland  until  1 804.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois, and  in  Chicago  found  employment  in  driving 
a  vegetable  wagon  from  Tremont  Garden.  He  was 
thus  engaged  one  year,  and  at  the  expiration  of 
that  time  went,  to  Sangamon  County  and  farmed  a 
year.  He  next  came  to  this  county  and  learned  the 
trade  of  a  blacksmith  at  Carlinville.  He  did  jour- 
ney work  at  that  until  187G,  when  he  opened  ashop 
on  his  own  account.  The  following  year  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  J.  C.  Myer,  that  continued  until 
March.  18'JO.  In  1888  he  became  interested  in  the 
sale  of  agricultural  implements,  succeeding  Theo- 
dore Moore,  who  had  been  in  the  business  a  num- 
ber of  years.  lie  has  a  well-fitled-up  and  well- 
stocked  store,  carrying  always  the  best  in  his  line, 
and  deriving  a  good  income  from  his  extensive 
trade. 

One  of  the  most  important  events  in  the  life  of 
our  subject,  was  his  marriage,  February  21,  1870,  to 
Miss  Sarah  E.  Baird,  whereby  he  secured  one  of 
life's  choicest  blessings,  a  good  wife.  Mrs.  Gordy 
is  a  native  of  Alton,  this  Stale.  Her  otherwise 
happy  wedded  life  with  our  subject,  has  been  sad- 
dened by  the  death  of  their  two  children:  Clara  K.. 
who  died  at  the  age  of  live  years;  and  Lucy,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  four  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gordy 
have  an  adopted  child.  Jessie  M.,  upon  whom  they 
lavish  the  tenderest  care  and   affection. 

Our  subject  stands  high  in  business  circles  as  an 
honorable,  straightforward  man,  who  deals  fairly 
by  all.      He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist    Kpisco- 


412 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


pal  Church,  and  we  find  him  helping  to  carry  for- 
ward its  every  good  work  for  the  social  and  relig- 
ious elevation  of  the  community.  In  his  political 
views  Mr.  Gordy  is  a  stanch  Demociat. 


EW.  HAYES,  one  of  the  leading  attorneys  of 
the  county  and  one  of  the  prominent  mem- 


bers of  the  bar,  lias  been  a  resident  of  Bun- 
ker Dill  for  twenty-four  years.  Public-spirited 
and  progressive,  he  has  done  much  for  her  inter- 
ests. Mr.  Hayes  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  Franklin  County,  Janu- 
ary 30,  1837.  The  family  is  of  Irish  origin  and 
was  founded  in  America  by  David  Hayes,  who  with 
other  brothers  emigrated  to  this  country  prior  to 
the  Revolution.  He  settled  near  Dauphin,  Pa.,  and 
after  some  years,  with  his  wife,  whose  maiden  nr.mc 
was  Mary  Wilson,  removed  to  Franklin  County, 
becoming  pioneers  of  that  region,  which  was  then 
just  opening  up  to  civilization.  Upon  a  farm  in 
South  Hampton  Township  they  spent  the  remain- 
der of  their  lives  and  two  generations  lived  there 
after  them.  Wilson  Hayes  was  born  and  reared  on 
that  old  homestead,  of  which  he  afterward  became 
owner  and  there  lived  and  labored  for  many  years, 
his  death  occurring  at  the  age  of  seventy-two.  He 
married  Martha  Culbertson,  who  was  also  of  Irish 
descent,  and  like  her  husband  was  a  faithful  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  The}-  became 
parents  of  six  children,  the  eldest  of  whom  was  Da- 
vid, the  father  of  our  subject.  He  came  into  pos- 
session of  the  old  home  on  the  death  of  his  father 
and  there  resided  for  man}-  years,  when  he  sold  and 
removed  to  Shippensburg,  Cumberland  County, 
where  his  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  sixty -seven 
years.  He  had  adhered  to  the  faith  of  his  fathers 
and  was  an  upright,  honored  man.  His  wife,  who 
in  her  maidenhood  was  Nancy  Cowell,  is  a  native 
of  Cumberland  County  and  yet  makes  her  home  in 
Shippensburg,  being  now  eighty  years  of  age,  but 
still  hale  and  hearty  She,  too,  is  a  Presbyterian 
and  a  consistent  Christian  woman. 

Our  subject   is   the   eldest  of  six  sons  and  two 
daughters  who  were  born  unto  David   and    Nancy 


Hayes.  All  lived  to  mature  years  and  all  were 
married  but  one.  Five  of  the  family  are  yet  liv- 
ing. The  early  life  of  E.  W.  passed  uneventfully, 
nothing  of  special  occurrence  breaking  the  usual 
routine.  In  thespringof  1861  he  donned  the  blue 
and  became  a  member  of  Company  A,  Seventh 
Pennsylvania  Infantry  and  the  regiment  was  as 
signed  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  participating 
in  most  of  the  engagements  of  the  East,  including 
the  first  and  second  battles  at  Bull  Run,  Antictam, 
Fredericksburg  and  many  others.  Mr.  Hayes  saw 
much  hard  fighting  but  was  never  wounded,  how- 
ever. He  was  taken  sick  with  typhoid  fever, 
which  incapacitated  him  for  duty  and  he  was  dis- 
charged. For  some  time  after  his  return  home  he 
was  unable  to  resume  work,  but  time  and  good 
nursing  at  length  brought  back  his  health. 

In  the  meantime,  Mr.  Hayes  had  begun  the  study 
of  law.  He  had  acquired  his  literary  education  in 
Lafayette  College,  of  Easton,  Pa.,  and  began  fit- 
ting himself  for  the  legal  profession  in  the  law  of- 
fice of  R.P,  McClure,  of  Carlisle,  Pa.,  with  whom 
he  remained  until  he  entered  the  service.  When 
his  health  was  restored  he  returned  to  his  old  pre- 
ceptor and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1865.  He 
was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  courts  of  Illinois 
about  two  years  later  and  located  in  Bunker  Hill, 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  has  an  en- 
viable reputation  as  a  practitioner  and  ranks  high, 
not  only  among  his  professional  brethren  of  Ma- 
coupin County,  but  throughout  the  State  as  well. 

In  Franklin  County,  Pa.,  Mr.  Hayes  was  joined 
in  wedlock  with  Miss  Margaret  F.  Heck,  a  native 
of  Cumberland  County,  born  in  Shippensburg,  July 
18,  1848.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Marga- 
ret (Sturgeon)  Heck,  and  on  the  paternal  side  is  of 
old  Pennsylvania  Dutch  stock,  while  the  Sturgeons 
arc  of  Scotch- Irish  descent.  Her  mother  died  in 
the  Keystone  State  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 
Her  father  spent  the  last  twelve  years  of  his  life 
with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Hayes,  in  Bunker  Hill,  and 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight.  They  were  both 
life  long  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
They  had  quite  a  large  family,  but  the  wife  of  our 
subject  is  the  only  one  now  living.  She  obtained 
a  good  practical  education,  is  a  pleasant  and  intelli- 
gent ladv  and  is  an  active  and  faithful  member  of  the 


URMRT 
or  THE 

UHrVERSITY  OF  IUINOIC 


A 


-iC&lXjla 


- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


415 


Congregational  Church,  to  which  Mr.  Hayes  also 
belongs  and  in  which  for  years  lie  has  been  an  offi- 
cer. They  have  an  interesting  family  of  five  chil- 
dren— Margaret  G.,  Bertha,  Edgar  H.,  Ralph  H. 
and  Joseph  A.;  they  have  hist  one  child,  Alma. 

Mr.  Hayes  is  a  stalwart  Republican  and  was  twice 
nominated  for  County  Judge,  but  was  defeated, 
owing  to  the  large  preponderance  of  Democrats  in 
the  county.  He  frequently  attends  the  county  and 
Slate  conventions  of  his  party,  where  his  opinions 
are  received  with  every  degree  of  respect.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  of 
the  Veteran  Union.  With  the  leading  interests  of 
Bunker  Hill  he  has  been  prominently  connected, 
being  now  a  Director  in  the  Bunker  Hill  Nail  Com- 
pany, President  of  the  Cemetery  Association, 
ex-President  and  one  of  the  Directors  of  the 
Library  Association  and  President  of  the  School 
Board.  All  social,  moral  and  educational  interests 
End  in  him  a  warm  friend  and  Bunker  Hill  has  no 
belter  citizen. 

•i&Sm- — 


OLUMBl'S  WHEELER.  The  farming  com- 
munity of  Brushy  Mound  Township  recog- 
nizes in  the  subject  of  this  notice  a  repre- 
sentative citizen  and  a  most  successful  agriculturist. 
He  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  landed  estate  comprising 
nearly  seven  hundred  acres.  On  his  home  farm  be 
has  erected  a  commodious  frame  bouse  and  barn, 
and  all  necessaiy  and  adequate  buildings,  and  has 
improved  the  land  until  it  presents  a  very  attrac- 
tive appearance.  The  attention  of  the  reader  is  in- 
vited to  his  portrait  on  the  opposite  page. 

The  native  place  of  our  subject  is  Christian 
County,  Ky.,  and  the  date  of  bis  birth  April  7, 
1826.  His  father,  James  Wheeler,  was,  it  is 
thought,  born  in  New  England,  and  when  a  young 
men  he  went  South,  settling  in  Kentucky,  where  he 
engaged  in  teaching  school.  In  Christian  County 
he  married  Miss  Catherine  Harlan,  who  is  thought 
to  have  been  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  was  a 
daughter  of  Jehu  Harlan.  In  the  fall  of  18:32,  ac- 
companied by  bis  wife,  three  children,  and  five  of 
his  wife's  brothers  and  sisters,  Mr.  Wheeler  started 
for  Illinois,  journeying  with  teams, and  cooking  and 


camping  by  the  way.  He  located  in  Macoupin 
County,  settling  in  Gillespie  Township  on  land 
which  his  father-in-law  had  purchased  for  him.  At 
that  lime  there  were  but  a  few  settlers  in  the  county, 
and  he  was  thus  numbered  among  its  early  pio- 
neers. The  greater  part  of  the  land  was  held  by 
the  Government,  and  later  was  sold  for  $1.25  an 
acre.  Where  the  town  of  Bunker  Hill  now  stands 
there  was  but  one  building,  and  that  was  a  log 
cabin.  Deer,  wolves,  wild  turkeys  and  sand  bill 
cranes  were  very  plentiful. 

Into  the  log  cabin  that  stood  on  the  place  the 
family  moved,  though  it  was  a  rude  structure  at 
best.  No  sawed  lumber  entered  into  its  construc- 
tion; the  clapboards  on  the  roof  were  rived  by 
hand,  and  held  in  place  by  poles;  the  doors  were 
made  of  boards  split  by  hand,  and  had  wooden 
hinges;  the  floor  was  of  puncheon,  and  the  chim- 
ney of  earth  and  sticks.  Mr.  Wheeler  bought  other 
Government  land  near  the  home  place,  and  was  a 
resident  of  (iillespie  Township  until  his  death, 
when  his  community  was  deprived  of  a  valued  citi- 
zen, who  had  contributed  his  share  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  agricultural  interests  of  the  county. 
He  was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife,  mother 
of  our  subject,  there  were  five  children,  and  by  his 
second  wife  two  children. 

Columbus  Wheeler  was  but  eight  years  old  when 
lie  accompanied  his  parents  to  Illinois,  and  he  at- 
tended the  first  school  ever  taught  in  Gillespie 
Township.  It  was  held  in  a  log  house,  and  the 
seats  were  made  by  splitting  basswood  logs,  and 
hewing  one  side  smooth,  and  then  inserting  wooden 
pins  for  legs.  There  were  no  backs  to  the  seats, 
and  desks  were  an  unknown  quantity.  A  substi- 
tute for  the  latter  was  made  by  splitting  a  log,  and 
placing  it  against  the  wall  at  a  convenient  height, 
it  thus  serving  as  a  writing  desk  for  the  larger 
scholars.  On  one  side  of  the  bouse  a  log  was  cut 
out  to  admit  the  light. 

As  soon  as  large  enough  our  subject  commenced 
assisting  on  the  farm,  residing  at  home  until  twenty- 
three  years  old,  when  he  settled  on  the  place  he 
now  owns  and  occupies.  At  that  time  it  consisted 
of  eighty  acres  of  prairie  and  twenty  of  timber.  He 
first  erected  a  small  frame  house,  hewing  the  frame 
and  riving  the  shingles  to  cover  the  roof,  and  also 


4i  r. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  boards  for  the  sides,  and  built  the  house  en- 
tirely himself.  He  lias  since  replaced  it  by  a  line 
and  well-appointed  residence,  and  has  greatly  added 
to  the  value  of  his  landed  property  by  the  many 
fine  improvements  that  he  has  made,  besides  increas- 
ing its  acreage. 

On  the  26lh  of  April,  L849,  Mr.  Wheeler  and 
Miss  Naomi  Wilson  were  united  i.)  marriage.  Mrs. 
Wheeler  was  bom  June  13,  1831, in  Logan  County, 
Ky.,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Rebecca  (Mitch- 
ell) Wilson.  Her  father  was  a  pioneer  of  Madison 
County,  this  State,  where  he  settled  in  1834.  The 
following  year  he  came  to  Macoupin  County,  and 
became  an  early  settler  of  Brushy  Mound  Town- 
ship. He  bought  a  squatter's  claim  on  section  19, 
entered  it  from  the  Government,  built  on  it,  and 
there  resided  until  death  closed  his  mortal  career. 
His  wife  also  died  on  the  home  farm  in  Brushy 
Mound  Township. 

Of  the  sixteen  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wheeler,  six  are  living — Lima  E.,  Carrie.  Fred- 
erick. Terry.  Bird  and  Grace.  Carrie  is  the  wife 
of  Jefferson  Dedrick,  and  has  one  child  Nellie;  Fred- 
erick married  Nellie  Swank.  Mr.  Wheeler  and  his 
estimable  wife  are  members  in  high  standing  of  the 
Baptist  Church.  Their  unpretentious,  sensible  and 
upright  lives,  and  their  kindly  interest  in  their 
community  at  large,  have  won  them  the  hearty 
good  will  of  their  associates,  and  the  friendly  re- 
gard of  those  to  whom  they  are  not  intimately 
known. 


,  HI  BEN  J.   ALLMOND,  M.    D.     One  who 

has  been  for  many  3'ears  the  trusted  counsel- 
or of  a  community  in  times  of  sickness,  has 
gradually  and  almost  imperceptably  grown 
into  a  position  of  trust  and  usefulness  which  may 
well  be  envied  by  those  who  spend  their  lives  in  de- 
votion to  mere  money  making.  Such  has  been  the 
life  work  of  Dr.  Allmond  who  has  been  in  practice 
longer  than  any  other  physician  in  the  county,  and 
has  earned  the  success  and  the  respect  which  is 
universally  accorded  him.  He  was  born  in  Wil- 
mington,   Del.,    August     11,     1818.     His  father, 


William,  was  born  two  miles  from  that  city,  and 
the  grandfather,  Thomas,  was  a  native  of  the  same 
locality,  and  was  there  reared  and  married.  He 
was  a  farmer  and  also  a  stonemason  by  trade,  and 
he  erected  upon  his  farm  nine  commodious  stone 
barns.  He  was  a  tremendous  worker,  and  quarried 
this  stone  at  night  and  wheeled  it  at  night  onto  the 
scaffold  from  which  in  the  daytime  he  erected  the 
structure.  The  great-grandfather  of  our  subject 
was,  according  to  the  best  information  at  hand,  an 
emigrant  from  England  to  America.  His  name  was 
Thomas  and  with  his  brother  John  he  was  among 
the  first  settlers  upon  the  banks  of  the  Delaware 
River.  They  built  a  cave  for  their  home  and  there 
resided  until  they  were  able  to  purchase  land  and 
build  houses. 

The  father  of  our  subject  learned  the  trade  of  a 
shoemaker  but  did  not  follow  it  any  length  of  time. 
He  carried  on  a  boot  and  shoe  store  in  Wilmington 
in  which  business  he  continued  a  number  of  years. 
He  lived  to  a  very  advanced  age,  dying  when 
ninety-one  years  old.  The  maiden  name  of  his 
wife  was  Phoebe  Jefferies.  she  was  a  native  of 
Wilmington  and  a  daughter  of  David  and  Martha 
Jefferies.  She  reared  seven  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters, and  spent  her  entire  life  in  her  native  city. 

Reuben,  the  eldest  of  this  family,  was  reared 
and  educated  in  his  native  city,  and  commenced  the 
stud}'  of  medicine  when  he  was  sixteen  years  old, 
being  matriculated  at  Jefferson  Medical  College  at 
Philadelphia,  and  taking  ins  diploma  there  in  the 
spring  of  1839.  He  commenced  his  medical  prac-i 
tice  at  Talleyville,  Newcastle  County,  Del.,  and 
continued  there  until  1849.  He  then  removed  to 
Ohio,  making  his  home  in  Morgan  County  until 
1853.  After  this  he  practiced  in  Ogle  County,  III., 
earn  ing  on  a  farm  at  the  same  time.  In  1858  he 
sold  this  property  and  removed  to  Piasa,  Macoupin 
County,  where  he  practiced  until  1861,  when  he 
made  his  permanent  home  in  Palmyra. 

The  first  marriage  of  Dr.  Allmor.d  occurred  in 
1841,  when  he  was  happily  united  with  Ann  <!. 
Talley,  who  was  born  near  Talleyville,  Del.,  the 
ancestral  home  of  her  family.  Her  birth  occurred 
in  May,  1822,  and  she  passed  away  from  life  in 
18G0at  Piasa.  Tne  present  Mrs.  Allmond  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Elizabeth    Janes.     She  was  born 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


117 


in  CarrolllOD,  111.,  in  1831,  and  was  united  with 
our  subject  in  May,  1862.  The  Doctor  has  six 
children  living  by  his  first  marriage,  namelj  :  Leu- 
rina,  Mrs.  Gardner;  Priscilla,  Mrs.  Padgett; 
Phoebe,  Mrs.  Cram;  Julia,  Mrs.  Grimmett;  Flor- 
ence Virginia,  Mrs.  Rice,  and  Ida,  Mrs.  Springlc. 
The  second  marriage  has  brought  him  three  daugh- 
ters: Zillie  May,  Mrs.  Kapps;  Dora  15.,  Mrs. 
Ritchie,  and  Ilattie.  The  Doctor  aid  Mrs.  All-- 
monil  and  most  of  their  daughters  are  active  and 
earnest  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  which  they  are  highly  respected,  and 
where  they  find  a  broad  field  of  influence.  The 
Doctor's  politics  are  in  accordance  with  the  utter- 
ances of  the  Democratic  platform. 


ANDOLPH  P.  ANDERSON,  a  well-known 
and  honored  citizen  of  Carlinville,  now 
living  retired  from  active  business,  comes 
1  of  Irish  and  .Scotch  ancestry.  He  was  born 
February  25,  1832,  on  a  farm  near  Newark,  N.  J., 
the  son  of  Robert  and  Nancy  (Moore)  Anderson. 
Robert  Anderson  was  born  in  Ireland,  of  which 
country,  as  far  as  known,  his  father,  James  Ander- 
son, was  also  a  native,  and  where  his  entire  life  was 
spent.  His  son  Robert  was  reared  in  his  native 
land,  and  when  a  young  man,  with  three  of  his 
brothers,  came  to  America,  locating  in  New  Jersey, 
while  his  brothers  settled  in  the  Southern  States. 
He  was  a  brick  moulder  by  trade,  and  followed  that 
business  in  New  Jersey  for  fifteen  years,  and  then 
bought  a  farm  near  Newark,  upon  which  he  resided 
until  1838,  when  he  went  to  Indiana,  and  settled  in 
Randolph  County,  where  he  was  a  pioneer,  lie 
bought  a  tract  of  timber  land  near  the  Ohio  State 
line,  and  built  a  log  house  on  the  place.  He  split 
boards  for  the  roof,  also  puncheon  for  the  floor. 
The  chimney  was  built  of  earth  and  sticks.  At 
that  early  day  there  was  an  abundance  of  game, 
deer  and  turkeys  were  very  plentiful.  For  some 
years  there  were  no  railways,  and  Pickaway  thirty- 
seven  miles  distant,  was  the  nearest  market.  The 
merchants  would  pay  for   grain   and    hay    in    mer- 


chandise only.  At  that  time  but  little  value  was 
plated  upon  lumber,  and  when  clearing  land  huge 
logs  were  rolled  together  and  burned. 

The  father  of  our  subject  developed  a  farm  from 
the  wilderness,  which  he  sold  at  an  advance,  and 
bought  another  tract  of  timber  a  mile  distant  from 
his  first  purchase.  This  he  also  built  upon  and 
cleared  the  land,  but  finally  sold  it.  He  then  pur- 
chased a  small  piece  of  land,  erected  a  comfortable 
home,  and  there  dwelt  until  his  death.  His  wife 
was  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  she  came  to  this 
country  with  her  father,  Isaac  Moore.  Her  death 
took  place  upon  the  home-place  in  Randolph 
County.  Roth  she  and  her  husband  were  devoted 
Christians,  and  members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
They  reared  a  family  of  thirteen  children  to  useful 
lives. 

Randolph  P.  Anderson  was  but  six  years  old 
when  his  parents  removed  to  Indiana,  and  in  that 
State  he  was  reared  and  educated.  He  early  at- 
tended school  in  a  primitive  log  schoolhouse,  and 
as  soon  as  he  was  able,  commenced  to  assist  in  the 
duties  of  the  farm,  residing  with  his  parents  until 
he  was  fourteen  years  old,  when  he  began  to  do 
farm  work  by  the  day  or  month  for  others.  He  re- 
ceived ten  cents  a  day  for  his  labor,  and  by  the 
month  was  paid  $1  or  $5,  and  had  to  work  hard 
from  daylight  until  dark.  He  continued  working 
out  until  he  was  seventeen,  and  then  served  three 
and  one-half  years  in  Union  City,  Ind.,  to  learn 
the  trade  of  blacksmith.  After  that  he  did  "join" 
work  in  that  State  until  1855,  when  he  came  to 
Carlinville,  commencing  here  as  a  journeyman,  and 
finally  opening  a  carriage  and  general  blacksmith 
shop,  in  which  he  continued  until  1884,  when  he 
retired  from  active  business.  He  was  very  much 
prospered,  and  succeeded  in  accumulating  a  valua- 
ble property,  the  possession  of  which  places  him 
among  the  moneyed  men  of  Macoupin  County, 
lie  has  purchased  farm  land  from  time  to  time, 
some  of  which  he  has  sold,  but  he  still  owns  up- 
ward of  five  hundred  acres,  all  of  which  is  located 
within  a  convenient  distance  of  Carlinville. 

On  October  30,  1862,  Mr.  Anderson  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Helena  McGinnis.  She  is  a  na- 
tive of  Macoupin  County,  her  birth  taking  place  in 
Carlinville   Township,  and    she    is  a  daughter  of 


418 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Martin  McGinnis,  a  Missourian  by  birth.  Mrs.  An- 
derson's great-grandfather  was  born  in  Ireland,  and 
emigrated  to  this  country.  His  son  James,  the  next 
in  line  of  descent,  was  a  pioneer  fanner  of  Missouri. 
From  that  State  he  came  to  Illinois,  ami  his  death 
look  place  in  Madison  County.  The  father  of  Mrs. 
Anderson  was  quite  young  when  his  parents  took 
up  their  residence  in  this  State.  After  his  mar- 
riage with  Elizabeth  Haines,  a  daughter  of  James 
Haines,  he  located  in  Macoupin  County,  and  was 
an  active  pioneer  of  Carlinville  Township.  ITe 
purchased  a  tract  of  partially  improved  land  and 
engaged  in  agriculture.  He  now  resides  in  Ches- 
terfield Township.  1 1  is  wife  is  thought  to  have 
been  a  native  of  Missouri.  She  died  on  the  home 
farm  in  Chesterfield  Township. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  are  the  parents  of  two 
children,  Annie  Mary  and  Robert  R.  Annie  is  the 
wife  of  William  B.  Taylor,  of  Carlinville.  They 
have  three  children,  whom  they  have  named  Karl 
Randolph,  Fenton  and  Myrtle.  The  term  "self- 
made"  may  most  properly  be  applied  to  Mr.  An- 
derson, as  through  life  he  has  had  to  depend 
entirely  on  his  own  exertions.  But  with  a  deter- 
mination to  succeed,  lie  worked  earnestly  and  con- 
stantly, and  now,  while  yet  in  the  prime  of  life, 
can  rest  from  all  care  and  anxiety,  with  the  con- 
sciousness that  his  present  prosperity  is  due  to  his 
own  industry  and  ability,  ably  seconded  by  the  co- 
operation of  his  faithful  wife. 


'j£_^ENRY  C.  SANDERS,  one  of  the  members 
I;  of  a  prominent  family  in  Macoupin  County, 
residing  on  section  22,  North  Otter  Town- 
ship, has  a  beautiful  place  of  eighty-three 
acres  upon  which  he  has  erected  good  farm  build- 
ings. He  is  a  brother  of  W.  E.  Sanders  of  Polk 
Township  and  a  son  of  Brantley  N.  Sanders,  who 
was  a  North  Carolinian  by  birth.  His  mother,  Sarah 
Sanders,  was  born  in  Alabama,  which  became  the 
first  home  of  this  couple  after  their  marriage  and 
from  which  they  moved  to  Missouri  in  1858.  They 
remained  in  that  State  until  during  the  da\7s  of  the 
Civil  War,  when    they  came  to  Illinois,  settling  in 


what  is  now  Polk  Township,  Macoupin  County. 
They  remained  here  from  1803  through  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  third  in  order 
of  age  in  a  family  of  ten  children.  He  was  born 
before  his  parents  came  West,  December  23.  1849, 
in  Alabama.  He  accompanied  his  father  and 
mother  in  their  wanderings,  reaching  Macoupin 
County  in  1863  and  remained  with  his  parents  un- 
til their  death.  After  this  sad  event  the  family 
remained  together  about  a  year,  making  their  home 
in  North  Otter  Township.  Henry  went  to  live 
with  Nathan  Chamberlain  and  remained  with  him 
four  years  and  then  worked  a  year  for  another 
farmer  who  also  resided  in  North  Otter  Township. 
After  this  he  spent  one  summer  in  Polk  Township. 

Martha  F.  Biggerstaff  was  the  maiden  name  of 
the  lady  who  was  united  in  marriage  with  our  sub- 
ject at  the  home  of  her  parents  in  North  Otter 
Township,  October  27,  1870.  Her  parents,  Benja- 
min and  Nancy  (Courtney)  Biggerstaff,  were  also 
Southerners  by  birth  and  breeding,  and  came  from 
Kentucky  to  Macoupin  County  at  an  early  day, 
making  their  permanent  home  in  North  Otter 
Township,  where  they  remained  until  called  hence 
by  death.  Christmas  Day,  1852,  is  the  natal  day 
of  Mrs.  Martha  F.  Sanders,  who  was  born  after 
her  parents  removed  to  this  county. 

Six  bright  and  interesting  children  came  to  share 
the  parental  love  and  care  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sanders. 
Their  names  are:  Charlie  B.,  Melvin  M.,  Mella  A., 
Lola  A.,  Arthur  A.,  and  Eva  M.  The  youngest 
son  was  rudely  snatched  from  his  parents  by  death 
tli rough  a  sad  accident.  He  was  kicked  by  a  horse 
July  6,  1890  and  died  from  the  effects  of  this  blow 
four  days  later. 

Mr.  Sanders  has  been  School  Director  and  Con- 
stable, both  of  which  offices  he  has  filled  with  credit 
to  himself  anil  advantage  to  his  fellow-citizens. 
He  takes  an  intelligent  view  of  political  movements 
and  keeps  himself  well-informed  in  regard  to  pub- 
lic affairs,  as  well  as  exerting  himself  to  influence 
local  movements.  He  is  strongly  attached  to  the 
party  which  placed  Lincoln  in  the  Presidential 
Chair,  and  watches  with  interest  the  progress  of 
this  party. 

The  Christian  Church  is  the  religious  body  with 


RESIDENCE  OF    H.  C.  SAN  DERS  ,  SEC.  22.,  NORTH    OTTER  TP,  MACOUPI  N    CO., ILL. 


RESIDENCE  OF    FRANK    W.  GATES  ,  SEC. ,28.,  Gl  RARD    TR,  MACOUPIN    CO..ILL 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


421 


which  our  subject  has  connected  himself  and  he  is 
:i  hearty  worker  in  its  schemes  of  piety  and  phi- 
lanthropy. He  has  always  been  actively  engaged 
in  farming  and  stock-raising  and  has  put  his  farm 
in  a  first-class  condition.  The  buildings  arc  an 
ornament  to  the  township  and  the  neat  appearance 
of  fields  and  fences  is  in  itself  a  compliment  to  his 
thoroughness  and  good  management.  A  view  of 
this  homestead  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this 
volume. 


f — j  RANK  W.  GATES,  a  veteran  of  the  late 
-t(g)  war,  who  fought  bravely  for  his  country  on 
many  a  .Southern  battlefield,  has  done  no 
less  good  work  as  a  sturdy,  capable  farmer  in  help- 
ing to  carry  forward  the  agricultural  interests  of 
this  county.  His  home  place  comprises  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-four  acres  of  fine  farming  land,  ad- 
vantageously located  close  to  the  city  of  Girard, 
and  he  also  has  two  other  small  tracts  of  choice 
farm  land,  one  in  this  and  one  in  .Sangamon  Coun- 
ty- 

Mr.  Gates  is  a  native  of  Muhlenberg  County, 
Ky.,  born  December  23,  1838.  His  father,  who 
bore  the  name  of  Henry  Gates,  was  a  native  of 
Muhlenberg  County,  Ky.  John  Gates,  the  grand- 
father of  our  subject  was  a  native  of  North  Caro- 
lina and  a  son  of  Yost  Gates.  The  family  name 
was  formerly  spelled  differently.  The  great-grand- 
father of  our  subject  went  from  Pennsylvania  to 
North  Carolina,  and  spent  his  remaining  days  in  the 
latter  State.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject  grew 
to  manhood  in  the  State  of  bis  birth,  and  was  there 
married  to  Christina  Groves,  who  was  also  a  native 
of  North  Carolina.  He  removed  to  Muhlenberg 
County,  Ky.  about  1800,  and  was  one  of  the  pione- 
ers of  that  section,  buying  a  tract  of  land  on  the 
Greenville  and  Klktou  Road  bordering  on  the 
waters  of  Pond  River.  He  erected  needed  build- 
ings, and  in  the  course  of  years  improved  a  farm, 
upon  which  lie  resided  until  death  called  him  hence. 
His  wife  also  died   on  the   home   farm.     They  had 


four  sons  and  three  daughters,  who  names  were 
John,  Jacob,  .Joseph,  Henry,  Catherine,  Elizabeth 
and  Christina. 

The  father  of  our  subject  inherited  tin  old  home- 
stead, and  retained  it  in  his  possession  until  1855, 
when  he  sold  it  in  the  spring  of  that  year  in  order 
to  come  to  Illinois  to  avail  himself  of  the  superior 
advantages  afforded  by  the  rich  soil  of  this  state. 
He  settled  in  Sangamon  County,  buj  ing  a  tract  of 
laud  in  Auburn  Township.  He  erected  suitable 
buildings,  and  dwelt  there  until  1859.  In  that 
year  he  sold  his  property  there  at  an  advance,  and 
coming  to  Macoupin  County,  took  up  his  abode  in 
Shaw's  Point  Township,  where  he  again  bought  a 
tract  of  land  broken  and  fenced,  but  without  build- 
ings. He  erected  all  the  buildings  that  he  required, 
anil  in  the  home  that  he  made  there  his  lite  was 
prolonged  to  a  ripe  age,  his  death  occurring  in 
January,  1873.  II is  married  life  with  Sarah  Jenk- 
ins, a  native  of  Muhlenberg  County,  Ky..  and  a 
daughter  of  Amos  and  Grace  (Deeren)  Jenkins, 
was  one  of  mutual  happiness,  and  was  blest  to 
them  by  the  birth  of  eleven  children,  namely, 
Julia  A.,  Albert  K.,  Frank  YV..  Henry  II.,  John  P., 
Delilu,;*&«fl}tSw,  Thomas  M.,  Leander  YV.,  Ellen 
and  MaVfj.Wl'he  mother  is  Still  living  at  a  vener- 
able age,  and  makfeM^er  home  with  a  daughter  at 
Shaw's  Point  Township. 

The  subject  of  this  biographical  notice  was  six- 
teen years  old  when  the  family  came  to  this  State. 
lie  had  attended  school  in  Kentucky,  and  was  well 
versed  in  farm  work,  as  he  had  begun  at  an  early 
age  to  help  his  father.  He  remained  an  inmate  of 
the  parental  home  until  he  attained  his  majority, 
and  then  commenced  hischosen  calling  as  a  farmer 
on  rented  land.  In  the  opening  years  of  his  man- 
hood the  great  rebellion  broke  out,  and  threatened 
destruction  to  the  Union.  In  August,  1862  he 
determined  to  sacrifice  all  prospects  of  success  in 
the  pursuit  of  his  vocation  to  join  the  brave  boys 
at  the  front  to  help  save  the  old  Hag  at  any  cost. 
His  name  was  enrolled  as  a  member  of  Company 
K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  Illinois  Infantry, 
with  which  he  served  faithfully  until  the  close  of 
the  War.  He  look  part  in  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga,  and  started  with  Sherman  on  his  celebrated 
march  to  Atlanta.     On   the   way  he  helped  to  fight 


422 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  battle  of  Resaea,  and  with  his  regiment  was 
detached  to  guard  that  city.  After  a  few  weeks 
he  and  his  comrades  advanced  to  Adairsville,  and 
then  marched  back  to  Resaea,  whence  they  went  to 
Nashville,  and  assisted  in  that  battle.  After  that 
they  followed  the  rebels  to  Iluntsville,  Ala.,  where 
they  went  into  winter  quarters.  In  early  spring 
they  were  despatched  to  Virginia,  and  were  near 
Greenville,  Tenn.,  when  they  received  the  joyful 
news  that  peace  was  declared.  Our  subject's  regi- 
ment returned  to  Nashville,  where  it  was  encamped 
for  a  time  before  it  was  finally  mustered  out  and 
honorably  discharged  in  .lune,  1865. 

After  the  war  closed  our  subject  returned  to  this 
county,  and  quietly  resumed  the  work  that  he  had 
thrown  aside  to  become  a  soldier.  He  soon  bought 
a  tract  of  timber  land  west  of  Girard,  built  thereon, 
improved  a  part  of  it,  and  in  1869  sold  it.  His 
next  purchase  was  a  lot  of  prairie  land  three  miles 
northwest  of  Girard,  which  he  farmed  some  years 
with  good  profit.  He  then  sold  that  farm  at  a  good 
advance  on  the  purchase  price,  and  his  next  invest- 
ment was  in  land  a  mile  and  a  half  southeast  of 
Girard  in  Nilwood  Township.  In  1884  he  bought 
the  farm  on  which  he  no*  resides  near  the  village 
of  Girard.  On  another  page  appears  a  view  of  this 
estate.  It  is  a  well-improved  piece  of  property, 
and  the  fertile  soil  returns  abundant  harvests  in 
payment  for  the  care  bestowed  upon  it. 

Mr.  Gates  and  Miss Serilda Gibson  entered  upon 
their  wedded  life  in  March,  1862.  Mrs.  Gates  is  a 
native  of  Morgan  County,  this  State,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Cullen  and  Nancy  Gibson,  of  whom  see  bio- 
graphy on  another  page  of  this  volume.  In  her  the 
German  Baptist  Church  finds  an  active  working 
member  and  the  husband  a  faithful  wife.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Gates  have  eight  children  living,  Sarah  J., 
Emma  M..  Oscar,  Klla,  Nora,  Charles,  Edgar  and 
Lois. 

Our  subject  is  well  worthy  of  the  trust  and  con- 
sideration in  which  he  is  held,  as  he  is  honest  and 
straight  forward  in  all  that  he  does,  and  has  ever 
been  true  to  his  convictions  of  duty,  whether  as  a 
soldier  or  as  a  private  citizen.  He  is  one  of  the 
leading  members  of  the  Luke  May  field  Post,  No. 
516,  G.  A.  R  ,  of  which  he  is  Senior  Vice,  and  Past 
Commander  and    Adjutant.      In   religion   he  is  lib- 


eral, allowing  all  to  think  as  they  please  and  re- 
taining the  right  in  that  respect  as  private  property. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  although  he  cast  his 
first  vole  for  Mr.  Douglas. 


* 


ffiACOB  BRUBAKER,  a  retired  farmer, 
residing  in  Virden  Township,  is  a  man 
whose  life  and  character  have  won  him 
the  universal  respect  of  his  fellow-citi- 
zens, and  he  is  most  worthy  of  representation  in 
this  Biographical  Record.  He  was  born  in  Frank- 
lin County,  Va.,  August  1,  1819,  the  eldest  son  of 
Jonathan  and  Barbara  Brubaker,  an  account  of 
whom  is  given  in  the  biography  of  .Jonathan 
Brubaker  on  another  page  of  this  volume. 

Our  subject  had  a  thorough  training  in  agricul- 
ture in  his  youth  on  his  father's  farm,  as  he  com- 
menced when  very  young  to  be  of  assistance  in 
the  labors  incident  to  its  cultivation  and  improve- 
ment. That  was  before  the  days  of  railways  or 
canals  in  his  native  Virginia,  and  his  father  used 
to  market  his  products  at  Lynchburg,  in  that 
State,  taking  them  thither  with  teams,  two  weeks 
being  consumed  in  traveling  to  and  fro  that  city. 
Modern  farming  machinery  was  then  unknown  in 
the  cultivation  of  the  land  and  in  gathering  the 
crops,  and  all  grain  was  cut  with  a  sickle  or  cradle. 
Later  a  primitive  harvest  machine  was  invented 
and  it  was  considered  a  great  institution.  In  using 
it  a  man  had  to  stand  on  a  frame  on  the  machine 
to  rake  the  grain  from  the  table,  but  later  a  self 
raker  was  invented  and  made  at  Springfield.  Our 
subject,  who  was  always  progressive  and  ready  to 
adopt  new  ideas,  exhibited  the  first  machine  of  that 
kind  ever  manufactured,  and  ultimately  bought  it. 
When  Mr.  Brubaker  was  a  lad  of  twelve  years 
he  accompanied  his  parents  in  their  removal  to 
Ohio,  and  drove  a  team  the  greater  part  of  the 
way.  In  that  early  day  Clarke  County  where  they 
located  was  somewhat  sparsely  settled,  and  still  re- 
tained much  of  its  original  condition  as  a  wilder- 
ness, in  which  deer,  wild  turkeys  and  other  game 
still  roamed  in  abundance.  Our  subject  received 
his  education  in  the  pioneer  schools  that  obtained 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


423 


in  those  days  before  the  era  of  free  schools,  when 
each  family  had  to  pay  a  certain  sum  of  money  ac- 
cording to  the  number  of  scholars  sent.  The  school 
was  taught  in  a  log  house,  which  was  furnished 
with  benches  which  were  made  of  slabs  and  had 
no  backs,  and  the  only  desk  was  a  slab  resting  on 
pins  inserted  in  the  wall.  The  people  were  prin- 
cipally home-livers  in  those  times,  and  the  very 
cloth  with  which  the  children  were  clothed  was 
spun  and  woven  by  the  mother  from  llax  and  wool 
raised  on  the  farm. 

Our  subject  continued  to  make  one  of.  the  par- 
ental household  until  his  marriage,  when  he  rented 
a  tract  of  land  on  which  he  made  his  home  for 
about  fourteen  years.  He  then  bought  property 
in  the  village  of  Northampton,  including  a  log 
house  and  a  shingle  mill.  lie  operated  the  mill 
there  two  years,  and  then  selling  the  house  and  lot. 
he  bought  thirteen  acres  of  land  a  half  mile  south 
of  the  town,  on  the  Hampton  and  Donnellsville 
Pike,  and  removing  his  mill  to  that  place,  contin- 
ued profitably  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
shingles  the  ensuing  eleven  years.  During  that 
time  he  had  invested  in  seventy -seven  acres  of  land 
adjoining,  and  in  1863  sold  his  whole  place  for  the 
goodly  sum  of  §65  an  acre.  Coming  to  Vir- 
den  after  he  had  disposed  of  that  property,  he 
bought  two  hundred  acres  of  land  on  section  18, 
of  this  township,  besides  forty  acres  of  timber, 
and  he  has  been  a  resident  here  ever  since.  His 
farm  is  in  a  fine  condition,  well  supplied  with  all 
modern  improvements,  and  its  rental  affords  him  a 
good  income. 

Mr.  Brubaker  was  married  August  13,  1840,  to 
Annie  Frantz  and  in  her  he  has  a  devoted  wife, 
who  has  been  an  important  agent  in  bringing  about 
his  present  comfortable  circumstances.  Mrs.  Bru- 
baker  is  a  native  of  Clarke  County,  Ohio,  and  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Annie  (Ohmert)  Frantz,  the 
former  a  native  of  Botetourt  County  and  the  lat- 
ter of  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  Va.,  and  they  were 
among  the  pioneers  of  Clarke  County,  Ohio.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Brubaker  reared  six  of  their  children  to 
maturity,  namely:  Elizabeth,  who  married  George 
Shull,  and  died  in  November,  1886,  at  the  age  of 
forty-five;  Nancy,  wife  of  James  Shull;  Catherine, 
wife  of  Jacob  Blickenstaff;  John,  a  preacher  in  the 


Germ  in  Baptist  Brethren  Church;  Samuel,  who  is 
a  farmer;  and  Ezra,  who  lives  with  his  parents,  the 
sons  all  being  residents  of  Virden  Township. 

Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Brubaker  arc  most  estimable  peo- 
ple, kindly,  hospitable  and  charitable,  and  they 
are  among  the  most  devoted  members  of  the  Ger- 
man Baptist  Brethren  Church,  in  which  faith  they 
have  reared  their  family, 


DANIEL  1).  GOODELL,  a  leading   attorney 

at  law  and  the  efficient  village  Clerk  of 
Brighton,  claims  New  York  as  the  State  of 
his  nativity,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Lafay- 
ette, Onondaga  County,  December  21,  1836.  The 
family  was  probably  founded  in  this  country  dur- 
ing early  Colonial  days.  The  grandfather  of  our 
subject.  Nathan  Goodell,  lived  and  died  in  the 
Km pire  State,  and  Warren  Goodell,  father  of 
Daniel,  was  born  in  Onondaga  County.  In  the 
usual  manner  of  farmer  lads  he  was  reared  to  man- 
hood and  in  his  native  State  he  married  Miss 
Frances  Bannister,  who  was  born  in  Vermont. 
Throughout  his  life  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits and  vvas  a  leading  citizen  of  the  community 
in  which  he  made  his  home,  being  especially  pro- 
minent in  local  political  affairs,  supporting  the 
Whig  party.  In  religious  belief  he  was  a  Presby- 
terian and  died  in  that  faith  in  New  York,  after 
which  his  widow  emigrated  with  her  family  to 
Michigan.  She  died  in  Calhoun  County  when  well 
advanced  in  years.  She  too  was  a  member  of  the 
•Presbyterian  Church  and  a  most  estimable  lady. 

The  early  life  of  our  subject  was  unmarked  by 
any  event  of  special  importance,  his  time  being 
passed  midst  play  and  work  as  boys  usually  spend 
their  early  days.  After  the  death  of  his  father  he 
accompanied  his  mother  to  Michigan,  and  having 
determined  to  become  a  legal  practitioner  he  enter- 
ed upon  the  study  of  law.  lie  has  lived  in  Illinois 
since  1858,  making  his  home  in  Jersey,  Madison 
ami  Macoupin  Counties,  where  lor  some  years  he 
had  a  successful  career  as  an  educator.  Being 
offered  a  position  as  teacher  in  the  schools  of 
Brighton  he  came  to  this  place  and  after  some  time 


424 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


spent  in  that  profession,  opened  an  office  and  enter- 
ed upon  the  practice  of  law  in  1879. 

Mrs.  Goodell  was  formerly  Miss  Sarah  Dicker- 
son,  a  native  of  the  State  of  Delaware.  With  her 
parents  she  came  to  Illinois,  the  family  locating  in 
Madison  County,  where  they  resided  for  some 
years,  subsequently  removing  to  Brighton,  where 
they  still  make  their  home.  They  are  well-known 
and  highly  respected  citizens  of  this  community 
and  are  numbered  among  the  honored  early  settlers. 
Sarah  Dickerson  remained  under  the  parental  roof 
until  she  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  I).  D. 
Goodell.  Their  union  has  been  blessed  by  two 
children — Warren  II.  who  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Brighton,  and  is  now  a  wide- 
awake and  enterprising  young  attorney  at  law;  and 
William  M.  who  is  still  at  home. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Goodell  is  a  stalwart  supporter 
of  the  Republican  party,  having  advocated  its 
principles  since  he  attained  his  majority.  His  ca- 
reer as  an  attorney  has  been  a  successful. one  and  he 
has  now  a  large  and  lucrative  practice,  such  as  his 
merits  well  deserve. 


>**>£&&te«'< 


dP^  AMUEL  LEE,  dealer  in  wines  and  liquors 
^^#  at  Bunker  Hill,  has  carried  on  business 
111//  )))  since  1877.  lie  is  a  native  of  England, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  Northampton- 
shire, in  the  month  of  November,  1850.  Tracing 
his  ancestry  back  until  history  was  lost  in  tradition 
we  see  that  the  family  is  of  pure  English  stock. 
The  father  of  our  subject,  George  Lee,  was  also  a 
native  of  Northamptonshire,  and  in  that  county 
was  united  in  marriage.  His  wife  died  in  her  na- 
tive land  in  the  prime  of  life,  leaving  a  family  of 
four  children,  of  whom  Samuel  is  the  third  in  order 
of  birth.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  George 
Lee  was  a  second  time  married,  his  union  being 
with  Mrs.  Anna  Wall  nee  King,  who  was  also  born 
and  reared  in  Northamptonshire,  and  was  there 
married  the  first  time.  By  her  first  union  she  had 
one  child. 

The  eldest  brother  of  our  subject,   Josiah  Lee, 


was  the  first  of  the  family  to  come  to  the  United 
States,  the  date  of  his  emigration  being  between 
1850  and  1860.  When  the  late  war  broke  out  he 
manifested  his  loyalty  to  his  adopted  country  by 
enlisting  as  a  member  of  Company  E,  Seventh  Ill- 
inois Infantry,  in  which  he  served  until  the  South 
was  conquered.  He  then  returned  to  his  home  in 
Macoupin  County,  for  nine  long  months  during 
his  service  he  had  been  confined  in  Andersonville 
prison.  He  was  married  and  was  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  Bunker  Hill  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1876.  William  Lee,  the  second  of  the 
family,  wedded  Mary  Mahoney  and  is  now  living  in 
St.  Louis.  John  II.  is  successfully  engaged  in  the 
livery  business  in  Bunker  Hill,  where  he  keeps  a 
well-equipped  stable  and  is  also  owner  of  the  fine 
thoroughbred  horse,  ••Brilliance." 

We  now  tr.ke  up  the  personal  history  of  our  sub' 
ject  who  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth 
in  his  native  land  a. id  was  there  educated.  He  was 
only  three  years  old  when  his  mother  died.  In  1870, 
in  company  with  his  elder  brother  John,  he  bade 
good-by  to  Merry  England,  and  taking  passage  on 
a  Westward  bound  steamer,  sailed  from  Liverpool 
to  New  York,  whence  he  came  across  the  country 
to  Bunker  Hill,  where  he  has  resided  continuously 
since,  covering  a  period  of  twenty-one  consecutive 
years.  Three  years  later  he  was  joined  by  his 
father  and  step-mother  who  are  yet  residing  at  this 
place.  George  Lee  is  now  seventy  years  of  age 
and  his  wife  has  attained  the  age  of  sixty  six  years. 
Both  are  members  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 

In  1877  our  subject  established  his  business  in 
Bunker  Hill  and  continued  in  it  at  his  first  location 
until  1881,  when  he  removed  to  the  building  which 
is  his  present  place  of  business.  From  the  early 
age  of  eight  years  he  has  made  his  own  way  in  the 
world,  depending  entirely  upon  his  own  efforts, 
and  the  success  he  has  achieved  in  life  is  due  to 
his  own  industry  and  push.  He  was  married  in 
Bunker  Hill,  to  Miss  Louisa  Brandenburger,  who 
was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  January  9,  1859,  but 
grew  to  womanhood  in  this  locality  where  her 
parents  located  during  her  childhood.  They  are  of 
German  birth  and  still  reside  in  Bunker  Hill.  Five 
children  grace  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee,  and 
the  family  circle  yet  remains    unbroken.     In  order 


1IBRARY 
Of  THE 

WIVERSITV  OF  ILLINOIS 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1-27 


of  birth  they  are  ns  follows:  Samuel  G.,  Laura  J., 
Joseph  \V.,  Christina  E.  and  Walter  S.  Mr.  ami 
Mrs.  Lee  attend  the  Episcopal  Church  and  in  poli- 
tics he  is  a  supporter  of  the  Republican  party. 


ffl?  EWTS  M.  PEEBLES,  who  is  now  living  in 
I  (®  retirement  from  active  business  at  (,'arlin- 
IW-^-  ville,  has  been  vaiiously  identified  with  the 
interests  of  this  count}-  for  many  years,  especially 
with  its  agriculture,  and  his  place  is  among  our 
most  useful  and  honorable  citizens.  He  was  born 
in  Hart  County,  Ky.,  January  23,  1833.  His  par- 
ents were  Bird  and  Nancy  (Brooks)  Peebles,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  in  North  Carolina  No- 
vember 8,  1795,  and  the  latter  in  La  Rue  County, 
Ky.,  October  21,  1798.  The}'  were  married  in  the 
latter  county  January  8,  1818;  and  settled  in  Hart 
County,  the  same  Stale,  where  they  lived  until 
1839. 

In  that  year  the  parents  came  to  this  Slate,  and 
cast  in  their  lot  with  the  pioneers  of  this  county. 
He  became  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  his  sec- 
tion, and  was  also  prominent  in  public  life.  In 
1848  he  was  elected  County  Commissioner,  and  held 
the  ofliee  four  years.  Both  he  and  his  good  wife 
were  devoted  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  They  died  in  Chesterfield  Township,  his 
death  occurring  in  June,  1852,  and  hers  in  the  fall 
of  18G7.  They  were  the  parents  often  children, 
nine  of  whom  lived  to  grow  up.  They  were  among 
the  oldest  settlers  of  the  county,  and  their  names 
are  held  in  reverence  among  those  of  its  most 
worthy  pioneers. 

lie  of  whom  we  write  was  six  years  of  age  when 
his  parents  came  to  this  count)'  and  located  in 
Chesterfield  Township.  Here  he  grew  to  man's 
estate,  and  for  forty-four  years  he  lived  in  the 
house  that  his  father  built  in  1840..  He  was  given 
excellent  educational  advantages,  and  for  six 
months  was  a  student  at  Shurtleff  College,  Upper 
Alton.  He  was  carefully  trained  in  all  that  makes  a 
good  man  and  a  good  citizen,  and  high  moral  prin- 
ciples were  early  instilled  into  his  mind.  His  par- 
ents were  anions  the  leading  members  in   building 


up  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Chesterfield, 

and  he  was  one  of  the  first  pupils  I"  attend  the  first 
Sunday-school  that  was  established  in  Chesterfield 
Township. 

Our  subject  has  been  chiefly  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits,  am!  formerly  tanned  quite  exten- 
sively, and  laised  a  good  deal  of  stock,  making  a 
specialty  of  horses  and  cattle.  lie  still  retains 
possession  of  his  farm,  which  is  one  ol  the  finest  in 
the  county,  comprising  three  hundred  acres  of 
choice  land  in  Chesterfield  and  Western  Mound 
Townships,  which  he  rents,  as  on  account  of  ill- 
health  he  is  unable  to  superintend  its  cultivation. 
He  has  by  no  means  confined  himself  to  fanning. 
but  with  characteristic  enterprise  has  branched 
out  in  other  directions,  and  at  one  time  was  en- 
gaged in  the  drug  and  grocery  business  at  Chester- 
Held.  While  living  on  his  farm  he  built  a  brick 
kiln  and  manufactured  brick  for  one  year.  In  the 
spring  of  1881  he  rented  his  farm  ami  removed  to 
the  village  of  Chesterfield,  where  he  continued  to 
live  two  years.  He  then  removed  to  Greenfield, 
Greene  County,  and  was  a  resident  of  that  place 
until  August,  1890,  when  he  took  up  his  abode  in 
the  city  of  Carlinville,  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home. 

Mr.  Peebles  was  married  in  Barr  Township,  this 
county.  April  12,  1871,  to  .Miss  Josephine  A.  Met- 
calf.  Theirs  is  a  true  marriage,  in  which  each  has 
nobly  met  the  responsibilities  of  domestic  life,  com- 
forted each  other  in  its  sorrows,  and  trebled  its 
joys  by  their  devotion  to  each  others'  interests. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  them:  Earl  M., 
Roy  B.  and  Ina.  Ina  died  when  nine  months  old. 
Both  the  sons  are  being  given  every  advantage  to 
secure  a  liberal  education,  and  are  al  present  stu- 
dents in  Blackburn  University. 

Mrs.  Peebles  is  a  native  of  this  county,  born  in 
Barr  Township  August  28,  1840,  a  daughter  of 
Richard  J.  Metcalf,  one  of  its  leading  citizens.  She 
remained    with    her    parents   in  that   township  until 

her   marriage,    being    reared    to    w auh i  in  the 

home  of  her  birth.  She  was  educated  in  the  Melh- 
odist  College  at  Jacksonville,  and  is  a  woman  of 
much  culture  and  tiue  refinement.  She  is  an  ac- 
tive member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
as  is  also  her  youngest  son.     She  is  charitable  and 


428 


PORTRAIT  AMU  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


benevolent  in  her  disposition,  and  her  sympathies 
are  enlisted  in  every  good  work  in  or  out  of  her 
church. 

The  father  of  Mrs.  Peebles  was  born  in  Hopkins 
County,  Ky.,  August  1,  1817,  and  was  next  to  the 
youngest  of  a  family  of  nine  children.  He  was 
eighteen  years  old  when  he  came  to  Macoupin 
County,  and  he  was  here  married  September  6, 
1838,  to  Miss  Mary  .1.  Buchanan,  who  had  come  to 
this  county  when  she  was  ten  years  of  age.  She 
was  born  in  Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  August  26, 
1823.  The  youthful  couple  established  their  home 
among  the  pioneers  of  Barr  Township,  where  they 
lived  in  contentment  and  happiness  for  more  than 
forty  years.  In  December,  1882,  they  removed  to 
Greenfield,  where  she  died  October  26,  1886.  He 
suivived  her  until  March  2,  1890,  when  he  too 
passed  away.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  but 
after  his  removal  to  Greenfield  he  engaged  in  the 
banking  business,  which  he  followed  until  a  year 
previous  to  his  death,  when  he  was  obliged  to  aban- 
don it  on  account  of  old  age,  and  consequent  fail- 
ing health. 

Mr.  Metealf  was  prominent  in  public  life  during 
his  residence  in  Barr  Township.  He  represented 
the  township  two  terms  as  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
coupin County  Board  of  Supervisors,  and  was  one 
of  the  Directors  of  the  County  Agricultural  Board 
for  several  years.  He  also  held  various  school  offi- 
ces. About  three  years  before  his  death  he  joined 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chinch,  of  which  his  wife 
had  been  a  devoted  member  since  she  was  fifteen 
years  old.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
of  whom  Mrs.  Peebles  is  the  eldest.  Mr.  Metealf 
took  a  good  degree  of  interest  in  educational 
affairs,  and  was  careful  to  give  his  children  sound 
educations.  He  was  a  great  lover  of  home,  and 
his  thoughts  were  centered  in  the  domestic  circle 
where  he  was  the  most  devoted  of  husbands  and 
the  kindest  of  fathers.  His  neighbors  found  in 
him  a  true  friend  and  a  safe  counselor,  and  be  was 
honored  and  revered  by  all  who  knew  him. 

We  will  add  only  a  few  more  words  to  this  brief 
outline  of  the  life  of  our  subject.  He  has  always 
honored  industry  and  integrity  in  thought  and  in 
example,  in  personal  character  he  is  above  re- 
proach, and  enjoys  a  high  standing  throughout  the 


county.  He  has  always  manifested  a  deep  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  the  county,  and  has  contributed 
his  share  to  its  rise  and  progress.  He  was  Presi- 
dent of  the  Permanent  Organization  in  Chester- 
field Township,  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  in 
building  what  is  now  known  as  the  St.  Louis,  Al- 
ton &  Springfield  Railway,  and  subscribed  very 
liberally  toward  the  construction  of  the  road.  He 
has  held  some  of  the  school  offices  and  has  used  his 
influence  to  extend  the  educational  advantages  of 
his  community.  He  represented  Chesterfield  Town- 
ship as  a  member  of  the  Anti  Court  House  Central 
Committee,  of  which  Judge  Lewis  Solomon  was 
Chairman.  Our  subject  was  Chairman  of  the  first 
Anti  Court  House  indignation  meeting  that  was 
held  in  the  county,  and  he  was  very  influential  in 
arousing  public  sentiment  against  the  erection  of 
the  court  house. 

Mr.  Peebles  was  formerly  actively  engaged  in 
church  work  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
until  he  was  forty  years  old,  and  held  various  olli- 
ces  in  connection  with  it,  such  as  that  of  Class- 
Leader,  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school,  and 
was  for  a  time  Recording  Steward.  He  is  a  tlior-  j 
ough-going  temperance  man,  and  has  long  been  a 
leader  in  the  Prohibition  party,  it.  being  largely 
through  his  instrumentality  that  the  party  was  or- 
ganized in  this  county,  and  he  also  assisted  in  the 
organization  of  the  Prohibitionists  in  Greene 
County,  into  an  effective  working  party. 

On  another  page  of  this  volume  the  reader  will  I 
notice  a  portrait  ol  Mr.  Peebles. 


•*ih 


ETER  J.  AHHENS,  one  of  the  oldest  mer- 
chants in  Gillespie  who  is  doing  a  general 
merchandise  business  on  Macoupin  Street 
began  business  at  his  present  stand  in  the 
spring  of  1866.  He  now  has  a  well-filled  store' 
measuring  20x66  and  a  ware-room  16x20  feet  in 
addition.  Before  coming  to  this  city  he  was  in  the 
same  line  of  business  for  a  year  at  Staunton,  but 
is  now  considered  one  of  the  oldest  residents  of 
this  place,  having  come  here  when  the  village  wj 
very  small.     The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  born  in 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


129 


Holstein,  Germany.  May  29.  1826.  He  came  of  a 
good  German  family,  a  fuller  history  of  which  can 
be  seen  in  the  historical  sketch  of  John  M.  Ahrens, 
to  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  Record.  This  son  is 
one  of  seven  children  who  grew  to  maturity  in  their 
native  country,  five  of  whom  are  now  living  in 
America.  Peter  was  trained  in  the  life  of  a  farmer 
and  he  hail  reached  the  age  of  twenty -three  years 
before  he  started  for  the  New  World.  He  then  set 
sail  in  May  1849,  and  coming  in  a  sailing-vessel  to 
the  United  States,  landed  in  New  York  after  a  four 
weeks'  voyage.  lie  came  to  Chicago  and  after- 
ward to  this  county.  He  farmed  for  awhile  and 
later  took  up  the  business  as  above  stated. 

The  marriage  of  Peter  Ahrens  and  Maria  RutheH 
took  place  in  Macoupin  County,  in  May,  18.31.  She 
was  born  in  Hanover,  Prussia,  February  2,  1835. 
For  fuller  mention  of  this  family,  the  reader  is  re- 
ferred to  the  biography  of  Charles  Kuther.  This 
young  woman  was  reared  and  partly  educated  in 
Germany  and  in  1817  came  with  her  parents  to 
America.  Their  first  home  in  the  new  country  was 
near  Brighton  in  this  county  and  somervhat  later 
they  removed  to  Staunton.  This  bright  and  cap- 
able German  lady  has  become  the  mother  of  ten 
children,  three  of  whom  died  when  young.  Those 
who  arc  living  are  John,  who  is  yet  single,  and  is 
associated  with  his  father  in  business,  being  the 
junior  partner  in  the  firm;  Christina,  the  wife  of 
Edgar  Lightly,  a  mechanical  engineer,  who  resides 
in  Lansing,  Kan.;  George  C,  who  has  grown  up 
in  the  mercantile  business  and  is  now  assisting  his 
father  and  brother  by  clerking  in  the  store.  His 
wife's  maiden  name  was  Lucy  Burton.  The  four 
younger  children,  Carl,  Anna,  Fanny  and  Rosa,  are 
at  home.  These  children  have  inherited  more  than 
ordinary  intellectual  acumen  and  practical  aptness 
for  the  duties  of  life.  Fanny  received  her  higher 
education  at  the  German  Methodist  Episcopal  Col- 
lege at  Warrenton,  Mo.  The  church  under  which 
this  school  is  nourishing  is  the  one  to  which  our  sub- 
ject and  his  wife  are  attached,  and  in  which  they 
find  a  broad  field  of  usefulness  and  opportunity  for 
labor.  Mr.  Ahrens  is  a  sound  Republican  and  one 
of  the  leading  German-American  citizens  in  this 
part  of  the  county.  For  eight  years  past  his  neigh- 
bors have  served   themselves  and  honored  him  by 


placing  him  in  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace,  an 
i. Hire  which  he  has  conducted  in  a  manner  which  is 

n  credit  to  himself  and  is  highly  satisfactory  to  all 
concerned. 


*s»r**Hi 


r. 


I  OHN  WHEELER,  a  respected  resident  of 
Bird  Township,  was  born  in  Mason  County 
Ky.,  September  6,  180G.  His  father,  Benja- 
min, a  native  of  Kentucky  removed  when 
this  son  was  seven  years  old  to  Clermont  County, 
Ohio,  where  he  grew  to  manhood.  Early  in  the 
'30s  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Benjamin  Wheeler  with  one 
child  left  Ohio  for  Illinois,  but  on  the  way  spent 
almost  a  year  and  a  half  in  Indiana.  In  1833  our 
subject  came  to  Greene  County,  111.  and  after  a 
year's  residence  there  arrived  in  Macoupin  County 
in  the  fall  of  18.il  and  made  his  permanent  home 
in  Bird  Township 

John  Wheeler  first  bought  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  but  finally  increased  it  to  two  hundred 
and  fifty-eight  acres,  which  he  now  owns,  although 
at  one  time  he  possessed  some  twelve  hundred  acres 
which  he  has  parted  with,  lie  improved  his  farm 
and  erected  comfortable  buildings,  am)  was  suc- 
cessful in  his  enterprises.  He  has  always  from  the 
first  been  provided  with  the  necessities  and  many  of 
the  comforts  of  life. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  took  place  in  Cler- 
mont County,  Ohio,  his  bride  being  Miss  Mary 
Cameron.  She  was  born  in  Fleming  County,  Ky., 
October  22,  1803.  They  became  the  parents  of 
the  following  children:  Lucinda,  and  Amanda  who 
died  in  infancy;  William,  who  married  Mary  J.  Lee; 
Barbara,  who  is  Mrs.  Jonas  Ribble;  Francis  M., 
who  married  Miss  Shull  and  later  Miss  Lucy 
Haynes;  lluldah,  who  is  the  wife  of  John  R.  Stew- 
ard; Calvin,  who  married  Lizzie  Kane. 

Mr.  Wheeler  has  been  a  member  of  the  School 
Board  and  is  always  deeply  interested  in  educa- 
tional affairs,  promoting  in  every  way  possible 
the  interests  of  the  young  people  of  the  community-: 
He  is  justly  proud  of  his  ancesl  ry  as  his  grandfather 
John  Wheeler,  was  a  soldier  under  Gen.  Washing- 
ton for  four  years  in  the  Revolutionary  days.     His 


430 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


political  views  are  of  the  strong  Jacksonian  Demo- 
cratic kind  and  lie  is  ever  ready  with  his  ballot  to 
help  carry  out  the  principles  which  'he  indorses. 
Farming  and  stock-raising  have  occupied  his  efforts 
and  interests.  Like  all  old  settlers  he  lias  seen  great 
changes  in  his  township,  and  rejoices  in  the  pros- 
perity of  the  region  which  he  made  his  home  so 
many  years  a^o.  To  all  such  great  credit  is  due 
for  the  prosperity  and  enlightenment  which  now 
blesses  the  younger  members  of  society  and  which 
has  made  of  Illinois  a  State  of  which  all  Americans 
feel  proud.  Not  one  of  the  family  has  died  since 
our  subject  came  to   Illinois. 

VARNEY  HALL  is  a  representative  of 
the  native-born  citizens  of  this  county  who 
within  the  past  tew  years  have  stepped  for- 
ward to  aid  in  carrying  on  the  great  agri- 
cultural interests  of  this  section.  He  is  a  descend- 
ant of  the  good  old  pioneer  slock  of  the  early 
years  of  the  settlement  of  the  Stale,  and  was  born 
.September  1,  1867,  on  section  0,  Brushy  Mound 
Township,  on  his  father's  old  homestead,  a  part  of 
which  he  now  owns  and  operates. 

Our  subject  is  a  son  of  the  late  Harrison  Hall,  a 
former  well-known,  wealthy  farmer  of  this  county, 
who  was  born  in  1832,  in  Jarvis  Township,  Madi- 
son County,  a  son  of  one  of  its  early  settlers,  Henry 
Hall.  The  latter  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and 
after  his  removal  to  this  State  lie  bought  and  im- 
proved a  farm  in  Jarvis  Township,  and  died 
there. 

Harrison  Hall  was  reared  and  educated  in  his 
native  county.  There  were  no  free  schools  in  his 
youth,  and  all  had  to  pay  for  their  schooling.  As 
his  early  life  was  passed  on  a  farm  he  became  in 
time  a  good,  practical  farmer.  He  continued  to 
reside  in  Madison  County  until  1856,  when  became 
to  Macoupin  County,  and  bought  a  tract  of  land 
on  section  6,  Brushy  Mound  Township,  which  was 
mostly  covered  with  timber,  but  r>.  few  acres  were 
in  cultivation  and  a  set  of  log  buildings  stood  on 
the  place.  In  the  busy  years  that,  followed  he  be- 
came prosperous,  carrying  on  his  agricultural  pur- 


suits very  successfully,  and  at  different  times  buy 
ing  other  land,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
the  possessor  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of 
choice  land,  and  was  one  of  the  solid  men  of  the 
township,  whose  growth  he  had  actively  helped  to 
promote.  He  died  here  in  the  pleasant  home  that 
he  had  built  up,  in  November,  1888,  and  his  mem- 
ory is  held  in  respect  for  his  good  citizenship  and 
for  his  sterling  worth  in  all  the  relations  that  he 
sustained  toward  others. 

He  had  married  Cassie  Ann  Hall,  who  preceded 
him  in  death  in  February,  1885.  She  was  a  native 
of  Brushy  Mound  Township,  born  in  1842,  and  a 
daughter  of  an  old  pioneer  family  of  I  his  State. 
•Her  father.  Mathew  II.  Hall,  was  born  in  Madison 
County,  June  14,  1819,  and  was  a  son  of  James 
and  Mary  (Walker)  Hall,  for  whose  history  see 
sketch  of  .Qljyei-  Hall.  Matthew  Hall  was  four 
years  old  when  his  parents  brought  him  to  Ma- 
coupin County,  of  which  they  thus  became  early 
pioneers,  settling  here  in  1823.  After  marriage 
with  Mrs.  Ann  (Sheton)  Moore,  widow  of  John 
Moore,  he  bought  a  tract  of  hind  on  section  6, 
Brushy  Mound  Township,  which  had  not  then  been 
organized  and  named,  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing there  some  years.  He  then  traveled  in  the 
Western  country  four  years,  and  since  his  return 
has  resided  with  his  brother  Oliver.  His  wife  died 
on  the  homestead  in  1888. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  given  excellent 
educational  advantages,  and  received  a  good  train- 
ing in  everything  that  pertains  to  agriculture  on  the 
old  homestead  that  was  his  birthplace,  so  that  he  was 
well  equipped  for  his  vocation  when  he  adoptee) 
farming  for  his  lifcwoik.  He  is  now  proprietor 
of  a  part  of  the  old  farm,  having  one  hundred  and 
sixty-nine  acres  of  fine  land,  that  is  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  pleasantly  located  two  miles 
from  the  Court  House.  His  place  is  amply  sup- 
plied with  good  frame  buildings  and  farm  machin- 
ery of  all  kinds,  and  is  well  cared  for  in  every  re- 
spect. 

Mr.  Hall  was  happily  married  September  30, 
1888,  to  Miss  Kate  Milton  Metcalf,  adopted  daugh- 
ter of  the  Rev.  T.  M.  and  Emma  (Thayer)  Metcalf, 
of  whom  see  sketch  on  another  page  of  this  vol- 
ume.     Their  pleasant  household  circle  is  completed 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


431 


by  their  little  son,  whom  they  have  named  Howard 
Mclcalf. 

Our  subject,  though  one  of  the  youngest  mem- 
bers of  his  calling  in  his  native  township,  is  manag- 
ing his  affairs  with  a  discretion,  clearness  of  judg- 
ment and  foresight,  that  would  do  credit  to  a  far 
more  experienced  farmer,  and  that  bid  fair  to 
place  hita  one  day  among  the  leading  agriculturists 
of  this  locality.  He  and  his  wife  are  possessed  of 
many  pleasant,  social  and  hospitable  qualities,  and 
stand  well  among  their  fellow-citizens.  Mrs.  Hall 
is  an  active  worker  in  the  Baptist  Church,  of  which 
she  is  a  member. 


•;«•♦•»:• 


r^)LI  F.  BLOCHER  is  a  prosperous  resident  of 
.U]  Girard  Township,  born  in  Darke  County, 
^  Ohio,  January  29.  1855.     The  father,  David 


Blocher,  was  a  native  of  the  Keystone  State  and 
when  a  young  man  removed  with  his  parents  to 
Ohio.  He  went  back  to  Pennsylvania  to  wed  the 
girl  he  had  left  behind  him  and  then  returning  to 
Ohio,  took  up  his  residence  there  for  a  time.  Af- 
ter a  while  he  made  his  home  in  Indiana,  but  after 
a  few  years  went  back  to  Ohio  and  resided  in 
Darke  County  until  about  the  year  1868,  when  he 
removed  to  the  Prairie  State,  making  his  home  first 
in  Bond  and  later  in  Macoupin  County.  Here  he 
bought  the  farm  where  his  son  Eli  now  lives  and 
died  at  that  residence  in  March,  1886. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Susanna  Warner.  She  reared  eight  of  her  chil- 
dren to  years  of  maturity  and  passed  away  from 
earth  while  the  family  home  was  in  Ohio.  This 
son  was  but  thirteen  years  old  when  bis  parents 
came  to  Illinois  and  here  he  grew  to  manhood. 
He  commenced  quite  early  to  help  his  father  on  the 
farm  anil  he  resided  with  the  latter  until  that  pat- 
ent went  to  Girard  and  then  he  assumed  the  man- 
agement of  the  old  homestead,  which  he  now  owns 
and  occupies. 

Eli  Blocher  was  married  in  March,  1880,  to  Sal- 
oma  Frantz,  who  was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Va., 
as  were  also  her  father  and  grandfather,  both  of 
whom  bore  the  name  of  Samuel.     The  grandfather 


owned  and  occupied  a  farm  in  Franklin  County  and 
his  son  learned  the  trade  of  a  miller  and  followed 
it  while  living  in  Virginia.  In  1863  he  removed 
thence  to  Greene  County,  Ohio,  and  there  farmed 
until  1868,  when  he  came  to  Macoupin  County  and 
purchased  the  farm  upon  which  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Blocher  now  reside.  Here  he  prepared  to  engage 
in  farming,  but  his  death,  which  occurred  here  the 
following  spring,  cut  short  his  life  plans.  His  be- 
reaved widow  is  still  living  and  resides  wilh  her 
children.  Her  name  before  marriage  was  Magda- 
lina  Bru baker  and  she  was  born  in  Botetourt 
County,  Va.,  October  31,  1817,  her  parents  being 
Henry  and  Saloma  (Eler)  Brubaker.  For  further 
history  of  this  family  the  reader  will  consult  the 
sketch  of  Moses  Brubaker.  She  married  twice,  Mr. 
Blocher,  the  father  of  our  subject,  being  her  second 
husband.  By  her  first  marriage  she  had  iwo  chil- 
dren, whom  she  reared  to  maturity,  Mrs.  Bloeher's 
sister  being  Lizzie,  now  Mrs.  John  Huber.  The 
children  who  have  come  to  bless  the  home  of  our 
subject  rue  Charles  M.,  Eddie  O,  Dora  A.  and  Net- 
tic  M.  The  parents  are  devout  and  earnest  mem- 
bers of  the  German  Baptist  Church,  in  which  they 
find  a  broad  field  of  influence  and  labor.  They  are 
one  and  all  a  family  who  richly  deserve  the 
friendly  good  will  and  respect  which  is  accorded 
them  by  their  neighbors. 


,0* 


ffl  - 


R.  JACOB  T.  DICKERSON,  who  is  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  the  drug  business  in 
Brighton  and  to  some  extent  practices  medi- 
cine, was  born  in  Sussex  County,  Del.,  on  the  26th 
of  February,  182!),  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Sarah 
(Laughiin)  Dickerson.  IJ is  father  was  a  native  of 
New  Jersey,  but  grew  to  manhood  in  Delaware, 
where  he  met  and  married  Sarah  Laughiin.  Both, 
however,  had  been  previously  married.  The  lady 
was  a  native  of  Sussex  County,  Del.,  of  Scotch 
descent.  They  lived  as  fanning  people  and  after 
a  long  and  useful  life  of  three-score  years  passed 
away.  Mrs.  Dickerson  was  s  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church,  which  Mr.  Dickerson  also  attended. 
He  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of   1812. 


432 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Our  subject  lias  one  sister  who  is  yet  living — 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Isaac  Murphy,  of  Niles,  111. 
Upon  his  father's  farm  the  Doctor  grew  to  man- 
hood and  acquired  a  good  literary  education, 
though  his  school  training  was  very  limited.  Pos- 
sessing a  studious  nature,  in  his  leisure  evenings  by 
his  own  fire  light  he  would  peruse  those  volumes 
which  served  as  the  basis  of  a  good,  practical 
knowledge.  Deciding  to  make  the  profession  his 
life  work,  he  entered  upon  ils  study  under  the 
direction  of  John  S.  Prettyinan,  of  Milford,  Del. 
He  afterward  entered  the  Philadelphia  Eclectic 
College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  on  the  18th 
of  February,  1860.  He  then  resolved  t<>  locate 
in  the  West,  where  lie  believed  better  openings 
were  afforded  ambitious  young  men.  and  on  the 
16th  of  July,  1860,  drove  to  Brighton  and  hung 
out  his  shingle,  soliciting  the  patronage  of  all 
those  in  need  of  medical  services.  From  the 
beginning  bis  practice  constantly  increased,  and  he 
successfully  engaged  in  the  prosecution  of  his 
profession  until  within  a  few  years,  when  he  aban- 
doned that  work.  In  1865  he  established  a  drug 
store,  which  he  has  since  carried  on.  being  now 
the  owner  of  one  of  the  leading  establishments  of 
the  kind  in  Brighton.  He  also  carries  a  full  line 
of  hardware. 

The  Doctor  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1861, 
with  Mrs.  Amanda  Whitloek.  whose  maiden  name 
was  Loveland.  By  her  first  marriage  was  born 
one  child,  who  died  young.  Unto  our  subject  and 
his  worthy  wife  have  been  born  one  son,  Leonard 
M.,  an  enterprising  and  wide-awake  young  busi- 
ness man,  who  is  now  associated  with  his  father 
in  business.  He  married  Miss  Jennetta  Robert- 
son, and  one  child  graces  their  union,  Donald. 
Since  locating  here  the  Doctor  has  been  numbered 
among  the  prominent  citizens  of  the  community, 
and  by  his  fellow-townsmen  has  frequently  been 
called  upon  to  serve  in  positions  of  public  trust. 
He  has  filled  most  of  the  offices  of  the  township 
and  village,  and  at  present  is  Supervisor  of  the 
town  of  Brighton.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican 
and  his  opinions  are  received  with  respect  in  the 
local  councils  of  his  party.  Socially  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Knights  of  Honor  and  the  Odd- 
Fellows    societ}-,  of   Brighton,  of    which    he    is  a 


charter  member.  An  intelligent  and  broad-minded 
man,  the  Doctor  possesses  qualities  of  sterling 
worth,  and  is  esteemed  alike  by  those  with  whom 
business  or  social  relations  have  brought  him  in 
contact.  He  won  a  position  in  the  front  rank  of 
his  profession,  keeping  always  abreast  of  the 
times,  and  the  same  enterprise  has  characterized 
his  career  as  a  druggist. 


6 


<-^>  ILBERT  KEIRLE.  The  calling  of  agricul- 
ture promises  a  peaceful  life  and  assured 
V_>4  maintenance  to  the  careful  student  of  nat- 
ural economy.  Such  an  one  is  Gilbert  Keirle,  re- 
siding on  section  10,  Bunker  Hill  Township,  where 
he  has  lived  for  ten  years  and  now  owns  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres  of  land,  that  is  for  the  most 
part  highly  cultivated,  well  stocked  and  supplied 
with  good  buildings.  Mr.  Keirle  came  here  from 
Ililyard  Township,  where  he  lived  on  a  farm  live 
years.  Prior  to  that  lime  be  resided  for  three  and 
a  half  years  in  Brighton  Township,  coming  in  Au- 
gust, 1871,  to  Bunker  Hill  Township  where  he  has 
since  resided. 

Mr.  Keirle  was  born  in  Somersetshire,  June  3, 
1853.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  London  and 
Bristol  while  he  was  still  young,  being  only  eight- 
een years  of  age  when  he  came  to  the  United  States. 
The  lad  took  passage  at  Liverpool  on  the  steamer 
"City  of  Washington"  of  the  Inman  line,  landing 
in  New  York  and  coming  thence  to  Brighton 
Township.  Macoupin  County,  where  he  has  since 
been  engaged  as  a  farmer.  He  worked  for  the  first 
two  and  a  half  years  as  a  laborer. 

The  parents  of  our  subject,  Job  and  Mary 
(Baker)  Keirle,  were  natives  of  Somersetshire,  En- 
gland, and  they  came  of  English  parents  who  lived 
and  died  at  that  place.  Job  Keirle  and  his  wife, 
after  the  birth  of  all  their  children,  decided  that 
the  New  World  offered  inducements  not  to  be 
found  in  the  Old,  and  there  upon  came  to  the  States 
in  1881,  bringing  with  them  all  their  children  ex- 
cepting two  married  daughters  who  yet  live  iu 
England.  One  son  and  one  daughter  were  buried 
in  England.     They  settled    in    Hilyard   Township 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


433 


ami  later  cnme  to  Hunker  Hill  Township  and  are 
yet  living  here,  having  attained  to  a  good  old  ago. 
Mr.  Keirle  is  sixtj  -five  years  of  age  anil  Mrs.  Keirle 
gixty-one  years  of  age.  The  latter  is  a  member  of 
the  Episcopal  Church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  eldest  of  the 
large  family  horn  to  his  parents.  He  was  married 
in  Brighton  Township  to  Miss  Emma  Reader.  The 
lady  was  born  in  Dorsetshire,  England.  October  3, 
1848,  and  was  the  daughter  of  Robert  and  Sarah 
(  Hawlings)  Reader,  natives  of  Dorsetshire.  All  of 
the  family  on  the  maternal  side  were  born  and 
reared  in  England,  though  all  but  one  are  now  in 
the  United  States.  The  wife  and  mother  is  deceased, 
having  died  August  15,  1891;  she  made  her  home 
with  her  daughter.  Mrs.  Keirle.  She  was  eighty- 
two  years  old  and  with  the  exception  of  the  loss  of 
her  sight  was  still  smart  and  active. 

The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keirle.  the  subjects 
of  this  sketch,  has  been  blessed  with  six  children. 
The  second.  Harry  L.  is  deceased  ;  the  remainder, 
all  living  at  home,  are  Albert,  Frank  R..  Otto  H., 
Oscar  F.  and  Eph.  Mrs.  Keirle  is  an  efficient  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  Church  and  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics.     Mrs.  Keirle  is  a  devoted    Baptist. 

OSEPH  LOTTER.  a  practical  German 
farmer,  residing  on  section  23.  Staunton 
Township,  has  made  his  home  in  this  com- 
munity for  about  a  third  of  a  century.  He 
was  born  in  the  Province  of  Byron  on  the  Rhine, 
August  lfi,  1829,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Anna 
(Coleman)  Lotter,  who  were  also  natives  of  the 
same  Province.  His  father  was  a  cooper  by  trade 
and  followed  that  business  throughout  his  entire 
life.  Both  were  members  of  the  Catholic  Church 
and  lived  to  an  advanced  age.  Our  subject  is  one 
of  the  youngest  of  a  large  family.  The  only  ones 
that  came  to  America  aie  himself  and  his  sister, 
who  married  and  had  a  large  family.  She  is  now 
living  in  Muscoutah,  III.,  at  the  age  of  sixty-one 
years. 

Our  subject  acquired  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  country,  and  remained    under  the  pa- 


rental roof  until  nineteen  years  of  age.  when  wish- 
ing to  begin  life  for  himself  be  left  his  home  and 
also  his  native  land.  It  was  his  de-ire  to  try  his 
fortune  in  America,  and  in  the  spring  of  1848,  he 
sailed  from  Havre.  France,  reaching  New  Orleans 
after  a  voyage  of  forty-six  days.  Making  his  way 
up  the  Father  of  Waters  to  St.  Louis,  he  learned 
the  cooper's  trade  in  that  city  and  followed  it  fin- 
some  years,  becoming  a  skilled  workman.  At 
length  he  came  to  this  county,  about  18G0,  and  lo- 
cated upon  the  farm  which  is  still  his  home.  It 
comprises  one  hundred  and  eighteen  and  a  half 
acres  of  land,  on  sections  23  and  24,  and  by  his  un- 
tiring efforts  it  has  been  placed  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation  and  supplied  with  many  improve- 
ments, including  all  the  necessary  buildings  and 
machinery.  He  also  raises  a  good  grade  of  stuck 
and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  practical  and  pro- 
gressive farmers  in  the  community. 

While  living  in  St.  Louis,  Mr.  Lotter  led  to  the 
marriage  altar  Miss  Julia  Roughmann,  who  was 
born  in  the  Kingdom  of  Hanover,  Germany,  and 
came  to  this  country  with  her  parents,  Charles  and 
Anna  (Friezel)  Roughmann,  who  crossed  the  ocean 
landing  at  New  Orleans,  and  came  up  the  Mississ- 
ippi to  Madison  County,  where  the}-  resided  with 
a  daughter  until  called  to  the  home  beyond.  The 
death  of  the  father  was  caused  by  falling  down  a 
(light  of  stairs  when  quite  old,  and  his  wife  was 
well  advanced  in  years  when  she  passed  s.way. 
Both  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Mr. 
Lotter  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his 
wife  in  1887.  She  died  in  the  early  morning  of 
the  first  day  of  the  new  year,  when  Hearing  her 
fifty-third  birthday,  having  been  born  February 
17,  1834.  In  religious  belief  she  too  was  a  Luth- 
eran. Five  children  were  left  to  mourn  her  loss — 
Mary,  wife  of  William  Winder,  a  blacksmith  of 
Warden,  111.;  George,  who  aids  in  the  operation  of 
the  home  farm;  Anne,  married  R.  Vogt  and  lives 
in  Mt.  Olive,  111.;  Elvina.  wife  of  Ernst  Jacob,  a 
butcher  of  Warden  ;  and  Julia,  who  is  also  deceased. 
Three  children  of  the  family  had  died  in  childhood 
— Tena.  Charles  and  Henry. 

Mr.  Lotter  was  a  second  time  married  in  Staun- 
ton Township,  to  Mrs.  Mary  Rurghsrdt,  who  was 
born  in  Indiana,  and  with    her  parents  removed  •<> 


434 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Belleville,  111.,  where  she  was  the  first  time  mar- 
ried. By  that  union  she  had  one  child,  John,  who 
now  holds  the  responsible  position  of  manager  of 
the  mines  owned  by  the  Consolidated  Coal  Com- 
pany at  Mt.  Olive.  Mr.  Lotter  and  his  wife  attend 
the  German  Catholic  Church  at  Staunton  and  in 
politics  he  and  his  son  are  Democrats.  They  are 
people  of  Sterling  worth,  who  are  widely  and  fa- 
vorably known  throughout  this  community  and 
have  many  friends  within  the  township. 


Tf)  W.  HARTKE.  The  members  of  a  success- 
ful farming  community  are  always  de- 
pended upon  to  furnish  the  bone  and  sin- 
ews of  our  social,  commercial  and  national  life. 
A  country,  no  matter  how  rich,  which  is  under  the 
control  of  unreliable  and  shiftless  farmers  can 
never  help  in  building  up  villages,  towns  and  cities 
which  will  prove  of  value  to  the  world.  The 
financial  and  social  progress  of  Macoupin  County 
has  been  largely  increased  by  the  influx  into  it  in 
its  early  days,  of  such  men  as  .Mr.  Ilarlke.  This 
successful  German  farmer  residing  on  section  13, 
Cahokia  Township,  has  a  well-improved  farm  of 
more  than  five  hundred  acres,  upon  which  he  has 
been  residing  for  over  eight  years.  His  previous 
residence  for  the  same  length  of  time  had  been  Mt. 
Olive,  where  he  was  engaged  in  general  merchan- 
dising. 

It  was  in  186G  that  our  subject  first  came  to 
Macoupin  County  and  after  farming  here  for  some 
time  near  Mt.  Olive,  he  did  business  in  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  in  the  wholesale  and  retail  grocery 
trade.  Later  he  returned  to  Mt.  Olive,  where  he 
made  his  home  until  he  came  to  Cahokia. 

Mr.  Ilartke  was  born  in  Prussia.  Germany,  in 
Hanover  Province,  April  15,  1843.  He  came  of 
good  German  stock  and  his  parents,  William  and 
Minnie  (Fromeman)  Ilartke,  being  natives  of 
Prussia,  where  they  lived  and  died,  passing  away 
when  they  had  completed  their  threescore  years. 
They  were  engaged  in  agriculture  throughout  life 
and  were  sincere  believers  in  the  Christian  faith, 
being  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.      Our  sub- 


ject is  one  of  a  large  family  of  children  and  he 
grew  up  in  his  native  province.  In  1863,  when 
he  was  about  twenty  years  old,  he  set  out  to  the 
United  States,  embarking  at  Bremen  in  a  sailing 
vessel,  and  landed  in  New  York  City  after  a  five 
weeks'  voyage.  They  still  set  their  faces  Westward, 
making  St.  Louis  their  objective  point.  Later  he 
came  to  this  county  and  made  it  his  home. 

It  was  on  September  21,  1875,  when  young 
Ilartke  was  married  at  Mt.  Olive  to  Miss  Minnie 
Kruse,  who  was  born  on  her  father's  farm  in 
Macoupin  County,  near  Mt.  Olive,  November  15, 
1856.  She  is  the  daughter  of  an  old  settler.  Henry 
Kruse,  now  deceased,  and  of  Mrs.  Minnie  Kruse, 
who  is  yet  living  on  the  old  homestead.  She  is 
one  of  the  large  land  owners  in  this  county  and  in 
her  declining  years  is  able  to  surround  herself  with 
every  comfort.  The  daughter  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  this  county,  and  after  the  marriage  with 
our  subject  became  the  mother  of  seven  children, 
all  of  whom  are  still  residing  at  home  with  their 
parents.  They  are  namely:  William  IL,  Henry  W., 
Louis  .1.,  Anna  W.,  Sophia  F.,  Emma  L.  and  Au- 
gust F.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hartke  and  their  children 
are  all  devout  Lutherans.  Mr.  llarlke's  political 
\  Lews  have  led  him  to  affiliate  with  the  Republican 
party,  in  the  progress  ami  prosperity  of  which  he 
feels  a  keen  interest. 


p^y\  US.  MARY  A.  EASLEY,  a  resident  of 
Bird  Township,  is  a  daughter  of  James 
and  Rhoda  (Regan)  Hnskey,  natives  of 
Tennessee,  who  came  to  Macoupin  County. 
111.,  at  a  very  early  day  and  lived  in  Bird  Town- 
ship, until  death  ended  their  labors  and  they  were 
buried  here.  They  had  thirteen  children,  of  whom 
Mrs.  Easley  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth.  She 
first  saw  the  light  in  Alabama,  May  20,  1821,  and 
was  about  thirteen  years  old  when  her  parents 
removed  to  this  county.  She  grew  to  womanhood 
in  Bird  Township,  which  has  been  her  home  ever 
since  she  came  to  this  State  with  the  exception  of 
two  years  which  she  spent  in  Wrestern  Mound 
Township. 


1IBRART 
Of  TffF 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILUNOIC 


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PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


437 


The  marriage  of  this  lady  with  Isaac  N.  Edwards 
took  place  Octobev  4,  1838,  in  Bird  Township. 
Mr.  Edwards  died  in  December,  1800.  By  that 
marriage  she  had  ten  children,  namely:  Mary  J., 
James  II.  and  John  N..  deceased;  Rhoda  E. ;  Grif- 
fith A..  Racbael  E.  and  Daniel  F.,  deceased;  Oliver 
N.,  Hilda  E.  and  Amanda  M.,  deceased. 

This  lady's  second  marriage  was  solemnized 
March  4,  1866.  Her  husband,  (ieorge  W.  Easley, 
lived  but  about  six  years  after  his  marriage,  when 
he  passed  away  in  September,  1872.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
which  his  widow  is  also  active  and  where  she  has 
been  a  member  since  she  was  sixteen  years  old. 
She  owns  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  rich, 
productive  land.  Mrs.  Easley 's surviving  children 
have  all  established  homes  of  their  own.  Mary  J. 
is  the  wife  of  Z.  Loveless;  Rhoda  E.  is  Mrs.  John 
Stokes;  Oliver  N.  married  Miss  Etta  Cook,  and 
Rilda  E.  is  Mrs.  J.  W.  Parrott.  Their  mother  is  a 
lady  who  is  sincere  in  the  discharge  of  her  reli- 
gious duties  and  is  respected  by  all  who  know  her. 


^fi  OHN  SLOMAN,  who  has  for  more  than  thirty 
years  been  prosperously  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  in  this  county,  is  one  of 
the  substantial  and  well-to-do  farmers  of 
Honey  Point  Township,  where  he  has  a  fine  farm. 
He  was  born  near  the  village  of  High  Bighington, 
Devonshire,  England,  April  30,  1831.  His  father 
was  James  Sloman,  a  native  of  the  same  shire,  and 
his  paternal  grandfather  was  Zachariah  Sloman, 
who  so  far  as  known,  spent  his  entire  life  there. 

James  Sloman  was  reared  to  the  vocation  of  a 
farmer,  and  carried  on  his  calling  on  English  soil 
until  1811,  when  became  to  this  country,  bring- 
ing with  him  his  wife  and  four  children.  The 
family  set  sail  from  Appledore  in  April,  but  when 
the  ship  was  nearly  a  thousand  miles  out  at  sea  it 
sprang  a  leak,  and  had  to  retrace  its  course  to  Ire- 
land for  repairs.  Starting  on  its  voyage  again  it 
finally  arrived  in  safety  at  New  York  in  thirteen 
weeks'  time  from  the  date  when  it  first  sailed.     Mr. 


Sloan  at  first  settled  in  Genesee  County,  N.  Y., 
where  he  resided  one  year  prior  to  coming  to  Illi- 
nois. The  removal  hither  was  made  by  the  way 
of  Erie  Canal  to  Buffalo,  thence  by  lake  to  Cleve- 
land, from  there  by  canal  to  Portsmouth,  Ohio, 
and  then  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers  to 
Alton,  that  being  the  most  expeditious  and  con- 
venient route  at  the  time. 

After  his  arrival  in  this  State,  Mr.  Sloman  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  timber  land  in  Jersey  County, 
nine  miles  south  of  Jerseyville,  in  the  locality 
known  as  Gilliam's  Mound.  He  built  a  log  house 
on  the  place  and  proceeded  to  clear  a  farm  from 
the  wilderness,  where  deer  and  other  wild  ani- 
mals still  abounded,  and  special  care  had  to  be 
{  taken  of  the  pigs  and  lambs  to  protect  them  from 
the  wolves.  The  father  passed  the  rest  of  his  life 
on  his  homestead  in  Jersey  County,  improving  it 
into  a  fine  piece  of  property.  The  maiden  name 
of  his  wife  was  Amy  ('.can,  and  she  was  also  a  na- 
tive of  Devonshire,  and  a  daughter  of  Richard 
Gean.  She  survived  him  a  few  years,  and  died  at 
the  home  of  a  daughter  in  Jersey  County.  She 
was  the  mother  of  four  children — John,  Emma, 
Mary  A.  and  James.  The  latter  married  Mary 
Bushby  and  resides  on  the  old  homestead;  Emma 
married  Nelson  Lurton,  of  Jersey  County;  Mary 
became  the  wife  of  Hiram  McClosky,  of  Jersey 
County. 

John  Sloman  was  a  child  of  ten  years  when  the 
family  emigrated  to  America.  He  attended  school 
quite  steadily  in  the  old  country,  but  after  he 
came  to  this  State  he  had  to  assist  his  father  in  his 
pioneer  work  of  clearing  his  land  and  tilling  the 
sod.  He  remained  an  inmate  of  the  parental  home 
until  his  marriage,  though  a  part  of  the  time  he 
was  engaged  in  working  out  by  the  month.  He 
commenced  his  independent  career  as  a  farmer 
after  he  had  taken  unto  himself  a  wife  by  carrying 
on  agriculture  on  rented  land,  continuing  to  farm 
as  a  renter  in  Jersey  County  the  ensuing  six  years. 
He  Ihcyi  came  to  Honey  Point  Township  in  1859 
and  bought  eighty  :.cres  of  his  present  homestead. 
A  small  frame  house  and  stable  and  a  small  orchard 
constituted  the  improvements  upon  the  place  and 
Mr.  Sloman  has  constantly  been  at  work  in  its  fur- 
ther improvement,  he  has  now  a    valuable    estate. 


438 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


amply  provided  with  neat  frame  buildings,  good 
farming  machinery,  and  all  the  appointments  that 
go  to  make  up  a  well-ordered  farm.  He  has  added 
to  his  original  purchase,  and  now  has  two  hundred 
acres  of  land  all  in  a  body. 

March  6,  1853  was  the  date  of  an  important 
event  in  the  life  of  our  subject,  as  he  was  then  hap- 
pily married  to  Miss  Sarah  C.  Lamb.  Mrs.  Slotnan 
was  born  in  Adams  County,  Miss.,  November  2, 
1831.  Her  father,  John  .1.  Lamb,  was  a  native  of 
the  State  of  New  York  and  a  son  of  Israel  and 
Amanda  (Beach)  Lamb.  The  grandfather  was 
also  born  in  that  State,  of  English  ancestry,  and 
so  far  as  known  spent  his  entire  life  in  New  York. 
John  Lamb  passed  his  youth  in  his  native  State, 
and  received  a  good  education,  commencing  teach- 
ing when  quite  young.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  he  went  to  Mississippi,  and  engaged  in  his 
profession  there  nearly  twenty  years.  In  1835  he 
came  with  his  wife  and  six  children  to  Illinois, 
making  the  journey  overland,  and  cooking  and 
(ramping  on  the  way  at  nightfall.  He  settled  seven 
miles  smith  of  Jersey  ville,  where  he  bought  land 
that  was  partly  timber  and  partly  prairie,  and  a 
comfortable  log  house  on  the  place  was  used  as  a 
residence  by  the  family. 

Mr.  Lamb  farmed  and  lived  on  his  homestead 
until  his  career  was  closed  by  death.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  wife  was  Sarah  Noble.  She  was  born 
in  Mississippi,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Mary  (Swaysee)  Noble,  and  died  on  the  old  home- 
stead near  Jerseyville.  Mrs.  Sloman  resided  with 
her  mother  until  her  marriage,  and  was  carefully 
taught  all  household  duties,  and  being  adept  in 
spinning  and  weaving,  as  while  the  family  lived  in 
Mississippi  the  mother  carded,  spun  and  wove  all 
the  cloth  with  which  she  made  the  clothes  for  her 
children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sloman  have  two  children, 
Addie  and  Emma.  The  former  married  Frederick 
Jeary,  and  they  live  on  the  home  farm.  They 
have  six  children,  whose  names  are  Myrtle,  John, 
Emma,  Abbie,  Bessie,  and  Virgil.  Our  subject's 
daughter,  Emma,  married  Samuel  Ball,  of  Honey 
Point  Township,  and  they  have  two  children,  Ethel 
and  Ollie. 

Mr.  Sloman  is  a  self-made  man,  and  by  years  of 
activity  anil  well  directed  labor  has  placed   himself 


in  possession  of  a  goodly  property,  and  is  well  for- 
tified against  want.  He  is  of  a  sturdy,  self- respect- 
ing character  that  commands  respect  from  others 
in  turn,  and  both  he  and  his  good  wife  are  held  in 
high  estimation  by  all  who  know  them.  A  man  of 
strong  opinions,  on  no  question  are  his  views  more 
pronounced  than  on  politics  and  we  find  him  giv- 
ing hearty  support  to  the  Republican  party.  Mrs. 
Mrs.  Sloman,  who  is  a  sincere  Christian,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

In  connection  with  this  biographical   sketch   the 
reader  will  find  a  portrait  of  Mr.  Sloman. 


\TFYERNIIARD  LORENZ  is  a  prosperous 
y^4L  merchant  of  Carlinville,  where  he  is  en- 
/£)  I  gaged  in  the  sale  of  harness,  having  a  hand- 
>SS^  somely  fitted  up  store,  in  which  he  carries 
a  complete  stock.  He  was  horn  in  the  city  of 
Holstein,  Germany,  April  1,  1825.  His  father 
who  bore  the  same  name  as  himself,  was  also  a  na- 
tive of  that  city  and  spent  his  entire  life  in  the 
German  Fatherland.  When  he  was  young  he 
learned  the  trades  of  a  tanner  and  a  shoemaker  and 
operated  a  tannery  and  manufactured  shoes  as  long 
as  he  continued  in  active  business.  He  was  the 
father  of  nine  children,  six  of  whom  came  to  Amer- 
ica, and  these  are  the  names  of  his  offspring:  An- 
nie, Margaret,  Bern  hard,  John,  l'eter  W.,  Lucy, 
Jacob.  Catarina,  Erich. 

Our  subject's  education  commenced  at  the  age 
of  six  years  and  he  attended  school  regularly  un- 
til he  was  fourteen  years  old.  He  was  reared  in 
the  faith  of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  at  that  age 
he  was  confirmed.  For  two  years  after  leaving 
school  he  assisted  his  father  and  then  began  to 
learn  the  trade  of  a  harness-maker.  During  his  ap- 
prenticeship of  four  years  he  received  only  his 
board,  while  his  father  clothed  him.  At  the  expir- 
ation of  that  time  he  did  journey  work  in  different 
cities,  as  was  the  custom  for  apprentices  in  Ger- 
many. 

In  1851  he  determined  to  emigrate  to  the  United 
Stales  of  America,  where  he  shrewdly  thought  that 
life  held  for  him  better  prospects  than   in    the  old 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


439 


country,  and  on  the  19th  of  March  he  set  out  on 
a  steamer  from  Hamburg  for  Liverpool,  England, 
where  he  boarded  a  sailing  vessel  bound  for  New 
York.  He  arrived  at  that  great  metropolis  April 
19,  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land,  encumbered  with 
an  indebtedness  of  $f>8.  Not  a  whit  discouraged 
by  those  unfavorable  circumstances,  he  made  his 
way  to  New  Jersey  and  found  work  at  his  trade  at 
Millstone  and  Newark.  Later  in  the  same  year  lie 
went  to  St.  Louis,  but  when  he  arrived  there  he  was 
out  of  money,  and  as  he  could  find  no  employment 
in  that  city  lie  drifted  to  Upper  Alton  and  the  en- 
suing three  months  worked  for  Dr.  Humbert,  now 
deceased.  After  that  he  went  back  to  St.  Louis  and 
obtained  work  at  Ids  trade,  and  as  soon  as  he  had 
made  a  sufficient  sum  of  money  he  honorably  dis- 
charged Ins  indebtedness  that  he  had  contracted  in 
the  old  country. 

Our  subject  remained  in  St.  Louis  five  years,  and 
then  with  'he  earnings  that  he  had  carefully  saved 
and  which  amounted  to  a  goodly  sum,  he  came  to 
Carlinville,  in  1857,  and  opened  a  shop  in  a  small 
frame  building  and  put  in  about  $450  worth  of  har- 
ness, lie  was  a  hard  worker,  attended  faithfully 
to  his  business  and  in  time  he  built  up  a  good  trade. 
He  added  to  his  stock  from  time  to  time  and  at 
length  had  to  seek  more  commodious  quarters,  with 
the  result  that  in  1885  he  erected  the  brick  build- 
ing that  he  now  occupies.  It  is  80x28  feet  in  di- 
mensions and  is  two  stories  in  height,  the  upper 
part  being  neatly  fitted  up  for  a  tenement.  His 
store  is  well  arranged  and  finely  appointed  and  he 
carries  a  full  line  of  harness  valued  at  upward  of 
*2,000. 

Mr.  Lorenz  was  first  married  to  Mary  Zapf,  in 
1854.  She  was  born  in  Bavaria  and  came  to  this 
country  when  a  young  lady.  She  died  in  1882, 
after  a  marriage  of  twenty-eight  years,  in  which 
she  had  been  a  true  wife  to  her  husband  and  a  ten- 
der mother  to  their  children,  of  whom  the}'  had 
four,  as  follows:  Annie,  wife  of  William  Groda- 
fent;  Ida,  Henry  and  Amanda.  Mr.  Lorenz  was 
married  to  his  present  estimable  wife  in  1883.  Her 
name  prior  to  marriage  was  Theresa  Wittl  and  she 
was  a  Bavarian  by  birth. 

Our  subject  is  a  man  of  sturdy,  reliable  charac- 
ter, possessing  good  habits  and  in  carrying  on    his 


business  he  has  shown  shrewdness  and  capability  in 
the  management  of  his  affairs,  and  withal  has  es- 
tablished himself  in  the  confidence  of  all  with 
whom  he  deals.  He  has  served  as  a  member  of 
the  City  Council  and  has  always  displayed  proper 
interest  in  forwarding  the  welfare  of  his  commu- 
nity in  whatever  way  he  could.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Carlinville  Building  and  Loan  Asso- 
ciation. Politically  he  is  a  faithful  adherent  of  the 
Republican  party.  Religiously  he  is  a  valued  mem 
ber  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  his  children  also  be- 
longing to  that  church. 


^p^EORGE  F. 
^^Sl    has  a  fine 


EORGE  F.  W.  HARRIS,  a  general  farmer 
C-raiser  in  Bunker  Hill  Township, 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  on  another  part  of  the  county,  besides  his 
home  farm  upon  which  he  has  lived  for  many  years. 

He  came  to  this  part  of  the  country  in  1853  and 
took  a  farm  of  unbroken  prairie,  which  he  now  has 
in  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation  and  well  stocked. 
Previous  to  coming  to  this  county  he  had  made 
his  home  in  LaSalle  County,  this  State,  where  he 
had  lived  upon  a  farm  for  two  years.  He  was 
born  in  County  Cork,  Ireland,  in  182G,  and  there 
he  was  reared  and  educated.  He  came  to  this 
country  in  the  fall  of  1850,  and  emigrated  to  Illi- 
nois in  1851.     His  parents  died  in  Ireland. 

Mr.  Harris  married  while  in  the  old  country, 
being  united  with  Miss  Maria  Jamison  Barry.  She 
was  born  and  reared  in  the  same  county  as  himself, 
and  her  parents  lived  and  died  in  the  old  home. 
Mrs.  Harris  came  to  this  country  with  her  hus- 
band in  1850.  They  have  become  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  four  of  whom  have  passed  to  the 
other  world.  The  four  who  are  living  are:  George 
F.  W.,  who  now  lives  on  a  farm  in  this  town- 
ship; Abel,  Joyce  J.,  and  Sallie  J.  who  married 
William  Tuttleand  they  reside  in  Colorado  Springs, 
Col.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harris  are  earnest  and  con- 
sistent members    of    the   Episcopal  Church.    This 


IK) 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


gentleman's  political  views  are  expressed  in  the 
platform  of  the  Republican  party,  and  lie  takes  a 
lively  interest  in  local  politics,  although  not  a 
seeker  for  office. 


••"♦o-^^GS- 


^YJOIIN  0-  NOEL,  who  is  engaged  in  general 
fanning  on  section  25,  Bunker  Hill  Town- 
ship, where  he  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land,  located  on  his  present  farm  in 
1865,  and  has  resided  in  the  county  since  March 
10,  1859.  He  came  here  from  Adams  County,  Pa., 
where  he  was  horn  September  11,  1883,  ten  miles 
from  Gettysburg.  His  father.  John  L.Noel,  was 
also  a  native  of  that  comity  and  was  descended 
from  an  early  Pennsylvania-Dutch  family.  He 
grew  to  manhood  upon  a  farm  in  the  county  of 
his  nativity,  and  there  wedded  .Miss  Mary  Clunk, 
who  was  also  born  and  reared  in  Adams  County. 
After  some  of  their  sons  had  come  to  Illinois,  the 
parents  emigrated  Westward  in  the  spring  of  1865, 
settling  in  Bunker  Hill,  where  they  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives,  both  dying  when  fifty-six 
years  of  age.  They  were  both  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  and  in  political  sentiment  Mr. 
Noel  was  a  Democrat. 

Our  subject  is  the  third  in  order  of  birth  of  the 
family  of  sixteen  children  born  unto  John  L.  and 
Mary  Noel,  of  whom  five  are  yet  living.  His  boy- 
hood days  were  spent  in  the  usual  manner  of 
farmer  lads,  and  his  education  was  acquired  in  the 
district,  schools  of  the  neighborhood.  When  he  had 
arrived  at  years  of  maturity  be  led  to  the  marriage 
altar  Miss  Rebecca  Freebury,  whose  birth  occurred 
in  Adams  County,  Pa.,  although  she  is  of  Herman 
descent.  Her  father,  John  Freebury,  was  a  native 
of  Germany,  and  when  a  young  man  crossed  the 
Atlantic  to  America,  settling  in  Adams  County, 
Pa.,  where  he  afterward  married. 

For  some  years  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Freebury  made 
their  home  in  that  locality,  when  later  they  re- 
moved to  Emmettsburg,  Md.  There  both  died  at 
an  advanced  age,  in  the  faith  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  of  which  they  had  long  been  members. 
Mr.   Freebury    was   throughout  life  a  cooper  and 


brewer,  following  both  pursuits.  Mrs.  Noel  was 
reared  in  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  and  has  proved  to  her 
husband  a  true  helpmate.  Their  union  has  been 
blest  with  a  family  of  ten  children,  seven  of  whom 
are  yet  living,  namely:  John  L.,  who  married 
Miss  Plitz.  and  is  living  at  Mt.  Olive,  111.;  Ella, 
wife  of  Henry  Hurb,  a.  resident  of  Bunker  Hill; 
Frank,  who  wedded  Anna  Peters  and  makes  his 
home  in  Bunker  Hill ;  Katie,  wife  of  John  Seigle, 
of  the  same  place;  Lizzie,  Augustus  and  William, 
who  are  still  under  the  parental  roof. 

On  coming  to  this  county  in  1859,  Mr.  Noel  and 
his  family  located  upon  a  farm  in  Dorchester  Town- 
ship, where  he  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  for  about 
six  years,  lie  then  came  to  Bunker  Hill  Township 
and  purchased  his  present  farm  which  now  coin- 
prises  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation.  Upon  it  are  a'so  good 
buildings  and  every  improvement  is  the  work  of 
the  owner,  and  stands  as  a  monument  to  his  thrift 
and  industry.  He  also  owns  ten  acres  of  timber 
land  in  Dorchester  Township.  He  has  led  a  bus}' 
and  useful  life,  and  the  success  he  has  achieved  is 
due  entirely  to  his  own  efforts.  Public  spirited 
and  progressive  he  is  numbered  among  the  valued 
citizens  of  the  community,  and  those  who  know 
him  esteem  him  highly  for  his  sterling  worth.  In 
political  sentiment,  both  Mr.  Noel  and  his  sons  are 
Democrats. 

The  estate  of  Mr.  Noel  is  universally  conceded 
to  be  one  of  the  finest  in  the  township,  and  we  are 
pleased  to  present  on  another  page  a  view  of  the 
comfortable  home. 


OHN  JONES.  Of  the  young  farmers  in 
this  part  of  the  county  none  are  more  suc- 
cessful than  he  whose  name  is  at  the  head 
of  this  writing.  Mr.  Jones  occupies  and 
owns  the  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-tv.O 
acres  on  section  22,  Brighton  Township.  He  has 
lived  here  since  1862,  and  what  he  has  accumulated 
has  been  by  his  own  persistent  effort  and  unweary- 
ing industry,  for  like  so  many  others  who  have  set- 
tled here,  when  coming  into  the  country   his  oniy 


MjJuMttUQ 


'.-*-*MOi»M»*£d,.. 


» 


.,tt 


■l 


t 


RE5IDENCE0F  J.  QUIINCY    NOEL  ,  SEC.  25.,  BU  NKER    HILL   TR, MACOUPIN    CO..ILL. 


RESIDENCE  OF    JOHN      JONES  ,  SEC.22.,  BRIGHTON    TR  ,  MACOU  PI  N    CO.,  ILL. 


IIBRARY 
Of  TM? 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILUNOlt 


PORTRAIT  AM)  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


443 


wealth  was  a  strong  constitution  and  an  abiding 
faith  in  :i  bright  prospect  for  the  future.  A  view 
of  iiis  comfortable  residence  and  rural  surround- 
ings appears  on  another  page. 

Our  subject  is  a  native  of  Wales,  having  been 
bain  in  Rodneyshire,  November  4,  1851.  Ho  is 
the  youngest  of  the  family  born  to  his  parents. 
James  and  Mary  (Jones)  Jones,  both  natives  of 
Wales.  There  the  mother  lived  and  died  being 
about  fifty  years  old  at  the  time  of  her  decease. 
The  father  spent  his  last  years  in  the  United  States 
and  died  in  this  township  and  county  when  seventy- 
four  years  of  age.  He  and  his  wife  with  their 
family  belonged  to  the  Baptist  persuasion,  but  at 
the  time  of  his  death  he  was  a  member  of  the  Church 
of  England. 

Our  subject  with  two  brothers  are  all  the  chil- 
dren that  came  to  this  country,  and  live  sisters  are 
yet  living  in  Wales.  He  of  whom  we  write  was 
onljy  about  twelve  years  old  when  with  his  father 
and  another  brother  he  came  to  the  United  States. 
Their  passage  across  was  made  in  the  month  of  Au- 
gust, 1ISG2.  having  taken  ship  at  Liverpool  and 
landed  in  New  York  City.  One  can  readily  imagine 
the  impression  that  the  American  metropolis  with 
its  push  and  hurry  made  upon  the  little  Welsh  lad. 
He  early  got  the  idea  that  if  he  would  succeed  he 
must  be  up  and  stirring,  allowing  no  one  to  step 
in  ahead  of  him.  Shortly  after  their  advent  into 
the  country  they  proceeded  to  this  township  and 
county. 

Soon  after  he  became  of  age  he  entered  into  the 
matrimonial  relation  with  Miss  Clara  K.  Mason, 
their  marriage  being  celebrated  June  2,  1.S78.  The 
lady  was  born  in  this  township  and  county,  her 
birth  occurring  on  her  father's  farm,  August  2.'i, 
1858.  She  was  here  reared  and  educated  and  is 
the  eldest  of  the  living  children  of  her  parents. 
Her  father,  William  Mason,  is  an  old  settler  and 
prominent  and  veil  to-do  farmer  in  this  township. 
A  biographical  sketch  of  Mr.  Mason  may  be  found 
in  another  part  of  this  volume. 

Mrs.  Jones  is  one  of  the  women  whose  office  in 
life  is  to  help  and  encourage  by  the  kind  words 
and  tender  looks,  those  who  are  dearest  to  her.  She 
is  the  mother  of  six  children,  two  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased.    The  children  who  have  passed  away  were 


an  infant  and  Gilbert  K.  Those  living  are  Kay  M., 
Levi  ('.,  Harry  E.  anil  Cyrus.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones 
are  both  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  and  liberal  supporters  of  the  same.  Politi- 
cally Mr.  Jones  is  a  Democrat,  holding  that  tin' 
doctrines  of  the  "id  original  party  in  all  their  purity 
are  most  suited  to  the  growth  and  advancement  of 
this  great  country.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  beauti- 
ful country  home  located  on  a  slight  elevation 
Overlooking  a  line  landscape.  The  prairie  is  dot- 
ted willi  high-bred  stock,  and  water  and  clouds 
with  a  rare  variety  of  trees  lend  the  view  an  en- 
chanting perspective. 


TLLIAM  T.  BRISTOW,  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  at  Guard,   is  one  of   the   oldest  set- 

y%  tiers  in  the  county.  He  was  burn  in  Over- 
ton  C'0U;Ui}U<Tenn.,  February  13,  1829.  His  father, 
Jaines'*fS'islOw.  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  his 
grandfather,  also  named  James,  was  horn  in  Eng- 
land, ami  coming  from  there  settled  in  Virginia 
where  he  ended  his  days.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject was  reared  in  his  native  State,  and  removed 
from  there  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  making  his 
home  in  Overton  County,  Tenn.  In  1829  he 
brought  his  wife  and  four  children  and  settled  in 
the  northwest  part  of  a  tract  which  became  a  por- 
tion ol  Macoupin  County  at  the  time  of  its  organi- 
zation. He  took  up  land  which  afterward  was 
included  in  Scollville  Township,  and  when  the 
land  came  into  the  market  bought  if  from  the 
Government,  He  erected  a  log  cabin  in  which 
there  were  no  nails  used  and  Hie  door  was  hung  on 
wooden  hinges  and  had  a  wooden  latch,  with  the 
traditional  latebstring,  which  hung  outside  in 
those  friendly  days.  He  also  split  puncheon  for 
the  Hour. 

The  surrounding  country  was  sparsely  settled. 
The  land  where  Carlinville  now  is,  was  bought  of 
the  Government  the  aame  year  when  Mr.  Bristow 
purchased  his  tract.  Deer,  wolves  and  wild  tur- 
keys were  plentiful.  The  settlers  lived  chiefly  on 
the  products  of  their  farms  and  wild  game.  Our 
subject    relates   thai    oftentimes    his    father   would 


444 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RKCORD. 


start  out  in  the  morning  and  return  before  break- 
fast with  a  deer  which  he  had  shot.  The  mother 
used  to  card,  spin  and  weave,  and  dressed  her 
children  iu  homespun,  making  all  their  clothes  her- 
self. The  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  pur- 
chased quite  a  tract  of  land  and  resided  there 
about  twenty  years.  This  he  sold  and  removed  to 
Waverly,  Morgan  County,  where  he  resided  for  two 
years.  lie  then  came  to  this  county  and  took  a 
tract  of  wild  and  unimproved  land  iu  Nilwood 
Township  and  resided  there  until  the  death  of  his 
wife  when  he  sold  his  property  and  made  his  home 
with  his  children  until  his  second  marriage,  when 
he  with  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Lucinda 
Edwards,  removed  to  Greene  County,  where  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  days. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Wary  Cherry.  She  was  bom  in  Kentucky  and 
was  the  daughter  of  Patterson  Cherry.  She  died 
On  the  farm  in  Nilwood  Township,  having  been  the 
mother  of  eight  children.  Our  subject  was  live 
years  old  when  he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents, 
and  remembers  well  the  incidents  of  the  journey. 
lie  says  be  received  his  education  in  Brush  College, 
meaning  the  pioneer  schools  iu  the  woods.  These 
pioneer  school  houses  were  built  of  logs  with  stick 
chimneys.  The  seats  were  made  by  splitting  logs 
and  hewing  one  side  smooth  and  boring  holes  to 
insert  sticks  for  legs.  There  were  no  backs  to  the 
seats  and  no  glass  in  the  windows,  greased  paper 
being  pasted  over  the  openings  which  answered  for 
windows.  A  slab  resting  on  pegs  in  the  wall, 
rormed  a  desk  for  writing. 

William  Bristow  resided  with  his  parents  until 
his  marriage,  and  then  bought  a  farm  near  home 
and  lived  upon  it  for  three  years.  In  1850  he  united 
with  his  brother  and  two  brothers-in-law  in  buying 
four  hundred  and  twenty -eight  acres  of  land  at 
$5  an  acre,  situated  near  the  present  site  of  Girard. 
In  1851  he  built  and  settled  on  the  place.  At  that 
time  there  was  not  a  house  where  Girard  now 
stands  and  in  fact  not  a  house  in  sight  of  this  new 
home  of  his.  In  the  winter  of  1851-52  the  first 
building  in  Girard  was  removed  there  from  the 
country  by  Or.  Miller,  and  in  the  following  spring 
another  building  was  erected  there.  Our  subject 
devoted  his  time  and  efforts  to  the  improvement  of 


his  land  until  1854,  and  then  removed  to  the  vil- 
lage of  Girard  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business.  After  awhile  he  began  buying  and 
selling  grain  which  he  pursued  until  18G2.  lie 
was  then  for  two  or  three  years  in  other  business 
enterprises  after  which  he  settled'up  his  affairs  and 
worked  for  some  years  at  the  carpenter's  trade.  In 
1881  he  was  elected  Justice  of.  the  Peace  and  has 
since  continued  to  serve  in  that  office  as  well  us 
that  of  Notary  Public.  During  this  time  he  has 
continued  buying  ami  shipping  hay. 

The  marriage  of  William  Bristow  with  Sarah 
Sharp  was  solemnized  March  28,  1847.  Three 
children  blessed  this  union,  William  W.,  Mary  K., 
and  Lemuel  P.  (deceased).  Mary  married  Dr. 
Fuller,  and  makes  her  home  in  Cherry  Yale,  Kan. 
Mrs.  Sarah  Bristow  died  in  1857,  and  in  1858  Mr. 
Bristow  was  a  second  time  married  taking  to  wife 
Miss  Louisa  P.  Burgess,  of  Mt.  Yernon,  Ohio; 
there  are  no  children  of  this  union. 

Mr.  Bristow  cast  his  first  vote  with  the  Demo- 
crats, but  in  1856  he  became  a  Republican  and 
has  ever  since  adhered  to  that  party.  He  belongs 
to  the  Girard  Lodge  No.  192,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  both 
he  and  his  good  wife  are  earnest  and  consistent 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  with 
which  Mr.  Bristow  has  been  connected  since  he 
was  fourteen  years  old. 


AVID  W.  GOOC1I  is  one  of  the  oldest 
of  the  native-born  citizens  now  living  in 
this  county.  He  is  carrying  on  a  black- 
smith shop  in  Atwater,  where  he  has  made 
his  home  for  a  number  of  years,  and  where  his  rep- 
utation is  excellent.  He  has  a  good  war  record, 
although  he  was  not  able  to  remain  in  the  service 
as  long  as  he  wished,  being  discharged  on  account 
of  physical  disability.  He,  however,  did  what  he 
could  to  maintain  the  Republic  and  when  he  could 
no  longer  fight  her  battles,  he  could  and  did  use  all 
of  his  influence  for  the  encouragement  and  sup- 
port of  those  who  were  stronger  than  he. 

The    families    which    Mr.  Gooch    represents  be- 
longed in  the  Southern  States,  and  he  shows  in  his 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


I  15 


manners  and  habits  of  thought  the  influence  of 
heredity.  His  father,  Clayton  Gooch,  was  born  in 
Virginia,  hut  went  from  that  State  to  Kentucky 
when  lie  was  quite  young.  He  attained  to  his  ma- 
jority in  the  Blue  Grass  State  and  continued  to  re- 
side there  until  early  in  the  '30s,  when  he  came  to 
Illinois.  He  had  married  Sarah  .Jeffrey,  an  estim- 
able Kentucky  lady,  and  in  his  journey  hither  was 
accompanied  by  her  and  five  children.  They  trav- 
eled overland  in  a  large  wagon  drawn  by  six 
horses  and  settled  on  Government  land,  in  what  is 
now  North  Palmyra  Township,  this  county.  Mr. 
Gooch  soon  bad  a  two-story  double  log  house  on 
his  land,  in  which  his  son  David  VV.  was  born, 
February  25,  1838.  The  father  improved  his  farm 
and  resided  upon  it  until  his  death.  After  that 
sad  event  the  widow  lived  with  her  sons  and  died 
under  the  roof  of  William.  She  had  reared  live 
sons  and  two  daughters. 

The  gentleman  of  whom  we  write  was  reared  on 
the  farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  pioneer 
schools,  conning  his  lessons  in  the  old-fashioned 
schoolhouse,  whose  picture  is  historical.  For  many 
years  after  the  family  settled  here  there  were  no 
railroads  in  this  section,  and  the  father  marketed 
his  grain  in  Alton  and  brought  his  supplies  from 
there.  The  mother  cooked  by  a  fireplace  and 
clothed  her  children  in  homespun, which  she  herself 
prepared.  Mr.  Gooch  looks  back  to  primitive  times 
when  the  settlers  lived  primarily  upon  the  pro- 
ducts of  their  farms  and  the  game  which  could  be 
secured  in  the  vicinity,  and  seeing  the  present  con- 
dition of  things  he  rejoices  in  what  he  has  beheld 
of  progress,  and  in  the  prosperity  of  the  people  of 
this  locality. 

In  1856  young  Gooch  left  the  farm  and  began 
an  apprenticeship  at  the  blacksmith's  trade.  He 
served  two  years  as  an  apprentice,  then  did  jour- 
ney work  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion. 
At  the  first  call  for  troops  he  enlisted  in  Company 
K,  Seventh  Illinois  Infantry,  and  upon  the  expira- 
tion of  the  three  months  for  which  the  enrollment 
had  taken  place,  he  re-entered  the  service  in  the 
same  company.  His  discharge  was  dated  Septem- 
ber 14,  1862,  and  prior  to  his  being  disabled  he 
had  fought  bravely  and  borne  hardships  uncom- 
plainingly, glad  that  he  had  the  strength  ami  spirit 


to  serve  his  country.  As  soon  as  his  health  was 
sufficiently  restored  he  resumed  his  trade,  and  after 
few  a  years  at  Shaw's  Point  Township,  he  went 
to  Girard  and  operated  a  shop  there  until  1834. 
That  year  he  established  himself   in  Atwater. 

Mr.  Gooch  has  a  pleasani  home  which  is  made 
attractive  by  the  lady  who  became  his  wife  in  Sep- 
tember, 1865.  She  was  known  in  her  maidenhood 
as  Miss  Cynthia  Carpenter.  They  have  one  child 
living,  a  daughter,  Sadie.  Mr.  Gooch  was  Super- 
visor of  Shaw's  Point  Township  at  the  lime  when 
the  county  debt  was  refunded.  His  political  sup- 
port is  g'ven  to  the  Democratic  principles  and 
policies.  He  is  well  and  favorbly  known  as  a  re- 
liable citizen  and  a  thorough  workman  at  his  trade. 


ffiOHN  G.  LIPPOLDT,  a  large  landowner 
and  one  of  the  successful  farmers  and  stock- 
raisers  of  Hilyard  Township,  whose  faun 
lies  on  sections  26  and  35,  was  born  in 
Saxe- Weimar,  Germany,  February  2,  1825,  and  was 
one  of  a  large  family  of  children  whose  parents 
were  Christoff  and  Maria  (Brever)  Lippoldt.  They 
were  a'so  natives  of  Germany,  where  they  grew  to 
manhood  and  were  married  and  there  began  their 
domestic  life  upon  a  farm.  Their  children  were 
all  born  in  the  Fatherland  and  attained  to  years  of 
maturity.  It  was  iu  the  year  1853,  that  the  parents 
crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America  and  settled  near 
Jersey ville,  111.,  where  Mr.  Lippoldt  secured  a  wild 
and  unbroken  tract  of  land  from  which  he  de- 
veloped a  good  farm,  making  his  home  thereon 
until  called  to  his  final  rest  at  the  age  of  sixty-six 
years.  His  wife  also  died  on  the  old  homestead  at 
the  age  of  sixty-four.  Both  were  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  and  were  numbered  among  the 
best  citizens  of  the  neighborhood.  Their  children 
all  came  to  America  and  six  arc  yet  living.  All 
are  married  and  reside  upon  farms,  four  being  re- 
sidents of  Illinois,  while  two  make  their  homes  in 
Kansas. 

Our  subject  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  pro- 
vince and  when  of  age  began  work  as  a  farm  labor- 
er,   serving   in   that  capacity   until   the  spring   of 


446 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1854,  when  lie  bade  good-by  to  home  and  friends 
and  took  passage  upon  the  sailing  vessel,  "Herman" 
at  Bremen.  For  seven  long  weeks  he  was  upon 
the  bosom  of  the  Atlantic  and  at  length  safely 
arrived  at  New  Orleans,  from  whence  he  made  his 
way  up  the  Mississippi  River  to  Alton,  where  he 
at  rived  a  Week  later.  His  parents  had  already 
come  to  America  and  he  went  to  his  father's  home 
in  Jersey  County,  111.,  where  a  short  time  after- 
ward lie  was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Hen- 
rietta Lippoldt  who  had  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  the 
same  vessel  with  her  husband.  They  were  distant 
relations  and  this  tie  of  blood  prevented  their  mar- 
riage in  the  old  country  so  they  came  lo  the  United 
States.  The  lady  was  born  in  the  same  province 
as  her  husband,  June  13,  1821.  and  is  a  daughter 
of  Godfred  and  Christina  (Neimaker)  Lippoldt. 
For  some  generation  their  people  had  resided  in 
Saxe- Weimar, Germany.  The  parents  and  their  chil- 
dren all  came  to  this  country,  though  at  different 
times  and  located  in  Jersey  County,  near  the 
Macoupin  line,  where  Mr.  Lippoldt  died  at  the  age 
of  sixty-two  years  and  his  wife  at  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty  five  years. 

The  wife  of  our  subject  was  the  third  in  order  of 
a  birth  in  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  all  of  whom 
came  to  the  United  States  but  only  three  are  now 
living.  By  her  marriage  she  has  become  the  moth- 
er of  five  children— Bertha  who  died  at  the  age  of 
one  year;  Fannie,  wife  of  Herman  Bartell,  a  resid 
ent  farmer  of  Ililyard  Township;  Anna,  wife  of 
Casper  Jaco,  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
work;  Theodore  who  wedded  Mary  Brinkman  and 
operates  a  farm  in  Hilyard  Township;  Herman  at 
home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lippoldt  were  reared  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Lutheran  Church  but  the  lady 
is  now  a  Methodist.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch 
Democrat  and  a  strong  advocate  of  the  party 
principles  but  has  never  sought  or  desired  public 
office.  The  farm  upon  which  he  now  resides  has 
been  the  family  homestead  since  1866.  It  com- 
prises three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  valuable 
land  and  in  addition  to  this  he  owns  a  one  hundred 
sixty-acre  tract,  his  landed  possessions  therefore 
aggregating  four  hundred  and  eight}'  acres.  The 
residence  is  surrounded  by  good  buildings  such  as 
are  necessary  to  a  model  farm  and  these  in  turn  lie 


in  the  midst  of  fertile  fields.  He  raises  a  good 
grade  of  stock  and  the  neat  appearance  of  the  place 
indicates  the  care  of  a  thrifty  manager. 

— *> -#>-#*- -~ 


"Sr^ICHARD  R.  BARNSTABLE,  one  of  the 
\^\{  prosperous  tillers  of  the  soil  of  this  county, 
<4i\  is  a  resident  on  section  5.  Polk  Township, 
where  he  has  a  fine  and  attractive  farm. 
He  is  a  native  of  England,  having  been  born  in 
that  country  on  the  23d  of  December  1830,  in 
Otiicry,  Somersetshire.  After  having  grown  to 
manhood  in  his  native  place  he  decided  to  seek 
what  the  New  World  held  for  him  and  coming  lo 
this  country  in  the  spring  of  1852  proceeded  to 
America,  where  he  remained  but  a  short  time 
before  returning  te  New  York  State  to  get  a  wife. 
The  one  whom  he  chose  to  be  his  life  partner  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Ellen  S.  Pitmon,  a  native  of 
the  same  country  as  himself,  where  she  was  born 
December  31,  1834.  The  wedding  day  of  this 
happy  couple  was  November  4,  1852. 

The  wife  of  our  subject  came  to  America  when 
but  a  lass  of  seventeen  years  and  made  her  home 
in  Clay,  Onondaga  Comity,  N.  Y..  until  united  in 
marriage  with  our  subject.  In  the  spring  of  1853 
this  young  couple  came  to  this  county,  thinking  it 
the  best  place  to  begin  their  new  life.  They  settled 
on  a  tract  of  land  in  Polk  Township  where  Mr. 
Barnstable  has  since  been  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits,  of  which  he  has  made  a  great  success.  On 
this  place  will  be  seen  a  fine  set  of  farm  buildings 
and  the  other  now  has  an  arable  tract  of  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty  acres. 

The  home  of  our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife 
has  been  blessed  by  the  advent  of  five  children,  all 
butoncof  whom  still  survive.  They  are  as  follows: 
Emily  J.  died  when  nearly  four  years  old;  Walter 
J.  is  married  to  Miss  Anna  Dowland;  Ella  T.  is  the 
wife  of  Alonzo  T.  Keele;  Nettie  A.  is  the  wife  of 
T.  M.  Lawrence;  and  Norman  R. 

Mr.  Barnstable  in  his  political  views  casts  his 
vote  wit'u  the  Republican  party,  which  he  thinks  is 
the  party  to  govern  this  nation.  He  is  not  in  any 
way  an  office-seeker  but  has  been  made  the  incum- 


LIBRARY 
Of  TMP 
UNIVERSITY  OF  IU 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


I  III 


bent  of  the  ollice  of  School  Director  of  his  district 
which  he  filled  with  great  satisfaction  not  only  to 
himself  but  to  his  constituents.  He  and  his  worthy 
and  efficient  wife  are  active  and  consistent  members 
of  the  Congregational  Church,  with  which  they 
have  been  united  since  the  year  1855.  These  good 
people  are  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all  their 
neighbors  and  fellow- men. 


>>&£&*&)<** 


EV.  MARTIN  V.  KITZMILLER,  Post- 
master at  Girard,  residing  in  a  beauti- 
b  \V  ful  rural  home  in  the  western  suburb 
^§)  of  the  city,  is  known  far  and  wide 
as  a  former  prominent  minister  of  the  Baptist 
('lunch.  For  man}-  years  he  was  very  active 
in  promoting  the  growth  of  the  denomination, 
being  instrumental  in  establishing  churches  in  va- 
rious places,  ami  though  ill-health  obliged  him  to 
abandon  his  beloved  calling  be  is  still  a  power  in 
religious  circles.  He  was  born  in  Washington 
County.  Tenn.,  January  20,  1826.  His  father, 
Henry  Kitzmiller,  was  a  native  of  the  same  county, 
and  was  a  son  of  one  of  its  early  pioneers,  Martin 
Kitzmiller,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
a  descendant  of  early  German  settlers  of  that  .State. 
The  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  a  farmer  and 
also  a  blacksmith  and  wagon-maker.  He  removed 
from  his  native  State  to  Tennessee,  and  was  one  of 
the  first  to  settle  in  Washington  County,  where  he 
bought  a  large  tract  of  land,  and  in  connection 
with  farming  carried  on  blacksmithing  and  wagon 
manufacturing,  man}'  of  the  wagons  that  he  made 
finding  a  market  in  Kentucky.  With  the  proceeds 
of  the  sale  of  some  of  them  he  bought  a  farm  in  the 
locality  then  known  as  Ohio  Falls,  and  now  in- 
cluded in  the  city  of  Louisville,  Ky.  Though  he 
owned  that  farm  for  several  years  he  never  lived 
upon  it.  He  died  when  eighty-six  years  old  at  his 
home  in  Washington  County.  His  wife,  who  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Mary  Devault,  was  a  native  of 
Maryland,  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four. 
Those  worth}-  people  reared  a  family  of  six  sons 
and  two  daughters,  named  David,  John,  Henry, 
Martin,  Jacob,  Joseph,  Mary  and  Elizabeth. 


Henry  Kitzmiller  learned  the  trades  of  a  black- 
smith and  wagon-maker  from  his  father,  but  did 
not  follow  them.  About  two  years  after  his  mar- 
riage he  located  on  a  farm  which  his  father  gave 
him.  situated  across  the  line  in  Sullivan  County, 
and  actively  engaged  in  agriculture  until  his  death 
in  1843.  In  early  manhood  he  married  Elizabeth 
Carr,  a  native  of  Washington  County,  Tenn.,  and  a 
daughter  of  Richard  and  Martha  Carr,  natives  re- 
spectively of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  and  the 
latter  of  English  and  Scotch  ancestry.  The  mother 
of  our  subject  died  on  the  home  farm  in  Sullivan 
County,  January  2,  1891,  aged  ninety-five  years. 
She  has  reared  nine  children,  namely:  Martin  V., 
Martha,  Richard  C,  Mary,  Henry,  Elizabeth, 
David,  Lovisa  and  Joseph.  David  and  Joseph  arc 
deceased. 

Our  subject  passed  his  early  life  in  his  native 
State,  gaining  his  education  in  the  local  schools. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  was  converted  and  joined 
the  Baptist  Church,  with  which  he  has  ever  since 
been  closely  identified.  He  was  licensed  to  preach 
in  18-14,  and  continued  in  the  ministry  in  Tennes- 
see until  1850,  when,  for  the  sake  of  rearing  his 
children  in  a  free  State  where  '  honest  labor  was 
not  degrading,"  he  came  to  Illinois,  having  ac- 
cepted a  call  to  the  Baptist  Church  in  Girard.  He 
was  the  first  pastor  of  the  congregation  which 
numbered  seven  ladies  and  four  gentlemen,  who 
owned  a  one-fourth  interest  in  what  was  known  as 
the  Union  Church.  During  the  interval  of  his 
pastorate  here  a  neat  and  comfortable  edifice  has 
been  erected  as  a  house  of  worship,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  resignation  the  congregation  numbered  one 
hundred  and  eighty-eight  members,  this  being  the 
largest  number  at  any  one  time  from  its  organiza- 
tion up  to  that  date.  He  continued  to  ably  discharge 
the  duties  of  his  holy  office  until  1888,  a  period  of 
thirty-two  years,  when  he  resigned  his  charge  on 
account  of  losing  his  voice. 

Those  3'ears  of  active  labor  in  the  cause  of  relig- 
ion were  fraught  with  great  good,  and  bore  much 
fruit  in  the  increased  growth  of  the  church  not 
only  here  but  elsewhere.  The  following  concern- 
ing his  work  was  written  for  this  publication: 

••About  the  year  1863  or  18G1  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Kitzmiller'  immersed  the  first  person  ever  immersed 


450 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


at  Chatham,  Sangamon  County,  111.,  and  as  the  re- 
sult of  his  labors  there,  a  Baptist  Church  was  or- 
ganized and  a  house  of  worship  built. 

"The  house  of  worship  belonging  to  the  Baptist 
Church  at  Hickory  Point.  Macoupin  County,  was 
begun  and  mainly  built  by  him,  and  when  it  was 
completed  he  preached  the  sermon  of  dedication. 
During  his  ministry  at  Guard  he  gave  one  half  of 
his  time  to  various  other  churches,  which  like  that 
at  Girard  were  just  starting  and  needing  the  fos- 
tering care  of  a  shepherd  and  leader.  The  Baptist 
Church  at  Auburn,  Sangamon  County,  was  one 
which  in  that  way  had  his  services  for  a  period  of 
from  twelve  to  eighteen  years  until  it  became 
strong.  For  four  years  our  subject  worked  in  the 
same  way  at  Carlinville,  at  Greenfield  for  two  or 
three  years,  and  at  Waverly  for  six  years." 

During  his  ministry  Mr.  Kitzmiller  lias  baptized 
about  a  thousand  people,  of  whom  twelve  or  more 
have  entered  the  ministry  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
The  first  person  baptized  by  him  was  his  wife;  the 
second  his  sister,  who  soon  after  became  the  wife 
of  the  Rev.  W.  C.  Newell,  who  lately  died  at  Ml. 
Vernon;  and  the  third  was  a  young  man,  who  be- 
came a  Baptist  minister  of  extensive  usefulness  in 
Virginia  and  Tennessee.  It  is  generally  believed 
that  our  revered  subject  has  performed  more  mar- 
riage ceremonies  than  any  other  minister  in  the 
county.  The  first  man  married  by  him  was  the 
Rev.  William  A.  Keane,  one  of  the  leading  Baptist 
ministers  in  East  Tennessee. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Kitzmiller  was  united  in  the  holy 
bonds  of  matrimony  with  Miss  Mary  Crouch  April 
29,  1847.  Mrs.  Kitzmiller  is  a  native  of  Washing- 
ton County,  Tenn.,  and  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Elizabeth  (Keefhaver)  Crouch.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kitz- 
miller have  seven  children  living,  namely:  Joseph 
H.,  Martha  A..  James  W..  Charles  M.,  David  M., 
Laura  E.  and  Eldredgc  P.  Joseph  II.  a  graduate 
of  Hahnemann  Medical  College,  of  Chicago,  is  a 
physician  at  Taylorville,  111.  Martha  married 
John  Lloyd,  an  extensive  farmer  and  stock-raiser 
of  Franklin  County,  Ky.  James  W.  is  a  success- 
ful farmer  and  lumber  merchant  at  Medora.  David 
Martin  is  associated  with  his  brother  James  in  the 
lumber  business  Charles  is  assistant  Postmaster 
at  Girard.    Laura  married    G.  A.  Post,   clerk  and 


book  keeper  for  the  firm  of  Solomon  &  Martin,  of 
Palmyra.  Eldredge  is  at  home  with  his  parents. 
Mr.  Kitzmiller  and  his  family  are  very  pleasantly 
situated  in  their  suburban  home.  The  grounds 
around  his  house  comprise  seventeen  and  one-half 
acres  of  land,  devoted  to  fruit  growing,  gardening 
and  pasturing,  and  are  chiefly  under  the  manage- 
ment of  his  youngest  son,  E.  P.  Kitzmiller. 

Mr.  Kitzmiller  was  formerly  a  Democrat,  but  of 
the  anti-slavery  type.  Since  the  formation  of  the 
Republican  party  he  has  been  a  linn  advocate  of 
its  principles,  and  his  live  sons  and  two  sons-in- 
law  follow  in  his  footsteps  as  regards  their  politi- 
cal affiliations.  Not  only  has  our  subject  been 
greatly  instrumental  in  promoting  the  moral  and 
religious  interests  of  the  community,  but  he  hns 
aided  in  advancing  education  as  a  valued  member 
of  the  School  Board,  with  which  he  was  connected 
nine  years.  He  received  his  appointment  as  Post- 
master at  Girard  from  the  hands  of  President  Har- 
rison, and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office 
January  20,1890.  Hisselection  for  this  important 
position  gave  universal  satisfaction,  as  he  is  held 
in  great  esteem,  and  it  was  believed  that  no  more 
scrupulous,  faithful  or  efficient  official  could  have 
been  found  for  the  place. 

A  lithographic  portrait  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kitzmil- 
ler is  presented  in  connection  with  this  biographical 
notice. 


QJ 


— m&z- — 

(>I1N  E.  PERROTTET,  assistant  Supervisor 

of  Carlinville  Township,  was  born  in  Switz- 
erland, August  11,  1836,  where  he  spent  his 
/  boyhood  days.  His  parents  were  John  D. 
and  Anna  M.  Perrottet  who  upon  their  arrival  in 
the  United  Slates  took  up  their  abode  in  St.  Clair 
County,  III.,  afterward  removing  to  Macoupin 
County,  where  they  died.  In  1857,  their  son,  John 
E.,  removed  from  St.  Clair  to  Macoupin  County, 
and  has  since  resided  in  Gillespie  and  Carlinville 
Townships.  He  has  given  his  attention  mainly  to 
the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  whereby  he  has  gained 
an  independent  support.  He  operates  some  two 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land  situated  on  sec- 
lion   12. 


PORTRAIT  AND   MOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


451 


Our  subject  was  married  in  St.  Clair  County  to 
Miss  Anna  M.  Stabler,  tlie  date  of  whose  birth  is 
May  G,  1843.  The  household  consists  of  father 
and  mother  and  eleven  children — August,  Anna, 
Sophia,  Louis.  Mary,  John,  Louisa,  Clara,  William, 
Victor  and  Adella. 

Mr.  Perrottet  lias  filled  the  office  of  Tax  Collector 
of  Gillespie  Township.  He  is  an  earnest  advocate 
of  the  Democratic  party  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church. 
Mr.  Perrottet  is  a  man  brave  and  independent  in 
spirit  and  has  fought  life's  battles  as  they  have 
come,  never  knowing  fear  or  shrinking  from  the 
duties  which  fill  his  every-day  life.  His  integrity 
and  his  devotion  to  his  family  have  won  for  him 
golden  opinions  in  the  community  where  he  lives. 


oCx> 


.TAMES  J.  HAYCRAFT.  Among  the 
prominent  and  successful  business  men  of 
Medora  who  are  selected  for  representation 
in  this  Record  is  the  Rev.  .1.  J.  Hayeraft, 
whose  work  as  minister  and  business  man  has  done 
mucli  to  aid  the  prosperity  of  the  county.  II is  resi- 
dence within  its  bounds  dates  from  New  Year's 
Day,  1844,  at  which  time,  a  young  man  of  twenty 
years,  he  came  hither.  He  was  born  in  Hardin 
County,  Ky.,  January  20,  1824,  his  parents  being 
John  and  Hannah  (Parker)  Hayeraft.  natives  of 
Kentucky  and  Virginia  respectively.  The  father 
had  fair  school  advantages  and  was  an  earnest  stu- 
dent, and  became  very  proficient  in  mathematics. 
He  taught  school  for  some  time,  but  after  his  re- 
moval to  this  county,  in  1846,  he  gave  his  attention 
to  farming  in  Chesterfield  Township  until  lie  re- 
tired from  active  life.  In  1863  he  sold  out  and 
removed  to  Fidelity,  where  his  wife  breathed  her 
last.  He  afterward  became  an  inmate  of  the  home 
of  our  subject,  anil  died  at  Medora.  The  parental 
family  consisted  of  eight  sons  and  daughters,  all  of 
whom  grew  to  maturity. 

Our  subject  is  the  eldest  member  of  the  parental 
family.  His  early  education  was  received  with  his 
father  as  tutor  and  he  subsequently  attended  school 
at  Klizabethtown,  the   county   seat  of    his  native 


county,  the  school  being  known  as  the  Robert  Hunt 
High  School.  From  it  man\  statesmen  and  other 
leading  men  of  Kentucky  were  graduated.  Among 
the  classmates  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hayeraft  were 
George  and  Hardin  Helm,  sons  of  Gov.  John  M. 
Helm,  and  grandsons  of  the  Hon.  Benjamin  Hardin, 
the  noted  criminal  lawyer.  After  his  education 
was  completed  Mr,  Hayeraft  engaged  to  leach 
school  but  before  entering  upon  his  professional 
labors  he  came  to  this  Slate  and  within  two  years 
he  was  married  and  had  established  his  home  on  a 
farm. 

Mr.  Hayeraft  located  in  Jersey  County  not  far 
from  Medora  and  gave  his  attention  to  tilling  the 
soil  and  dealing  in  live-stock.  He  remained  at  that 
point  fifteen  years  and  then  became  a  resident  of 
Medora.  Ju  1858  be  built  a  steam  flouring  mill  at 
Fidelity,  which  he  operated  until  July  15,  1863, 
when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire,  causing  a  loss  of 
$27,000.  Mr.  Hayeraft  had  no  insurance,  but 
friends  and  bankers  offered  to  raise  $5,000  within 
twenty-four  hours  after  the  catastrophe  and  urged 
him  to  accept  the  money  and  rebuild.  He  refused 
the  kind  offer,  as  he  had  never  accepted  a  dollar, 
but  subsequently  his  bankers  Dorsey  ife  Cheney 
of  Jerseyville,  voluntarily  furnished  him  the  money 
to  rebuild  and  after  doing  so  he  operated  the  mill 
two  years.  The  mill  site  was  valuable  but  the 
bankers  would  neither  take  a  mortgage  or  note,  so 
much  confidence  had  they  in  Mr.  llaycrafl's  honor. 

Mr.  Hayeraft  soon  recovered  from  his  losses  and 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits,  soon  having  a  com- 
mercial standing  of  $45,000.  When  he  came  to 
Medora  he  bought  a  home,  and  rented  a  mill  which 
he  carried  on  while  also  running  a  store  and  deal- 
ing in  grain  and  stock.  He  afterward  built  a  mill 
which  he  operated  two  years,  then  moved  it  to  Al- 
sey,  Scott  County,  on  the  railroad,  added  an  eleva- 
tor, and  there  carried  on  an  extensive  business. 
He  sold  his  property  after  some  years  and  returned 
to  Medora  where  he  carried  on  mercantile  pursuits 
two  years,  then  removed  to  Palmyra  and  for  eight- 
een months  was  similarity  engaged  there.  He 
again  came  to  Medora,  and  in  May,  1889,  entered 
upon  the  business  he  is  still  conducting — the  sale 
of  groceries,  notions  and  gentlemen's  furnishing 
goods,     lie  has  prospered    in   business  affairs  not- 


452 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


withstanding  the  fact  that  he  has  met  with  some 
losses,  and  lie  has  given  two  of  his  daughters  well- 
improved  farms  and  purchased  for  the  husband  of 
another  a  mill  in  Palmyra. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Haycraft  was  solemnized 
October  15,  1846,  his  bride  being  Miss  Matilda 
Rhodes,  daughter  of  Josiah  Rhodes.  The  bride 
was  born  in  Kentucky  April  13,  1826.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Haycraft  nine  children  have  been  born, 
six  of  whom  died  in  infancy  or  childhood.  The 
living  are  Melissa,  now  the  wife  of  II.  C.  Kemper; 
Emma,  wife  of  Francis  Watson;  and  Ella  V.,  who 
married  I).  W.  Rhodes. 

Mr.  Haycraft  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
having  been  initiated  in  Fidelity  Lodge,  No.  152, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  1858.  He  was  Chaplain  of  that 
lodge  twelve  years.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat 
and  he  has  frequently  held  local  offices.  In  religion 
he  is  a  Baptist  and  in  1876  he  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry  and  has  since  given  considerable  time  to 
1he  work  of  the  Gospel.  He  had  charge  of  Big 
Spring  Church,  Scott  County,  organized  Liberty 
Church,  near  Carlinville,  and  was  the  pastor  in 
charge  there  three  years.  He  resigned  to  go  into 
the  field  as  an  evangelist,  preaching  in  different 
churches,  and  subsequently  with  the  Carrolltou 
associate carrjed  on  one  of  the  most  successful  meet- 
ings ever  held  in  the  church  at  Fidelity.  Twenty- 
six  members  were  added  and  so  much  life  was 
infused  into  the  congregation  that  a  commodious 
house  of  worship  was  soon  undertaken  and  com- 
pleted. 


\\  ESHACK  T.  ALFORD,  one  of  the  most 
important  and  progressive  farmers  of 
North  Palmyra  Township,  resides  on  sec- 
tion 30,  where  his  splendid  farm  and  excel- 
lent buildings  are  an  ornament  which  attract  the 
eye  of  every  passerby.  His  worthy  father,  Charles 
Alford,  was  born  in  North  Carolina  and  his  mother, 
Mary  Tipton,  was  a  native  of  the  mountainous  re- 
gions of  Tennessee.  After  marriage  this  intelligent 
couple  emigrated  from  Monroe  County,   Tenn,,  to 


this  county,  in  1851.  They  made  their  home  in 
Scottville  Township  and  there  resided  until  death 
called  them  hence.  Charles  Alford  died  March 
17,  185S  and  his  wife  followed  him  to  the  grave 
February  18,  1863. 

Five  sons  and  two  daughters,  made  up  the  happy 
home  of  this  pioneer  couple,  and  our  subject  is  the 
fifth  in  order  of  birth,  lie  had  his  nativity  in  Se- 
vier County,  Tenn..  May  23,  1828.  When  he  was 
about  three  years  old  he  removed  with  his  father 
to  Monroe  County,  and  there  grew  to  man- 
hood. In  that  county  he  found  his  bride  in  the 
person  of  Rebecca  Edwards,  and  they  were  mar- 
ried May  20.  1848.  She  was  born  in  Roan 
County, January  17,  1831.  The  young  couple  set- 
tled in  Monroe  County,  Tenn.,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1850  migrated  with  Mr.  Alford's  family  to  Mac- 
oupin County.  They  settled  in  Scottville  Town- 
ship and  resided  there  until  March,  1867,  when 
they  removed  to  North  Palmyra  Township  and 
made  their  home  on  section  30,  where  they  now 
reside. 

Nine  children  were  sent  to  share  the  parental 
love  and  care  of  Meshack  and  Rebecca  Alford. 
Those  who  are  now  living  are:  William  C,  who 
married  Mrs.  Ella  Helmick;  Charles  F.,  who  mar- 
ried Helena  Rice;  Robert  E.,  who  married  May 
Ballard;  and  Caleb  C.  The  other  children  died 
when  quite  young.  The  mother  of  these  excellent 
and  worthy  young  people  was  taken  from  them 
by  death  at  the  home  in  Palmyra  Township,  June 
20,  I860. 

Our  subject  was  a  second  lime  married  in  Scott- 
ville Township,  November  28,  1869,  to  Miss  Susan 
M.  Searcy,  who  was  born  in  Spencer  County,  Ky., 
August  14,  1846.  They  have  seven  children, 
Sarah  R.,  who  is  the  wife  of  William  Yogel,  Mar- 
tha A..  Rosa  P.,  Bertha  L..  Joseph  M.,  John  S.  and 
Cleveland  II.  Mr.  Alford  finds  in  his  children  the 
comfort  and  solace  of  h's  advancing  years.  He  is 
the  owner  of  three  hundred  and  seventy -five  acres 
of  rich  and  arable  land  upon  which  he  has  erected 
a  handsome  home  and  a  good  set  of  farm  build- 
ings. The  offices  of  School  Director  and  Highway 
Commissioner  have  been  offered  to  him  and  he 
has  carried  on  their  duties  with  success,  giving 
therein  great  satisfaction  to  his  neighbors  and   the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


453 


community  in  general.  Mrs.  Alford  is  an  earn- 
est and  devoted  member  of  the  Missionary  Baptist 
Church.  Such  a  family  as  this  is  in  every  way  a 
benefit  to  the  community  in  which  they  reside  as 
their  industry  and  enterprise  add  to  its  material 
wealth  and  their  uprightness  of  character  and  in- 
telligence make  them  leaders  of  thought  and  action. 


* 


OHN  II.  ARNETT.  Among  the  public- 
spirited  men  of  Southern  parentage  who 
have  helped  to  make  Macoupin  County 
(^Vy  what  it  is  to-day,  we  are  pleased  to  note 
the  gentleman  whose  name  appears  at  the  head  of 
this  sketch,  who  is  now  Postmaster  of  Delay  and 
was  for  some  time  Supervisor  of  Bird  Township. 
His  father,  Thomas  Arnett,  was  born  in  North 
Carolina,  and  his  mother,  Elizabeth  Reader,  was  a 
native  of  Tennessee,  where  they  were  married  and 
made  their  first  home  in  Overton  County.  At 
that  time  many  residents  of  Tennessee  and  Ken- 
tucky were  emigrating  to  Illinois,  and  they  fol- 
lowed the  tide.  Coming  hither  in  1834, after  living 
for  a  few  months  in  Morgan  County,  they  settled 
in  the  spring  of  1835,  in  Bird  Township,  this 
county.  This  they  made  their  permanent  home 
until  their  death.  The  mother  was  called  from 
earth  in  August,  1864,  and  her  loss  was  deeply 
felt,  not  only  by  her  husband  and  children,  but  by 
her  friends  and  neighbors.  Her  bereaved  husband 
survived  her  for  nearly  ten  years,  passing  away  in 
February,  1874. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  a  large  family  of  seven 
sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  he  was  the  seventh 
in  order  of  birth.  His  birth  took  place  in  Bird 
Township,  this  county,  September  28,  1838.  Here 
he  grew  to  manhood  and  has  made  Bird  Township 
his  home  continuously,  with  the  exception  of  a 
short  time  spent  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  In  18C3  he 
went  to  California  and  was  absent  in  that  State  and 
Oregon  until  1805.  He  has  made  farming  his 
chief  business  in  life  and  adhered  to  it  until  1888, 
when  he  rented  his  farm  to  a  tenant  and  came  to 
Delay,  where  he  engaged  in  the  business  of  general 
merchandising.  In  the  spring  of  that  year  he  received 


the  appointment  of  Postmaster,  which  office  he  still 
fills.  He  owns  a  fine  tract  of  three  hundred  and 
nine  acres,  most  of  which  is  in  Bird   Township. 

Mr.  Arnett  was  married  May  21,  1871,  in  Mem- 
phis, Tenn.,  to  Miss  Hannah  Mills  who  was 
born  in  Carlinville.  Her  parents  were  Charles  and 
Mary  A.  (Castlel  Mills,  natives  of  England.  .Mr. 
Mills  was  a  blacksmith  by  occupation  and  an  ex- 
pert in  his  calling.  He  and  his  good  wife  are  now 
residents  of  California.  Mr.  Arnett  is  a  public- 
spirited  man  and  is  ever  alive  to  the  interests  of 
the  community,  and  especially  active  in  forward- 
ing all  movements  which  he  believes  to  be  for  the 
best  good  of  the  agricultural  community.  He  has 
filled  for  three  terms  the  office  of  Supervisor  of 
Bird  Township,  ami  has  been  Treasurer  of  the 
township  for  twelve  years,  and  Justice  of  the  Peace 
for  two  terms.  Political  affairs  interest  this  gen- 
tleman deeply  and  in  them  he  takes  an  active  part, 
working  earnestly  for  the  prosperity  and  progress 
of  the  Democratic  party. 


:|fe 


PHRAIM  BELDAM  is  living  on  a  good 
farm  on  section  15,  Bunker  Hill  Township, 
bout  one  mile  north  of  the  city  of  Bunker 
Hill,  at  which  place  he  recently  settled  and  where 
he  owns  seventy  acres  of  good  land  well  improved. 
Dr.Beldain  formerly  lived  in  the  city  of  Bunker  Hill. 
He  has  lived  in  the  county  for  fifteen  years  and 
has  owned  different  farms  and  conducted  them  suc- 
cessfully. Dr.  Beldam  came  to  Bunker  Hill  from 
Kansas  City  where  he  was  variously  engaged  dur- 
ing eight  years  in  the  poultry  and  egg  business  and 
dealing  for  a  time  in  horses. 

Dr.  Beldam  is  a  native  of  England,  born  in 
Cambridgeshire  at  Staunton,  March  29,  1841.  His 
father,  Thomas  Beldam,  was  born  in  England  and 
was  a  dealer  in  swine  and  successful  in  that  line. 
The  father  married  an  English  lady,  Ann  Smith. 
After  the  birth  of  part  of  the  family  Thomas  Bel- 
dam, wife  and  children  left  London  in  1848,  on  a 
sailing  vessel.  They  were  out  at  sea  live  weeks  and 
five  days,  landing  in  New  York  City  and  thence 
coming  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,    where   they   lived   for 


454 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


some  years,  coming  later  to  Englewood,  Chicago, 
in  about  I860.  It  was  here  that  the  father  and 
mother  died,  the  former  from  a  cancer  when  just 
fifty-five  years  of  age.  The  latter  died  some  years 
later  at  about  sixty  years  of  age.  Mr.  Beldam  was 
a  Methodist  in  belief  and  the  mother  a  Baptist. 

Our  subject  was  a  boy  of  only  about  seven 
years  when  his  parents  came  to  the  United  States 
and  he  reached  his  majority  after  they  had  settled 
in  Chicago,  111.  He  was  here  a  horse-dealer,  buying 
and  selling.  He  has  a  brother  George  in  the  city 
of  Chicago  who  is  a  prominent  liveryman,  owning 
two  stables.  Another  brother,  Thomas,  is  also  a 
prominent  horse-dealer.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  married  in  Bunker  Hill  to  Miss  Sophronia  II. 
Sherwood.  She  was  born  October  7,  1850,  in  the 
American  Bottoms.  Madison  County,  111.,  and  was 
the  youngest  of  the  family.  With  her  uncle  East- 
man T.  Irish,  she  moved  to  Bunker  Hill,  Macoupin 
County.  Mere  she  was  reared,  and  educated  at 
Greenville  College.  She  is  now  the  mother  of  one 
child,  Bertha,  who  lives  at  home  and  is  a  bright 
and  accomplished  young  woman.  Mrs.  Beldam  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mrs. 
Beldam's  parents  died  when  she  was  young  and 
she  knows  nothing  of  their  history. 


OSEPII  B.  HACKNEY,  a  successful  farmer 
residing  on  section  25,  Hilyard  Township, 
has  a  well  improved  and  highly  cultivated 
l\|g/'  farm  which  has  been  his  home  most  of  the 
time  since  the  beginning  of  the  '50s.  His  military 
and  mining  experiences  are  truly  notable.  He  is  a 
veteran  of  the  Mexican  War  and  saw  some  hard 
fighting,  especially  toward  the  close  of  the  conflict 
when  he  was  engaged  in  fighting  the  bushwhackers, 
being  a  member  of  Capt.  Little's  Cavalry  Company, 
in  which  he  did  excellent  service  as  a  private. 

Our  subject  returned  home  in  1848  after  his  dis- 
charge from  the  army  and  the  following  spring  he 
joined  a  company  which  was  organized  in  Jersey  - 
ville  to  cross  the  plains  to  the  gold  regions  of  the 
Pacific  Slope.  This  company  embraced  some  twen- 
ty-five teams  and  wagons  and  their  first  objective 


point  was  St.  Joseph,  Mo.  Erom  there  they  too 
the  Mormon  trail  over  the  plains  to  South  Pass,  and 
thence  to  Ft.  Hall,  and  crossing  the  Humboldt 
reached  a  mining  camp  on  Bear  River.  Here  Mr. 
Hackney  spent  some  time  and  then  went  to  Sacra- 
mento, and  later  to  MeC'allam  River  and  worked  in 
the  Angeles  and  Murphy  mines.  Late  in  the  fol- 
lowing spring  he  went  to  the  head  waters  of  the 
Yuba  River  and  there  found  some  good  diggings. 
In  the  summer  of  1850  he  returned  with  his  brother 
who  had  accompanied  him,  and  coming  to  Macou- 
pin County,  they  invested  in  land  in  Hilyard  Town- 
ship, upon  which  they  have  since  lived  and  made 
of  it  an  excellent  farm. 

March  20,  1829,  was  the  natal  day  of  Joseph  B. 
Hackney,  and  Troy,  N.  Y.  the  place  of  his  nativity. 
His  father,  William,  who  was  born  in  that  State, 
came  of  Scotch  parentage.  His  father  and  mother 
emigrated  from  the  old  country  to  New  York  and 
spent  their  last  days  there.  Their  son  William 
learned  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith  and  furnace  man, 
and  had  an  excellent  reputation  as  a  skilled  work- 
man. He  came  West  in  1830  and  settled  upon  a 
tract  of  land  in  Jersey  County,  this  Stale,  but  still 
continued  to  carry  on  his  trade.  Later  he  removed 
to  Macoupin  County, where  he  lived  until  his  death, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-six.  His  wife,  Margaret  Kellogg, 
a  native  of  Albany,  N.  Y.  was  of  Holland  stock. 
She  came  West  with  her  husband,  dying  in  this 
county  when  eighty-four  years  old.  She  was  a  true 
and  faithful  wife  and  an  affectionate  and  devoted 
mother,  and  her  memory  is  revered  by  all  who  knew 
her.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Hackney  were 
devout  and  active  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  Mr.  Hackney  was  a  Jacksonian  Democrat 
in  his  political  views  and  had  been  a  soldier 
through  all  the  War  of  1812.  entering  as  a  pri- 
vate and  later  becoming  a  Corporal. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  one  of  the  younger 
members  of  his  father's  family,  and  his  two  older 
brothers  were  also  in  the  Mexican  War,  one,  James, 
belonging  to  the  militia,  and  Matthew  being 
in  the  navy.  They  are  still  living.  Joseph 
was  married  in  Chicago,  in  1864,  his  bride  being 
Mrs.  Mary  (Hackney)  Lyman,  a  native  of  New 
York,  of  Connecticut  parentage.  Her  first  husband 
William  Lyman,  to  whom  she  was  united    in  Con- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


455 


necticut,  enlisted  in  the  army  at  the  time  the  War 
of  the  Rebellion  in  1861,  and  was  one  of  the  first 
to  fall  at  the  battle  of  Newburn,  N.  C.  He  was 
under  the  command  of  Gen.  Burnside,  and  was 
shot  dead  03-  the  enemy,  being  in  the  prime  of  life. 
Mis  young  widow  was  left  with  one  child,  George 
W.,  now  living  in  Wichita,  Kan. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hackney  are  the  parents  of  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Fred  W.,  who  took  to  wife  Lil- 
lian Roberts  and  resides  upon  a  farm  in  Hilyard 
Township;  Paul,  who  resides  at  home,  and  is  a 
farmer  and  the  Township  Collector;  and  Albert, 
Raymond  and  Lotta,  who  are  all  three  at  home. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hackney  arc  truly  representative 
members  of  the  farming  community  of  this  town- 
ship, being  enterprising,  intelligent,  industrious  and 
successful.  Their  reputation  as  worthy  and  upright 
citizens  and  as  genial  and  kindly  neighbors,  gives 
them  a  genuine  popularity.  Mrs.  Hackney  is  an 
active  and  devoted  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  in  which  she  finds  a  broad  field  of 
labor  and  influence.  The  Democratic  party  claims 
the  hearty  allegiance  and  co-operation  of  Mr.  Hack- 
ney and  his  adult  sons. 


AZj^  WILLIAM  HEIDEMANN,  the  leading 
(|(^-.  general  merchant  of  Brighton,  established 
^^'  business  at  that  place  in  October,  18G8.  He 
began  on  a  small  scale  and  has  steadily  worked  his 
Way  upward,  enlarging  his  stock  as  the  volume  of 
his  trade  increased  until  he  now  has  the  most  im- 
portant business  in  the  place.  His  store  is  well 
supplied  with  all  kinds  of  merchandise  and  by  his 
untiring  efforts,  his  pleasant  manner  and  his  fair 
dealing  he  has  secured  a  liberal  share  of  the  public- 
patronage. 

Mr.  Heidemann  was  born  in  Faren  Haultz  Dep- 
niolt,  Germany,  on  the  10th  of  February,  1834, 
and  is  a  son  of  Fred  Heidemann  who  spent  his  en- 
tire life  in  the  Fatherland,  dying  at  the  age  of  fifly- 
one  years.  The  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Florentena  Karnaman,  long  survived  her  husband 
and  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  crossed  the  Atlantic 
with  a  son  and   daughter,  locating  in  Brighton   in 


1880,  where  she  died  two  years  later,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty-four  years.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Heidemann  were  members  of  the  Evangelical 
Church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  aquired  a  good  educa- 
tion in  his  native  tongue  and  when  about  eighteen 
years  of  age  started  out  in  life  for  himself.  Soon 
be  obtained  an  excellent  position  in  the  home  of 
one  of  tiie  millionaires  of  Bremen,  being  for  seven 
years  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Oelreach  of  the  German 
Llo3'd  steamship  line.  For  some  lime  he  was  at 
the  head  of  that  gentleman's  household  affairs,  and 
in  1859.  when  he  decided  to  emigrate  to  America, 
Mr.  Oelreach  gave  him  a  passage  upon  a  sailing 
vessel  bound  for  New  Orleans.  After  a  voyage  of 
seven  weeks  he  first  set  foot  upon  America  soil  and 
coming  up  the  Mississippi  River  made  his  first  lo- 
cation at  Brighton  but  after  a  short  time  went  to 
Madison  County,  where  for  a  time  he  worked  as  a 
farm  hand.  About  1861,  he  went  to  St.  Louis, 
where  he  secured  a  position  in  the  well-known  dry 
goods  house  of  Scruggs.  Vandervoort  &  Barney. 
He  was  a  trusted  and  faithful  salesman  in  that  house 
for  several  years,  during  which  lime  he  acquired  an 
excellent  knowledge  of  business  methods  and  by 
economy  procured  a  capital  sufficient  to  embark  in 
business  for  himself.  He  then  returned  to  Brigh- 
ton and  opened  a  general  merchandise  store  in  this 
place,  where  he  has  since  carried  on  a  succes-sful 
business. 

While  residing  in  St.  Louis,  Mr.  Heidemann  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Caroline  Gaegel,  a  native 
of  the  Fatherland,  born  in  1841.  She  came  alone 
to  America  in  1859,  and  made  her  home  in  St.  Louis 
until  her  marriage.  She  has  been  a  true  helpmate 
toher  husband  and  has  faithfully  watched  over  the 
interests  of  the  household,  while  Mr.  Heidemann 
has  labored  to  support  the  family.  Unto  them 
were  born  thirteen  children,  nine  of  whom  are  now 
living — William,  a  commerical  traveller  employed 
by  the  Martin  Clothing  Company  of  St.  Louis; 
Emma  who  is  at  the  hea  1  of  her  father's  store  in 
Brighton,  being  a  young  woman  of  excellent  busi- 
ness ability;  Amelia  at  home;  Henry,  a  liveryman  at 
Brighton;  Adolph,  who  is  educating  himself  for  a 
mechanical  engineer  and  is  now  engaged  with  the 
St.  Louis  Screw  Company ;  Henrietta,  who  is  assist- 


456 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ing  her  father  in  the  store;  Anna,  Helena  and 
Ilulda  at  home.  The  parents  of  this  family  are 
leading  members  of  the  Evangelical  Church,  Mr. 
Heidemann  having  given  more  than  any  one  else 
for  the  erection  of  their  house  of  worship.  He  is 
also  regarded  as  a  valued  and  enterprising  citizen 
and  has  served  as  Coucilman  for  two  years.  In 
politics  he  is  a  reliable  and  stalwart   Republican. 


\fl  ACOI5  L.  PLAIN,  ex-Sheriff  of  Macoupin 
County,  is  a  prominent  and  well-known  citi- 
zen of  Carlinville,  where  for  many  years 
he  has  been  engaged  in  the  real-estate  busi- 
ness, and  he  has  been  a  potent  factor  in  its  growth 
and  prosperity.  He  was  born  in  Muhlenberg 
County,  Ky.,  April  25,  1828,  and  is  a  representa- 
tive of  the  early  pioneer  families  of  this  section  of 
the  Slate. 

David  Plain,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born 
in  1796  in  that  part  of  Frederick  County,  Md., 
which  is  now  included  in  Carroll  County,  and  his 
father.  John  Plain,  was  a  native  of  the  same  place. 
The  father  of  the  latter  was  a  farmer,  and  it  is 
supposed  that  he  spent  his  entire  life  in  Maryland. 
The  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  bred  to  the 
life  of  a  farmer,  and  his  whole  life  was  passed  in 
his  native  State.  His  sou  David  was  reared  in  the 
county  of  his  birth,  and  removed  thence  to  Green- 
briar  County,  Va.,and  later  to  Muhlenberg  County, 
Ky.,  where  he  followed  his  trade,  that  of  a  cabinet- 
maker. He  resided  there  until  1828,  when  he  came 
to  the  wilds  of  Illinois  to  seek  a  new  home,  mak 
ing  the  removal  the  entire  way  with  ox-teams.  He 
was  accompanied  hither  by  his  wife  and  Gve  chil- 
dren, and  brought  with  him  all  his  household 
goods.  He  first  located  on  Indian  Creek,  in  Mor- 
gan County,  but  in  March,  1831,  came  to  Ma- 
coupin County,  and  became  one  of  the  first  settlers 
of  Shaw's  Point  Township,  where  he  at  once  se- 
lected a  tract  of  Government  land.  He  cut  poles, 
and  putting  the  ends  in  the  ground,  letting  the 
tops  come  together,  he  covered  them  with  boards 
rived  by  hand,  and  thus  made  a  temporary  shelter, 
which  the  family  occupied  while  he  erected  a 
hewn  log  house.     For   many   years  after   he  came 


here  there  were  no  railways  in  Illinois,  and  Alton, 
thirty-six  miles  distant,  was  the  nearest  market 
and  depot  for  supplies.  The  people  were  chiefly 
home-livers,  and  the  women  spun  and  wove  all  the 
cloth  with  which  they  dressed  their  children. 

The  father  of  our  subject  devoted  his  time  prin- 
cipally to  farming,  and  made  his  home  at  Shaw's 
Point  Township  until  his  death,  in  1873.  He  had 
been  twice  married.  The  maiden  name  of  his  sec- 
ond wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  was  Ann  Landes. 
She  was  born  in  Botetourt  County,  Va.,  and  was 
a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Catherine  Landes.  She 
died  in  1868.  In  the  parental  family  there  were 
ten  children. 

Jacob  L.  was  but  an  infant  when  his  parents 
brought  him  to  Illinois,  and  consequently  he  has 
no  remembrance  of  other  than  his  adopted  State. 
He  attended  the  pioneer  schools  of  Shaw's  Point 
Township,  which  were  first  taught  in  log  houses, 
the  furniture  being  of  the  most  primitive  kind. 
The  benches  were  made  by  splitting  logs  and  hew- 
ing one  side  smooth,  and  then  inserting  wooden 
pegs  for  legs.  There  were  no  desks,  but  holes 
were  bored  in  the  logs  on  either  side  of  the  house, 
wooden  pegs  put  in,  and  a  board  laid  on  them, 
and  this  contrivance  served  as  a  desk  for  the  larger 
scholars  to  write  upon.  Yet  in  those  rude  log 
houses  many  of  the  most  noted  men  of  the  country 
obtained  the  rudiments  of  an  education  which 
fitted  them  for  the  most  responsible  and  exalted 
positions  in  life.  As  soon  as  able  our  subject  com- 
menced to  assist  in  the  duties  of  the  farm,  and 
made  his  home  with  his  parents  until  he  was 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  when  he  started  in  life  on 

i 

his  own  account,  and  even  with  the  world.  He 
had  been  reared  to  habits  of  industry,  and  found 
no  difficulty  in  obtaining  employment  on  a  farm. 
An  intelligent,  energetic  young  man,  bearing  an 
excellent  reputation,  he  was  selected  for  the  office 
of  Deputy  Sheriff  in  1851,  under  William  M. 
Snow.  He  served  in  that  capacity  until  1854, 
when  he  was  elected  Sheriff  of  the  county,  so  well 
had  he  done  in  the  subordinate  office,  and  he  held 
that  position  one  term  at  that  time.  In  1858  he 
was  again  elected  to  that  office,  and  retained  it 
until  1860. 

From   1856   to  1858  Mr.  Plain   was  in  the  mer- 


LMRAHY 
M»VFftS»TY  OF  ILUNO' 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


459 


pantile  business,  carrying  a  stock  of  general  mer- 
chandise. Later  lie  engaged  in  the  real-estate 
business,  and  also  in  making  abstracts  of  titles, 
which  he  has  since  continued.  lie  has  a  pleas- 
ant home  at  Carlinville,  and  to  the  wife  who  pre- 
sides over  it  he  was  married  in  1856.  Mrs.  Plain 
was  formerly  Miss  Mary  A.  J.  Dick,  and  she  is  a 
native  of  this  State,  her  birthplace  being  in  San- 
gamon County. 

Politically  Mr.  Plain  has  always  been  a  stanch 
Democrat.  As  before  stated,  he  held  the  office  of 
Sheriff  two  terms.  He  also  has  served  eighteen 
years  as  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  for  three  terms 
was  Mayor  of  the  city.  He  is  at  present* a  member 
of  the  Hoard  of  Education.  Fraternally  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Carlinville  Lodge,  No.  350,  I.  O.  F.  Dur- 
ing his  long  residence  in  the  county  Mr.  Plain 
has  always  been  actively  identified  with  its  inter- 
ests, and  has  promoted  the  welfare  of  the  city  and 
county  in  various  ways,  both  as  a  citizen  and  in 
the  various  high  offices  that  he  has  held,  and  he 
is  greatly  esteemed  by  all  with  whom  he  has  busi- 
ness or  social  relations. 


S  OBERT  J.  MITCHELL,  M.  D.,  of  Girard, 
is  a  physician  of  high  standing  and  repu- 
tation among  the   members   of  his  profes- 

\£)  sion  in  this  county.  He  was  born  on  a  farm 
near  Lancaster,  Schuyler  County,  Mo.,  October 
30,  1S43.  His  father,  Isaac  Mitchell,  was  a  native 
of  England,  born  in  the  town  of  Harby,  Notting- 
hamshire, March  1,1815.  His  grandparents  were 
also  both  of  English  birth  and  antecedents,  and  spent 
'-heir  entire  lives  in  their  native  land.  His  grand- 
father, Richard  Mitchell,  had  a  farm  near  Harby, 
Nottinghamshire,  where  he  died  in  1840.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife,  grandmother  0i"  our  sub- 
ject, was  Susanna  Chapman.  She  was  born  at 
Harby,  and  died  one  year  after  her  husband.  They 
were  the  parents  of  seven  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters. The  father  of  our  subject  and  his  brother, 
William,  were  the  only  members  of  the  family  who 
came  to  America,  and  the  latter  settled  in  Greene 
County.     He  married   in   his   native  country,  and 


reared  a  family  of  five  sons  and  two  daughters, 
and  in  the  ripeness  of  tune  passed  to  his  final 
rest. 

Isaac  Mitchell  was  young  when  his  father  died, 
and  at  an  early  age  he  was  thrown  on  his  own  re- 
sources to  obtain  a  living.  In  1837,  in  the  prime 
and  vigor  of  the  opening  years  of  his  manhood, 
he  emigrated  to  this  country,  and  coming  to  Illi- 
nois, located  near  Carrollton,  Greene  County, 
where  several  English  families  had  established 
themselves  previously.  He  found  employment  on 
a  farm,  and  in  the  winter  season  attended  school. 
Very  soon  after  his  marriage,  in  the  fall  of  1841, 
he  went  to  Missouri,  and  became  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Schuyler  County.  He  bought  a  squatter's 
claim,  and  later,  when  the  land  came  into  the  mar- 
ket, purchased  it  from  the  Government.  There 
was  a  log  house  on  the  place,  partly  completed,  at 
the  time  he  bought  it,  and  after  finishing  it,  he  and 
his  wife  made  it  their  home  for  some  years.  In- 
dians lived  in  that  region  when  he  went  there,  and 
deer,  wild  turkeys  and  other  game  abounded  for 
a  long  time  after.  There  were  no  railways,  and 
the  towns  on  the  Mississippi  River,  seventy  miles 
distant  were  the  nearest  markets. 

Mr.  Mitchell  improved  quite  a  tract  of  land  in 
Missouri,  and  continued  to  live  there  some  time, 
when  he  came  back  to  Illinois  and  leased  a  farm  in 
Madison  County,  near  Upper  Alton.  Eight  years 
later  he  came  to  Girard  and  lived  retired  from 
active  life  until  his  death.  May  21,  1865.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Sarah  Underwood, 
and  she  was  born  in  August,  IS)  1,  near  Cynthiana, 
Harrison  County,  Ky.  Her  father,  Francis  Under- 
wood, was  born  in  Shropshire,  England,  in  1767.  and 
was  the  son  of  another  Francis  Underwood,  who 
spent  his  entire  life  in  England.  The  grandfather 
of  our  subject  came  to  America  in  his  youth  as  a 
soldier  in  the  British  army.  He  deserted  from  the 
ranks,  and  ever  after  made  his  home  in  the  United 
States. 

Locating  in  the  wilds  of  Kentucky,  Mr.  Mitchell 
was  married  in  Lafayette  County,  that  State,  in 
1799,  to  Margaret  Jar  vis.  She  was  bom  in  West- 
moreland County,  Pa.,  in  1784,  in  Robert  and  Mary 
.larvis,  natives  of  Dublin.  Ireland,  of  English  pa- 
tents.    On  coining  to  America,  they  resided   for  a 


460 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


time  in  Westmoreland  County,  Pa.,  and  thence 
went  to  Lafayette  County,  Ky.,  and  from  there  to 
Troy,  Ohio,  where  they  died.  In  1839  Grand 
father  Underwood  came  to  Illinois,  journeying 
hither  with  teams.  He  settled  seven  miles  west  of 
Carrollton,  where  he  bought  a  tract  of  timber  land 
which  he  developed  into  a  farm ;  in  that  place  he 
and  his  good  wife  dwelt  until  life's  close,  he 
dying  June  20,  1853,  and  she  August  20,  1860. 
They  reared  four  sons  and  five  daughters.  The 
parents  of  our  subject  had  four  children,  as  fol- 
lows: William  F.,  a  practicing  physician  of 
Lancaster.  Mo.;  John  M.,a  soldier  in  the  Twenty- 
first  Missouri  Infantry  during  the  late  war,  who  died 
in  the  service;  Robert  J.;  and  Mary  J.,  who  resides 
at  Girard. 

Our  subject  received  his  early  education  in  dis- 
trict schools,  and  supplemented  it  by  an  excellent 
course  of  study  at  Shurtleff  College,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  the  Class  of  '69.  Imme- 
diately after  graduation  he  commenced  the  study 
of  medicine  with  his  brother,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1869  entered  Rush  Medical  College  at  Chicago. 
He  attended  that  institution  until  the  following 
spring,  and  then  resumed  his  studies  with  his 
brother.  In  the  fall  of  1870  he  again  entered 
Rush  Medical  College,  and  was  graduated  with  the 
Class  of  '71.  A  few  weeks  after  leaving  college 
became  to  Girard  seeking  a  suitable  location  to 
establish  himself  in  his  profession,  and  since  that 
time  has  been  a  resident  physician  of.  this  place, 
acquiring  during  these  twenty  and  more  years  a 
lucrative  practice  that  extends  far  beyond  the  lim- 
its of  the  city.  He  is  justly  held  in  high  esteem 
by  his  patients  for  his  professional  knowledge 
and  practical  ability  in  applying  it  in  all  cases  that 
come  under  his  consideration. 

Dr.  Mitchell  was  married  in  1873  to  Miss  Julia 
A.  Bennion,  a  native  of  Wales.  Her  parents, 
Randle  and  Augusta  S.  Bennion,  were  also  of 
Welsh  birth,  and  came  from  Dcnbigshirc,  North 
Wales,  to  the  United  States  in  1849.  Two  children 
complete  the  household  circle  of  our  subject  and 
his  wife,  Mabel  and  Vinnie. 

The  Doctor  leads  a  busy  life,  for,  notwithstand- 
ing the  demands  made  upon  him  by  his  profession, 
he  is  identified   with  the  business  interests  of  the 


city  as  Vice-President  of  the  Girard  Building  and 
Loan  Association,  and  he  also  has  borne  an  honor- 
able part  in  the  public  life  of  Girard  as  a  member 
of  the  City  Council  and  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion, with  which  he  is  still  connected.  Politically 
he  was  formerly  a  Republican,  but  he  has  of  late 
given  his  support  to  the  Democratic  party.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Macoupin  County  Society  for 
Medical  Improvement,  of  the  State  Medical  So- 
ciety, and  of  the  American  Medical  Association. 
He  is  a  member  of  Girard  Lodge,  No.  171,  F.  A-  A. 
M.,  and  of  Chapter  132,  R.  A.  M. 

A  lithographic  portrait  of  Dr.  Mitchell  appears 
on  another  page  of  this  volume. 


-*-» 


!h/\  RiS-    KLIZA    J-    (TRABUE)    BOGGESS, 
I  ^  IV    a  well-known  resident  of  Girard,  has  lived 
II       I*  in    this   count}'   for  fifty-six  years  and  has 
*  been  an  intelligent  witness  of   its  growth 

and  development  from  the  wilderness  to  its  present 
condition  as  a  prosperous  and  flourishing  commu- 
nity. She  is  of  an  old  pioneer  family  and  is  a 
descendant  of  distinguished  French  ancestry.  She 
was  born  in  Logan  County,  Ky.,  May  29,  1820. 

The  father  of  Mrs.  Boggess,  Ilaskins  Trabue, 
was  born  near  Richmond,  Ya.,  in  1790,  and  was  a 
son  of  Stephen  Trabue,  who  was  a  native  of  the 
same  locality.  From  the  best  information  at  hand 
we  learn  that  the  great-grandfather  of  our  subject, 
whose  name  was  John  James  Trabue,  was  a  Virginian 
also,  whose  parents  were  born  in  France  and  came 
to  America  in  Colonial  times,  locating  in  Virginia. 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  '1  lie 
maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Olympia  Dupuy,  and 
she  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  Her  father,  Barthol- 
omew Dupuy,  was  born  in  Saintgue,  France,  in 
1654.  He  was  an  officer  in  the  household  guards 
of  Louis  XIV.  He  was  a  Huguenot  and  there  is  a 
romantic  story  connected  with  his  coming  to  Amer- 
ica, a  self-exile,  to  escape  religious  persecution  in 
his  native  country.  In  1684  he  married  Susanna. 
Countess  Davillon,  and  the  king  graciously  gave 
him  leave  of  absence  to  spend  his  honeymoon  at  his 
villa.     While  there  he  learned  of  the  revocation  of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


461 


the  Edict  of  Nantes  and  immediately  took  meas- 
ures to  flee  to  Germany  to  escape  tlic  doom  he  well 
knew  to  be  awaiting  one  of  his  religious  belief. 
He  ordered  a  suit  of  clothes  for  his  page,  who  was 
the  size  of  his  wife,  and  with  his  bride  attired  as  a 
page,  with  two  <>f  his  horses  and  all  his  money  and 
jewels,  he  started  for  the  frontier.  He  managed  to 
pass  the  guards  successfully  until  near  the  line  be- 
tween the  two  countries,  when  he  was  fired  upon, 
the  bullet  lodging  in  a  psalm-book  in  his  wife's 
bosom.  He  showed  a  pass  signed  by  the  king,  and 
without  giving  the  guards  time  to  see  the  date,  de- 
manded a  guard  the  rest  of  the  way.  He  arrived 
in  Germany  in  safety  and  after  remaining  there 
two  years  emigrated  to  America  and  settled  at 
Jamestown,  Va.,  among  the  colonists,  and  passed 
his  remaining  days  in  quietness  and  peace. 

Stephen  Trabue  the  paternal  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  married  Jane  llaskins,  a  native  of  Virginia. 
After  marriage  lie  removed  to  Kentucky,  going 
thither  with  teams  and  flat-boats.  He  settled  in 
Greene  County,  of  which  he  was  an  early  pioneer. 
He  secured  quite  a  tract  of  land  there  and  operated 
it  by  slave  labor.  He  finally  removed  to  Logan 
County,  where  lie  bought  a  much  larger  quantity 
of  land  than  he  had  first  purchased  and  he  resided 
there  until  death  closed  his  earthly  career. 

Mrs.  Boggess'  father  was  reared  in  Kentucky  and 
after  marriage  he  settled  on  land  given  him  by  his 
father  in  Logan  County.  In  .1835  he,  too,  became 
a  pioneer,  coming  to  Illinois,  accompanied  by  his 
wife  and  seven  children.  The  removal  was  made 
with  teams  and  the  family  took  with  them  their 
household  goods  and  cooked  and  camped  by  the 
way.  After  two  weeks'  travel  they  arrived  in  what 
is  now  Brushy  Mound  Township,  where  the  father 
entered  a  tract  of  Government  land.  He  erected 
a  small  log  house,  making  the  roof  of  rived  boards, 
the  floor  of  puncheon  and  the  door  of  clapboards. 
There  were  but  few  signs  of  civilization  apparent 
in  this  county  at  that  time,  as  the  setilers  were  few 
and  far  between  and  there  were  no  railroads  or 
markets  very  near,  Alton  being  the  most  accessible 
point  where  the  settlers  sold  their  products  and  ob- 
tained their  supplies. 

In  1837  Mr.  Trabue  built  a  carding  mill,  the  first 
carding  mill  erected  in  the  county,  and  he  also  gave 


his  attention  to  farming  and  developed  a  choice 
farm.  His  death  in  1860  removed  a  valued  citizen, 
one  who  had  closely  identified  himself  with  the  in- 
terests of  his  community  and  had  been  a  useful  pi- 
oneer in  developing  the  resources  of  the  county. 
His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Olympia  Wil- 
son, also  died  in  the  same  year  that  he  did,  her 
death  occurring  on  the  home  farm.  She  was  the 
mother  of  nine  children. 

Mrs.  Boggess  was  in  her  fifteenth  year  when  she 
came  to  Illinois  from  her  early  Kentucky  home  and 
she  has  a  vivid  recollection  of  pioneer  life  in  this 
State.  She  lived  with  her  parents  until  their  death 
and  was  a  stay  and  comfort  to  them  in  their  old 
use.  In  1864  her  marriage  was  solemnized  with 
Mr.  Barnabas  Boggess,  who  is  represented  elsewhere 
in  this  work. 


.■*;♦> 


RS.  MARTHA    (MAZE)     BATES. 
readers  will   be  both  pleased  and   pr 
to  read  a  life-sketch  of  this  mother  in  I 
rael  who  has  for  so  many  years  exerted  an 
influence  for  good,  not  only  in  her  home  and  church, 
but  throughout  the  whole  community.     Her  devo- 
tion as  a  wife  and  mother  and  her  long  and  faithful 
membership  in   the   Shiloh  Baptist  Church,  which 
has  lasted  almost   fifty  years,  as  well  as  her  active 
interest  in    public   affairs,   have   placed    her   in  the 
fore  front  of  the  women  of  Macoupin  County.  She 
still  resides  at  the  old  homestead  which  her  husband 
had  established  on  section  22,  Bird  Township. 

The  father  of  Mrs.  Bates  was  John  Maze,  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia,  and  her  mother,  Sarah  Morrow, 
was'born  in  Eastern  Tennessee,  in  the  mountainous 
regions.  This  couple  emigrated  from  Tennessee  to 
Greene  County  in  this  State  early  in  the  '30s  and 
afterward  lemoved  to  BarrTownsuip.  It  was  while 
they  were  living  there  that  Mr.  Maze  went  on  busi- 
ness to  Kentucky  and  there  met  his  death.  His 
widow  continued  to  make  her  home  in  Barr  Town- 
ship until  she  passed  from  life. 

Mrs.  Bates  was  the  fifth  child  of  her  father's 
family  and  was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  Tenn., 
July  17,  1816.  She  came  with  her  parents  to  Ma- 
coupin County,  and  was  married  in  Barr  Township, 


462 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


March  25,  1*36.  The  gentleman  to  whom  she  was 
wedded  and  witli  whom  she  spent  more  than  a  half 
century  of  happy  wedded  life,  was  William  J. 
Bates,  a  son  of  Hampton  and  Jane  (Bryson)  Bates. 
He  was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  Tenn.,  October 
20,  1813.  Their  earliest  married  home  was  in 
Western  Mound  Township,  where  they  lived  for 
upwards  of  sixteen  years,  after  which  they  re- 
moved to  Bird  Township,  where  Mr.  Bates  died 
September  16.  1890.  This  long  life  together  was 
one  of  unusual  harmony  and  congeniality,  and  was 
filled  with  acts  of  unostentatious  goodness  and  the 
quiet  fulfillment  of  duty. 

Mr.  Bates  made  substantial  improvements  upon 
his  farm  and  left  it  in  an  excellent  condition.  He 
had  been  a  member  of  the  Shiloh  Baptist  Church 
for  more  than  forty-five  years,  and  was  a  power  in 
it  for  good.  Six  children  crowned  this  union, 
namely:  George  W.,  who  married  Miss  Agnes 
Adams;  Sarah  .).,  who  was  the  wife  of  John  Morris, 
and  died  June  26,  1859;  John  II.,  who  took  to  wife 
Catherine  McAliney;  James  C,  Frances  M.,  who 
married  William  Adams,  and  Addison,  who  mar- 
ried Ellen  B.  Barr.  To  this  faithful  mother  these 
children  owe  much,  not  only  in  the  influences  which 
tended  to  form  their  characters,  but  also  their  social 
standing  and  their  worldly  success.  She  is  a 
woman  who  is  deeply  interested  in  the  affairs  of 
today  and  keeps  herself  fully  informed  of  public 
movements.  Not  only  her  children,  but  all  who 
know  her,  rise  up  to  "call  her  blessed." 

ENJAMIN  F.  KABLE.  Among  the  rep- 
resentative citizens  of  North  Otter  Town- 
ship, prominent  in  business  and  religious 
circles  and  honored  by  eve^-one  for  his 
noble  war  record,  we  are  proud  to  place  high  the 
name  which  we  have  just  recorded.  He  is  the 
eldest  son  of  .lames  Kable  and  was  born  in  Greene 
County,  Ohio,  April  4,  1840.  In  his  native  home 
he  grew  to  manhood  and  received  the  usual  educa- 
tion and  training  which  is  given  to  a  farmer's  boy 
in  an  intelligent  and  practical  family.  Later  in  his 
boyhood  he  was  a  resident  of  Miami  County, Ohio, 


and  remained  there  until  the  war  broke  out.  He 
was  early  interested  in  the  struggle  to  maintain  the 
honor  of  the  old  flag,  and  when  he  had  barely 
reached  his  majority  joined  the  army  and  nobly 
did  his  share  in  the  struggle  to  maintain  the  insti- 
tutions which  were   established   by  our  forefathers. 

The  young  man  enlisted  January  31.  1862.  in 
Company  I,  Seventy-first  Ohio  Infantry.  He  served 
for  nearly  four  years  and  did  not  take  his  discharge 
until  1866.  Some  of  the  important  engagements 
in  which  he  took  part  were  Shiloh,  Franklin  and 
Nashville,  Tenn.  At  the  battle  of  Shiloh  he  was 
slightly  wounded  in  the  foot  and  at  Clarksville, 
Tenn.,  he  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  rebel  forces, 
but  was  not  kept  "in  durance  vile"  as  long  as  were 
many  of  his  companions.  He  was  soon  sent  to 
Camp  Chase,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until  he  was 
exchanged. 

It  was  in  January,  1866,  that  the  young  soldier 
returned,  bronzed  by  exposure  and  with  honorable 
scars,  to  take  up  the  pursuits  of  peace.  He  settled 
in  North  Otter  Township,  Macoupin  County,  and 
has  since  made  this  his  home.  He  now  owns  about 
seven  hundred  acres  in  this  township,  which  he  is 
cultivating  in  a  most  thorough  and  systematic 
manner.  On  another  page  is  presented  a  view  of 
his  home,  which  is  a  delightful  one  within  and  at- 
tractive without,  and  the  excellence  cf  his  barns 
and  sheds  speaks  whole  volumes  in  praise  of  the 
man  who  can  work  as  well  as  he  can  fight.  Nothing 
in  his  whole  life  so  sincerely  gratifies  this  noble 
man  as  to  review  his  days  of  hardship  and  suffering 
upon  the  battlefield  and  the  march.  His  devotion  to 
his  country  was  a  whole-hearted  one  and  he  grudges 
nothing  of  all  that  he  gave  in  time  and  strength. 

Soon  after  his  return  from  the  war  Mr.  Kable 
was  united  in  marriage  with  the  woman  whose  tine 
heart  had  followed  him  through  all  his  wanderings 
and  marches.  His  wedding  was  solemnized  in 
North  Otter  Township,  May  3,  1866,  the  bride 
being  Elizabeth  Mayer.  She  had  the  happiness  of 
presenting  her  husband  with  one  child,  Theodore, 
and  then  died  May  10,  1868,  leaving  the  little  one 
to  mourn  the  irreparable  loss  of  a  mother. 

The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Kable  took  place  in 
North  Otter  Township,  November  11,  1872,  his 
bride   being  Miss  Anna  Freeman,  by  whom  he  has 


RESIDENCE   OF   B.    F.   K  ABL  E  ,  SEC.  9.,  NORTH     OTTER   TRjMACOUPIN   CO., ILL. 


RESIDENCE  OF  T.   F.  COULTAS  ,  SEC.6. ,  VI  RDEN     TR,  MACOUPIN    CO.,  ILL. 


LIBRARY 
OF  T«f 
UH''"-' 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


465 


five  children,  namely:  Ma»y  Alice,  .lames  F.,  Rus- 
sell P.,  Charles  II.,  and  Nellie  A.  The  mother  of 
these  children  was  horn  in  Chatham,  Sangamon 
County,  III.,  and  is  a  lady  of  unusual  culture  and 
refinement  as  well  as  ability  in  managing  Die  affairs 
of  her  household  and  training  her  children  with 
wisdom  and  discretion. 

Our  subject  has  been  Justice  of  tiie  Peace  for 
four  years  and  has  also  filled  the  office  of  School 
Director  and  Highway  Commissioner.  He  is  a  Di- 
rector in  the  Farmers'  Mutual  Aid  Association  of 
Yirden  and  North  Otter.  He  has  also  been  one  of 
the  School  Trustees  and  takes  an  active  part  in  po- 
litical movements,  being  a  Republican  in  his  con- 
victions and  working  for  the  interest  of  that  party. 
The  Methodist  Church  is  the  religious  body  with 
which  our  subject  is  connected  and  where  he  is  an 
active  worker.  He  is  also  prominently  identified 
with  the  John  Baird  Post,  No.  285,  G.  A.  R. 


THOMAS  FOSTER  COULTAS.     The  beau- 
,,    liful     home     and     delightful    surroundings 

I  (i) ) 

V — /  mark  the  farm  of  Mr.  Coultas  as  one  of  the 
most  attractive  to  be  found  in  Yirden  Township. 
It  is  no  more  charming,  however,  in  its  exterior 
than  in  its  interior,  as  it  is  the  happy  home  of  those 
who  know  how  to  enjoy  life  and  how  to  make;  it 
happy  for  others,  and  their  true  hospitality  brings 
every  guest  into  harmony  with  the  surroundings. 
A  view  of  the  commodious  residence  is  presented 
to  the  readers  of  the  Record. 

Mr.  Coultas  was  born  in  what  is  now  Scott 
County,  III.,  September  2-t,  18.32.  His  father, 
James  Coultas,  and  his  mother,  Mary  Foster,  were 
both  natives  of  Yorkshire.  They  came  from  Eng- 
land about  1830  and  made  their  home  in  what  is 
now  Scott  County,  III.,  where  they  continued  to  re- 
side until  they  were  called  hence  by  death.  Two 
sons  and  one  daughter  constituted  their  little  fam- 
ily circle  and  the  son  Thomas  was  the  second  in 
order  of  age.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native 
home,  remaining  there  until  March,  1867,  when  he 
removed  to  this  county  and  settled  on  section  7, 
Virden  Township. 

Young  Coultas  early  chose  as  his  life  calling   the 


pursuits  of  agriculture  and  with  general  farming 
has  mingled  stock  raising,  although  he  has  not 
made  a  specialty  of  thai  line.  Upon  his  home  he 
has  erected  a  No.  1  set  of  farm  buildings  and  he  is 
the  proud  possessor  of  a  beautiful  farm  of  four 
hundred  acres,  all  in  the  township  where  he  makes 
his  home. 

The  happy  marriage  of  Thomas  Foster  Coultas 
and  Elizabeth  J.  Loud  took  place  in  Macoupin 
County,  February  4,  1855.  This  lady  was  born  in 
York  County. Me., March  16,  1835,  and  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Rufus  W.  Loud,  who  was  a  ship- 
builder by  trade,  but  who  after  coming  to  Illinois 
followed  farming.  Her  mother  was  Jane  Scam- 
mon  and  this  worthy  couple  came  to  Illinois  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  '30s  and  thus  did  much  pioneer 
work.  Mr.  Loud  died  at  Ft.  Scott.  Kan.;  Mrs. 
Loud  lived  to  be  over  seventy  years  of  age  and 
then  met  her  death  by  a  sad  calamity.  She  was 
driving  in  a  buggy  when  the  horse  took  fright 
and  she  was  thrown  out  and  killed. 

SSftfah-tfright  and  blooming  children  have  blessed 
the  home  if.M^ajid  Mrs.  Coultas  and  they  are  by 
name:  Ellen,  Horace  W.,  Rufus  J.,  Alvin  P., 
Franklin  E.,  Annie  and  Emma  J.  The  eldest 
daughter  is  married  to  Mr.  Daniel  Organ.  This 
happy  and  united  family  are  foremost  in  every 
good  word  and  work,  being  all,  father,  mother, 
and  children,  united  in  the  faith  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion  and  members  together  in  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  to  which  Mr.  Coultas  has 
been  attached  since  he  was  twenty-one  years  old 
and  where  he  fills  the  office  of  Elder.  Air.  Coultas 
has  largely  forwarded  the  educational  affairs  of  the 
township  in  his  otlice  as  School  Trustee.  He  has 
also  done  excellent  service  in  making  more  con- 
venient and  useful  the  roads  of  the  county  while 
serving  as  Highway  Commissioner. 


•S^' 


^\  AMUEL  E.  HETTICK.     The  ancestral  his- 
tory of   the  gentleman  whose  name  heads 
this  sketch  presents  many  incidents  of  in- 
terest.    His  father.  Stephen,  was  the  son  of 
Andrew  Ilettick  whose  father,  Christian,  was  a  na- 


[66 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tive  of  Germany  who  settled  on  the  Pennsylvania 
frontier  and  was  murdered  by  the  Indians  when 
the  son  Andrew  was  a  little  lad  of  six  years.  The 
child  was  in  captivity  to  the  savages  for  three  years 
l>ut  was  finally  rescued  by  the  soldiers  and  returned 
to  his  mother.  She  had  married  a  second  lime  and 
he  was  reared  by  her  and  his  step-father  and  every- 
thing done  to  remove  the  cloud  of  sorrow  which 
had  been  brought  upon  him  by  the  terrible  scenes 
through  which  he  passed.  The  sears  which  he  re- 
ceived at  the  time  of  his  capture  went  with  him  to 
his  grave.  After  a  few  years  he  started  out  in  life 
for  himself  and  became  a  pioneer  in  Fayette  County, 
Ohio. 

After  going  to  Ohio,  Andrew  Hettick  raised  stock 
and  drove  it  to  market  across  the  mountains  to 
Baltimore  and  Philadelphia.  In  1.S1G  he  removed 
to  what  was  then  the  Territory  of  Illinois,  making 
his  journey  in  a  keel  boat  on  the  Ohio  and  Missis- 
sippi Rivers,  lie  bought  two  hundred  acres  of  land 
in  Monroe  County  and  there  made  his  home  until 
1820,  when  he  removed  to  Greene  County.  After 
living  for  live  years  in  Carrolllon  he  removed  to 
Scott ville  Township,  Macoupin  County  and  became 
the  first  actual  settler  in  what  was  afterward  this 
township  and  one  of  the  first  in  the  county,  which 
was  then  a  part  of  Greene  County,  lie  settled  upon 
a  tract  of  Government  land,  built  two  log  houses 
and  a  log  stable  and  broke  thirty  acres  of  land. 
He  was  unable  to  buy  as  he  was  entirelj'  without 
means,  but  this  land  was  properly  entered  by  a 
would-be  settler  who  gave  Mr.  Hettick  $100  as  a 
compensation  for  the  work  he  had  done  and  with 
that  money  he  was  able  to  enter  eighty  acres  and 
secure  a  home  of  his  own,  upon  which  he  built  a 
hewed  log  house,  which  was  his  home  until  his 
death  in  1853. 

Stephen  Hettick,  one  of  the  sons  of  Andrew, 
grew  to  maturity  amid  the  primitive  scenes  of  pio- 
neer life  and  before  his  marriage  entered  eighty 
acres  on  section  28,  Scottville  Township,  where  he 
built  a  log  house  preparatory  to  housekeeping.  He 
was  married  December  24,  1853,  to  Delilah  Sharpe 
who  was  born  in  Clinton,  Tenn.,  May  14,  1817. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  (Kirk) 
Sharpe,  and  of  the  children  born  to  her  the  follow- 
ing are  now  living:    Kmily,  wife  of  Henry  Ruyle; 


Melinda,  wife  of  J.  W.  Neighbors;  Andrew,  John, 
Stephen  A.  Jesse  B.  and  Samuel  E.,  our  subject. 
The  parents  are  earnest  and  consistent  members  of 
the  Baptist  Church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  on  the  home 
farm  in  Scottville  Township,  June  12,  185!)  and 
commenced  to  assist  on  the  farm  as  soon  as  large 
enough  to  lend  a  hand.  He  also  attended  the  dis- 
trict school  and  took  the  best  ad  vantage  that  he 
could  of  the  opportunities  given  him  for  an  educa- 
tion. He  resided  with  his  parents  until  his  mar- 
riage, which  occurred  December  11,  1877,  when 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Nancy  A.  Walker, 
a  native  of  Scottville  Township,  who  was  born 
April  30,  I860.  This  daughter  of  James  and  China 
(Owens)  Walker. 

After  marriage  Samuel  Hettick  took  charge  of 
the  home  place  for  some  time  and  finally  settled  on 
the  farm  which  he  now  owns  and  occupies.  This 
land  is  situated  on  sections  24 and  25,  of  Scottville 
Township  and  comprises  two  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  rich  prairie  soil  suitable  for  tillage  and 
pastuie  land.  He  has  placed  it  in  a  first-class  con- 
dition and  its  appearance  is  a  credit  to  the  town- 
ship. He  is  a  thorough  and  systematic  farmer  but, 
devotes  himself  largely  to  stock-raising,  not  only 
raising  a  good  grade  himself  but  buying  stock, 
which  he  feeds  and  ships  to  market. 

Four  children  have  blessed  this  bappy  home — 
Clara  M.,  Nellie,  Ruth  and  Opal,  whose  future  is 
bright  and  promises  well  not  only  for  their  own 
happiness  and  well-being  but  also  for  upholding  the 
high  reputation  which  this  family  has  sustained  in 
the  past. 


^  OHN  W.  HETTICK,  the  owner  and  operator 
of  fine  farmland  in  Scottville  Township,  was 

born  there  August  22,1845.  The  history 
of  the  ancestral  line  is  not  without  incidents 
of  romantic  interest  and  thrilling  excitement. 
Christian  Hettick,  a  native  of  Germany,  emigrated 
to  America  and  settled  on  the  Pennsylvania  fron- 
tier. He  was  murdered  by  Indians  wdien  his  son 
Andrew  was  a  lad  six  years  old  and  the  child  was 
taken  captive  and  held  three  years.     He  was  then 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


16 


rescued  by  soldiers  and  taken  to  his  old  home.  The 
scars  from  wounds  he  received  at  the  time  of  his 
capture  were  borne  by  him  until  his  death.  During 
bis  captivity  liis  mother  married  a  second  time  and 
be  remained  with  her  and  Ids  step-fathei  a  few- 
years  only,  then  started  out  to  battle  for  himself. 
He  went  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Fayette  County, 
where  Indians  were  more  numerous  than  whites 
and  where  all  the  trials  of  typical  pioneer  life  beset 
his  way. 

Andrew  Hettick  was  in  the  habit  of  driving  his 
stock  across  the  mountains  to  Baltimore  and  Phil- 
adelphia, there  being  no  railroad  communications 
with  the  Eastern  States.  In  1816  he  removed  to 
what  was  then  the  Territory 'jf  Illinois,  performing 
the  journey  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers 
in  a  keelboat.  He  stopped  in  what  is  now  Monroe 
County  and  bought  t'.vo  hundred  acres  of  land  on 
the  American  bottoms.  There  he  made  his  home 
until  1820.  then  became  a  resident  of  Greene 
Count}',  living  near  Carrollton  five  years  and  at  the 
conclusion  of  that  period  taking  up  his  abode  in 
what  is  now  Scottville  Township,  this  county.  He 
was  the  first  actual  settler  in  the  township  ami  one 
of  the  first  in  the  county,  which  was  at  that  time  a 
part  of  Greene  County.  His  means  were  very  lim- 
ited and  although  the  land  sold  at  ¥1.25  per  acre, 
he  could  not  buy  a  farm.  He  "•squatted"  on  a  tract 
of  Government  land,  built  two  log  houses  and  a 
log  stable  and  broke  thirty  acres.  The  land  was 
properly  entered  by  a  would-be  settler,  who  gave 
Mr.  Hettick  $100  as  a  compensation  for  the  work 
he  had  done,  and  with  that  money  he  was  able  to 
enter  eighty  acres  on  section  27,  and.  secure  a  home 
of  his  own  He  built  a  hewed  log  house  and  lived 
there  until  his  decease  in  1853. 

In  the  family  of  Andrew  Hettick  was  a  son, 
Stephen,  who  was  bom  in  Fayette  County,  Ohio, 
duly  24,  1809,  and  who  was  one  of  the  five  chil- 
dren brought  by  the  parents  to  this  Stale  in  1816, 
He  grew  to  maturity  amid  the  primitive  scenes  of 
pioneer  times.  He  vividly  remembers  those  days 
and  recalls  with  interest  the  fact  that  for  several 
years  after  the  removal  hither  there  were  no  rail- 
roads in  this  part  of  the  country  and  St.  Louis  was 
the  most  accessible  and  important  market.  The 
scattered   families  lived  almost  entirely  upon   the 


products  of  their  farms,  and  coffee  was  one  of  the 
luxuries  seldom  found  in  their  dwellings.  He  and 
his  brothers  and  sisters  wore  homespun  made  l.\ 
their  mother's  hand,  she  having  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  all  the  processes  by  which  Max  or  wool  was 
converted  into  clothing,  lie  grew  to  a  vigorous 
manhood,  having  but  little  opportunity  to  pursue 
the  knowledge  found  in  the  text  books,  but  ac- 
quiring a  good  understanding  of  practical  affairs 
and  imbibing,  as  from  the  air  around  him,  the 
sterling  principles  which  were  generally  characteris- 
tic of  those  bred  on  the  frontier.  Before  his  mar- 
riage he  entered  eighty  acres  of  land  on  section  28, 
Scottville  Township,  and  built  a  log  house  in  which 
be  subsequently  began  housekeeping.  He  split 
logs  for  flooring.  He  has  lived  on  the  same  farm 
since  his  marriage,  but  has  changed  its  appearance 
so  umch  that  it  would  hardly  be  recognized  as  the 
same  property.  The  old  log  cabin  has  been  re- 
placed by  a  more  modern  dwelling  and  substantial 
buildings  of  various  kinds  have  risen  near.  Mr. 
Hettick  bought  other  land  at  different  times  and 
held  the  title  to  upward  of  two  thousand  acres  at 
one  time. 

Stephen  Hettick  was  married  December  24,  1853, 
to  Delilah  Sharpe,who  was  born  in  Clayton  County, 
Tenn.,  May  14,  1817.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Will 
iam  and  Sarah  (Kirk)  Sharpe,  and  her  early  train- 
ing was  such  as  to  fit  her  for  the  position  which 
she  occupied  as  the  wife  of  an  early  settler.  Of 
the  children  born  to  her  the  following  are  now  liv- 
ing: Emily,  wife  of  Henry  Ruyle;  Melinda,  wife  of 
J.  W.  Neighbors;  Andrew,  John,  Stephen  A.,  Jesse 
I'...  Samuel  E.  and  Sarah,  Mrs.  Angelow.  The  par- 
'  cnts  belong  to  the  I'nited  Baptist  Church. 

The  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch  began  to 
assist  his  father  on  the  farm  as  soon  as  his  strength 
would  permit.  He  attended  school  as  opportunity 
offered  and  became  well  versed  in  the  more  prac- 
tical branches  of  an  English  education,  and  from 
lime  to  time  added  to  his  store  of  knowledge  by 
the  varied  means  opened  to  all  observing  ,nd 
thoughtful  minds.  He  remained  with  his  parents 
until  his  marriage  at  twenty  three  years  of  a«e, 
then  settled  near  the  present  site  of  Hettick  Sta- 
tion. He  lived  there  sixteen  years,  then  took  pos- 
session of  the    farm    he   now    operates   selling    his 


468 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


other  property  and  buying  here.  Following  the 
example  set  before  him  by  his  honored  ancestors, 
he  has  worked  diligently  and  carefully,  and  is 
classed  among  the  best  farmers  in  this  section  of 
the  country.  He  votes  the  Democratic  ticket,  and 
he  and  his  wife  belong  to  the  Baptist  Church  in 
which  they  have  good  standing,  as  they  have 
throughout  the  community. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  to  Miss  Martha  E. 
Calhoun  occurred  April  8,  1869.  The  bride  was 
born  in  Casey  County.  Ivy.,  where  her  father, 
.lames  Calhoun  and  her  grandfather,  William  Cal- 
houn, also  opened  their  eyes  to  the  light.  In  that 
county  James  Calhoun  married  Julia  Wood,  daugh- 
ter of  A  brain  and  Martha  Wood,  and  thence  they 
came  to  this  State  in  1851.  Mr.  Calhoun  died  in 
Scottville  Township  the  year  after  his  arrival.  His 
widow  subsequently  married  .John  S.  McCqlom, 
(deceased),  and  is  now  living  in  Barr  Township. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hettick  have  seven  children,  named 
respectively:  James  I  .  Stephen  I..,  Cora  E.,  Julia 
D.,  Charles  ()..  Ola  May  and  Frank. 


-    si  y    J 


»«.  >•  OSES  BRUBAKER,  a  resident  of  Girard, 
has  acquired  sufficient  wealth  in  the  exer- 
cise of  his  vocation  as  a  farmer  to  enable 
him  to  live  retired  from  active  labor, 
though  he  still  retains  possession  of  his  finely  im- 
proved farm.  A  native  of  Roanoke  County.  Ya., 
our  subject  was  born  October  .">.  lS.'ib.  Hi-;  father, 
whose  given  name  was  Joel,  was  a  native  of  the 
same  county,  and  was  a  son  of  Henry  Brubaker, 
who  was  a  Pennsylvania!)  by  birth.  He  in  turn 
was  a  son  of  John  Brubaker,  who  was  born  in  Ger- 
many or  in  Pennsylvania  of  German  parentage. 
He  went  from  there  to  Virginia,  and  was  an  early 
settler  in  that  part  of  Botetourt  County,  now  in- 
eluded  in  Roanoke  County,  where  he  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  in  the  pursuits  of  agriculture, 
lie  was  a  stanch  member  of  the  German  Baptist 
Church.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Annie 
Myers,  also  spent  her  last  years  on  the  old  Vir- 
ginia   homestead,  and    now  rests  beside   her  hus- 


band  in   the  cemetery  on  their  old   farm,  located 
four  miles  northwest  of  the  village  of  Salem. 

Henry  Brubaker  was  young  when  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Virginia.  He  inherited  a  portion  of  the 
old  homestead,  and  resided  on  it  until  his  death, in 
1848.  The  maiden  name  of  his  first  wife,  grand- 
mother of  our  subject,  was  Christiana  Flory.  Her 
last  years  were  spent  in  Franklin  County,  Ya.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  second  wife  was  Salome  Eler. 
By  his  first  wife  there  were  seven  children  that 
grew  to  maturity,  and  by  his  second  marriage  he 
had  ten  children. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  life  long  resident 
of  his  native  State.  His  father  assisted  him  to  buy 
a  farm  near  his  early  home.  He  was  prosperously 
engaged  in  raising  stock,  grain,  tobacco,  etc.,  until 
his  death,  in  January,  1853.  His  wife,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Betsy  Fisher,  came  to  Illinois  after 
his  death  to  live  with  her  children,  and  died  at 
Virden,  in  1865.  She  was  a  native  of  Franklin 
County,  Va.,  and  a  daughter  of  Peter  Fisher,  who 
is  supposed  »o  have  spent  his  entire  life  in  Vir- 
ginia. The  parents  of  our  subject  were  God-fear- 
ing people,  and  among  the  most  faithful  members 
of  the  German  Baptist  Church,  rearing  their  chil- 
dren to  the  same  belief.  They  were  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  who  are  named  Sally,  Mary, 
Susan.  Magdaline,  Elizabeth,  Catherine,  Moses, 
John,  Noah  and  Peter.  Sally  and  Magdaline  are 
dead. 

Our  subject  received  his  education  in  his  native 
county,  and  amid  its  pleasant  scenes  grew  to  man's 
estate.  After  his  father's  death,  he  being  the  eld- 
est son,  the  care  of  the  home  farm  devolved  upon 
him,  and  he  had  charge  of  it  until  he  was  twenty- 
four  years  old.  At  that  age  he  we.it  to  Ohio,  and 
bought  a  farm  in  Clarke  Count}',  near  Enon.  He 
devoted  himself  to  its  cultivation  for  a  number  of 
years,  but  finally  disposed  of  it  in  1864,  in  order 
to  take  up  his  residence  in  this  county,  as  he  was 
very  favorably  impressed  with  its  genial  climate 
and  with  the  surpassing  fertility  of  its  soil.  He 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in 
Virden  Township,  and  ten  acres  of  timber  in  South 
Otter  Township.  At  that  time  a  set  of  frame 
buildings  stood  on  the  place,  including  a  small 
frame   house  and   a  stable.     He  constantly  made 


ilBRARY 
Of    TKF 

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4  V 


n  zJ£etcy/cA^~ 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


171 


improvements,  and  under  his  careful  management 
the  farm  increased  in  worth  and  became  a  valuable 
pine  of  properly.  In  January,  1879,  lie  rented 
his  farm,  and  coming  to  Girard, bought  his  present 
comfortable  residence,  which  he  and  his  amiable 
wife  and  family  make  the  center  of  pleasant 
hospitality.  They  and  all  their  children,  except 
one,  are  influential  members  of  the  German  Bap- 
tist Church,  and  they  are  greatly  esteemed  in  their 
neighborhood  for  their  many  fine  traits  of  char- 
acter. 

Mr.  Bru baker  has  been  twice  married.  January 
27.  1856,  he  was  wedded  to  Miss  Susan  Brubaker. 
She  was  born  in  Clarke  County,  Ohio.  April  9, 
is:{;),  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  Brubaker.  she  died 
December  in,  18(38,  leaving  behind  her  a  good 
record  as  a  faithful  wife  and  loving  mother.  Four 
children  are  living  that  were  born  of  that  marriage 
— Mary,  Peter,  Elizabeth  and  Jonathan.  The  sec- 
ond marriage  of  our  subject,  which  took  place  June 
20,  18GlJ,  was  with  Miss  Lizzie  Basler.  She  is  a 
native  of  Noble  County,  Ind..  and  a  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Margaret  (Sludebaker)  Basler.  Her 
mother  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Hannah  Studebaker.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Brubaker  have  four  children,  namely:  Lima,  Asa, 
Susan  and  Lydia. 


f? 


z 


"ACHARIAII  THACKER,  one  of  the  largest 
landholders  in  this  section  of  the  State, 
stands  among  the  foremost  of  the  success- 
ful farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  this  county,  who 
have  been  such  important  factors  in  its  develop- 
ment. Held  in  veneration  and  esteem  by  all  who 
know  him,  he  is  now  living  in  pleasant  retirement 
in  his  home  in  Nilwood,  where  he  is  enjoying  his 
wealth  at  leisure.  The  reader  will  be  pleased  to 
notice  his  portrait  on  the  opposite  page. 

Mr.  Thacker  is  a  native-born  citizen  of  this 
State,  his  birthplace  was  in  Edwards  County,  and 
the  date  of  his  birth  October  4,  1820.  His  father, 
whose  name  was  Thomas  Thacker.  was  born  either 
in  Virginia  or  in  one  of  the  Carol inas,  a  son  of 
one,   Zachariah  Thacker.    who.    as   far   as   known, 


spent  his  last  years  in  one  of  these  Stales.  The 
father  of  our  subject  was  but  an  infant  when  bis 
parents  died,  and  an  older  sister  took  charge  of 
him.  On  her  removal  to  Kentucky  she  took  him 
with  her,  and  he  was  reared  in  Mulhenberg  County, 
that  State,  where  he  married. 

S i  after  thai  event    Mr.  Thacker  emigrated  to 

the  wilds  of  Indiana,  where  he  resided  a  short 
time  before  coming  to  Illinois  in  1818,  and  lo- 
cating among  the  pioneers  of  Edwards  County. 
He  made  a  claim  to  a  tract  of  Government  land, 
but  did  not  have  money  enough  to  enter  it  until 
he  worked  to  earn  it.  He  was  very  industrious 
and  toiled  incessantly  to  make  a  home  for  his  little 
family.  His  prospects  were  good,  but  bis  career 
was  suddenly  terminated  by  his  untimely  death, 
while  in  the  very  prime  of  life,  in  1821.  He  left 
his  widow  in  limited  circumstances  with  two  small 
children  to  care  for. 

After  the  death  of  the  father  the  mother  re- 
lumed to  Kentucky  with  her  children,  and  lived 
with  a  brother  some  seven  years.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  tljat  time  she  married  again,  becoming  the 
wife  of  Elijah  Ash,  and  soon  after  the  family  re- 
turned to  Illinois  and  settled  in  St.  Clair  County. 
After  a  two  years'  residence  there  the}'  removed 
to  that  part  of  Morgan  County  now  included  in 
Scott  County,  where  our  subject  was  reared  on  a 
farm.  When  he  was  eighteen  years  old  his  step- 
father agreed  to  give  him  the  money  to  enter 
forty  acres  of  land  if  he  would  help  him  to  grub 
and  clear  his  farm. 

Mr.  Thacker  accepted  the  offer,  and  remained 
with  Mr.  Ash.  who  in  about  a  year  gave  him  the 
promised  money,  and  he  entered  his  land  in  Greene 
Count}-.  He  continued  to  assist  Mr.  Ash  awhile 
longer  and  during  that  time  sold  his  forty  acre 
tract  and  entered  eighty  acres  in  the  same  county. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  started  out  in 
life  for  himself,  his  father  giving  him  a  colt 
valued  at  $20.  He  was  $18  in  debt,  but  he  had 
his  eighty  acres  of  wild  land  to  begin  with.  He 
Brst  assisted  bis  brother  in  grubbing  a  piece  of 
land,  intending  to  put  in  a  crop  of  buckwheat, 
but  could  not  do  so,  as  his  brother  and  family  were 
taken  sick  and  he  gave  up  his  time  to  caring  for 
them. 


472 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


After  that  Mr.  Tbacker  found  employment  in 
the  harvest  Geld  at  $1.25  a  day,  and  the  same  fall 
he  went  to  Madison  County  and  procured  a  job  to 
chop  wood  at  seventy-five  cents  a  cord,  lie  finally 
located  on  his  land,  and  after  grubbing  and  break- 
ing a  few  acres  sold  it  for  $800.  In  1842  he 
came  to  Macoupin  County  and  made  a  claim  to  ,i 
tract  of  Government  land  in  Palmyra  Township. 
He  at  once  broke  twenty  acres  of  the  land  and  put 
in  a  crop  of  wheat,  and  in  1844  sold  his  claim  at  a 
good  advance  on  the  purchase  price.  He  next 
came  into  possession  of  eighty  acres  of  timber  and 
brush  land  and  of  fifteen  acres  of  clear  timber- 
and  he  resided  on  that  place  some  years.  After 
that  he  removed  to  Nil  wood  Township,  where  he 
bought  land  and  actively  engaged  in  farming  and 
in  buying  and  clearing  other  land  until  1887.  lie 
then  removed  to  Nilwood,  where  he  has  since  lived 
retired  from  active  labor  in  one  of  its  most  com- 
fortable homes.  He  has  been  marvellously  pros- 
pered in  his  transactions,  showing  more  than  ordi- 
nary forethought,  keenness  and  business  tact  in  his 
operations,  and  at  one  time  he  owned  upwards  of 
twenty-five  hundred  acres  of  fine  farming  land, 
the  greater  part  of  which  consisted  of  rich  prai- 
rie in  the  best  part  of  Illinois.  He  has  provided 
liberally  for  his  children,  and  still  holds  large  tracts 
of  land  in  this  county. 

Mr.  Thacker  was  married,  in  18  11,  to  Miss 
Nancy,  daughter  of  Israel  Walker,  and  a  native 
of  Kentucky.  For  many  years  they  passed  life 
happily  together,  and  she  was  all  to  him  that  a 
true  woman  can  be  to  her  husband,  wise  in  coun- 
sel and  helpful  in  all  things,  and  her  death  in  the 
home  that  she  had  helped  him  to  build  up  on  the 
farm  in  Nilwood  Township  was  a  grievous  loss  to 
her  household.  She  was  a  sincere  Christian  in 
word  and  deed,  and  for  many  years  was  an  earn- 
est member  of  the  Baptist  Chin  ill.  Seven  children 
were  the  fruit  of  that  marriage,  as  follows:  Caro- 
line, wife  of  Thomas  Tolbert;  Thomas;  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  Samuel  Garst;  Leander;  John  W.;  Edna, 
wife  of  Harvey  Tietsort;  and  Fanny,  wife  of  John 
Duncan. 

Mr.  Thacker  is  a  fine  type  of  our  self-made  men, 
possessing,  as  he  does,  an  active  mind,  an  indomi- 
table will,    firmness   anil   honest}'   of    purpose,  to- 


gether with  other  qualities  that  insure  success, 
command  respect  in  the  business  world,  and  gain 
the  trust  and  consideration  of  neighbors  and  asso 
ciates.  The  worth  of  his  citizenship  is  unques- 
tioned, and  in  him  the  Baptist  Church  finds  a  zeal- 
ous member  His  children  also  belong  to  the  same 
denomination. 


^ETER  HEINZ,  who  was  formerly  identified 
with  the  business  interests  of  Carlinville, 
as  a  manufacturer  of  furniture,  is  now  liv- 
ing in  honorable  retirement,  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  ample  income  that  he  secured  by  in- 
dustry and  by  excellent  management.  He  was 
born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  December  28,  1826.  His 
father,  Henry  Heinz,  was  a  native  of  the  same  vil- 
lage, and  was  a  son  of  Karl  Heinz,  who  was  born 
in  the  same  district,  and  was  the  proprietor  of  a 
glass  factory.  The  great-grandfather  was  a  pioneer 
of  Saxe-Coburg,  settling  there  in  the  wilderness. 
He  and  his  father  received  permission  from  the  then 
reigning  duke  of  that  province  to  use  all  the  wood 
that  the}'  wished,  and  they  thereupon  established  a 
idnss  factory  in  the  German  forests. 

Henry  Heinz  was  a  glass  blower  by  trade,  and  he 
followed  this  occupation  both  in  Saxony'and  Ba- 
varia, dying  in  the  latter  country  in  I860.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Carolina  Morgendhurn.was 
born  at  the  capital  city  of  Saxe-Coburg.  Her  father 
was  body  guard  to  the  Duke  of  Saxe-Coburg,  and 
resided  at  the  seat  of  government  many  years,  be- 
ing a  pensioner  during  the  latter  part  of  his  life. 
The  parents  of  our  subject  reared  three  sons  and 
two  daughters.  One  of  their  sons  died  in  his  na- 
tive land  in  1852,  and  another  in  the  spring  of 
1891. 

Peter  Heinz  grew  to  man's  estate  in  the  Father- 
land, and  received  an  excellent  education  in  its 
public  schools,  which  he  attended  from  the  age  of 
six  years  quite  steadily  until  he  was  fourteen  years 
of  age.  He  then  went  to  school  only  a  part  of  the 
time  and  the  rest  of  the  time  was  employed  in  a 
slate  factory.  After  he  was  eighteen  years  old  he 
worked  in  the  slate  factory  continuously  for  some 


POKTRAJT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


473 


yenrs.  Thinking  that  liis  prospects  of  achieving 
success  in  life  would  be  greatly  enhanced  if  he 
were  to  emigrate  1o  the  I'nited  Slates  of  America, 
be  came  hither  in  is.">2.  lie  sit  sail  from  Bremen 
mi  the  ship  ••<  <  ustav",  and  landed  at  New  Orleans 
on  the  31st  of  December,  after  a  long  and 
stormy  voyage.  From  that  city  he  went  to  St. 
Louis  on  the  steamer  ''Uncle  Sam",  and  from  there 
came  to  Macoupin  County  to  join  his  sister.  Mrs. 
Caroline  Kerr,  in  Chesterfield  Township. 

After  coming  here  Mr.  Heinz  found  employment 
with  a  farmer  in  Chesterfield  Township,  and  con- 
tinued thus  engaged  until  1854,  when  he  suffered 
so  from  chills  and  fever  that  he  was  obliged  to  give 
up  work.  For  thirteen  months  he  was  unable  to 
do  anything  and  had  to  spend  all  his  hard  earned 
savings  to  pay  his  expenses  during  that  long  ill- 
ness.  He  therefore  had  to  begin  life  anew,  and 
coming  to  Carlinville  in  1855  he  commenced  work 
at  the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  and  was  employed  by 
one  man  a  year  and  a  half.  Here  he  met  with  far- 
ther discouragement  in  his  attempts  to  become  in- 
dependent, as  he  lost  all  his  wages.  His  next  move 
was  to  establish  himself  as  a  contractor  in  Spring- 
Meld,  and  from  that  time  his  affairs  flourished  and 
everything  went  well  with  him.  lie  staid  in 
Springfield  but  a  few  months  and  then  returned  to 
Carlinville.  He  took  a  contract  to  erect  three  build- 
ings in  this  town,  and  continued  buisness  in  that 
line  fo:'  a  year  At  the  expiration  of  tbat  time  he 
began  the  manufacture  of  furniture,  commencing 
in  a  small  frame  shop,  and  as  his  business  increased 
he  added  to  the  building,  and  finally  erected  in 
1  'S? 2.  the  commodious  brick  structure  now  occupied 
by  his  sons.  It  is  located  on  West  Main  Street,  is 
two  stories  high,  and  is  30x100  feet  in  dimensions. 
Mr.  Heinz  continued  actively  engaged  in  the  man- 
ufacture and  sale  of  furniture  until  1883,  when, 
well  satisfied  with  the  competence  he  had  secured. 
he  turned  the  business  over  to  his  sons  who  are 
still  carrying  it  on  successfully. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  1856  to  Miss  Johanna 
Enapner,  a  native  of  Bavaria,  and  a  daughter  of 
Karl  Knapncr,  and  in  her  he  has  a  true  and  de- 
voted wife.  They  have  four  sons  and  one  daughter, 
as  follows:  Fredericka.  wife  of  John  Kistner; 
Charles,  Henry,  Albert  A.  and  Gustav. 


The  fine  business  and  financial  qualities  displayed 
by  our  subject  in  the  management  of  his  own  af- 
fairs have  b-ought  him  into  prominence  in  public 
life,  and  he  has  held  many  important  civic  offices, 
in  all  cases  showing  himself  to  lie  animated  with 
true  public  spirit  and  an  honest  desire  to  promote 
the  best  interests  of  city  and  county.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  City  Council  in  18G6-C8-69;  he  was 
Collector  in  1871-72;  and  in  1*7G,  1882  and  1883 
was  Mayor  of  Carlinville.  In  1885  he  was  elected 
to  the  responsible  office  of  County  Treasurer,  and 
managed  the  finances  of  the  county  with  character- 
istic sagacity  and  honesty,  holding  the  office  until 
L890.  Our  subject  is  still  identified  with  the  mon- 
etary interests  of  Macoupin  County,  as  he  is  Vice- 
President  of  the  Carlinville  National  Hank,  to  which 
office  he  was  elected  when  that  institution  was  or- 
ganized in  1890.  Politically,  our  subject  has  always 
been  in  sympathy  with  the  Democrats.  Religiously, 
be  was  reared  in  the  Lutheran  faith,  and  has  always 
remained  true  to  the  religion  of  his  forefathers.  He 
helped  to  erect  the  first  Lutheran  Church  in  this 
city  as  one  of  its  organizers,  and  his  always  been 
one  of  the  most  ardent  and  devoted    members. 


'^^^^<f- 


r  RIEDRICK  REINEKE,  a  prosperous  farmer 
j)    who    makes    his    home    on    section  31,  Bird 
1  Township,  was   born    in   Brunswick,  Ger- 

many, November  11,  1838.  His  father  was  Chris- 
loph  Reineke,  and  his  mother  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Anna  D.  Schroeder,  both  being  natives 
of  Brunswick,  Germany.  They  emigrated  to 
America  in  January,  1818,  and  landed  in  N'cw  Or- 
leans. From  there  they  came  to  St.  Louis,  where 
they  resided  for  a  short  time  ami  where  the  father's 
days  were  ended.  The  mother  is  still  living  at  an 
advanced  age,  and  is  tenderly  cherished  by  he  r 
children.  She  and  her  departed  husband  were  the 
parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  our  subject  was 
the  second.  He  was  a  young  man  when  he  came 
with  his  parents  to  this  country,  and  until  the 
death  of  his  father  he  remained   with  them.     He 


474 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


then  came  to  Macoupin  County,  where  he  worked 
out  by  the  month  for  farmers  for  about  two 
years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  finally  engaged  in 
farming  on  It  is  own  account  in  Polk  Township, 
this  county,  and  after  four  years  purchased  one 
hundred  and  sixty-five  acres  in  Bird  Township, 
where  he  now  resides,  and  where  he  has  made  his 
home  from  that  day  to  this,  with  the  exception  of 
about  a  year  and  a  half  when  he  lived  in  Dubuque 
County,  Iowa.  He  is  one  of  the  most  energetic 
and  industrious  farmers  in  the  township,  and  with 
German  thrift  and  frugality  he  improved  his  farm 
and  makes  every  acre  pay  for  itself.  He  has 
erected  a  pleasant  and  commodious  residence  and 
excellent  farm  buildings.  His  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred and  thirty-five  acres  is  a  valuable  and  attract- 
ive piece  of  property. 

The  union  of  Mr.  Reineke  with  Miss  Mary  A. 
Rafferty  was  solemnized  in  Polk  Township,  June  4, 
1852.  His  bride  is  a  daughter  of  .lames  and  Nancy7 
(Booth)  Rafferty.  The  parents  were  of  Southern 
birth,  Mr.  Rafferty  being  born  in  Virginia,  ami  his 
wife  in  Kentucky.  They  came  from  the  latter 
State  to  Macoupin  County  in  1834,  and  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  days  in  Polk  Township.  Mis. 
Reineke  is  the  youngest  in  a  large  family  of  ten 
children.  Davis  County,  Ky.,  is  the  place  of  her 
birth,  and  November  7,  1833,  was  her  natal  day. 
Her  education  and  training  in  domestic  duties  were 
in  Polk  Township,  where  she  resided  until  her  mar- 
riage. 

Nine  children  have  blessed  the  home  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Reineke.  They  are  named  Lois  ami 
Lewis  P.,  deceased;  Edgar  F. ;  Annie  1).,  Mrs. 
Henry. Tones;  Nora  M.,  and  Walter  O.,  deceased ; 
Frederick  \V.,  Nancy  M.  and  Adelaide.  Edgar  F. 
married  Amanda  E.  Walton;  they  have  four 
children,  namely.  Bertha,  Addie,  Maggie  and 
Palmer.  Frederick  W.  has  taken  to  wife  Mary  A. 
Dunn. 

Mr.  Reineke  devotes  his  entire  attention  to  stock- 
raising  and  agricultural  pursuits.  He  is  a  public- 
spirited  man,  and  takes  a  deep  interest  in  all  affairs 
of  the  community,  the  county  and  the  State.  His 
interest  in  educational  matters  has  led  him  to  ac- 
cept a  position  on  the  School  Board,  where  he  is 


ever  active  and  efficient.  He  is  sincerely  attached 
to  the  doctrines  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  ear- 
nestly advances  its  interests  with  his  vote  and  his 
voice.  Both  he  and  his  excellent  and  intelligent 
wife  are  devoted  members  of  the  Shiloh  Baptist 
Church.  His  daughters  occupy  a  leading  position 
in  the  social  life  of  Bird  Township,  and  with  their 
mother  form  a  nucleus  around  which  gathers  many 
a  delightful  company. 

HARLES  PECK  has  been  a  resident  of  Illi- 
nois for  half  a  century  and  more,  and  thirty 
y<  of  those  years  have  been  passed  in  this 
county,  where  he  is  still  identified  with  its  agricul- 
tural interests  as  the  proprietor  of  a  choice  farm, 
though  he  is  now  living  in  honorable  retirement  at 
Carlinville.  Born  at  Alexander,  Genesee  County, 
N.  Y  ,  March  14,  1821,  was  the  date  of  his  birth. 
He  is  descended  from  a  sterling  Massachusetts  an- 
cestry that  settled  in  that  old  Commonwealth  in 
Colonial  times. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  who  bore  the  same 
name  as  himself,  was  born  in  Berkshire,  Mass.,  and 
was  a  son  of  Eleazcr  Peck,  who  in  turn  was  a  sou 
of  Dr.  Charles  Peck,  who  is  also  supposed  to  have 
been  a  native  of  the  old  Bay  State,  where  he  spent 
his  last  years.  He  was  a  practicing  physician  of 
much  local  repute,  and  he  was  a  surgeon  in  the 
Continental  Army  during  the  French  and  Indian 
War.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  a  farmer 
and  removed  from  Massachusetts  to  the  Western 
wilds  of  the  State  of  New  York  in  1805,  and  be- 
came one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Genesee  County, 
the  removal  thither  being  made  with  teams.  He 
bought  a  tract  of  heavily  timbered  land  in  Alexan- 
der Township,  six  miles  south  of  Batavia.  For 
some  years  there  was  no  market  in  that  section  un- 
til after  the  settlement  of  Rochester,  forty  miles 
distant.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject  cleared  a 
farm,  upon  which  he  lived  many  years,  but  his  last 
days  were  spent  with  his  son  Gaius  in  Bennington 
Township,  which  now  lies  in  Wyoming  County, 
his  death  occurring  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety- 
six  years.     His   wife,  a  native  of   Massachusetts, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


475 


whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  Brooks,  lived  to  be 
even  older  than  he,  lengthening  out  a  long  life  of 
ninety-seven  years,  dying  at  the  home  of  their  son. 
They  were  the  parents  of  these  five  children,  Jabez, 
Charles,  Sarah,  Deborah  and  Gains. 

The  father  of  our  subject  grew  to  manhood  in  the 
state  of  his  nativity,  and  was  there  married  to 
Mary,  daughter  of  William  and  Abigail  King,  and 
likewise  a  native  of  Berkshire  County,  Mass.  He 
(the  father  of  our  subject)  preceeded  his  father  to 
the  State  of  New  York,  and  bought  a  tract  of  for- 
est-covered l&nd  of  the  Holland  Purchase  Com- 
pany. The  log  house  that  he  built  upon  it.  which 
was  the  birthplace  of  our  subject,  was  his  home 
until  1836.  He  then  sold  his  possessions  in  New 
York  with  a  view  of  becoming  a  pioneer  once  again 
of  a  newly  settled  country,  crossing  the  intervening 
States  with  a  team  until  he  arrived  in  Indiana, 
making  the  removal  with  teams,  and  where  to-day 
the  iron  horse  travels  in  every  direction  not  a  rail- 
road tract  was  then  crossed  in  the  entire  journey. 
Mr.  Peck  settled  at  Sugar  Creek  Grove  in  the 
w Is  of  Benton  County,  two  miles  east  of  the  Illi- 
nois State  line,  and  five  miles  from  any  neighbor. 
He  bought  a  squatter's  claim  to  a  tract  of  Govern- 
ment  land,  and  when  it  came  into  the  market  went 
to  the   land   office  to   enter  it,  but   found  that  the 

|  section  on  which  it  lay  formed  a  part  of  an  Indian 
reservation.  In  1840  he  again  disposed  of  his 
property,  and  coming  to  Illinois  bought  at  Con- 
cord, in  Iroquois  County,  and  the  ensuing  four 
years  kep*  a  hotel.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time 
he  resumed  farming,  and  continued  that  occupation 
and  his  residence  in  that  county  until  his  demise  in 
September,  1852,  deprived  it  of  one  of  its  most 
useful    and   practical   pioneers.     His  wife  had  pre- 

<  ceeded  him  in  death,  dying  in  Benton  County, 
Ind.,  in  1838.  They  reared  four  children,  named 
as  follows:  Abigail,  Laura,  Mary  Erasta  and 
Charles. 

Charles  Peck  obtained  his  education  in  the  dis 
tri't  schools  of  his  native  count}-,  which  were  con- 
ducted on  the  subscription  plan.  After  the  removal 
of  the  family  to  Indiana  he  was  of  great  assistance 
to  his  father  in  clearing  his  land.  He  remained  an 
inmate  of  the  parental  home  until  he  attained  his 
majority,  when  he  commenced  life  on  his   own  ac- 


count working  on  a  farm  in  Iroquois  County.  In 
1848  he  went  to  McHenrv  County,  where  he  bought 
a  quarter  section  of  land  in  Algonquin  Township, 
the  improvements  upon  it  consisting  of  twenty 
acres  of  the  land  under  cultivation,  and  an  unfin- 
ished frame  house.  There  were  DO  railways  there 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  Chicago,  forty-three 
miles  away,  was  the  nearest  market.  Deer  and 
wolves  were  plenty,  and  betokened  the  wild  state 
of  the  country,  which  was  still  in  the  bands  of  the 
pioneers. 

Mr.  Peck  resided  there  until  1858,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Jersey  County,  whence  he  came  to  this 
county  in  1861,  and  settled  in  Sliipnian  Township 
on  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  fine 
farming  land  that  he  purchased,  seventy-live  acres 
of  which  were  under  cultivation,  and  the  place  was 
provided  with  frame  buildings.  He  devoted  him- 
self to  the  further  improvement  of  his  farm,  and 
resided  on  it  until  1881,  when  he  rented  it  advan- 
tageously, and  coming  to  Carlinville  bought  his 
present  place  of  residence. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Peck  with  Miss  Hannah 
Eliza  Snook,  took  place  in  1851,  and  has  been  as 
full  of  contentment  and  happiness  as  usually  falls 
to  the  lot  of  mortals.  They  have  one  son,  George. 
He  married  Ella  Sparlding,  and  they  have  a  daugh- 
ter named  Zoe.  Mrs.  Peck  is  a  native  of  Rensse- 
laer County,  N.  Y.,  and  a  daughter  of  John  T. 
Snook,  who  was  also  a  native  of  that  county,  as  his 
father.  Tunis  Snook,  is  also  thought  to  have  been, 
he  being  of  German  antecedents.  The  latter  car- 
ried on  his  occupation  as  a  farmer  in  that  part  of 
New  York  in  Sand  Lake  Township,  where  in  the 
course  of  time  he  died.  The  maiden  name  of  his 
wife  was  Catherine  Snyder,  and  she  is  likewise 
supposed  to  have  been  born  in  Rensselaer  County, 
where  she  died. 

Mrs.  Peck's  father  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and 
continued  to  live  in  the  county  of  his  nativity  un- 
til 1848.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Illinois  and  set- 
tled among  the  pioneers  of  Algonquin  Township, 
McHenrv  County,  where  he  actively  entered  upon 
the  improvement  of  a  farm,  upon  which  he  dwelt 
until  his  demise  in  1852.  in  the  month  of  Septem- 
ber. Mrs.  Peck's  mother  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Eliza  Maria  Ilulseapplc.  She  was  born  in  Dutchess 


476 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


County,  N.  Y.,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Nicholas 
Hulscapple,  a  native  of  the  same  county,  which  was 
also  the  birthplace  of  his  father.  Garret  Hulseapple, 
so  far  as  known,  lie  being  of  German  antecedents. 
He  owned  and  managed  a  farm,  and  passed  his  last 
years  in  Greenbush  Township.  The  grandfather 
of  Mrs.  Peck  removed  to  Rensselaer  County,  and 
located  on  land  that  his  father  gave  him  in  Green- 
bush  Township,  and  there  he  was  prosperously  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  death  claimed  him.  Mrs. 
Peck's  mother,  who  has  attained  a  venerable  age, 
makes  her  home  with  her. 


"it  OIIN  HOECKER  is  doing  a  good  business  at 
Carlinville  as  a  harness  maker.  He  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  Prairie  I)u  Long  Town- 
ship, St.  Clair  County,  111.,  May  1,  1847. 
His  parents  were  Abraham  and  Kate  (Ensenauer) 
Hoeuker,  and  they  were  natives  of  Germany,  as 
were  also  their  forefathers  for  many  generations 
back.  The  paternal  grandparents  of  our  subject 
were  life-long  residents  of  the  German  Fattaerhnd. 
The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  on  a  farm, 
and  adopted  the  calling  of  a  farmer  when  he  be- 
came self-supporting.  He  carried  on  his  vocation 
in  the  old  country  until  1846  when  he  emigrated  to 
America  with  his  wife  and  the  five  children  that 
had  been  born  to  them  in  their  old  home.  Coming 
to  Illinois  he  bought  a  partly  improved  farm  in 
Prairie  Du  Long  Township,  Mid  resided  there  un- 
til 1865,  when  he  sold  his  property  there  and  came 
to  this  county,  where  he  lived  with  his  oldest  son 
until  his  death.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born 
these  six  children:  Kate,  Elizabeth,  Christina, 
Peter,  Alteser,  and  John. 

The  latter,  who  forms  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  the  only  child  of  the  family  born  in  America. 
lie  attended  school  whenever  opportunity  offered, 
and  also  assisted  his  father  on  his  farm  when  he 
was  a  boy.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  commenced 
to  learn  the  trade  of  a  harness  maker  at  Belleville,  in 
St.  Clair  County.  He  served  an  apprenticeship  of 
three  years,  ami  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  went 


to  St.  Louis  to  do  journey  work,  and  was  thus  em- 
ployed  there  six  months,  and  then  engaged  in 
business  in  the  Southern  States.  Two  years  later 
he  returned  to  St.  Louis  and  worked  in  that  city 
one  year,  and  then  we  next  hear  of  him  at  Boone- 
ville,  Mo.,  where  he  was  employed  as  a  journey 
workman  six  years.  After  that  he  established 
himself  as  a  maker  of  harness  on  his  own  account 
at  Arrow  Pock,  Mo.  He  remained  there  until 
1879,  and  in  that  year  came  to  Carlinville  to  open 
a  harness  manufactory  here,  which  lie  has  success- 
fully managed  ever  since. 

Mr.  Hoeckerand  Miss  Mary  E.  Stickmann  united 
their  lives  and  fortunes  in  1868.  Mrs.  lloeeker 
was  born  in  St.  Louis,  and  is  of  German  parentage. 
Her  marriage  with  our  subject  has  been  blessed  to 
them  by  the  birth  of  these  four  children:  Addie, 
Louis,  Ernest  and  Nellie.  Mis.  lloeeker  is  in  every 
respect  a  thoroughly  good  woman,  whom  to  know 
is  to  esteem,  and  she  is  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  Mr.  lloeeker  is  a  capable, 
straightforward  business  man,  and  his  credit  is 
good  wherever  he  is  known.  He  takes  an  intelli- 
gent interest  in  politics,  and  gives  his  allegiance 
to  the  Republican   party. 


KA  US.  HENRIETTA  E.  (DYSON)  VIRDEN] 
widow  of  Archibald  L.  Virden,  a  pioneer 
merchant  of  Virden,  has  been  a  resident  of 
this  county  for  many  years,  and  her  many 
line  trails  of  character  mark  her  as  a  true  woman, 
whose  kindly  presence  and  friendly  disposition 
have  won  her  a  warm  place  in  the  hearts  of  all 
about  her.  Mis.  Virden  is  a  native  of  Montgom- 
mery  County,  Md.,  born  January  8,  1827.  Her 
father,  William  Hyson,  was  born  in  the  satne 
county,  and  was  a  son  of  John  Dyson,  who  is  .sup- 
posed to  have  also  been  a  native  of  Maryland,  and 
to  have  been  a  descendant  of  an  old  English  fam- 
ily. He  was  a  farmer,  and  died  on  his  farm  in 
Montgomery  County. 

Mrs.Yirden's  father  was  reared  on  the  old  home- 
stead in  Maryland,  and  he  continued  to  live  in  his 
native  State  until  1842.   In  that  year  he  left  his  old 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


477 


home,  and  taking  with  liim  his  seven  children, 
started  for  Illinois  with  teams.  After  a  journey  of 
seven  weeks  he  arrived  at  his  destination  in  Christ- 
ian County,  and  identified  himself  with  its  pioneers, 
buying  a  tract  of  land  near  Taylorville  and  devot- 
ing his  time  to  its  development  until  his  premature 
death,  in  1845,  cut  short  his  busy  caieer,  and  de- 
prived that  county  of  a  useful  citizen,  who  was 
doing  good  service  in  helping  to  promote  its  agri- 
cultural interests.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  our 
subject,  preceded  him  in  death,  dying  in  their  old 
Maryland  home  in  1836.  She  was  a  native  of 
Montgomery  Count}',  that  State,  and  her  maiden 
name  was  Annie  Darnall.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Henrietta  (Fish)  Darnall,  who  were 
natives  of  Delaware. 

Mrs.  Virden  was  fifteen  years  old  when  she  came 
with  her  father  to  Illinois,  and  she  lived  with  him 
until  her  marriage,  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years. 
August  18,  1844,  she  gave  her  hand  and  heart  to 
Archibald  L.  Virden,  in  a  marriage  which  was  a 
harmonious  and  happy  union  from  beginning  to 
end,  a  period  covering  nearly  thirty-six  years, 
lacking  but  a  few  days  of  the  anniversary  of  the 
occasion  when  they  were  made  one. 

Archibald  Virden  was  born  October  27,  1823,  in 
Ross  County,  Ohio,  of  which  his  father,  Isaac  Yir- 
den,  was  a  pioneer.  The  latter  was  born  January 
10,  1779,  and  removed  from  Maryland  to  Ohio  in 
an  early  day  of  its  settlement.  He  was  there  mar- 
ried to  Amelia  Saddler,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  in 
1791,  June  10,  and  was  a  daughter  of  one  of  its 
first  pioneer  families.  In  1839  Mr.  Virden 's  pa- 
rents also  became  pioneers,  coming  to  Illinois  and 
locating  among  the  few  settlers  that  had  preceded 
them  in  the  wilds  of  Christian  Count}'.  The 
father  bought  land,  which  he  improved  into  a  farm, 
upon  which  he  made  his  home  until  death  called 
him  to  a  higher  sphere.  He  and  his  good  wife 
reared  a  family  of  ten  sons  and  one  daughter. 

Their  son  Archibald  was  sixteen  years  old  when 
the  family  came  to  this  State,  and  he  continued  to 
be  an  inmate  of  the  parental  household  until  his 
marriage  with  our  subject.  They  began  their 
wedded  life  in  Christian  County,  then  went  to  San- 
gamon County,  where  they  lived  two  years.  Mr. 
Virden  then  bought  a  place  near  Auburn,  in  Chris- 


tian County.  In  1852  he  sold  his  property  there, 
and  coining  to  this  county,  was  one  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  Virden  from  that  time  until  his  decease, 
August  8,  1880.  The  village  had  just  been  laid 
out  by  his  brother  John,  in  whose  honor  it  was 
named.  The  surrounding  country,  which  was 
sparsely  settled,  was  still  iii  the  hands  of  the  pio- 
neers, and  deer  and  oilier  wild  game  had  not  yet 
fled  before  the  advancing  steps  of  civilization.  Mr. 
Virden  bought  village  property,  and  in  the  years 
that  followed  was  active  in  the  commercial  inter- 
ests of  Virden, and  was  potent  in  promoting  its  ad- 
vancement, materially,  socially  and  morally.  He 
at  once  opened  a  grocery  store,  being  one  of  the 
first  merchants  of  the  village,  lie  managed  that 
successfully  a  few  years,  and  then  entered  the  drug 
business,  in  which  he  continued  until  his  death.  He 
was  a  very  capable  business  man,  prompt  and  sys- 
tematic in  carrying  on  his  business,  using  only  the 
most  honorable  methods  in  his  dealings,  and  build- 
ing up  an  extensive  and  lucrative  trade.  He  was 
not  man}-  years  past  the  meridian  of  life,  and  was 
at  the  height  of  his  usefulness,  when  death  closed 
his  career  and  removed  from  Virden  an  honored 
and  valuable  citizen,  wuo  had  always  been  true  to 
all  the  obligations  imposed  upon  him  in  all  the  re- 
lations of  life  that  he  had  held  towards  others.  A 
loving  husband,  a  tender  father,  a  kind  neighbor 
and  a  faithful  friend  was  lost  to  his  family  and 
communit}'  when  he  closed  his  eyes  in  the  dream- 
less sleep  of  death,  and  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
of  which  he  was  a  consistent  member,  was  deprived 
of  one  of  its  most  generous  supporters. 

Of  the  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Virden  these  two  are  left  to  comfort  their 
mother's  declining  years — Annie  M.  and  Ed- 
gar L.  Annie  married  Otho  Williams,  and  they 
have  three  children,  named  Mariel.  Archie  Virden 
and  Lamira.  Edgar,  who  married  Miss  Jennie 
Piper,  is  a  resident  of  Cincinnati.  William.  Mrs. 
Virden's  second  child,  was  born  June  28,  1852.  He 
married  Sarah  Wilcox,  and  died  in  December,  1882, 
leaving  three  children — Homer  W.,  Henrietta  E. 
anil  Archie  L. 

Mrs.  Virden  is  very  pleasantly  situated  in  one  of 
the  cosiest  and  most  attractive  of  Virden's  homes. 
She  presides  over  it  graciously,  and  all   who  cross 


478 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ils  threshold  are  welcomed  to  comfort  and  true 
hospitality.  Our  subject  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  and  carries  her  religion  into  her 
every  day  life  with  true  Christian  spirit. 

kETER  W.  LORENZ  is  a  representative  of 
the  valiant  soldiers  of  the  Union  Army  in 
the  late  war,  who  though  of  foreign  birth 
displayed  true  patriotism  and  unselfish  de- 
votion to  the  interests  of  their  adopted  country 
such  as  has  scarcely  been  paralleled  in  the  annals 
of  any  other  land.  Our  subject  has  also  shown 
himself  a  good  citizen  in  other  ways,  and  lie  is 
highly  esteemed  by  the  lesidents  of  Carlinville, 
where  he  is  conducting  a  prosperous  grocery  busi- 
ness. 

Mr.  Lorenz  was  born  in  Crampa,  Holstein,  Ger- 
many, December  17,  1832.  Bernhard  Lorenz  his 
father,  who  was  born  near  Holstein,  was  a  shoe-' 
maker  and  tanner  by  occupation,  and  gave  his  at- 
tention to  those  trades  all  his  life.  He  always 
lived  in  the  land  of  his  birth,  ami  his  death  oc- 
curred in  1858.  Nine  of  the  fourteen  children 
born  to  him  and  his  good  wife  grew  to  maturity, 
and  these  six  came  to  America;  Annie,  Margaret, 
Bernhard,  John,  Lucy  and  Jacob. 

Our  subject  was  well  educated  "in  the  excellent 
schools  of  his  native  country,  which  he  attended 
from  the  ti.me  he  was  six  years  old  until  lie  was 
fourteen.  When  his  school  days  was  over  he 
served  an  apprenticeship  of  four  and  one-half  years 
to  learn  the  trade  of  a  harness-maker.  While  yet  in 
the  prime  and  vigor  of  early  manhood  he  deter- 
mined to  seek  that  Eldorado  of  so  many  of  his 
countrymen,  the  United  States  of  America,  as  he 
thought  his  chances  of  attaining  prosperity  would 
be  much  better  here  than  in  the  land  of  his  nativ- 
ity. In  accordance  with  this  resolution  he  set  sail 
for  Hamburg  on  the  first  day  of  March,  1857,  in 
the  steamer  "Saxonia,"  and  on  the  20lh  of  the  same 
month  found  himself  in  the  leading  metropolis  of 
this  great  country.  He  not  only  had  no  capital 
with  which  to  begin  his  new  life  in  a  strange  land, 
but  he  was  indebted  to  his  bi other   to  the  sum  of 


$40.  He  sought  work,  and  was  employed  at  his 
trade  at  Tanytown  one  month.  He  then  returned 
to  New  York  City,  but  could  not  find  employment 
there.  We  next  hear  of  him  in  this  county,  in 
Carlinville.  whither  he  came  in  March,  1858.  Here 
he  worked  for  his  brother  until  the  rebellion  broke 
out. 

Our  subject  was  one  of  the  first  to  respond  to 
respond  to  the  call  for  troops  made  by  the  Gov- 
ernment when  hostilities  commenced  between  the 
North  and  South.  He  enlisted  in  April,  1861,  for 
three  months  in  Company  K,  Seventh  Illinois  Infan- 
try. He  was  honorably  discharged  with  his  regiment. 
the  following  July,  and  returned  home.  Two 
weeks  later  our  subject  again  entered  the  service  In 
help  defend  the  stars  and  stripes,  enlisting  in  the 
First  Missouri  Cavalry  for  a  period  of  three  years. 
lie  furnished  his  own  horse,  and  went  forth  to  bat- 
tle well  equipped.  For  three  years  and  two  months 
he  did  good  service  in  the  army,  and  was  with  his 
regiment  in  all  its  long  marches,  and  in  the  battles 
Ttrahich  it  took  part  in  Missouri,  Arkansas,  Ne- 
'"braskifinrfH Texas.  At  the  expiration  of  their 
term  of  enlistment  he  and  his  fellow-soldiers  were 
discharged  at  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  and  mustered  out 
at  St.  Louis  in  October.  1864. 

After  leaving  the  army  Mr.  Lorenz  returned  to 
Carlinville  and  worked  at  his  trade  until  failing 
eyesight  compelled  him  to  abandon  that  calling, 
and  he  subsequently  opened  a  restaurant  and  gro- 
cery. He  managed  both  together  three  or  four 
years  and  then  gave  up  the  restaurant,  and  has 
since  confined  himself  exclusively  to  the  grocery 
business,  lie  has  a  fine,  well  fitted  up  store,  car- 
ries a  choice  lot  of  groceries  and  a  nice  line  of 
crockery,  glassware,  etc.  By  pursuing  strictly  hon- 
est methods  and  supplying  his  customers  with  the 
best,  he  has  built  up  a  good  and  profitable  trade, 
and  has  placed  himself  among  the  solid  men  of  the 
town.  Mr.  Lorenz  is  a  firm  supporter  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  politically;  socially  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Dan  Merrick  Post,  No.  339,  G.  A.  R. 

In  18C5  our  subject  and  Miss  Johanna  Miehr 
were  married,  and  of  their  happy  wedded  life  six 
children  have  been  born  to  them. — George, 
Charles,  Frank,  Clara,  Anna  and  Willie.  Mrs.  Lo- 
renz is  a  native  of    Hanover,   Germany,   and  came 


L/8RARY 
WHVBfcftX? 


PORTRAIT  AiND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


481 


to  America  in  1848  with  her  parents,  Henry  and 
Elizabeth  Bliehr,  who  were  also  natives  of  Han- 
over. Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lorenz  are  members  in 
high  standing  of  the  German   Evangelical  Church. 


^*F 


3*^ 


V  HARLES    DIX,  one  of   the   representative 
citizens  of  South  Otter  Township,  is  active- 


ly interested  in  every  measure  promising  to 
promote  the  general  welfare.  The  portrait  pre- 
sented on  the  opposite  page  will  be  recognized  by 
the  majority  of  our  readers  as  that  of  the  energetic 
proprietor  of  a  fine  farm  located  on  section  12, 
South  Otter  Township.  Mr.  Dix  is  of  New  Eng- 
land birth  and  education.  His  father,  the  late 
Thomas  Dix,  was  born  in  Hartford  County,  Conn., 
and  his  mother  was  Mary  Weber,  whose  birthplace 
was  Weathersfield,  Conn.  From  that  State  they 
came  to  Illinois  in  an  early  day  and  settled  near 
Waverly,  Morgan  County,  in  which  place  they 
lived  for  twenty  years.  They  then  removed  to 
Woodson  Count}",  Kan. ,  where  the  father  died;  the 
mother  still  survives.  Eight  children  were  at  once 
the  joy  and  care  of  the  parents  whose  lives  were 
fraught  with  the  earnestness  necessary  to  pioneers. 
Of  these  eight  children,  six  were  sons  and  two  were 
daughters,  our  subject  being  the  second  of  the 
family. 

Mr.  Dix  was  born  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  July  8, 
1842.  His  father's  removal  to  this  county  occurred 
when  our  subject  was  about  nine  yeais  of  age.  He 
located  with  his  parents  in  Waveily,  Morgan 
County,  and  here  grew  to  manhood,  receiving  a 
gooil  common-school  education  in  the  district 
I  schools  of  the  county.  In  1861  when  there  was  a 
call  for  volunteers  in  all  parts  of  the  country  to 
come  10  the  aid  and  protection  of  the  flag,  Mr. 
Dix  at  once  responded  and  enlisted  in  Company  I. 
of  the  Fourteenth  Illinois  Infantry. 

Mr.  Dix  served  in  the  war  for  three  years,  which 
were  fraught  with  experiences  at  once  terrible  and 
interesting:  terrible  because  of  the  fact  that  brother 
was  figLtiug  against  brother,  and  that  blood  was 
shed  on  both  sides  for  a  cause  in  which  neither 
right  nor  equity    held  any    place;  interesting  be- 


cause of  the  fact  that  never  have  military  maneu- 
vers been  so  complicated  as  during  the  late  war, 
nor  has  generalship  stood  so  severe  a  test  of  ability 
ami  leadership.  Mr.  Dix  participated  in  some  of 
the  most  desperate  battles  of  the  war.  being  present 
at  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  the  siege  of  Yicksburg,  the 
battle  of  Hatcbie's  River,  also  Champion  Hills,  the 
battle  of  Jackson,  Miss.,  and  Holly  Springs,  Miss. 

Our  subject  met  with  several  narrow  (scapes, 
having  at  one  time  his  haversack  cut  off,  anil  two 
bullets  passed  through  his  left  coat  sleeve.  A  bul- 
let struck  his  gun  and  rebounding  struck  his  near 
neighbor,  killing  him  instantly:  this  occurred  at 
the  battle  of  Hatcbie's  River.  Mr.  Dix  returned 
from  the  army  with  impaired  health,  and  the  rest 
that  farm  life  offend  was  the  only  thing  that 
seemed  to  promise  recovery.  He  first  went  to 
Morgan  County,  and  later  came  to  South  Otter 
Township,  Macoupin  County,  where  he  remained 
until  1867.  After  this  he  went  South,  locating  in 
Jackson,  Miss.,  and  there  he  engaged  in  raising 
cotton.  He  spent  two  years  thus  occupied  and 
then  returned  to  South  Otter  Township,  settling 
upon  his  present  farm  where  he  has  since  lived. 
He  operates  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land  and  devotes  himself  to  general  farming,  be- 
sides giving  his  attention  largely  to  raising  stock 
for  city  markets. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Dix  was  solemnized 
in  South  Otter  Township  and  his  bride  was  Miss 
Helena  Davidson,  a  daughter  of  Alex  Davidson, 
who  died  in  the  army  at  Bolivar,  Tenn.  By  this 
marriage  Mr.  Dix  became  the  father  of  one  child, 
Bessie  E  ,  who  has  since  become  the  wife  of  Her- 
bert Lancaster.  Mrs.  Helena  Dix  passed  away 
from  this  life  December  9.  1878,  and  was  laid 
away  in  Grand  Cemetery.  She  was  a  lovely  char- 
acter and  her  Christian  example  was  such  as  to 
leave  a  deep  impression  upon  the  minds  of  those 
with  whom  she  came  in  contact.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber in  good  standing  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  the 
time  of  her  death. 

The  present  wife  of  Mr.  Dix  was  known  in 
maidenhood  as  Miss  Drucilla  Rutherford,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Julius  and  Melissa  A.  (Landon)  Ruther- 
ford. The  father  died  in  Nil  wood  Township,  and 
the  mother  afterward  married  David  McGhee,  who 


482 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


is  since  deceased.  Mrs.  Drucilla  Dix  was  born  in 
Nilwood  Township,  November  19,  1853,  and  her 
marriage  to  our  subject  was  celebrated  in  Girard. 
She  lias  presented  her  husband  with  one  child,  a 
son,  named  Charles  J.  Mr.  Dix  has  taken  an  active 
interest  in  political  affairs  and  is  an  ardent  Repub- 
lican, casting  an  unqualified  vote  for  party.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church 
and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Luke  May  field  Post,  G. 
A.  R.,  in  the  village  of  Girard. 


?ACTIARIAH  HARRIS.  On  the  7th  of 
July,  1830,  the  home  of  Pendleton  and  Jane 
(Mallard)  Harris  was  gladdened  by  the 
advent  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Pendleton 
Harris,  who  was  at  that  time  living  on  a  farm  eight 
miles  northwest  of  Greenville,  Bond  County,  III., 
was  a  native. of  Tennessee,  and  a  son  of  Zachariah 
Harris.  The  latter  was  born  in  North  Carolina, 
and  was  there  reared  and  married.  He  removed 
from  his  native  State  to  Tennessee,  and  was  a 
pioneer  of  that  commonwealth,  locating  on  Duck 
Rivet.  He  took  up  a  tract  of  timber  land,  where- 
on he  dwelt  until  1828,  when  he  became  a  pioneer 
of  this  State,  journeying  overland  with  his  family 
and  taking  his  household  goods  with  him  to  his 
future  home  on  the  frontier.  He  located  in  Fay- 
ette County,  w.here  he  bought  land  and  improved  a 
farm,  upon  which  he  lived  until  his  eyes  closed  in 
death. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  young  man  at 
the  time  of  the  removal  of  the  family  to  Illinois. 
He  had  been  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  marriage  settled  on  a  tract  of  wild 
land  in  Bond  County  that  he  had  bought.  He 
and  his  bride  commenced  housekeeping  in  a  log 
house  in  which  their  son  of  whom  we  write  was 
born.  After  improving  quite  a  tract  of  land  in 
"that  vicinity  Mr.  Harris  sold  it  and  came  to  this 
county  in.  1840.  anil  located  near  Bunker  Hill, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming.  After  a  residence 
there  of  ten  years  he  removed  to  Cahokia  Town- 
ship, and  buying  a  tract  of  wild  prairie,  built  a 
dwelling  and  other  necessary  buildings,  and  active- 


ly worked  at  improving  his  land.  He  is  still  a 
resident  of  the  same  township,  and  though  he  has 
attained  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-three  years,  is 
still  in  the  enjoyment  of  good  health.  Jane  Mal- 
lard, his  wife,  was  born  in  Iventuck}',  where  her 
father,  who  was  a  pioneer  of  the  State,  spent  his 
last  years.  The  name  of  his  wife  before  marriage 
was  Savage,  and  she  was  a  Virginian  by  birth. 
She  was  left  a  widow  with  four  daughters  to  care 
for,  and  removed  with  them  to  Bond  County,  III. 
of  which  she  was  a  pioneer.  She  bought  a  home 
there  and  occupied  it  until  her  demise  at  the  age 
of  eighty-five.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  a 
young  woman  when  she  came  to  this  State  with 
her  mother.  She  early  learned  to  spin  and  weave, 
and  in  the  first  years  of  her  married  life  made  all 
the  cloth  in  use  in  the  family.  She  is  still  living 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-two  years. 

Zachariah   Harris  was  one    of    six    children,  he 
being  the  eldest,  and   when  a  young  boy  he  assist- 
ed  his  mother  in   her  household  duties,   and  also 
learned  to  spin    and   weave.     He  gained   his  edu- 
cation in  the  pioneer  schools,  ami  as  soon  as  old 
enough   was  set  to  work   on  the  farm.      When  lie' 
was  twenty-two  years  old  he  left  the  parental  home 
to  establish  one  of  disown  with  the  capable  assist- 
ance of  Miss  Nancy  Duncan,  his  bride,  their  mar- 
riage taking  place  in    1853.     She   is1  a  native  of: 
Indiana,  and  a  daughter  of  Nathan  and  Elizabeth' 
Duncan. 

At  the  time  of  his  marriage  Mr.   Harris  bought 
forty  acres  of  wild   prairie   in  Cahokia  Township, 
and  after  erecting  a  comfortable  frame  house,  pro- 
ceeded to    develop  his    land   into    a  farm,    which 
under  his  skilful  manipulation  became  one  of   the 
best  cultivated  and  improved  pieces  of  property  in 
the  neighborhood.     In   the   fall  of    1877   he    was 
elected  County  Treasurer,  and  removed  to  Carlin- 
ville  to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  his  office,  and  has' 
resided    here    continuously    since.     In     1883    he' 
formed  a  partnership  with  J.  B.  Liston    to  engage" 
in  the  manufacture  of  brick  and  tile,  and  has  since' 
been  identified  with  this  interest.     They  have  three 
commodious  kilns,  two  of  them    with  a  capacity  of 
45,000  brick  and  the  third  of  22,000. 

Aside  from  his  prominence  as  a  business  man  in 
this   County   Mr.   Harris  has  long  been  a  conspic- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RF.CORD. 


483 


nous  figure  in  its  public  life,  as  his  undoubted 
ability  and  the  genuine  worth  of  his  character 
have  pointed  him  out  as  a  suitable  man  for  civic 
ofHce.  For  five  years  he  held  the  responsible  office 
of  Treasurer  of  Macoupin  County.  For  fourteen 
years  he  was  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  he  also 
served  as  Constable  in  Cahokia  Township.  He 
was  Mayor  of  Carlinville  for  one  term,  and  man- 
aged the  affairs  of  the  city  in  a  manner  most  satis- 
factory to  all  parties.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Harris  is 
a  member  of  Ml.  Nebo  Lodge,  No.  76.  A.  F.  &  A. 
M.  Politically,  he  is  a  devoted  adherent  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  has  been  ever  since  he  cast 
his  first  Presidential  vote  for  Franklin  Pierce. 


Jl^  ENRY  FERGUSON,  one  of  the  highly  re- 
jli  speeded  and  progressive  fanners  of  Staunton 
w  Township,  living  on  section  20,  has  the 
W)  honor  of  being  a  native-born  citizen  of 
Macoupin  County.  He  was  born  on  the  old  Fer- 
guson homestead  in  the  township  where  he  yet 
lives,  April  25,  1841,  and  is  a  son  of  J.  H.  Fergu- 
son, who  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent.  Upon  the  Emerald  Isle  he  grew  to 
manhood  and  married  Miss  Sarah  Swan,  who  like 
her  husband  came  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry.  Ac- 
companied by  three  children  they  came  to  the 
United  States,  landing  in  New  York  City  and 
thence  made  their  way  by  canal  and  river  to  Alton, 
where  Mr.  Ferguson  left  his  family  while  he  walked 
across  the  prairies  to  Staunton  Township,  where  he 
secured  a  wild  and  unbroken  farm  on  what  was 
commonly  known  as  the  Prairie  Swamp.  However 
he  drained  his  land  and  where  once  was  a  wild 
waste,  waving  fields  of  grain  soon  delighted  the 
eye  of  the  passer-by.  Upon  the  excellent  farm 
which  he  there  developed,  Mr.  Ferguson  and  his 
wife  resided  until  his  death.  He  passed  away 
February  10,  1883,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  He 
was  a  man  possessed  of  remarkable  energy  and 
force  of  character,  was  honest  in  the  extreme  and 
won  the  confidence  of  the  entire  community.  Prior 
to  the  war  he  supported  the  Democratic  party  but 
when  Ft.  Sumpterwas  fired  upon  his  political  views 


changed  and  he  became  a  Republican.  His  wife  is 
yet  living  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six  years, 
making  her  home  with  their  daughter  in  Staunton 
Township.  Like  her  husband  she  has  been  a  life- 
long member  of  the  Scotch  Presbyterian  Church. 
The  entire  life  of  Henry  Ferguson  has  been 
passed  in  this  county.  1 1  is  early  days  weie  spent 
amid  its  pioneer  scenes  and  when  he  had  attained 
to  mature  years  he  chose  his  native  county  as  the 
stage  of  his  future  actions.  He  has  inherited  the 
good  qualities  of  his  Scotch-Irish  ancestry  and  has 
become  a  valued  and  prominent  citizen  of  the 
community.  He  was  united  in  marriage  in  Tower 
Hill,  Shelby  County,  III.,  with  Miss  Margaret 
McKittrick,  a  native  of  County  Down,  Ireland, 
born  in  1841.  Her  parents,  William  and  Margaret 
(Quarrel)  McKittrick,  were  also  born  in  the  same 
county  and  three  children  there  came  to  bless  their 
home.  In  1859  Mr.  McKittrick  and  his  family 
sailed  for  the  United  States,  stopping  not  in  their 
journey  until  they  had  reached  Edwardsville, 
Madison  County,  111.,  where  they  made  their  home 
for  seven  years,  removing  thence  to  Shelby  County 
where  the  wife  and  mother  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
four.  Mr.  McKittrick  died  some  years  later  at  the 
home  of  his  daughter  in  Moultrie  County,  and  his 
remains  were  taken  back  to  Shelby  County  and  laid 
by  the  side  of  his  wife.  He  was  then  seventy-six 
years  of  age.  Both  were  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church. 

Mrs.  Ferguson  was  the  third  in  their  family  of 
ten  children,  and  by  her  parents  she  was  carefully 
reared,  remaining  at  home  until  her  marriage. 
She  is  a  lady  possessed  of  energy,  industry  and 
good  management  and  the  assistance  which  she 
has  given  her  husband  has  been  no  unimportant 
factor  in  his  success.  By  their  union  ten  children 
have  been  born:  Martha  J.,  wife  of  Richard  Lip- 
poldt,  a  farmer  of  Jersey  County;  Margaret,  Julia 
M.,  Francis  F.,  William  II.,  Mary  L.  and  Samuel 
F.  at  home;  and  Sarah  A.,  Susan  F.,  and  John  II., 
who  died  in  childhood. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ferguson  are  faithful  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  give  liberally  to  its  sup- 
port and  are  active  workers  in  its  interests.  He  is 
a  supporter  of  Republican  principles  ami  has  held 
a  number  of  local  offices,  being  now  Commissioner 


484 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  Highways.  The  duties  of  these  positions  have 
been  ever  ably  discharged,  winning  credit  to  him- 
self and  his  constituents.  He  is  owner  of  one  of 
the  best  farms  in  Staunton  Township,  a  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acre  tract,  upon  which  he  lias  resided 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  has  made  it  what 
it  is,  having  developed  it  from  a  wild  waste  into 
rich  and  fertile  fields  and  placed  all  the  improve- 
ments thereon.  It  is  well  stocked  with  good  grades 
of  horses,  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs  and  the  barns  and 
outbuildings  furnish  ample  shelter  for  them.  In 
addition  to  the  home  place  Mr.  Ferguson  owns 
eighty-five  acres  elsewhere  in  Staunton  Township, 
forty  acres  near  Mt.  Olive  and  a  two-thirds  interesl 
in  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  on  Sil- 
ver Creek,  this  county. 


■  OHN  GOODWIN  is  numbered  among  the 
early  settlers  of  1850,  his  residence  in  this 
county  covering  a  period  (if  forty-one  con- 
'@JJ  secutive  year's.  During  this  time  he  has 
resided  upon  only  one  farm,  his  present  home  which 
is  situated  on  section  35,  Bunker  Hill  Township. 
He  there  owns  an  unusually  well-improved  tract  of 
land  consisting  of  two  hundred  acres,  and  a  tract 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Penn  Township, 
Shelby  County,  also  pays  to  him  a  golden  trib- 
ute. Besides  this  property  he  has  four  farms  in 
Johnson  County,  Mo.,  which  aggregate  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty-two  acres. 

Mr.  Goodwin  is  a  native  of  England,  born  in 
Staffordshire,  June  27.  1828.  of  English  parentage. 
His  father,  Thomas  Goodwin,  was  also  a  native  of 
Staffordshire,  as  was  his  grandfather,  Thomas 
Goodwin.  Sr.  who  spent  his  entire  life  in  that 
county,  and  there  died  at  the  ago  of  sixty  years. 
He  was  a  Hint  grinder  in  the  large  pottery  works  in 
that  county.  He  married  a  Staffordshire  lady,  and 
in  their  family  was  a  son.  to  whom  they  gave  the 
name  of  Thomas.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  his  na- 
tive 'and  anil  learning  the  business  his  father  fol- 
lowed, became  foreman  in  the  department  for 
preparing  material  for  the  manufacture  of  crock- 
ery.    He  married  Miss  Jane  Chappel,  who  was  born 


in  that  locality,  and  was  a  daughter  of  John  Chap 
pel,  a  Staffordshire  farmer,  who  lived  to  be  eighty 
years  of  age. 

Eight  children  were  born  to  Thomas  and  Jane 
Goodwin  in  England,  but  one  died  prior  to  the 
emigration  of  the  family  to  America.  With  his 
family,  Thomas  Goodwin  in  March,  1844,  sailed 
from  Liverpool  on  the  three-mast  vessel  ••Clarissa 
Andrews,"  which  after  a  voyage  of  seven  weeks 
dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  New  Orlean3. 
The  family  proceeded  up  the  Mississippi  River  to 
St.  Louis,  and  by  packet  boat  to  Alton,  locating 
soon  afterward  upon  raw  land  in  Moro  Township, 
Madison  County,  where  Mr.  Goodwin  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  1854. 
At  the  time  he  had  labored  so  industriously  that 
the  greater  part  of  his  farm  was  already  improved. 
He  was  fifty-three  years  of  age  when  called  to  his 
final  rest.  Mrs.  Goodwin  afterward  came  to  live 
with  our  subject  and  died  at  his  homt?  in  1884,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-one  years,  in  the  faith  of  the 
Christian  Church,  of  which  she  had  long  been  a 
member.  The  family  circle  was  increased  by  the 
birth  of  one  child  after  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goodwin 
came  to  the  United  States,  and  of  the  nine  children 
six  of  them  arc  yet  living.  All  are  married  and 
have  familiej  and  are  residents  of  Illinois. 

The  first  sixteen  years  of  his  life  John  Goodwin 
spent  in  England  and  then  came  to  America 
Upon  his  father's  farm  he  attained  to  mature  years 
and  upon  the  farm  which  is  still  his  home  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Elizabeth  M.  Wood, 
who  in  a  little  log  cabin  near  the  site  of  her  present 
home  first  opened  her  eyes  to  the  light  of  day, 
February  3,  1835.  She  is  a  daughter  of  William 
R.  and  Martha  C.  (Wood)  Wood,  natives  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  of  English  descent.  Their  families  were 
founded  in  this  country  by  an  English  ancestor, 
Sp in uel  Wood,  who  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  1755. 
William  R.  Wood  was  bom  in  1803,  and  in  1814 
came  with  his  parents,  Samuel  and  Naomi  (Ren- 
frow)  Wood,  to  Illinois,  the  family  making  a  set- 
tlement near  Troy,  Madison  County,  where  they 
lived  in  true  pioneer  style.  Samuel  Wood  and  bis 
wife  there  died,  both  having  attained  to  the  age  of 
seventy-five  years  when  they  departed  this  life.  The 
parents  of  Mrs.   Martha  C.  Wood   were  Abraham 


RESIDENCE    OF     J.    L.    NOEL   ,  SEC.  I8.,D0RCH  ESTER    TR, MACOUPIN    CO.,  ILLS. 


RESIDENCE    OF    JOHN    GOODWIN  ,  SEC.35.,  BUNKER  HILL  TR.MACOUP1N  CO.,.  ILLS. 


UBRARY 
OF  THE 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RKCORI). 


1*7 


mid  Polly  (Hunt,)  Wood,  who  emigrated  from 
Kentucky  to  Illinois  in  1834,  locating  in  Plainview, 
Macoupin  County.  But  wife  and  mother  was  not 
long  permitted  to  enjoy  her  new  home,  her  death 
occurring  a  few  months  afterward.  Abraham 
Wood  su'-vived  his  wife  some  years  and  died  in 
Bunker  Hill  Township  in  1862,  when  about  eighty  - 
one  years  of  age. 

The  father  of  Mrs.  Goodwin, William  R.  Wood, 
grew  to  manhood  in  Madison  County,  and  served 
in  the  Black  Hawk  War.  It  was  there  he  was  mar- 
ried the  first  time  and  there  his  first  wife  died 
leaving  three  children.  After  that  he  returned  to 
Kentucky,  where  he  wedded  Miss  Martha  C.  Wood, 
his  kinswoman,  in  1833.  They  came  to  Illinois  in 
October,  1834,  and  settled  in  Macoupin  County, 
on  the  tract  which  now  constitutes  the  home  farm 
of  our  subject.  It  continued  to  be  their  place  of 
residence  until  the}'  were  called  to  the  home  be- 
yond. Mr.  Wood  died  of  consumption  at  the  age 
of  forty-one.  the  disease  probably  having  been 
contracted  during  the  Indian  War,  as  the  papers 
stated  that  he  was  exempted  from  duty  on  account 
of  pains  in  the  breast.  This  was  probably  the  be- 
ginning of  the  malady  which  terminated  his  life. 
His  wife  survived  him  some  years  and  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty-six. 

Mrs.  Goodwin  was  the  only  child  born  to  that 
worthy  couple,  but  by  her  union  she  has  become  the 
mother  of  twelve  children,  nine  of  whom  are  yet 
living — Henrietta, wife  of  Ernest  Shrier,  a  farmer  of 
Centervicw,  Mo.;  George  E.,  who  wedded  Emma 
Cruickshanks,  and  is  now  living  on  a  farm  in  John- 
son County,  Mo.;  John,  who  married  Sarah  A. 
Maguire,  and  follows  farming  near  Center  view, 
Mo. :  Emma  J.,  who  is  the  wife  of  James  Hale,  also 
a  farmer  in  that  locality;  Frank  A.,  who  wedded 
Josie  Moore,  and  is  now  living  in  Johnson  County, 
Mo.,  where  he  is  farming;  Alvin  L.  and  William 
W.,  who  aid  iheir  father  in  the  operation  of  the 
home  farm;  Mary  E.  and  Anna  C,  who  complete 
the  family.  The  deceased  are  James  H.  and  Ber- 
tie, who  died  in  childhood,  and  Lillie  M.,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  eighteen. 

On  the  22nd  of  December.  18'.»0,  was  celebrated 
the  fortieth  wedding  anniversary  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Goodwin.     With  mutual  love  and  confidence  they 


have  traveled  life's  journey  hand  in  hand,  sinning 
its  joys  and  sorrows,  and  their  union  has  been 
blessed  with  a  large  family  of  children,  who  have 
become  respected  men  and  women  and  do  them 
honor.  Mrs.  Goodwin  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church.  Mr.  Goodwin  and  his  sons  are  Democrat* 
in  politics.  Farming  has  been  his  life  work,  and 
his  pleasant  home  with  its  neat  surroundings  indi- 
cates his  thrift  and  enterprise. 

Elsewhere  in  this  volume   appears  a  view  of  the 
pleasant  home  of  Mr.  Goodwin. 

-~~> <f3'4» — - — — 


fifjOHN   L.  NOEL.     The  Blue  Grass  region  of 
Kentucky    has    long    claimed   supremacy    in 

di  stock-raising,  maintaining  that  the  elements 
/  in  the  soil  conduced  to  better  physical  con- 
dition of  stock  than  can  be  attained  elsewhere  in 
all  the  world:- '-The  Central  States  have  begun  to 
contest  tfiiYclaHn..b&,aj:oducing  horses  that  vie  in 
strength,  beauty  and  Beetness  with  any  that  Ken- 
tucky boasts.  What  is  more  beautiful  than  a  large 
farm,  divided  into  paddocks  where  are  grazing  the 
mild-eyed,  fiery  nostril,  light-limbed  bearers  of 
burdens.  One  of  the  most  attractive  of  these  farms 
in  Macoupin  County  is  owned  by  John  L.  Noel 
who  has  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  fine  land 
all  under  cultivation,  and  which  is  known  as  the 
Plain  View  Stock  Farm,  located  on  section  7,  Dor- 
chester Township. 

Mr.  Noel  was  born  in  Adams  County,  July  20, 
1849.  He  came  of  Pennsylvania  parents, of  whom 
a  full  history  may  be  found  under  the  biographical 
sketch  of  J.  Quincy  Noel.  He  has  lived  in  this 
county  since  he  was  twelve  years  of  age.  He  had 
been  a  farmer  of  Dorchester  Township  prior  to  go- 
ing into  the  livery  and  stock-breeding  business.  It 
was  after  he  came   here  that  he  set  out  for  himself. 

When  he  arrived  at  man's  estate,  Mr.  Noel  wooed 
and  won  Miss  Louisa  Etta  Line,  who  was  born  in 
Madison  County,  this  State,  not  far  from  Foster- 
burg.  She  was  reared  there,  her  parents  having 
located  at  that  place  several  years  before  her  birth. 
Her  father  and  mother  died  while  she  was  yet  a 
small    child,    about    six    years    old,    and    she    was 


488 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


adopted  into  a  family  where  she  was  treated  witli 
all  the  affection  of  an  own  child.  Her  foster  par- 
ents, William  Bahr  and  wife,  lived  in  Macoupin 
and  Madison  Counties  until  she  became  of  age. 
Mrs.  Noel  is  a  true  wife  and  helpmate  to  her  hus- 
band, and  the  words  of  the  Wise  Man  might  well 
be  applied  to  this  estimable  lady. 

Our  subject  is  the  proprietor  of  Percheron  and 
Norman  imported  horses,  and  owns  many  breed- 
ing animals,  including  a  very  fine  Spanish  Jack. 
He  has  made  himself  an  enviable  reputation  as  a 
breeder  of  line  stock.  Prior  to  his  entry  in  this 
business,  he  was  engaged  for  fourteen  years  in  the 
livery  business  in  Bunker  Hill  City. 

The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Noel  has  been  blest 
by  the  birth  of  seven  children,  all  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing and  at  home,  except  the  youngest,  James  Ed- 
ward. Their  names  are  Frank  W.,  Louisa,  John 
L.,  Charles  A.,  Cecelia  A.  and  Joseph.  Mr.  aid 
Mrs.  Noel  are  devoted  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  Mr.  Noel  is  a  sound  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics. 

The  attention  of  the  reader  is  invited  to  a  view 
on  another  page  of  the  attractive  stock  farm  of  Mr. 
Noel. 


«,  WILLIAM  LOVE,  who  for  the  past  seven 
\f\lll  years  uas  successfully  conducted  a  meat 
tyy  market  in  Gillespie,  was  born  in  Connecti- 
cut on  the  10th  of  January,  1834.  and  comes  from 
a  good  New  England  family,  which  in  Colonial 
days  was  established  in  America.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Leonard  Love,  was  a  native  of  Rhode 
Island.  He  spent  almost  his  entire  life  on  a  farm, 
which  bordered  on  the  boundary  line  between  that 
State  and  Connecticut,  and  there  died  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty-one  years.  He  came  of  Eng- 
lish ancestry,  and  at  the  early  age  of  seventeen 
years  was  drafted  into  the  Colonial  army,  serving 
his  country  faithfully  until  independence  was 
achieved.  In  his  native  State  he  married  a  Miss 
King,  who  was  also  born,  reared  and  died  in  Rhode 
Island.  Leonard  Love,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
grew  to  manhood  upon  his  father's  farm,  and  spent 
the  greater  part  of  his  life  upon  the  old  homestead 


in  Rhode  Island,  where  he  passed  away  in  March, 
1890,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  He  was  a  prom- 
inent and  influential  citizen  of  the  community  in 
which  he  lesided,  was  a  faithful  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  in  political  sentiment  was  a 
Democrat.  He  married  Mahala  Knox,  a  lady  of 
Scotch  descent,  who  still  survives  him  and  is  liv- 
ing on  the  old  home  in  Rhode  Island,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-nine  years.  She,  too,  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  a  lady  of  many  excellencies  of 
character. 

William  Love,  whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  is 
the  fourth  in  order  of  birth  of  their  family  of  nine 
children,  of  whom  four  sons  and   three   daughters 
are  yet  living.     He  is  the  only  one  who  makes  his 
liome  in  the  West.     When  a  young  lad,  his  parents 
removed  from  the  Nutmeg  Stale  to  Rhode  Island, 
where  the  days   of  bis   boyhood   and   youth    were 
spent.     He  learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  in  the 
in  the  city  of  Providence,  and  after  coming  West, 
engaged  in  that  occupation  to  some   extent.     The 
year   1857    witnessed   his  arrival   in   Bunker  Hill, 
Macoupin  County,  where  for  four  years  he  engaged 
in  carpenter  work, and  then  carried  on  a  meat  mar- 
ket in  connection  with  farming  for  five  years.  The 
succeeding  nine  years  of  his  life  he  devoted  his  en- 
tire energies  to  agricultural   pursuits,  living  upon 
his  farm  in  Bunker  Hill  Township,  whence  became 
to   Gillespie   some   seven  years   since.      Again  he 
opened  a   meat  market,  which  he  yet  carries  on, 
having  an  excellent  trade.     His   business   is  there- 
fore in  a  flourishing  condition — the  natural   result 
of  his  persevering  efforts.     He  is  genial  in  manner, 
and  by  his  fair  dealing  and  desire  to  please  his  pa- 
trons he  has  secured  a  liberal  share  of  the  public 
trade. 

In  Bunker  Hill  Mr.  Love  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Mary  Hillier,  who  was  born  in  England, 
and  when  a  young  lad}',  came  to  America  with  her 
father,  Thomas  Hillier,  and  his  family.  They  lo- 
cated in  Bunker  Hill,  where  the  parents  lived  for 
some  years,  and  then  removed  to  Shipman,  where 
the  father  died  at  the  age  of  seventy,  and  the 
mother  in  her  sixty-eighth  year.  They  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Episcopal  Church.  Mrs.  Love  was 
carefully  reared  by  her  parents  and  received  the 
educational  advantages  afforded   by  the  excellent 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


189 


schools  of  Bunker  Hill.  By  her  marriage  she  has 
become  the  mother  of  five  children,  four  of  whom 
arc  yet  living — Henrietta  L.,  Adelaide  ,1.,  Nellie  J. 
and  Gertrude  D.  The  last  two  have  taught  in  the 
district  schools  of  the  count)',  and  possess  consid- 
erable ability  in  this  direction.  All  are  educated 
and  refined  young  ladies  who  figure  prominently 
in  the  social  circles  of  this  community.  One 
(laughter,  Ida  M.,  died  in  childhood. 

In  politics  Mr.  Love  is  a  stalwart  Democrat  who 
keeps  himself  well  informed  on  the  political  issues 
of  the  day,  and  has  held  several  positions  of  public 
trust,  having  been  a  member  of  the  Village  Board 
and  Mayor  of  Gillespie  since  coming  to  this  place. 
His  wife  and  daughters  are  members  of  the  Episco 
pal  Church.  He  ranks  high  among  the  business 
men  of  the  town,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  en- 
terprising and  progressive  citizens  of  the  commu- 
nity. He  owns  one  of  the  fine  brick  residence 
properties  of  Bunker  Hill. 


SfAMES  WILSON  is  one  of  the  large,' land- 
owners of  this  county,  his  possessions 
amounting  to  six  hundred  and  eighty  acres. 
'  all  except  twenty  in  Honey  Point  Township 
He  has  been  more  than  ordinarily  successful  in 
prosecuting  agricultural  affairs,  as  may  be  seen  by 
his  large  holding  of  real  estate.  His  land  is  well 
improved  and  his  home  is  one  of  the  most  attract- 
ive rural  residences  in  this  pa.t  of  the  State.  Mr. 
Wilson,  who  is  now  quite  advanced  in  years,  is 
not  obliged  to  exert  himself,  as  he  has  all  that 
heart  can  wish  of  material  comforts,  and  can,  by  a 
wise  oversight  of  his  property,  derive  an  income 
amply  sufficient  for  all  his  wants. 

Mr.  Wilson  traces  his  descent  from  one  John 
Wilson,  a  native  of  Scotland,  who  removed  thence 
to  Londonderry,  Ireland,  and  spent  his  last  years 
there.  His  wife  was  Martha  Caldwell  and  in  their 
family  was  a  son,  George,  who  was  born  in  Scot- 
land, but  grew  to  man's  estate  in  Ireland.  That 
gentleman  was  married  in  the  Emerald  Isle  to  Jane 
Donelson,a  native  of  Londonderry  and  a  daughter 
of  Andrew   Donelson,   who   lived    to   the    extreme 


age  of  one  hundred  and  two  years.  He  was  an  Irish 
farmer,  but  was  of  Scotch  ancestry  and  his  wife, 
Molly  Jackson,  was  a  sister  to  the  grandfather  of 
the  famous  Confederate  General,,  ••stonewall" 
Jackson.  About  1812  George  Wilson  emigrated 
to  America  and  settled  in  New  Jersey,  buying  a 
tract  of  land  near  Newton,  the  county-seat  of 
Sussex  County.  There  he  and  his  wife  spent  the 
remnant  of  their  days  and  died  strong  in  the  Chris- 
tian faith,  both  having  been  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  They  had  seven  children,  but 
one  daughter  died  when  tvyelye  years  old  and 
another  still  earlier  iu  life.  Those  who  grew  to 
maturity  were  James,  Rebecca,  Marga'retta,  <  ieorge 
and  Martha. 

James  Wilson  was  born'in  Hussex-  County,  N. 
J.,  December  16,  181:5,  and  was  reared  ami  ed- 
ucated there.  He  remained  with  his  parents  until 
he  was  twenty-three  years  of.  age  and  he  was  then 
employed  to  run  a  stationary  engine  at  the  Stan- 
hope Iron  Works  in  that  county.  He  remained 
there  nearly  seven  years  and  left  his  position  in 
1849  in  order  to  come  to  the  Mississippi  Valley. 
With  his  wife  and  three  children  he  started  for 
Iowa,  traveling  by  rail  to  Pittsburg  and  then  on 
the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers  to  Burlington.  He 
set  up  his  home  in  Lee  Count)',  buying  a  tract  of 
partly-improved  land,  fourteen  miles  north  of  Ft. 
Madison.  On  this  property  there  was  a  small 
farmhouse,  in  which  he  established  his  little  family. 
He  also  bought  a  half  section  of  raw  prairie  land, 
adjoining  the  partly- improved  property,  and  later 
secured  an  entire  section.  He  lived  in  LeeCountv 
until  1862,  then  sold  his  property  there  and  came 
hither,  buying  the  land  on  which  he  has  since  made 
his  home. 

February  5,  1826,  Mr.  Wilson  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Rebecca  Ban1,  a  native  of 
England,  and  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Sarah 
(English)  Barr.  She  shared  his  fortunes  Until 
1876,  when  she  was  called  from  time  to  eteiuitv. 
Of  the  ten  children  born  of  the  union,  eight  grew 
to  maturity,  namely:  John,  Janus  B.,  Edwin  H., 
(ieorge  A.,  Robert  D..  Jane  Eliza,  Rebecca  and 
rMartha  A.  Rebecca  is  now  deceased,  having  died 
in  1861).  After  living  as,  a  widower  several  year's 
MK   Wilson  made    a   second    marriage,  Apiil    io, 


490 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1881,  his  bride  on  this  occasion  being  Mrs.  Maggie 
Hamilton,  nee  Wager.  Tliis  lady  was  born  in 
Smilhland,  Ky..  is  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Wager 
and  is  an  estimable  lady.  Her  first  husband  was 
H.  H.  Hamilton,  by  whom  she  had  one  child, 
Fanny  B. 

Not  only  has  Mr.  Wilson  been  exceptionally 
fortunate  in  agricultural  work,  but  he  has  kept 
himself  well  informed  of  passing  events  and  has 
built  up  a  character  that  entitles  him  to  the  respect 
of  his  acquaintances.  His  political  allegiance  is 
given  to  the  principles  of  Democracy.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  his  wife  is 
a  Methodist. 


sa^s*- 


IC1IARD  CROMWELL,  deceased,  was  one 
of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Bunker  Hill, 
i™  where  he  died  on  the  30th  of  June,  1889, 
respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was 
born  in  Washington  County,  Mil.,  January  30, 
1810,  and  traced  his  ancestry  buck  to  the  great 
English  protector,  Oliver  Cromwell.  His  father, 
Richard  Cromwell,  was  born  in  this  country  of 
English  and  Scotch  parentage  and  became  a  prom- 
inent farmer  in  Washington  County,  Md.  He  was 
a  second  cousin  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  and  his  death 
occurred  in  Maryland  in  1821.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Susan  McLaughlin,  was  a  native 
of  Washington  County.  Md.,  born  of  Scotch  an- 
cestry, and  after  her  husband's  death  she  lived  a 
widow  for  about  fifty  years.  In  the  meantime  she 
removed  to  Greene  County,  Ohio,  where  for  a  long 
time  she  made  her  homo  with  her  son-in-law,  J.  B. 
Hawkins,  dying  at  that  place  February  20,  1872, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cromwell  were  members  and  active  workers  in  the 
( i-erraan  Heformed  Church.  Their  family  numbered 
six  children,  three  of  whom  are  living  near  Xenia, 
in  Greene  County,  Ohio. 

The  early  life  of  Richard  Cromwell,  of  this 
sketch,  passed  uneventfully,  he  spending  his  days 
in  the  county  of  his  nativity  until  he  had  arrived 
at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  when  he  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Greene  County,   Ohio,  where   after- 


ward he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Caroline, 
daughter  of  Jacob  anil  Margaret  (Font)  Eichel- 
berger.  She  was  born  in  Frederick  County,  Md., 
August  24,  1817,  and  her  parents  were  natives  of 
Germany.  They  came  to  America  when  young, 
locating  in  Maryland, where  they  grew  to  manhood 
and  womanhood  and  were  married  in  1806, in  Freder- 
ick County,  where  for  some  years  they  lived  upon  a 
farm.  Mr.  Eichelberger  died  in  that  county  in  the 
prime  of  life.  His  widow,  accompanied  by  her 
eight  children,  afterward  emigrated  to  Greene 
County,  Ohio,  where  she  became  the  wife  of  John 
Cramer.  She  died  in  Bellbrook  in  the  faith  of  the 
German  Lutheran  Church,  of  which  Mr.  Eichelber- 
ger was  also  a  member.  Of  the  seven  children 
born  unto  that  worthy  couple  Mrs.  Cromwell  is  the 
fifth  in  order  of  birth  and  the  only  one  now  living. 
She  was  about  twelve  years  of  age  when  her  father 
died  and  had  attained  to  her  twenty-first  year  when 
the  family  removed  to  the  Buckeye  State.  In 
1842,  with  her  husband  and  four  children,  she 
came  to  Illinois.  They  settled  in  Hilyaid  Town- 
ship, Macoupin  County,  where  they  began  their 
life  in  the  West  in  true  pioneer  style  upon  a  rented 
farm.  As  Mr.  Cromwell  was  successful  in  his  un- 
dertakings, ne  afterward  became  able  to  purchase 
land,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  his  possessions 
acroTpgated  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  two  hun- 
dred of  which  were  comprised  in  the  home  farm. 
He  was  enterprising,  industrious  and  persevering, 
and  by  good  management  he  won  a  comfortable 
competence.  Following  farming  until  1880  he  then 
laid  aside  business  cares  and  removed  to  Bunker 
Hill,  where  he  lived  a  retired  life.  His  death  occur- 
red June  30,  1889,  being  caused  by  a  fall  from  a 
moving  wagon  driven  by  a  neighbor.  Mrs.  Crom- 
well is  yet  living  in  Bunker  Hill,  where  she  has 
many  friends  and  acquaintances.  She  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  a  good  Christian 
woman. 

Nine  children  were  born  unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cromwell,  and  all  are  yet  living,  have  married  and 
p.re  prospering  in  life.  John  D.,  who  wedded  Miss 
Mary  C.  Ilutton,  is  living  on  a  farm  in  Honey 
Point  Township;  Susan  M.,  is  the  wife  of  James 
White,  an  extensive  and  successful  farmer  of 
Montgomery  County;  Margaret  A.,  is    the  wife  of 


I/BRARV 
OF  TMF 
HNfVERSfTy 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


193 


Matthew  Hayes,  who  is  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  inGilIespie  Township;  Comfort C,  widow 
of  W.  J.  Baird,  resides  in  St.  Louis:  Samantha  M., 
is  the  wife  of  diaries  Lockyer,  a  resident  farmer 
of  Hilyard  Township;  Sarah  C,  wedded  David  A. 
Smalley,  a  successful  agriculturist  of  Spivey, 
Kingman  County,  Kan.;  Mary  E.,  is  the  wife  of 
Eugene  R.  Smalley,  also  a  farmer  of  Kingman 
County;  Joseph  O.,  wedded  Mary  Klliman,  and  is 
farming  in  Hilyard  Township,  and  William  A.  is 
engaged  in  the  same  pursuit  in  Bunker  Ilill  Town- 
ship. He  wedded  Mary  Roberts,  hut  his  wife  is 
now  deceased.  The  sons  are  all  Democrats  in 
politics  and  all  the  children  have  become  useful 
men  and  women,  and  respected  members  of  soci- 
ety. 

Mr.  Cromwell  was  also  a  stalwart  supporter  of 
Democratic  principles,  and  for  some  years  served 
as  Supervisor  of  Hilyard  Township,  proving  an 
efficient  officer.  In  religious  belief  he  was  a  Uni- 
versalist  and  lived  an  upright  life  which  won  him 
the  conlidence  and  regard  of  all.  By  those  who 
knew  him  he  was  highly  respected  for  his  sterling 
worth,  and  no  man  is  more  worthy  of  a  represen- 
tation in  this  volume. 


— *-«-Sr^<£H-4_J- 


ROF.  THOMAS  E.  MOORE,  County  Super- 
intendent of  Schools,  is  known  throughout 
the  State  as  an  intelligent  and  progressive 
educator  who  is  eminently  fitted  for  the  im- 
portant office  of  which  he  is  an  incumbent.  He  is 
a  native  of  this  county,  born  in  Honey  Point 
Township,  September  16,  1847.  He  is  a  son  of 
Thomas  D.  Moore,  a  native  of  Danville,  Ky.,  who 
was  an  early  pioneer  of  this  section  of  Illinois  and 
bore  an  honorable  part  in  its  development. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  William 
Moore,  was  born  in  Virginia  and  was  a  son  of  an 
emigrant  from  the  North  of  Ireland  who  was  de- 
scended from  Scotch  ancestry  and  who  came  to 
this  country  in  Colonial  times.  He  first  settled  in 
Virginia,  whence  he  went  to  Kentucky  and  was  one 
of  the  early  pioneers  of  Danville,  where  he  died. 
He  was  a  stanch    Presbyterian,    religiously.     The 


grand  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  in  Virginia, 
and  going  to  Kentucky  in  early  manhood  he  was 
there  married  to  Ellen  Duncan,  a  native  of  Fau- 
quier County,  Va..  and  a  daughter  of  William  Dun- 
can.who  was  also  a  Virginian  by  birth.  Grandfather 
Moore  was  a  farmer  and  after  his  removal  to  Dan- 
ville, Ky.,  he  devoted  himself  to  his  calling  in  that 
place  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Thomas  I).  Moore  resided  in  his  native  State 
until  1834  and  then  at  the  age  of  twenty  years  he 
started  out  in  the  world  to  try  life  elsewhere,  go- 
ing forth  from  his  old  home  well  equipped  for  the 
struggle  that  lay  before  him  in  a  pioneer  country. 
His  mind  was  well  trained  by  the  excellent  educa- 
tion he  had  received  at  Centre  College,  and  his 
early  training  had  given  him  good  habits  and  firm 
principles.  He  came  lo  Illinois  and  cast  in  his  lot 
with  the  few  settlers  that  had  preceded  him  in  the 
little  hamlet  of  Carlinville,  where  there  were  then 
but  a  few  log  houses.  He  had  learned  the  trade  of 
a  carpenter,  and  as  he  found  men  of  that  calling  in 
demand  he  actively  set  to  work  at  it  for  a  time. 
and  assisted  in  building  the  first  frame  house  that 
was  ever  erected  in  this  place. 

Mr.  Moore  was  unmarried  when  he  came  here, 
and  his  mother  kept  house  for  him  a  year.  At  the 
expiration  of  that  time  he  returned  to  his  native 
State  to  claim  his  promised  wife,  Julia  Dickerson, 
a  native  of  Jessamine  County,  born  near  Nicholas- 
ville  in  1813.  After  marriage  he  came  back  with 
his  bride  on  horseback,  and  they  passed  the  first 
few  years  of  their  wedded  life  in  the  village  of 
Carlinville  prior  lo  their  removal  to  Honey  Point 
Township,  where  Mr.  Moore  entered  land  from  the 
Government.  He  erected  thereon  a  log  house  that 
was  the  birthplace  of  all  his  children.  It  was  built 
of  hewn  logs  and  was  quite  a  commodious  affair 
for  those  times,  comprising  five  rooms. 

For  a  few  years  after  taking  up  his  residence 
here  Mr.  Moore  worked  at  carpentering  a  part  of 
the  time  and  devoted  the  remainder  to  the  devel- 
opment of  his  farm.  He  subsequently  gave  his 
entire  attention  to  the  care  of  the  homestead,  where 
he  continued  to  live  until  his  useful  and  honorable 
life  was  rounded  out  at  a  ripe  age  by  his  death. 
October  5,  1883.  His  wife,  who  had  walked  at  his 
side  nearly  half  a  century  preceded  him  in  death  the 


494 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


same  year,  dying  January  15.  They  reared  a  fam- 
ily of  six  children,  namely:  Ellen,  Lorelta,  Julia, 
Thomas  E.,  Charles  and  Elizabeth.  The  parents 
were  both  prominent  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  The  Moores  had  been  devoted  adherents 
of  that  faith  for  many  generations,  and  the  father 
held  strongly  to  it  until  the  day  of  his  dealh.  He 
was  Elder  of  the  church  of  that  denomination 
which  he  had  joined  when  it  was  organized.  He 
was  a  great  worker  in  the  Sunday-school  also  and 
was  fur  many  years  Superintendent  of  the  branch 
school  in  Honey  Point  Township. 

Thomas  Moore  laid  the  foundation  of  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schoolhouse  that  his-  father  erected 
on  his  own  farm.  There  was  no  sawed  timber  used 
in  the  construction  of  the  building,  the  timber  be- 
ing hewed  and  the  boards  rived  by  hand.  In  1867 
our  subject  entered  Blackburn  University ;  he  there 
attended  and  taught  alternately  until  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1877.  In  the  meantime  he  studied  law  in 
the  office  of  Judge  William  R.  Welch  and  was  ad- 
mitted  to  the  bar  in  1873.  The  year  that  he  was 
graduated  from  the  University  he  was  invited  to 
become  Principal  of  the  Preparatory  Department 
of  that  institution,  and  for  the  ensuing  six  years  he 
filled  that  position  very  acceptably,  teaching  con- 
stitutional and  international  jaw  and  logic,  the  lat- 
ter part  of  the  time. 

In  1883  Prof.  Moore  severed  his  connection  with 
the  University  and  became  Principal  of  Bunker 
Hill  School.  After  filling  his  position  two  terms 
he  went  to  Taylorville  and  took  charge  of  the  city 
schools  for  one  year.  He  then  engaged  in  die  West- 
ern Publishing  Company  as  traveling  salesman, 
introducing  educational  apparatus  into  the  schools 
of  Maryland.  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  and  he  was 
thus  employed  some  three  years  very  successfully. 
In  the  fall  of  1890  the  citizens  of  Macoupin  County 
elected  him  to  his  present  office  of  County  Super- 
intendent of  Schools.  His  selection  for  this  respon- 
sible position  has  proved  to  be  a  fortunate  measure 
for  the  educational  interests  of  this  section  of  the 
State,  as  since  he  assumed  its  duties  he  has  thrown 
his  whole  energies  into  his  work  and  has  made  a 
careful  stud}-  of  the  requirements  of  the  public 
schools  under  his  charge,  intrc  Cueing  new  methods 
where  needed  and   instituting  many  wise  reforms. 


As  a  gentleman  of  culture,  unblemished  character 
and  high  personal  standing  the  Professor  is  also  an 
influence  for  much  good  in  other  directions,  and 
we  find  his  name  associated  with  much  that  tends 
to  strengthen  and  elevate  the  moral  and  social 
status  of  the  community.  He  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  politics 
he  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party.  Socially, 
he  is  a  member  of  Bunker  Hill  Lodge,  E.  &  A.  M., 
and  he  is  also  connected  with  Orient  Lodge.  K.of  P., 
of  which  he  was  a  charter  member. 

Prof.  Moore  was  happily  married  April  24,  1875, 
to  Miss  Mary  E.  Handlin,  a  native  of  Chesterfield 
Township,  this  county, and  a  daughter  of  Clayborn 
and  Adeline  Handlin.  They  live  in  one  of  the 
many  attractive  homes  of  Carlinvillc  and  their 
pleasant  household  circle  is  completed  by  their 
seven  children — Charles  II.,  Thomas  L..  Ruth  Al- 
meida, Olive  and  Mildred.  Addie  and  Julia  arc 
deceased. 

A  lithographic  portrait  of  Prof.  Moore  accom- 
panies this  sketch. 

rffiSi  ICERO  J.  SOLOMON,  a  prominent  and 
(l(  ^,  prosperous  farmer  of  Bird  Township,  makes 
^i^'  his  home  on  section  3.  I  lis  father.  James 
Solomon,  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  and  his 
mother,  Easter  Lamar,  was  a  native  of  Tennessee. 
After  marriage  they  settled  in  Macoupin  County, 
making  their  home  in  North  Palmyra  Township. 
Thence  they  removed  to  Montgomery  County,  this 
State  and  resided  for  four  years,  but  made  their  final 
home  in  Bird  Township  where  the  father  died  Au- 
gust 29,  1881.  He  had  been  bereaved  of  his  faith- 
ful and  devoted  wife  September  7,  1852,  while  liv- 
ing in  North  Palmyra  Township.  Three  children  had 
blest  the  union  of  James  and  Easter  Solomon.  They 
were  James  who  died  when  quite  young;  Cicero  J. 
and  Serena  C.  This  daughter  is  the  wife  of  William 
A.  Wright. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  first  saw  the  light  of 
life  in  North  Palmyra  Township,  October  3,  1848. 
He  was  about  six  years  old  when  his  father  removed 
to  Montgomery  County,  ami  with  the  exception  of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


495 


the  four  years  that  they  resided  there  Macoupin 
County  bus  been  his  home  to  the  present  time.  Here 
he  grew  to  manhood  and  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Harriet  Kesinger,  a  daughter  of  the  late 
John  and  Eliza  (Adams)  Kesinger.  The  mother  of 
Mrs.  Solomon  died  November  20,  1878,  and  her 
father  departed  life  December  G,  L890.  They  were 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  their  daughter  Harriet 
being  third  in  order  of  birth.  She  was  born  in  Bird 
Township,  February  4,  1854. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Solomon  was  sol- 
emnized February  25,  1872.  They  became  the 
parents  of  six  beautiful  children,  all  but  one 
of  whom  have  outlived  their  early  childhood.  The 
surviving  children  are  named  Edgar  J.,  Addie  E., 
Eliza  A.,  James,  and  Jennie  I.  Mr.  Solomon  owns 
the  old  homestead  whicli  his  father  occupied,  a  line 
tract  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  broad  and  pro- 
ductive acres.  He  also  owned  seventy-two  acres  in 
another  section.  The  fine  farm  buildings  and  hand- 
some residence  were  erected  by  his  father  and  he 
keeps  them  in  lirst-class  condition.  He  has  always 
followed  agriculture  and  made  some  little  specialty 
of  stock-raising.  He  has  served  his  district  as  High- 
way Commissioner  and  School  Director  and  his 
political  affiliations  are  with  the  Republican  party. 
His  worthy  and  intelligent  companion  is  an  active 
and  influential  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  and 
they  both  occupy  a  high  position  in  the  social  life 
of  the  township.  Our  subject  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order  since  he  was  twenty -one  years 
of  age,  holding  membership  in  Lodge  No.  76,  at 
Carlinville. 

.    «x-x>    . 


W  AMES  WALKER,  a  man  of  mure  than  ordi- 
nary enterprise  and  ability,  stands  among 
the  foremost  of  the  enlightened  and  prog- 
ressive farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  tnis 
county,  who  have  been  instrumental  in  raising  it  to 
its  present  high  position  as  a  great  and  rich  agri- 
cultural centre.  He  has  an  extensive  and  well-ap- 
pointed farm  in  Scottville  Township,  which  is 
considered  one  of  the  finest  stock  farms  in  this  part 
of  the  State. 

Mr.  Walker  is  a  native-born  citizen  of  this  State, 


his  birth  taking  place  November  4,  18:53,  in  the  pi- 
oncer  home  of  his  parents  in  Mt.  Era  Township, 
Greene  County,  half  a  mile  northeast  of  the  town 
of  Athens.  John  Walker,  his  father,  was  a  native 
of  Nelson  County,  Ky.,  born  there  January  15, 
L804.  He  was  a  son  of  Joseph  Walker,  who  was 
born  in  Maryland  and  was  a  descendant  of  one 
of  three  brothers  who  came  from  Scotland  to  this 
country  in  Colonial  times.  The  grandfather  of  our 
subject  was  a  pioneer  of  Nelson  County,  Ky., 
where  he  bought  a  tract  of  land  in  the  primeval 
forest  three  miles  from  the  present  site  of  Bards- 
town.  He  evolved  a  good  farm  from  the  wilder- 
ness and  made  his  home  upon  it  until  his  demise. 
The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Coons. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  and  married 
in  his  native  county  and  dwelt  there  until  1821). 
In  that  year  he  became  a  pioneer  of  this  State,  com- 
ing here  with  his  wife  and  the  two  children  that 
had  been  born  to  them  in  their  old  home.  He  was 
the  fortunate  possessor  of  a  horse,  which,  with  his 
household  goods,  constituted  all  his  wealth.  He 
hired  transportation  for  his  family  and  belongings 
and  came  here  on  horseback.  He  located  on  a 
tract  of  wild  land  eight  miles  east  of  Jacksonville, 
Morgan  County,  and  for  two  years  lived  in  the 
house  that  he  built  on  the  place.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  that  time  he  sold  that  property  and  bought 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  Government  land 
in  Mt.  Era  Township.  He  built  a  log  house  on  the 
place,  riving  the  boards  to  cover  the  roof  and  split- 
ting puncheon  for  the  floor,  and  in  that  dwelling 
his  son,  of  whom  we  write,  was  born.  The  sur- 
rounding country  bore  but  little  indication  of  its 
present  development,  as  the  inhabitants  were  few 
and  had  made  but  little  headway  against  the  forces 
of  nature  in  redeeming  it  from  its  primeval  state. 
There  were  no  railways  for  years  and  the  settlers 
had  to  go  to  Alton  and  St.  Louis  to  market  their 
produce  and  obtain  supplies.  At  one  time  Mr. 
Walker  took  three  loads  of  wheat  to  St.  Louis  and 
sold  his  grain  at  thirty-seven  and  one  half  cents  a 
bushel.  The  people  lived  principally  on  the  pro- 
ducts of  the  farm  and  wild  game,  which  was  very 
plentiful.  They  were  also  clad  in  homespun  made 
by  the  women.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  ex- 
I    pert  in  carding,  spinning  and  weaving  and  her  deft 


406 


PORTRAIT  AND  RIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


hands  made  all  the  cloth  used  in  the  family.  None 
but  the  most  primitive  machinery  was  in  use  and 
the  grain,  which  was  cut  with  a  sickle  or  cradle,  was 
tramped  out  by  horses  or  oxen  instead  of  being 
threshed. 

Mr.  Walker  resided  on  his  homestead  in  Greene 
County  until  1866,  when  he  disposed  of  his  prop- 
erty in  that  section  and  removed  to  Woodson 
County,  Kan.  He  was  dissatisfied  <vith  that  part 
of  the  country,  however,  and  without  even  unload- 
ing his  goods  he  returned  10  this  State  and  took  up 
his  residence  in  the  village  of  Scottville,  which  re- 
mained his  dwelling-place  until  his  death.  May  15, 
1  884,  at  a  venerable  age.  The  maiden  name  of  his 
first  wife,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was  Nancy 
Hall  and  she  was  a  native  of  Nelson  County,  Ky. 
She  died  on  the  home  farm  February  15,  1838. 
Five  of  her  children  grew  to  maturity,  namely: 
Henry  EL,  Nathaniel,  Jane,  .lames  and  Sarah.  Mr. 
Walker's  second  wife  was  Elizabeth  Sears.  She 
died  November  15,  18.57.  Four  children  were  born 
of  that  union,  as  follows:  Mary.  Samuel,  Isabella 
and  Christina.  The  maiden  name  of  Mr.  Walker's 
last  wife  was  Martha  Powell,  and  she  was  a  native 
of  Scottville  Township,  a  daughter  of  one  of  its 
pioneer  families. 

.Tames  Walker  passed  his  youth  in  his  native 
county  and  was  educated  in  its  public  schools.  He 
lived  with  his  parents  until  18.52  and  on  February 
10,  of  that  year  he  started  on  a  momentous  journey 
to  the  distant  shores  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  to  join  the 
army  of  gold-seekers  in  California.  He  went  down 
the  Mississippi  River  to  New  Orleans,  where  he 
embarked  on  a  vessel  bound  for  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama.  Rut  the  good  ship  encountered  a  heavy 
gale,  by  which  it  was  dismasted  and  it  had  to  put 
into  Balize  for  repairs.  Forty  of  its  passengers, 
including  our  subject,  left  the  vessel  with  the  inten- 
tion of  crossing  Central  America  to  Acapulco,  but 
found  on  inquiry  that  the  distance  was  nearly  a 
thousand  miles  and  the  route  was  through  a  coun- 
try inhabited  by  hostile  savages.  They  then 
changed  their  plans  and  hiring  a  caravan  of  mules, 
crossed  a  narrower  portion  of  Central  America  to 
Sausonate,  where  they  embarked  on  a  sailing-vessel, 
and  seventy-eight  days  later  arrived  in  San  Fran- 
cisco,  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  days  from  the 


time  of  our  subject's  leaving  home.  He  went  di- 
rectly to  Eldorado  County  and  actively  engaged  in 
mining  there  for  some  years.  His  thoughts,  how- 
ever, were  never  long  absent  from  the  old  home 
and  friends  of  his  youth,  and  finally  tiring  of  the 
rough  life  of  the  camp,  he  started  on  his  return  to 
his  native  State,  April  12,  1855,  embarking  at  San 
Francisco  on  the  mail  steamer  "Golden  Age." 
Rut,  as  on  his  way  out,  his  passage  was  not  destined 
to  be  a  smooth  one,  as  the  steamer  was  badly 
wrecked  when  within  two  hundred  and  ten  miles 
of  Panama.  Fortunately  other  vessels  came  to  her 
rescue  and  he  and  his  fellow-passengers  were  landed 
safely  at  Panama.  lie  pursued  his  journey  across 
the  Isthmus  by  rail,  having  to  pay  fifty  cents  a 
mile.  Then  he  sailed  for  New  York  and  in  due 
time  arrived  amid  the  familiar  scenes  of  bis  boy- 
hood. 

In  1856  Mr.  Walker  came  to  Scottville  Town- 
ship and  bought  the  farm  that  he  still  owns  and  oc- 
cupies. He  has  been  very  successful  as  a  fanner 
and  from  time  to  time  has  purchased  other  land 
until  he  had  seven  hundred  and  five  acres  of  val- 
uable realty  in  his  possession.  He  has  disposed  of 
some  of  this,  but  he  still  has  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  adjacent  to  the  village  of  Scottville, 
which  is  conceded  to  form  one  of  the  best  arranged 
ami  most  desirable  stock  farms  in  the  county. 

Mr.  Walker  was  happily  married  January  4, 
1858,  to  Miss  China  Minerva  Owens  and  their 
home  is  not  only  attractive  in  itself,  but  on  ac- 
count of  the  genuine  comfort  and  hospitality  of 
which  it  is  the  index.  They  have  five  children 
living:  Nancy  A.,  wife  of  Samuel  E.  Hittisk;  Dora 
A.,  wife  of  A.  C.  Ogge;  Fanny,  wife  of  S.  C.  Han- 
kins;  James  A.  and  Vena  G.  The  chief  sorrow  of 
the  wedded  life  of  our  subject  and  his  wife  has 
been  in  the  death  of  their  son,  Eugene  E.,  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  years. 

Mr.  Walker  is  distinguished  by  a  clear  and  vigor- 
ous intellect,  marked  force  and  decision  of  charac- 
ter and  other  high  attributes  that  give  him  weight 
and  influence  in  the  community ;  and  he  is  known 
to  be  a  man  of  honor  and  unswerving  integrity. 
He  has  an  aptitude  for  affairs  and  his  enterprise 
and  public  spirit  place  him  among  the  leaders  in 
carrying  out  any  plan  that  will  be  of  benefit  to  the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


497 


county.  He  was  prominent  in  the  scheme  for 
building  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railway,  which 
proved  to  be  a  very  unfortunate  venture,  for 
the  company  failed  and  our  subject  was  the  loser 
by  125,000.  It,  however,  served  to  bring  out  his 
honesty  in  a  stronger  light,  as  he  faced  the  situation 
with  characteristic  courage,  energy  and  enterprise, 
and  now,  after  eight  years  of  labor,  coupled  with 
economy  and  judicious  management,  he  has  paid 
every  dollar  of  that  indebtedness,  mostly  from  his 
farm,  and  begins  to  see  the  dawn  of  a  brighter  day 
in  his  finances. 

In  his  political  beliefs  Mr.  Walker  is  a  genuine 
Republican.  He  is  prominent  in  social  circles  as  a 
member  of  various  organizations.  He  belongs  to 
Panther  Creek  Grange,  No.  818,  is  connected  with 
the  Golden  Band  Alliance,  No.  64;  he  joined  the 
Masonic  fraternity  in  1864  and  is  a  member  of 
Scottville  Lodge.  No.  426;  and  also  of  Greenfield 
Chapter,  R.  A.  M. 


P^RANK  H.  RUETER.  The  name  at  the 
:  head  of  this  sketch  is  that  of  the  senior 
member  of  the  firm  of  Rueter,  Heimlist  & 
Co.,  successful  dealers  in  all  kinds  of  general  mer- 
chandise. The}-  are  doing  a  business  that  is  most 
encouraging  to  the  proprietors  in  a  prominent  lo- 
cation on  the  Main  Street  of  Mount  Olive.  The 
present  house  was  established  in  March,  1888. 
The  firm  occupies  a  good  substantial  structure, 
which  is  ninety  feet  long  and  twenty  feet  wide.  It 
is  well  filled  with  first-class  goods  of  all  kinds  suit- 
able to  the  country  trade. 

The  firm  of  which  our  subject  is  a  member  has 
already  made  a  reputation  for  straightforward 
dealings  that  is  of  great  value  to  them  in  the  coun- 
try. He  of  whom  we  write  has  been  a  resident  of 
Mount  Olive  since  the  spring  of  1882.  On  first 
coming  to  this  place  he  served  as  a  clerk.  He 
came  here  from  Montgomery  County  with  his 
mother  when  he  was  only  six  years  of  age,  having 
been  reared  and  educated  in  Montgomery  County 
on  a  farm,  and  after  finishing  his  common  school 


course  he  attended  a  business  college  in  St.  Louis 
for  a  time  and  later  became  a  clerk  for  the  well- 
known  firm  of  Keiser,  Niemever.V-  Co.  After  mak- 
ing a  reputation  for  himself  with  these  firms  he 
started  in  business  for  himself  and  was  recognized 
as  a  young  man  of  sterling  business  ability.  He 
continued  his  business  for  two  years  and  then  sold 
out,  after  which  he  clerked  for  some  time  with  his 
old  firm  and  then  later  he  established  the  business 
that  now  runs  under  the  present  firm  name.  His 
partner  was  also  a  resident  of  the  place  for  eight 
years  and  like  himself  was  in  the  employ  of  the 
firm  above  mentioned  for  a  period  of  five  years. 

Mr.  Rueter  was  born  in  Lousiana,  Mo.,  Decem- 
ber 24,  1858.  He  is  the  son  of  Henry  and  Minnie 
Rueter,  natives  of  Prussia,  and  came  of  pure  Ger- 
man ancestry.  Mr.  Rueter,  Sr.,  and  wife  met  and 
married  after  they  came  to  the  United  States,  their 
bridal  ceremony  being  performed  in  St.  Louis, 
where  Mr.  Rueter  was  engaged  as  a  carpenter  for 
some  time,  and  from  which  place  he  entered  the 
army.  The  War  of  the  Rebellion  breaking  out 
and  a  call  for  volunteers  being  made,  he  responded 
and  enlisted  in  a  Missouri  regiment  in  the  early 
part  of  the  war.  After  serving  as  a  private  soldier 
and  distinguished  himself  in  several  instances,  he 
was  captured  and  thrown  into  Andersonville  prison, 
where  he  died  after  a  confinement  of  several 
months  from  starvation  and  sickness.  At  the  time 
of  his  death,  he  was  in  the  prime  of  life.  His 
widow  was  a  second  time  married,  to  Henry  Monke, 
and  the  worthy  couple  are  now  residing  on  a  farm 
in  Montgomery  County. 

Our  subject  is  the  second  child  born  to  his  pa- 
rents, his  sister,  now  Mrs.  Mary  Monke.  of  Mont- 
gomery County,  being  the  first  born.  Mr.  Rueter 
was  married  in  this  city  to  Miss  Minnie  Frerichs, a 
native  of  Madison  County;  her  early  youth  was 
spent  partly  in  her  native  county  and  partly  in 
Macoupin  County.  The  lady's  father,  Kiler  Fre- 
richs, now  lives  on  a  farm  in  Madison  Count}-. 
His  wife  died  some  years  ago.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rue- 
ter are  the  parents  of  two  children  of  whom  they 
are  justly  proud.  Their  names  are  respectively, 
Henry  and  Bertha.  Our  subject  and  his  wite,  like 
the  majority  of  their  countrymen,  arc  members  of 
Lutheran  Church.     The  original  of  this  sketch  is 


498 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


one  of  the  leading  young  German  citizens  of  the 
place  and  he  is  universally  recognized  as  a  young 
man,  who,  unless  accident  should  cut  him  off,  will 
attain  a  high  degree  of  prominence  among  his  fel- 
low-townsmen. 


EV.  LUKE  DILLIARD,  who  resides  on 
section  31,  Gillespie  Township,  is  numbered 
among  the  honored  pioneers  of  the  count}'. 
^Si  Few  men  have  here  so  long  resided.  He 
came  in  1838,  and  has  since  continuously  made  his 
home  within  the  borders  of  Macoupin  County, 
where  he  has  labored  untiringly  for  the  upbuilding 
of  its  best  inteiests  and  promotion  of  those  enter- 
prises which  are  calculated  to  enhance  the  general 
welfare.  lie  comes  of  a  race  of  farmers  who  for 
several  generations  had  resided  in  North  Carolina. 
His  grandparents  lived  and  died  in  thai  Slate  and 
his  father,  Mark  Dilliard,  was  also  there  born.  He 
learned  the  cooper's  trade  and  in  North  Carolina 
married  Milbery  El.ru.ner,  who  was  also  born  of 
North  Carolina  parents.  In  later  years  Mark 
Dilliard  and  his  wife  with  their  children  emigrated 
to  Middle  Tennessee,  and  located  upon  a  farm 
where  the  husband  and  father  died  November  2C, 
182G,  the  age  of  fifty-six  years,  his  birth  having 
occurred  March  20,  1770.  Some  five  years  later, 
in  1830,  the  widow  emigrated  witli  her  family  to 
Logan  County,  Ky.,  and  in  1831,  took  up  her  resid- 
ence in  Todd  County  of  the  same  State.  Subse- 
quently she  returned  to  Robertson  County,  Tenri., 
and  there  lived  during  the  great  cholera  epidemic 
in  1833.  when  many  of  her  friends  died.  In  1836, 
she  again  went  to  Logan  County,  where  she  made 
her  home  until  1838,  when  with  her  children,  our 
subject  and  Mrs.  Wells,  she  started  for  Illinois  with 
a  company  of  others.  They  left  their  old  home  on 
the  first  Monday  in  October  and  traveling  in 
covered  wagons  at  length  reached  Brushy  Mound 
Township,  Macoupin  County,  on  the  last  Saturday 
in  November.  At  night  they  had  camped  out 
along  the  way  and  bore  the  usual  experiences  and 
hardships  of  such  a  journey. 


Rev.  Luke  Dilliard  was  only  three  years  of  age 
when  his  father  died  and  by  his  mother  he  was 
tenderly  cared  for  until  he  was  able  to  repay  her  by 
his  care.  There  were  five  children  in  the  family  but 
only  our  subject  and  his  sister,  Mrs.Wells,  of  Wilson 
County,  Kan.,  who  is  now  seventy-five  of  age,  are 
yet  living.  After  their  arrival  in  this  county  they 
and  the  mother  resided  upon  a  rented  farm  until  in 
1844,  when  Mr.  Dilliard  secured  a  tract  of  land  in 
Gillespie  Township  to  which  they  removed  and  he 
began  the  development  of  the  farm  which  has 
since  been  his  home.  It  is  located  on  section  31, 
and  consisted  first  of  only  forty  acres  but  from  time 
to  time,  as  his  financial  resources  had  increased,  he 
extended  its  boundaries  until  it  now  comprises  one 
hundred  and  thirty-eight  acres  which  are  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation.  He  also  yet  owns  sixty 
acres  of  pasture  land  and  has  other  possessions 
which  he  has  generously  bequeathed  to  his  children. 
He  owned  a  valuable  tract  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  which  is  now  owned  by  his  eldest  son,  M.  H. 
Dilliard, also  in  Gillespie  Township.  Upon  a  forty- 
acre  tract  which  he  once  possessed  is  a  divide  which 
separates  the  head  waters  of  two  of  the  important 
streams  which  drain  this  and  other  counties  and 
ultimately  empty  into  the  Mississippi  River.  It  is 
no  easy  task  to  develop  a  new  farm  but  Mr.  Dilli 
ard  worked  industriously  from  early  morning  to 
late  at  night  and  each  year  saw  an  increased  acre- 
age under  cultivation.  The  usual  trials  aw 
difficulties  of  pioneer  life  fell  to  his  lot  but  with  a 
determination  to  win  success  he  overcame  all  obs- 
tacles and  won  his  way  to  a  place  among  the  sub- 
stantial farmers  of  the  community.  The  farn 
which  lie  now  owns  is  under  most  excellent  cultiva- 
tion, is  well  supplied  with  good  buildings  and  the 
stock  which  he  raises  is  of  fine  grades. 

Upon  life's  journey  Mr.  Dilliard  has  been  aided 
by  one  who  has  proved  a  true  helpmate  to  him.  In 
December  31,  1845,  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Nancy  Adams,  who 
was  born  near  Cumberland  Gap,  Tenn.,  April  14, 
1829,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Giles  M.  and  Elizabeth 
(Miller)  Adams,  natives  of  North  Carolina  anf 
South  Carolina  respectively.  During  childhood 
they  went  with  their  parents  to  East  Tennessee, 
where  they  were  married  and  lived  until  after  their 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


499 


first  two  children  were  born.  Mrs.  Dilliarrl  was 
about  two  months  ol<l  when  the  little  family  came 
overland  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  the  wilderness  of 
Madison  County  near  the  boundary  line  of  Ed- 
winds  County.  In  1831,  Mr.  Adams  secured  land 
from  the  Government  in  Gillespie  Township,  Mac- 
oupin County,  where  in  a  log  cabin  home  they 
lived  the  life  of  true  pioneers.  Their  first  dwell- 
ing wns  replaced  in  1843  by  a  good  frame  house 
ami  the  following  year  a  frame  barn  was  built— 
the  first  of  the  kind  in  all  this  section  of  the 
country.  In  after  years,  when  quite  old,  Mr.  snd 
Mrs.  Adams  left  their  homestead  and  went  to  live 
with  their  3Tounge3t  son  in  Montgomery  County, 
where  they  spsnt  their  last  days,  dying  at  an  ad- 
vanced age.  They  were  well-known  pioneers  of 
Gillespie  Township  and  highly  respected  people. 

Mrs.  Dilliard  is  the  eldest  daughter  and  second 
child  in  their  family  of  five  children,  of  whom  the 
eldest  and  youngest  are  now  deceased.  Almost  her 
entire  life  has  been  spent  in  Gillespie  Township 
and  among  the  people  who  have  so  long  known  her 
she  has  made  many  warm  friends.  Eight  children 
have  been  born  of  the  union  of  our  subject  and  his 
wife,  of  whom  they  have  lost  two — Almeda  who 
died  in  childhood  and  W.  C.  who  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty-six  years.  Matthew,  the  eldest  surviving 
member  of  the  family,  married  Lulu  Boyce  and 
owns  and  operates  a  two  hundred  and  forty-acre 
farm  in  Gillespie  Township;  Giles  M.,  a  farmer  of 
Reno  County,  Kan.,  wedded  Mattie  McBride; 
James  I.,  who  married  Mattie  M.  Needier,  now  de- 
ceased, is  manager  of  the  Belt  <fe  Dilliard  Bank  of 
Collinsville,  111.;  Lorenzo  D.,  who  has  been  blind 
from  his  birth,  was  educated  in  the  Institute  for 
the  Blind  at  Jacksonville,  and  learned  the  trade  of 
a  brush-maker  but  has  never  followed  it,  being  now 
engaged  in  the  teaching  of  music.  He  is  a  skilled 
musician  and  has  composed  a  number  of  pieces,  dis- 
playing great  ability;  Edward,  who  wedded  Cath- 
erine Roe,  graduated  from  a  medical  college  and  is 
now  successfully  engaged  in  practice  in  Stillman 
Valley;  Mary  J.,  who  graduated  from  the  female 
college  of  Pulton,  Mo.,  and  was  a  successful  teach- 
er before  her  marriage,  is  now  the  wife  of  William 
Maltox,  secretary  of  the  coal  company  of  Sorento, 
111.     Mr.  Dilliard  has  ever  been  a  warm    friend   to 


the  cause  of  education  and  provided  his  children 
with  excellent  advantages.  All  but  one  are  grad- 
uates of  some  college  and  they  have  become  useful 
men  and  women,  respected  members  of  society  who 
do  honor  to  their  parents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dilliard  have  long  been  faithful 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church.  He  united  with 
the  church  on  the  fourth  Sunday  in  October.  1840, 
and  in  1843,  was  licensed  to  preach.  Three  3rears 
later  he  was  ordained,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
more  or  less  actively  connected  with  the  work  of 
the  ministry  in  this  county.  The  good  which  he 
has  done  cannot  be  estimated.  He  has  aided  in  the 
organization  of  some  of  the  leading  churches  of 
the  county  and  by  precept  as  well  as  example  has 
led  many  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth.  The  educa- 
tional interests  of  the  community  have  been  pro- 
moted through  his  efforts  and  since  the  winter  of 
1844-45,  when  he  taught  his  first  school  he  has  been 
a  well-known  educator  in  this  county.  One  winter 
he  taught  school  every  day  in  the  week,  singing 
school  for  four  nights  out  of  every  week  and  on 
Sunday  occupied  the  pulpit.  His  upright  life  has 
won  him  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom 
he  has  been  brought  in  contact,  and  his  many  acts 
of  kindness  and  charity  have  won  him  the  love  of 
many  who  have  been  the  recipients  of  his  bounty. 
He  has  many  friends  and  few,  if  any,  enemies  and 
and  no  man  is  more  deserving  of  a  representation 
in  this  volume  than  the  honored  pioneer.  Rev. 
Luke  Dilliard.  Mr.  Dilliard  is  a  Master  Mason,  he 
is  a  member  of  Bunker  Hill  Lodge  No.  151. 


* 


HRISTOPHER    H.    RUT  HER,  one   of    the 

practical  and  progressive  farmers  of  the 
county,  living  on  section  29,  Staunton 
Township,  is  a  native  of  German}'.  He  was  born  in 
the  Kingdom  of  Hanover,  June  27,  1  839,  and  comes 
of  a  good  German  family.  His  father,  Frederick, 
also  a  native  of  the  same  kingdom,  was  reared  to 
manhood  in  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads  and 
after  he  had  attained  his  majority  was  married  near 
his  old  home.  Miss  Dora  Grimm  becoming  his 
wife.     Their  union  was  blessed  with  four  children, 


500 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


all  born  in  the  Fatherland,  and  with  their  family 
they  came  to  the  United  States  in  18J  7.  The  voy- 
age across  the  Atlantic  continued  for  nine  weeks 
but  at  length  they  safely  reached  New  York  City, 
and  by  lakes  and  across  the  country  they  continued 
their  journey  to  Alton.  The  family  settled  upon 
a  partially  improved  farm  about  one  and  a  half 
miles  west  of  Fosterburg,  Madison  County,  where 
they  made  their  home  until  1851,  when  Mr.  Rut  her 
sold  and  came  to  Macoupin  County,  locating  in 
.Staunton  Township.  Clearing  the  wild  land  he 
here  developed  and  improved  a  farm,  upon  which 
he  made  his  home  for  many  years,  but  he  has  now 
taken  up  his  abode  with  our  subject.  He  has  at- 
tained the  advanced  age  of  eighty-oue  years.  His 
wife  died  in  Madison  County  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
five,  in  the  faith  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  of  which 
Mr.  Ruthei  is  also  a  member. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  ladof  only  eight 
summers  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to 
America.  In  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads  the 
days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  were  passed  and 
such  educational  advantages  were  his  as  the  district 
schools  of  the  neighborhood  afforded.  Farming 
he  has  made  his  life  work  and  in  this  pursuit  has 
been  eminently  successful.  He  formed  a  matri- 
monial alliance  with  Miss  Maria  Ahlers,  their  union 
being  celebiated  in  Madison  County.  The  lady- 
was  born  in  the  Kingdom  of  Hanover,  Germany, 
and  when  a  young  maiden  of  twelve  years  came  to 
America  with  her  parents,  Albert  and  Margaret 
(Kercheck)  Ahlers,  the  family  locating  in  Olive 
Township,  Madison  County,  where  the  mother  is 
still  living  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years.  Mr. 
Ahlers  died  on  the  old  homestead  in  1865  when 
past  middle  life.  In  their  family  were  five  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  are  yet  living. 

The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rather  has  been 
bleessed  with  eight  children,  of  whom  six  are  yet 
living  and  are  still  at  home,  namely:  William, 
Anna,  George,  Henry,  John  and  Benjamin.  Sophia 
and  Albert  both  died  in  childhood.  Their  home 
is  pleasantly  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  fine  farm  on 
section  29,  Staunton  Township.  Although  he  be- 
gan life  without  capital  Mr.  Ruther  has  steadily 
worked  bis  way  upward,  overcoming  by  persever- 
ance the  obstacles  in  his  path  and  is  now  numbered 


among  the  substantial  farmers  of  the  community. 
His  landed  possessions  aggregate  four  hundred  and 
ninety  acres,  one  half  of  which  is  under  a  hi"h  state 
of  cultivation.  He  also  raises  an  excellent  grade 
of  9tock  and  has  many  fine  improvements  upon  his 
land,  such  as  are  necessary  to  a  model  farm.  For 
forty  years  he  has  been  an  eye  witness  of  the 
growth  and  progress  made  in  Macoupin  County, 
having  come  here  when  the  work  of  civilization 
seemed  scarcely  begun.  The  city  of  Staunton  was 
then  a  mere  village  with  no  railroad  facilities,  much 
of  the  land  was  still  in  its  primitive  condition  and 
it  hardly  seemed  possible  that  within  so  short  a 
time  a  wonderful  transformation  would  take  place 
and  make  Macoupin  one  of  the  leading  counties  in 
the  State. 


jj^  ENRY  IMMENGA  owns  and  operates 
one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  valuable 
land  on  section  9,  Cahokia  Township.  He 
is  now  numbered  among  the  substantial  cit- 
izens of  the  community,  a  position  to  which  he  has 
arisen  by  his  own  efforts.  Of  German  birth  he  was 
born  in  Amstersteckhausen,  November  24,  1818. 
His  parents  lived  and  died  in  that  country,  the 
father  passing  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven, 
and  the  mother's  death  occurring  at  the  age  of 
sixty-six  years.  They  were  both  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  and  were  worth}'  and  respected 
people. 

Not  unlike  the  usual  manner  in  which  farmer 
lads  spend  their  time,  our  subject  passed  the  days 
of  his  boyhood  and  youth,  and  when  he  had  at- 
tained to  mature  years  he  wedded  Miss  Anna  Col- 
man,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Germany,  her 
birth  occurring  in  1830.  Her  parents,  also  natives 
of  the  same  land,  are  mentioned  in  the  sketch  of 
W.  G.  Column  on  another  page  of  this  work.  The 
young  couple  began  their  domestic  life  on  a  farm 
near  their  childhood  home,  but  after  a  short  time 
they  detei mined  to  seek  their  fortune  in  America 
and  in  1858,  embarked  from  Bremen  on  a  sailing- 
vessel  bound  for  New  Orleans,  where  they  arrived 
after  a  long  and  tedious  voyage  of  thirteen   weeks. 


iiBRAinr 

Of  THE 


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ei.'~wu6  IJ 


4) 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


503 


From  the  Crescent  City  they  came  up  the  Mississ- 
ippi River  to  St.  Louis  and  Alton,  and  settled  in 
Moro  Township,  Madison  County,  near  Banker 
Ilili,  where  Mr.  Immenga  purchased  seventy-seven 
acres  of  land  which  he  still  owns.  He  afterward 
removed  to  bis  present  farm,  which,  as  before 
Stated,  comprises  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of 
arable  land,  together  with  forty  acres  of  timber 
land.  The  former  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion and  improved  with  good  buildings.  It  is  now 
a  fine  property  and  the  neat  appearance  of  every 
thing  upon  the  place  gives  evidence  of  the  thrift 
and  enterprise  of  the  owner. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Immenga  are  people  worthy  of  the 
highest  esteem  of  all,  for  their  lives  have  been  such 
as  to  merit  the  greatest  confidence.  They  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Their  family 
numbers  five  children,  and  deatli  has  not  yet  sev- 
ered the  family  circle.  Frank,  the  eldest,  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Anna  Martin,  and  they  live 
near  coal  shaft,  No.  3,  in  Cahokia  Township;  George 
F.  is  still  at  home  and  aids  his  father  in  the  opera- 
tion of  the  farm.  Maggie  is  the  wife  of  Gotleih 
Gates  and  they  live  near  her  eldest  brother;  John 
W.  and  Francis,  who  complete  the  family,  are  still 
under  the  parental  roof.  The  sons,  especially 
George,  are  a  great  help  to  their  father,  being  in- 
dustrious young  men  who  no  doubt  will  make  a 
success  of  their  own  lives. 


ffi  AMES  NEVINS.  Macoupin  County  boasts 
many  men  of  substantial  standing,  in  both  a 
financial  and  political  position.  Of  these 
none  are  more  respected  and  honored  than 
he  whose  name  is  at  the  head  of  this  sketch  and 
whose  portrait  is  presented  on  the  opposite  page. 
He  has  a  beautiful  home  on  section  12,  North  Pal- 
myra Township.  His  farm  is  one  of  the  most 
highly  cultivated  in  the  township  and  upon  it  are 
buildings  that  would  be  a  credit  to  England  itself, 
his  residence  being  a  comfortable  and  commodious 
dwelling,  containing  the  improvements  that  are  so 
indispensable   in  our  modern  way  of  living. 

Our  subject's  parents  were    William   and    Eliza- 


bett  (S.mms)  Nevins.  They  came  to  Macoupin 
County  about  1828  and  settled  in  North  Palmyra 
Township,  where  they  remained  ever  after.  The 
mother  died  about  1876;  the  father's  death  oc- 
cuned  in  North  Otter  Township.  Nine  children 
were  once  the  pleasure  and  care  of  their  father, 
who  was  obliged  to  study  diligently  ways  and 
means  to  fill  the  hungry  little  mouths. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Overton  County,  Tenn., 
January  19,  1819.  He  came  to  Macoupin  County 
with  his  parents,  growing  to  manhood  on  the  farm 
in  North  Palmyra  Township,  where  he  has  lived 
since  first  coming  to  this  State. 

He  has  always  been  engaged  in  agriculture  and 
at  present  is  the  owner  of  six  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  acres  in  Macoupin  County  and  four  hundred 
and  seventy-four  acres  in  Montgomery  County. 
His  farm  is  furnished  with  the  best  of  buildings 
and  every  improvement  is  to  be  found  thereon. 

On  the  25th  of  November,  1840,  Mr.  Nevins 
was  united  to  Miss  Elizabctt  Si  rums,  a  daughter 
of  George  and  Anna  (Nevins)  Simms.  The  gentle- 
man who  performed  the  ceremony  upon  that  aus- 
picious occasion  was  John  Scott,  Esq.  Mr.  Nevins 
has  never  had  cause  to  regret  his  choice,  for  his 
wife  is  distinguished  by  her  amiable  disposition  and 
elegant,  dignified  manners.  Mrs.  Nevins'  parents 
died  in  North  Palmyra.  She  was  the  sixtli  in  a 
family  of  nine  children  and  her  natal  day  was  No- 
vember 22,  1832.  After  her  marriage  with  our 
subject  she  devoted  herself  to  making  such  a  home 
for  her  husband  as  to  leave  nothing  to  be  desired. 
Her  children  were  always  her  first  consideration 
and  her  care  will  certainly  be  rewarded  at  some 
future  time  by  their  rising  up  and  calling  her 
blessed. 

The  little  ones  that  came  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nev- 
ins to  gladden  their  hearts  and  create  a  better 
purpose  for  living,  that  they  might  be  brought  up 
to  be  useful  men  and  women,  are:  Lucy  A..  Edgar 
and  George  W.  Two  children  died  in  infancy; 
Lucy  is  the  wife  of  Robert  K.  Aidrrson,  who  resides 
in  North  Palmyra  Township;  Edgar  died  when  life 
was  promising  so  much  to  him,  at  the  age  of  twen- 
ty-one; George  W.  also  died  soon  after  he  had  en- 
tered manhood  and  it  was  a  crushing  blow  to  his 
father  to  have  this  son,  from  whom  he  had  expected 


504 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  for  whom  he  had  planned  so  much,  taken  away 
in  the  flower  of  his  manhood;  he  was  but  twenty- 
three  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Mr.  Kevins  has  been  elected  to  several  positions 
in  Palmyra  Township  and  has  discharged  conscien- 
tiously and  satisfactorily  to  his  constituents  the  du- 
ties that  have  been  given  him.  He  was  Supervisor 
of  the  township  for  two  terms.  In  politics  he  is  an 
adherent  of  the  Democratic  party,  believing  in  the 
breadth  of  platform  whiuh  that  party  claims.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Nevins  are  active  members  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  and  seize  every  opportunity  wuere 
good  may  be  done  to  suffering  humanity,  thereby 
fulfilling  the  first  of  all  commandments. 


"^C 


RASTUS  BANCROFT.  Many  intelligent 
families  whose  culture  and  experience  are  a 
benefit  to  any  community  in  which  they 
may  be  called  to  live,  are  to  be  found  in  Macoupin 
County.  Such  people  are  in  themselves  an  educa- 
tive force,  and  help  to  form  the  standard  to  which 
those  less  favored  in  the  better  advantages  may 
look.  Among  such  we  are  pleased  to  mention  the 
household  of  which  our  subject  was  the  representa- 
tive. His  father  was  Timothy'  Bancroft,  who  was 
born  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  and  his  mother,  Mary 
Clark,  of  the  same  city.  Timothy  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation  and  died  in  the  city  of  his  birth. 
Their  large  family  of  twelve  children  received  the 
best  advantages  both  social  and  educational,  and  a 
thorough  training  for  life's  duties. 

Erastus  Bancroft  was  born  in  Worcester  County, 
Mass..  July  1G.  1834.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  his 
father's  farm,  and  remained  there  until  the  spring 
of  1857.  The  Western  fever  had,  however,  at- 
tacked the  young  man  and  he  decided  to  emigiatc 
to  Carlinville,  111.  Here  for  one  year  he  was  em- 
ployed at  carpentry  work  and  again  in  the  same  line 
for  two  J  ears  at  Springfield.  After  that  he  returned 
to  Carlinville  and  for  eight  years  he  held  a  contract 
from  the  Government  to  carry  the  United  States 
mail  between  Carlinville  and  Carrollton. 

In  the  spring  of  1864  our  subject  made  his  per- 
manent home   in    Polk    Township,  and   engaged  in 


supplying  wood  to  the  railroad  company.  He  fol- 
lowed that  business  for  several  years  and  at  the 
same  time  improved  his  farm,  and  from  that 
time  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits.  He  erected 
excellent  buildings  upon  his  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred and  thirty-five  acres.  His  marriage,  April  30, 
1868,  at  Carlinville,  united  him  with  a  lady 
whose  loveliness  of  character  and  thorough  cul- 
ture made  her  a  delightful  companion  and  suit- 
able helpmate.  He  departed  this  life  July  22, 
1891.  Their  wedded  life  was  one  which  re- 
sulted in  good  to  others,  and  happiness  within 
the  domestic  circle.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Emeline  B.  Chandler,  and  she  is  a  daughter 
of  John  W.  and  Lucinda  G.  (Roggers)  Chand- 
ler, both  natives  of  Wilson  County,  Tenn.,  where 
the  father  died.  Mrs.  Bancroft  is  one  of  three 
children  and  was  born  in  Wilson  County,  Tenn., 
February  28,  1844.  To  her  have  been  born  four 
children;  two  have  been  taken  from  her  arms  by 
death, and  the  two  who  survive  are:  Ida  C.  E.,  born 
June  26,  1871,  and  Hattie  F.,  May  9,  1880.  Agri- 
cultural pursuits  engaged  all  of  Mr.  Bancroft's 
attention,  although  he  took  an  earnest  and  intelli- 
gent interest  in  both  politics  and  religion,  voting 
the  Republican  ticket  and  being  with  his  good  wife 
an  active  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 


[=0.^3 s,^*" 

A  M I  EL  L.  LOVELESS.  Any  traveler  who 
visits  Bird  Township  is  impressed  with  the 
■,j  beautiful  condition  of  the  rich  and  flourish- 
ing farms  which  are  to  be  found  there. 
Among  the  farmers  of  that  township  probably  no 
one  is  more  prosperous  in  his  special  line  of  busi- 
ness or  more  worthy  of  consideration  that  the  gentle- 
man whose  name  stands  at  the  head  of  this  brief 
life  review.  He  is  certainly  worthy  both  in  his 
life  and  in  his  external  surroundings  to  attract  the 
attention  of  the  biographer,  and  is  a  man  of  sturdy 
principle  who  would  stand  by'  what  he  believes  to 
be  right  without  fear  or  favor. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  East  Tennessee,  April 
24,  1833,  being  the  second  son  and  fourth  child  of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


505 


William  and  Jane  (Bell)  Loveless.  For  further 
minutia  in  regard  to  the  family  history,  the 
reader  will  refer  to  the  biography  of  John  H. 
Loveless.  Samuel  was  about  eight  years  old  when 
his  parents  came  to  this  county,  and  here  he 
grew  to  manhood  upon  his  father's  farm  in  Bird 
Township,  remaining  with  his  parents  until  lK.">t, 
when  having  reached  his  majority  he  concluded 
that  it  was  time  to  set  up  a  home  of  his  own.  He 
therefore  entered  the  state  of  matrimony  and 
settled  near  his  father's  homestead  where  he  lived 
for  two  years,  and  then  purchased  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  sections  21  and  22.  He 
made  his  home  on  the  latter  section  and  has  ever 
since  been  a  resident  there. 

Mr.  Loveless  now  has  six  hundred  acres  in  his 
farm,  and  he  has  erected  a  very  fine  set  of  buildings 
which  add  greatly,  not  only  to  the  beauty  but  to 
the  practical  utility  of  his  estate.  He  lias  always 
given  his  attention  to  his  business,  and  has  studied 
thoroughly  the  practical  workings  of  farming  and 
stock  raising.  His  marriage  in  Bird  Township, 
December  14,  1854,  united  him  with  Miss  Elmira 
Comer,  a  daughter  of  Aaron  and  Levina  (Bell) 
Comer.  Mr.  Comer  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and 
Mrs.  Comer  of  Knox  County,  Tenn.,  being  both 
of  Southern  blood.  The}-  came  to  Macoupin 
County,  111.,  in  1844,  making  their  home  in  Bird 
Township.  Mrs.  Loveless  was  bereaved  of  her 
mother  November  14,  1873,  but  her  father  is  still 
living  at  a  very  advanced  age.  Of  their  nine 
children,  Mrs.  Loveless  was  the  third  in  order  of 
age,  and  she  was  born  in  Knox  County,  Tenn.,  July 
24,  1837. 

Seven  children  blessed  the  union  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Loveless.  They  have  all  (except  one  who 
died  in  infancy)  grown  to  years  of  maturity,  and 
have  proved  themselves  not  only  the  joy  and  com- 
fort of  their  parents  but  of  value  in  the  community. 
Aaron  B.  married  Miss  A.  Duckels  and  resides  in 
Chesterfield  Township;  Angeline  is  the  wife  of 
H.  W,  Combs,  of  Carlinville;  Arthur  W.  married 
Miss  May  Clark  of  Brushy  Mound  Township; 
Milo  J.  is  a  teacher  in  Bird  Township;  and  Jennie 
L.  and  Hattie  E.,  are  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Bird  Township  has  had  the  benefit  of  the  public 
services  of  Mr.  Loveless,  as  he  has  been  Supervisor 


for  three  terms  and  ever  takes  an  active  part  in 
public  matters,  lie  is  interested  deeply  in  political 
movements  and  is  a  stanch  Republican.  He  is  a 
Deacon  in  the  Baptist  Church,  with  which  he  and 
his  lovely  Christian  wife  have  long  been  connected. 
Two  <>f  his  brothers  J.  II.  and  Hugh  P.,  have  also 
made  their  mark  upon  the  history  of  this 
township.  He  is  a  public-spirited  man  and 
one  of  strong  convictions  of  right  and  wrong,  a 
true  and  loyal  friend  and  a  man  of  sterling  char- 
acter in  every  direction.  The  family  of  our  sub- 
ject abundantly  rewards  him  for  the  efforts  he  has 
made  to  educate  and  bring  them  forward  in  the 
world. 


PAVID  M.  KITZMILLER.  manager  of  the  lum- 
ber business  of  J.  W.  Kitzmiller. at  Medora, 
is  one  of  the  younger  business  men  of  the 
county  who  are  doing  much  to  increase  its  facilities 
and  add  to  its  financial  standing.  He  was  horn  at 
Girard,  February  10,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of  Martin 
V.  and  Mary  (Crouch)  Kitzmiller.  The  reader  is 
referred  to  the  biographical  sketch  of  his  father 
for  the  ancestral  history.  Our  subject  grew  to 
manhood  in  the  place  of  his  nativity  and  acquired 
a  good  education  in  the  home  school,  receiving  a 
diploma  after  completing  the  course  of  study. 

After  he  had  attained  his  majority  Mr.  Kitz- 
miller went  to  Whitehall  and  worked  in  a  lumber 
yard  of  F.  F.  Worcester  four  years.  He  then  came 
to  Medora  and  took  charge  of  the  lumber  business 
that  had  previously  been  established  by  his  brother. 
He  is  looking  carefully  after  the  interests  of  the 
yard  and  manages  the  business  efficiently  and 
honorably,  so  that  his  dealings  with  all  are  of  a 
nature  to  gain  their  good  will  and  ensure  an  in- 
crease of  trade.  Mr.  Kitzmiller  belongs  to  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  easts  his  vote 
with  the  Republican  parly. 

He  has  served  as  Village  Clerk  and  was  efficient 
in  office,  being  orderly  in  his  keeping  of  records 
and  careful  in  his  inscriptions. 

Mr.  Kitzmiller  has  a  pleasant  home,  presided 
over  by  an  intelligent  and  estimable  woman  who 
became  his  wife  June  23,  1887.     She  was  known 


506 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  her  maidenhood  as  Miss  Luella  J.  Vaughan. 
The  union  has  been  blest  by  the  birth  of  a  son, 
who  was  named  Frederick  Fulton  in  honor  of  the 
father's  employer  at  Whitehall. 

-w 4£*& <— 

ylLLIAM  EMMERSON.  We  are  gratified 
to  find  in  Macoupin  County,  a  number  of 
British-American  citizens,  who  have 
brought  with  them  from  the'r  native  island  the 
stanch  and  sturdy  character  of  the  industrious 
Englishman  and  have  grafted  upon  their  original 
capabilities  the  breadth  and  liberality  characteristic 
of  the  Prairie  State.  Among  such  is  the  gentle- 
man whose  name  appears  at  the  head  of  this  sketch, 
and  who  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  May  21, 
1822. 

John  Emmerson,  who  is  the  father  of  William, 
died  when  forty-six  years  old  in  his  native  home  in 
Yorkshire,  in  the  year  1835,  and  was  followed  to 
the  other  world  two  years  later  by  his  faithful  wife 
who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth  Oliver  and 
who  was  a  native  of  the  same  shire.  Farm  duties 
engaged  the  attention  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
during  his  first  fourteen  years  and  he  was  then  ap- 
prenticed to  the  trade  of  a  wagon  and  cabinet- 
maker. Being  then  an  orphan  by  the  death  of  his 
father  he  was  bound  out  for  seven  years  to  his  mas- 
ter, and  after  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  worked 
at  his  trade  for  about  six  years  at  Hull. 

While  living  in  Hull  the  young  man,  who  was 
now  doing  well  at  his  trade,  decided  to  establish  a 
home  of  his  own  and  took  to  himself  a  wife  in  the 
person  of  Miss  Elizabeth  Hill.  Their  wedding  day 
was  March  17,  1844  and  the  father  of  the  bride  was 
Robert  Hill,  a  Yorkshire  man,  who  spent  his  days 
in  his  native  home.  Mrs.  Emmerson,  who  was  born 
in  Norton,  Yorkshire,  England,  March  9,  18  22, 
lost  ber  mother  at  an  early  age. 

In  May,  1850  Mr.  Emmerson,  then  having  a  wife 
and  two  children,  came  with  them  to  America, 
landing  in  (Quebec.  He  did  not  remain  long  in 
Canada,  but  came  on  at  once  to  the  Prairie  State, 
settling  in  Greene  County,  where  for  seven  years 
he  was  useful  in  the  community,  by  following    the 


trade  of  wagon-maker  and  carpenter.  In  those 
early  days  a  man  with  such  acquisitions  as  his  found 
abundant  opportunity  for  work  and  was  greatly  in 
demand.  After  a  residence  of  seven  years  in 
Greene  County  he  came  in  1857  to  Macoupin 
County,  making  his  home  in  Virden,  where  for 
seventeen  years  he  carried  on  the  business  of 
wagon-making  and  blacksmithing. 

The  year  after  his  settlement  in  Virden  be  pur- 
chased forty  acres  in  Virden  Township,  which  he 
has  carried  on  in  connection  with  his  work  in  the 
village  and  finally  gave  up  his  trade  and  devoted 
himself  entirely  to  his  land.  He  owns  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  rich  and  arable  land,  upon  which 
he  has  placed  first-class  improvements,  among 
which  are  a  pleasant  home,  commodious  barns  and 
convenient  outbuildings,  such  as  are  necessary  to 
the  successful  prosecution  of  farming.  A  view  of 
the  homestead  is  shown  elsewhere  in  this    volume. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emmerson  aie  the  parents  of  two 
children,  namely:  John  who  married  Miss  Martha 
I'tt,  and  resides  in  Virden  Township,  and  Mary 
Ann,  who  is  the  wife  of  John  J.  Cox,  and  makes 
her  home  in  Virden.  The  parents  are  both  earnest 
and  consistent  members  of  the  Wesleyan  Metho- 
dist Church  with  which  the  father  has  been  con- 
nected since  he  was  a  young  man  of  seventeen 
years.  He  takes  an  intelligent  view  of  American 
politics,  in  which  he  is  deeply  interested,  and  to  his 
mind  the  declarations  of  the  Republican  party  an- 
nounce the  doctrines  which  must  be  for  the  benefit 
and  progress  of  the  nation  and  for  the  best  good 
of  the  citizens  as  a  whole.  He  is  a  well-read  man 
and  one  who  keeps  himself  in  touch  with  the  popu- 
lar movements  of  the  day. 


-fcSBsj' 


<ffl  WILLIAM  GRAY.  Pioneer  life  in  Central 
\rJIf  Illinois  lacked  many  of  the  harsh  features 
yfifl  of  the  same  life  in  other  regions  that  were 
not  so  favored  in  climate  nor  the  lay  of  the  land. 
Still,  early  settlers,  no  matter  where  they  were, 
had  a  common  experience  as  to  necessary  depri- 
vations and  makeshifts  that  filled  the  ordinary  needs 
of  daily  life.     Not  all  of  these  are  unpleasant  and 


RESIDENCE  OF   WILLIAM      EM  MERSON  ,  SEC.  5. ,  VI  RDEN    TP, MACOUPIN    CO., ILL. 


RESIDENCE  OF  WILLIAM    G  RAY  ,  SEC.  34., NORTH    OTTER  TP,  MACOU  PI  N   CO., ILL. 


LIBRARY 
Of    VME 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


509 


in  some  are  found  a  strong  vein  of  the  humorous, 
while  the  flight  of  time  tinges  the  whole  experience 
with  a  pleasant  rosy  light. 

William  Gray,  the  owner  of  a  farm  on  section 
24,  North  Otter  Township,  has  a  fund  of  experi- 
ences at  his  tongue's  end  that  would  delight  the 
children  of  today  who  love  stories  of  adventure 
in  which  situations  that  to  them  are  novel  and  in- 
teresting. Mr.  Gray  was  born  in  Edwards  County, 
this  State,  December  25,  1834.  He  has,  howeveri 
a  tinge  of  Southern  life  and  instinct.  His  father, 
the  late  Charles  Gray,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and 
his  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Louisanna 
(Everly)  Gray,  was  born  in  Kentucky. 

The  first  home  of  our  subject's  parents  was  Ken- 
lucky  whence  they  removed  to  Sangamon  Count}', 
111.  They  staid  here  but  a  short  time,  however, 
and  then  removed  to  Edwards  County,  where  they 
remained  until  the  father'  death,  which  occurred 
in  Sangamon  County  while  there  transacting  busi- 
ness. The  mother  died  at  her  home  in  Edwards 
County.  Only  two  children  came  to  the  parents 
and  of  these,  our  subject  is  the  eldest.  He 
was  about  three  years  of  age  when  his  father  died 
and  he  continued  living  in  Edwards  County  until 
he  was  eighteen  years  old,  when  he  went  to  Pike 
County  and  there  made  his  living  by  working  on 
a  farm  by  the  month.  He  there  continued  for  two 
years  and  thence  went  to  Greene  County,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  farm  labor  by  the  month  for 
nearly  two  years  longer. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Gra}'  took  place  while  in 
Greene  County.  The  lady's  ruaiden  name  was 
Elizabeth  A.  Butler  and  she  was  a  native  of  the 
county  wherein  she  was  married.  Mrs.  Gray  bore 
her  husband  three  children,  two  of  whom  died  in 
infancy.  The  surviving  child,  William  O.,  is  a 
farmer  in  Missouri.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Gray  died  in 
Greene  County,  in  the  fall  of  1860. 

The  orignal  of  our  sketch  was  again  united  in 
marriage  to  the  lady  whose  maiden  name  was  Elsie 
Heater.  She  also  bore  him  one  child  who  died  in 
infancy  and  the  mother  too  yielded  up  her  life  in 
Greene  County  in  about  1867.  For  a  third  time 
he  was  united  in  matrimony  to  a  lady  whose  maid- 
en name  was  Mary  Ballard,  who  is  a  native  of 
Greene  County.     By    this  lady    Mr.  Gray  became 


the  father  of  five  children,  who  are,  Minnie  B., 
Charles  H.,  Arthur  E.,  Lola  V".  and  Estella  V. 
The  eldest  daughter  is  now  the  wife  of  Ezra  D. 
Erantz;  Charles  H.  died  in  childhood. 

Mr.  Gray  has  always  devoted  himself  to  agri- 
culture. He  has  two  hundred  acres  of  good  land 
upon  which  are  excellently  built  houses.  His  res- 
idence, a  view  of  which  is  shown  on  another  page, 
is  an  attractive  and  conveniently-arranged  house 
in  which  his  wife  makes  a  comfortable  home.  Po- 
litically,  our  subject  inclines  to  the  principles  and 
theories  of  the  Republican  party,  by  which  party 
he  has  been  elected  to  several  responsible  positions, 
among  which  is  that  of  School  Director.  Mr.  Gray- 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  His  re- 
ligious views  coincide  with  the  L'niversalist  Church. 

JONATHAN  BRUBAKER,  a  well-to-do  and 
highly  respected  citizen  of  this  county,  has 
made^ft'tijpney  by  farming,  and  has  built 
'  up  a  substaiUHfrJ^jyupe  on  section  20,  Girard 
Township,  wherein  he  and  his  amiable  wife  enjoy 
life  free  from  the  cares  and  toils  of  their  earlier 
years.  Franklin  County,  Va.,  is  the  birth  place  of 
our  subject,  and  there  he  was  born  September  14, 
1829,  in  the  home  of  his  parents,  Jonathan  and  Bar- 
bara (Crist)  Brubaker,  who  were  also  natives  of 
Virginia. 

The  great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  John  Bru- 
baker, was  born  either  in  Germany  or  in  Pennsyl- 
vania of  German  parentage.  He  removed  from 
that  State  to  Virginia,  and  located  in  that  part 
of  Botetourt  County  now  included  in  Roanoke 
County.  He  secured  a  tract  of  land  four  miles 
northwest  of  Salem,  which  he  developed  in  time 
into  a  choice  farm,  and  all  that  is  mortal  of  him 
now  lies  in  the  cemetery  on  his  old  homestead.  His 
wife  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Annie  Myers, lies 
by  his  side.  Their  son  Henry,  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  was  young 
when  his  family  moved  to  Virginia,  where  he 
grew  to  manhood.  For  some  years  after  he 
resided  in  Franklin  County,  but  he  finally  re- 
turned   to  Botetourt    County,    and    settled  on    a 


510 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


part  of  the  old  homestead  which  lie  had  inherited 
from  his  parents,  and  there  he  spent  the  rest 
of  bis  days.  He  was  twice  married.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  fiist  wife,  grandmother  of  our  subject, 
was  Christiana  Flora.  She  is  supposed  to  have 
been  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  died  in  Franklin 
County.  The  maiden  name  of  Grandfather  Bruba- 
ker's  second  wife  was  Salome  Eler.  He  was  the 
father  of  seven  children  by  his  first  marriage  and 
ten  children  by  his  second  marriage. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  born,  reared  and 
married  in  Virginia.  He  resided  in  Franklin  County 
until  1832,  when  he  removed  to  the  wilds  of  Ohio 
with  his  wife  and  five  children,  journeying  thither 
with  teams,  taking  all  their  household  goods  along, 
lie  located  on  a  tract  of  timber  land  eight  miles 
west  of  Springfield,  in  Clarke  County.  He  erected 
a  cabin  of  round  logs  as  a  shelter  for  his  family, 
and  at  once  proceeded  to  clear  his  land  with  char- 
acteristic energy  and  perseverance.  At  that  time 
timber  was  of  but  little  value  as  there  were  no  mar- 
kets for  it,  and  the  pioneers  had  to  resort  to  burn- 
ing it  to  get  it  out  of  the  way,  large  logs  being  rol- 
led together  into  great  piles  and  set  on  tire.  There 
were  no  railways  in  that  section  for  some  years, 
and  the  people  hail  to  go  to  Dayton  to  sell  their 
pioduce  and  to  obtain  supplies. 

Mr.  Brubaker  cleared  the  greater  portion  of  his 
quarter  section,  erected  a  set  of  frame  buildings, 
and  continued  to  live  on  his  Ohio  farm  until  1869. 
In  that  year  he  came  to  Illinois,  purchased  a  home  in 
the  village  of  Girard,  and  here  his  life  was  brought 
to  a  close  at  a  ripe  old  age  in  April,  1874.  His  wife 
had  died  in  Clarke  County,  Ohio,  in  1853.  They 
reared  a  family  of  ten  children,  six  sons  and  four 
daughters. 

Our  subject  was  the  fifth  child  born  to  bis  par- 
ents, and  he  was  but  three  years  old  when  they 
removed  to  Ohio.  His  earliest  recollections  are  con- 
nected with  the  rough,  pioneer  life  of  his  youth  in 
Clarke  County,  Ohio,  where  his  education  was  con- 
ducted in  a  rude  log  house  furnished  with  seats 
made  of  slabs,  with  no  backs.  The  desk  upon 
which  the  older  scholars  wrote  was  a  plank  rest- 
ing upon  wooden  pins  that  were  driven  into  the 
logs  in  the  side  of  the  room.  When  very  young 
the    little    lad    commenced    to    assist   his     father 


in  clearing  his  land  and  tilling  the  soil.  He  re- 
mained an  inmate  of  the  parental  household  until 
grown  to  manhood.  When  he  started  in  life  for 
himself  his  father  gave  him  a  horse,  saddle,  bridle, 
plow  and  a  plow  harness,  and  for  three  years  he 
farmed  on  his  own  account  as  a  renter.  He 
then  purchased  forty  acres  of  the  land  that 
he  had  been  cultivating,  but  after  living  on  it 
a  few  years  he  sold  it  and  bought  two  hundred 
acres  of  land  at  Enon  Station,  Clarke  County.  In 
1860  he  disposed  of  that  place  at  a  good  price,  and 
purchased  another  near  New  Carlisle,  in  the  same 
county.  He  occupied  that  place  until  1865,  and 
in  that  year  came  to  Macoupin  County,  to  take  up 
his  permanent  residence  here.  He  invested  in  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  beautiful  prairie  land  on 
section  29,  Girard  Township,  and  subsequently 
bought  other  land  until  he  had  at  one  time  two 
hundred  and  fifty  acres.  He  erected  a  neat  and 
commodious  set  of  frame  buildings,  placed  the  land 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  in  time  made 
it  one  of  the  most  desirable  farms  in  the  township. 
In  1890  he  sold  it  for  a  round  sum  of  money,  and 
built  his  present  residence  on  section  20,  the  same 
township. 

Mr.  Brubaker  was  married  March  20,  1850,  to 
Susanna  Frantz,  and  their  wedded  life  has  brought 
them  six  children:  Isaac  S. ;  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Isnae 
H.  Crist;  Diana,  wife  of  Jacob  P.  Vaniman;  Mary 
A.;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  D.  C.  Vaniman;  Emma,  wife 
of  Abraham  B.  Gibbel  and  Henry  D.,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  four  months.  Our  subject  and  his  wife 
have  reared  their  children  to  useful  and  upright 
lives,  and  have  brought  them  up  in  the  faith  of  the 
German  Baptist  Brethren  Church,  of  which  father, 
mother,  son  and  daughters  are  all  valued  members. 

Mis.  Brubaker  is  a  native  of  Clarke  County, 
Ohio,  born  April  27,  1832.  Her  father,  Benjamin 
Frantz,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  a  son  of  Dan- 
iel Frantz,  also  of  Virginia  birth,  who  removed 
from  there  to  Ohio  in  the  early  years  of  its  settle- 
ment, and  was  a  pioneer  of  Clarke  County.  He 
settled  four  miles  west  of  Springfield,  and  there 
spent  his  remaining  days.  His  son  Benjamin  was 
reared  in  Virginia,  and  was  a  j'oung  man  when  he 
went  to  Ohio.  He  located  in  Preble  County,  that 
State,  and  in  due  time  was  united  in  marriage  with 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


511 


Elizabeth  Flory,  who  wns,  like  himself,  a  Virginian 
by  birth.  From  there  he  went  to  Clarke  County, 
and  buying  a  tract  of  land  a  mile  and  a  quarter 
from  New  Carlisle,  he  developed  it  into  a  farm.  lie 
first  built  a  log  cabin  for  a  dwelling,  and  later  re- 
placed it  by  a  more  commodious  residence  and  a 
neat  set  of  frame  buildings.  In  that  home  he  and 
his  wife  passed  their  days  in  peace  and  comfort 
until  death  called  them  hence.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Abraham  Flory,  who  is  supposed  to  have  been  a 
native  of  Virginia,  whence  he  removed  to  Preble 
County,  Ohio,  of  which  he  was  an  early  pioneer. 

fl  fclLLIAM  ROVIE,  an  industrious  and 
\/\//l  enterprising  farmer  and  stock-raiser  who 
tyy/  owns  and  operates  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  on  sections  33  and  34,  Staunton 
Township,  is  of  German  birth,  and  has  resided  in 
the  United  States  since  1864.  He  was  born  in 
Westphalen,  Prussia,  in  the  year  1828,  and  is  one 
of  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  but 
all  are  now  deceased  with  the  exception  of  himself. 
His  parents  have  also  passed  away.  They  spent 
their  entire  lives  in  Prussia,  where  they  followed 
farming  and  died  at  an  advanced  age.  Both  were 
members  of  the  German  Reformed  Church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  under  the 
parental  roof  and  his  education  was  acquired  in 
the  public  schools.  Later  he  enlisted  in  the  reg- 
ular army  of  his  country  and  for  three  years  re- 
mained in  the  service,  after  which  he  returned  to 
his  old  home  and  made  preparations  for  his  emigra- 
tion to  America.  Bidding  good-by  to  friends  and 
native  land,  in  the  spring  of  18(54,  he  sailed  from 
Bremen  on  a  New  York  bound  steamer  and  on  land- 
ing at  that  metropolis  made  his  way  to  Pittsburg, 
Pa.  Subsequently  he  came  West,  in  1808,  and 
spent  two  years  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  The  year  1870, 
witnessed  his  arrival  in  Illinois,  and  he  located  up- 
on a  farm  in  Olive  Township,  Madison  County, 
where  he  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  for  some 
time.  He  has  resided  upon  his  present  farm  only 
two  years  but  it  already  gives  evidence  of  Ins  care 
and  management.     The  well-tilled   fields  and  neat 


appearance  of  the  place  indicate  his  thrift  and 
enterprise  and  the  good  grades  of  stock  there  Been 
1  Moves  him  to  be  a  progressive  man  who  is  never 
behind  the  limes. 

In  the  Keysl ■  State,  Mr.  Rovie  was  united  in 

marriage  with  Miss  Katie  Stegemeyer,  also  a  native 
of  Prussia,  born  in  1843.  Her  parents,  after  the 
birth  of  all  of  their  children,  crossed  the  Atlantic 
to  America  with  their  family  and  landed  safely  in 
New  York,  in  the  fall  of  1866,  going  from  thence 
to  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  where  they  made  their  lirst  loca- 
tion. Some  years  later  we  find  them  in  Illinois, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stegemeyer  taking  up  their  residence 
in  Staunton,  where  they  now  make  their  home, 
both  being  about  eighty  years  of  age.  They  are 
worth}'  old  people,  whose  lives  have  been  well 
spent  and  to  them  the  respect  of  the  whole  com- 
munitv  is  accorded.  In  religious  belief  they  ad- 
vocate the  doctrines  of  the  German  Reformed 
Church. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rovie  are  also  members  of  the 
same  church  and  contribute  liberally  to  its  support. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  who  keeps  himself 
well  informed  concerning  the  political  issues  of  the 
day.  Into  them  have  been  born  seven  children  — 
Emma  A.,  William  H.,  Fritz  W.,  Annie  J.  and 
Ernest,  at  home ;  Henry  who  died  at  the  age  of  eight 
months;  and  Mary  who  died  at  the  age  of  rive 
years.  The  home  of  this  family  is  a  comfortable 
residence  and  is  well  supplied  with  many  of  the 
luxuries  of  life  which  have  been  acquired  through 
the  industry,  perseverance  and  enterprise  of  the 
owner. 

t&m- 

IIOMAS  GOSCII.  The  German  element 
engrafted  on  our  intense  American  life  has 
'  produced  the  best  results  in  the  pursuit  of 
agriculture.  Thomas  Gosch  has  been  a  successful 
farmer  and  dairyman  in  Bunker  Hill  Township, 
living  on  section  13,  where  he  owns  a  fine  property 
of  one  hundred  and  ninety-two  and  one  half  acres, 
most,  of  which  is  under  cultivation  and  well  stock- 
ed with  milch  cows,  lie  has  owned  and  lived  on 
this  farm  since  1883.  He  came  to  Dorchester 
Township  in   186@  and    from  there  to    this    town- 


512 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ship,  following  farming  with  the  exception  of  the 
first  two  years  when  he  was  a  labor  ?r  in  Bunker 
Hill  City. 

Mr.  Gosch  was  born  in  Schleswig  Holstein,  Ger- 
many, on  October  11, 1841.  He  is  the  son  of  Clans 
Gosch  whose  history  may  be  found  in  that  of  John 
Gosch  in  this  volume.  Our  subject  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  province  in  Germany  and 
was  there  married  to  Miss  Franka  Thoda,  a  native 
of  the  same  province  as  her  husband  and  of  Ger- 
man ancestry.  She  also  was  reared,  and  educated 
in  her  own  country. 

Mr.  Goscli  and  wife  soon  after  their  marriage 
decided  to  emigrate  to  the  United  States,  taking 
passage  in  1866  at  Hamburg,  Germany,  in  a  Ger- 
man vessel  "Teutonia"  sailed  lo  England  and 
thence  to  New  York  City  and  at  once  came  to 
Macoupin  County.  111.,  where  they  have  since  lived. 
They  are  good  citizens  and  successful  fanners. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gosch  are  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren— John,  who  at  present  lives  (>n  a  farm  in  this 
township;  Thomas,  who  aids  his  father  at  home: 
Henry  and  Otto  F.  who  live  at  home,  and  one 
o  died  young.     Mr.  and   Mrs.  Gosch  were 

,  under  the  Lutheran  religion  and  still  incline 

to  that  faith.  Mr.  Gosch  and  sons  are  stanch  Re- 
publicans in  politics. 

— ■ •°*-*l~HI4i*g) 


\T?OHN  F.  JOHNSSEN.  Among  the  success- 
ful farmers  of  Staunton  Township,  there  is 
probably  none  who  is  regarded  more  warmly 
by  his  fellow  residents  as  a  genial,  whole- 
hearted and  kindly  neighbor  then  the  gentleman 
whose  name  appears  at  the  head  of  this  paragraph. 
He  resides  on  section  23,  his  land,  one  hundred  and 
five  acres,  on  sections  22  and  23,  which  lies  ail  in 
one  body,  is  all  under  the  plow.  Besides  this,  he 
owns  fourteen  acres  of  good  timber  land  in  this 
township. 

This  farm  was  formerly  owned  by  the  father  of 
our  subject,  who  came  into  possession  of  it  when 
the  boy  was  about  nine  years  old.  and  it  has  now 
been  his  own  property  since  1883.  Here  he  wss 
reared  and  educated,  but  his  nativity  was  in  AKon, 


111.,  February  27,  1858.  He  is  the  third  child  of 
Fred  Johnssen,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Prussia, 
Germany.  He  became  a  farmer  in  his  native 
country,  which  lie  left  when  a  single  man  of  about 
thirty  years,  to  emigrate  to  the  New  World.  He 
sailed  from  Bremen  and  landing  in  New  York, 
came  to  Alton,  this  State,  and  resided  there  for  six 
years.  He  then  returned  to  the  Old  Country  to 
secure  as  his  bride  the  lady  whose  maiden  was  Eke 
Ross.  Her  parentage  and  training  had  been  in 
Prussia. 

After  they  returned  to  America  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Fred  Johnssen  lived  in  Madison  County  for  some 
lime  and  then  came  to  Macoupin  County  and  pur- 
chased their  fiisi.  farm,  which  is  now  owned  by  our 
subject.  Here  they  lived,  making  it  their  home 
and  putting  upon  it  some  good  farm  buildings,  and 
here  the  husband  and  father  died  in  August,  1886, 
having  reached  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  He 
was  a  man  of  excellent  reputation  for  integrity  and 
industry  and  a  thorough-going  farmer.  Both  he 
and  his  excellent  wife  were  faithful  and  earnest 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  his  political 
convictions  led  him  to  affiliate  with  the  Democratic 
party.  His  widow  who  is  yet  living,  makes  her 
home  witli  her  son  John,  and  is  now  sixty-one 
years  of  age.  She  has  had  six  children,  but  the 
three  youngest  have  been  called  to  a  better  world. 
Lizzie  and  Frances,  both  married,  with  our  subject, 
represent  the  family. 

The  marriage  of  John  Johnssen  in  Staunton,  to 
Miss  Katie  Herring  February  26,  1883,  united  him 
with  a  companion  who  has  been  a  helpmate  indeed. 
She  was  born  in  Hesse  Darmstadt,  December  25, 
I860,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Margaret 
(Engleter)  Herring,  natives  of  the  same  German 
Province,  where  they  grew  up  as  weavers.  Mr. 
Herring  was  an  overseer  of  a  cloth  factory  and  was 
for  some  time  a  successful  manager,  as  well  as  a 
skilled  workman  in  that  line  of  business.  They 
resided  in  their  native  home  until  after  marriage 
and  the  birth  of  all  their  children,  and  then,  in 
1881,  decided  to  come  to  America  and  on  doing 
so,  settled  in  Staunton,  this  county,  where  they  are 
now  living.  They  are  still  stout,  and  active, 
although  they  have  passed  the  limit  of  three-score 
years  and  ten,     They  are  people  of  true  Christian 


ilBRARY 
OF  THE 
UNtVF"" 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


515 


character  and  devout    members   of  the    Lutheran 
Church. 

Mrs.  Johnssen  was  a  young  woman  when  her 
parents  caine  to  the  United  States  and  Macoupin 
County  has  been  her  only  home  in  this  country. 
Five  children  came  to  share  the  parental  affection 
and  cares  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnssen,  one  of  whom. 
William,  has  passed  to  the  other  world.  Those  who 
are  now  living  are  Louisa,  George,  John  and  Clara. 
These  children  are  being  reared  in  the  faith  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  to  the  doctrine  and  service  of 
which  their  parents  are  attached.  The  platform  of 
the  Democratic  party  embodies  the  political  doc- 
trines, to  which  Mr.  Johnssen  gives  his  cordial  con- 
sent. 


ffiOHN  M.  BRONAUGH.  No  citizen  of 
Virden  is  more  worthy  of  respect  than  this 
gentleman,  whose  portrait  is  presented 
among  those  of  other  prominent  citizens. 
He  was  formerly  connected  with  the  business  in- 
terests of  this  city,  and  accumulated  sufficient 
wealth  to  enable  him  to  retire  from  an  active  life 
and  enjoy  his  income  at  his  leisure.  He  was  born 
October  22,  1814  amid  the  pleasant  scenery  of 
Spottsylvania  County,  Va.  His  father,  who  bore 
the  name  of  George  Bronaugh,  was  a  native  of  the 
same  Slate,  and  there  passed  b\$  early  life.  In  due 
time  he  took  unto  himself  a  wife  in  the  person  of 
Miss  Sarah  Martin,  a  Virginian  by  birth,  and  a 
daughter  of  John  Martin.  Her  father  was  a  life- 
long resident  of  the  Old  Dominion,  while  her 
mother  spent  her  last  years  in  Kentucky  with  her 
children. 

In  1818  the  father  of  our  subject  removed  to 
Kentucky,  taking  his  family  and  all  household 
goods  with  teams.  He  settled  in  Jessamine  County 
six  miles  east  of  Nicholasville,  where  he  bought  a 
tract  of  land  lying  in  the  forests.  After  erecting 
a  log-house,  he  actively  entered  upon  the  work  of 
evolving  a  farm  from  the  wilderness.  At  that  time 
timber  was  almost  valueless  except  for  building 
purposes,  as  there  was  no  market  for  it,  and  large 
logs  were  rolled  together  and  burned  that  to-day 
would  bring  a  good   sum   of    money.     Mr,  Bron* 


augh  resided  on  his  homestead  until  his  death  in 
1832,  when  his  community  lost  a  good  citizen,  who 
had  been  a  help  in  its  upbuilding.  His  widow 
survived  him  many  years,  her  death  finally  occur- 
ring at  Danville.  Ky.  in  1865,  at  a  venerable  age. 
Slie  reared  five  children,  Lucy  A.,  John  M.,  James 
II.,  Eliza  J.  and  Addison. 

John  M.  Bronaugh  was  a  child  of  four  years 
when  his  parents  went  to  Kentucky,  and  he  grew 
to  man's  estate  amid  the  wild  scenes  of  Jessamine 
County.  There  were  then  no  free  schools,  as  they 
were  all  conducted  on  the  subscription  plan,  each 
family  paying  according  to  the  number  of  scholars 
Sent.  Our  subject  early  became  helpful  in  the 
farm  labors,  and  he  continued  to  assist  at  home, 
until  he  attained  his  majority,  when  he  left  the 
shelter  of  the  parental  roof.  In  1835  he  too  be- 
came a  pioneer,  coming  to  Illinois  to  cast  in  his  lot 
with  the  early  settlers  that  had  preceded  him  in 
Greene  County,  making  the  journey  to  his  destina- 
tion on  horseback.  He  had  11,000  in  cash,  which 
gave  him  a  good  start  in  his  adopted  Stale.  He 
invested  in  a  tract  of  fifty  acres  of  improved  land 
in  South  Richwoods  Township,  six  miles  from  Car- 
rollion.  He  established  a  tanyard,  which  he  oper- 
ated t.he  ensuing  five  years,  and  at  the  expiration 
of  that  time  he  sold  and  bought  other  land,  upon 
which  he  farmed  seven  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  he  engaged  in  a  new  venture,  going  into  the 
mercantile  business  at  Woodville.  There  were  no 
railways  at  that  time  in  that  part  of  the  country, 
and  all  his  goods  were  transported  from  Columbiana, 
Alton,  or  St.  Louis  with  teams. 

In  1855,  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  Mr.  Bronaugh 
came  to  Virden  to  engage  in  the  grain  business, 
which  he  abandoned  in  1868  to  turn  his  attention 
to  farming  on  a  large  tract  of  land  that  he  pur- 
chased in  Lafayette  County,  Mo.  Two  years  later 
he  gave  that  place  to  his  sons,  and  returning  to 
Virden,  resumed  the  grain  business.  lie  conducted 
is  until  1889,  when  he  surrendered  it  to  bis  son 
Perry,  and  retired  altogether  from  business.  Din- 
ing his  active  life  he  became  well-to-do,  and  is  num- 
bered among  the  solid  men  of  this  city  who  have 
been  so  potent  in  bringing  about  its  financial  pros- 
perity, and  have  in  various  ways  sought  to  enhance 
its  welfare  materially,  morally,  and  socially.     He  is 


516 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


a  man  of  high  religious  principles,  who  in  all  his 
dealings  has  been  straightforward  and  honorable, 
and  has  always  kept  the  right  in  view.  For  many 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  but 
since  the  death  of  his  wife  he  has  connected  him- 
self with  the  Christian  Church,  which  finds  in  him 
a  useful  member  and  a  generous  supporter.  In  his 
political  sentiments  he  is  a  a  downright  Democrat, 
though  in  early  life  he  was  a  Whig. 

Mr.  Bronaugh  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Louisa  Poindexter  in  1837.  She  was  a  native  of 
Jessamine  County,  Ky..  and  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Maxie  (Wood)  Poindexter.  She  died  in  1882, 
leaving  behind  her  the  blessed  memory  of  a  thor- 
oughly good  woman,  who  was  a  devoted  wife,  a 
loving  mother,  a  kind  neighbor.  She  was  a  sincere 
Christian,  and  for  many  years  a  valued  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church.  Three  children  were  born  to 
our  subject  and  his  wife:  Perry  S.,  who  married 
Mary  Burke,  and  has  eight  children  :  James  A.,  who 
married  Amelia  Bronaugh, and  resides  in  Kentucky, 
and  Maxie,  wife  of  J.  P.  Henderson,  of  the  Yiiden 
Bank. 


-    ■       3- 


fif/OHN  II.  1IANSIIAW,  of  the  firm  of  D.  W. 
Rhoads  &  Co.,  proprietors  of  the  Palmyra 
Flouring  Mills,  was  born  in  Botetourt 
County,  Va.,  May  24,  1812.  He  is  the  eld- 
est son  of  Flisha  and  Mary  (Yandegrift)  Hanshaw, 
and  a  grandson  of  Benjamin  Hanshaw.  who  was 
born  in  Maryland,  reared  in  Virginia,  and  made 
that  his  home  until  he  came  in  his  last  years  to  end 
his  days  with  his  children  in    Illinois. 

Our  subject  follows  the  same  business  as  did  his 
father  before  him,  as  Elisha  Hanshaw  was  a  miller 
and  followed  that  business  both  in  Virginia  and  in 
Illinois,  to  which  he  came  in  1847  with  his  wife 
and  four  children.  He  came  West  by  team  to  the 
Ohio  River,  thence  on  that  stream  and  the  Missis- 
sippi River  to  St.  Louis,  where  again  he  took  team 
and  journeyed  across  the  prairies  to  Auburn,  San 
gamon  County,  III.  Here  for  a  while  he  engaged 
in  farming,  but  soon  took  charge  of  a  mill  at 
Hart's  Prairie,  Morgan  County,  and  afterward 
operated  one  east  of  Auburn  which  wag  known  as 


Crow's  Mill.  In  1856  he,  with  his  brother  and  Mr. 
A.  C.  Farmer,  erected  a  flouring  mill  at  Palmyra 
which  betook  charge  of  until  1865,  when  he  went 
to  Chesterfield  and  managed  a  mill  there  until  he 
retired  from  business  and  made  his  home  in  Pal- 
myra and  afterward  in  Auburn  where  he  passed 
away  from  earth  in  1879. 

Mary  S.  Vandegrift  was  the  maiden  name  of  the 
lady  who  became  the  mother  of  our  subject.  Her 
parents,  John  and  Barbara  (  Wineman)  Vandegrift 
were  natives,  as  was  she,  of  Botetourt  County,  Va. 
Our  subject  »as  five  years  old  when  he  was  brought 
by  his  parents  to  Illinois.  He  attended  school  in 
his  early  days  and  was  also  busily  employed  upon 
the  farm.  He  resided  with  his  parents  until 
twenty-one  years  of  age  and  then  began  life  for 
himself  on  a  rented  farm.  Two  years  later  he 
purchased  sixty  acres  in  South  Palmyra  Township, 
After  selling  this  he  bought  fifty  acres  in  North 
Palmyra  Township,  two  and  one-fourth  miles  from 
the  village,  and  resided  there  until  1875,  when  he 
!  sold  that  and  purchased  with  Ins  brother  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  South  Palmyra 
Township,  and  October  1  of  that  year  he  removed 
to  that  place  where  he  resided  until  1888.  In  1890 
he  purchased  a  one-half  interest  in  the  flouring  mill 
and  has  since  devoted  his  time  to  carrying  it  on. 

The  lady  who  became  Mrs.  John  H.  Hanshaw  in 
1869  is  a  native  of  North  Palmyra  Township. 
Her  name  was  Martha  A.  Young,  and  she  is  a 
daughter  of  John  H.  and  Nancy  S.  Young.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hanshaw  are  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  and  they  find  in  its  work  a 
broad  field  for  influence  and  effort.  Mr.  Hanshaw 
is  a  Republican  in  his  political  views  but  cannot 
be  counted  in  any  sense  a  politician. 


ARION  II.  WESTROPE,  a  farmer  residing 
in  Scottville  Township  upon  the  farm 
where  he  was  Dorn,  June  20,  1851,  is  a 
son  of    one  of    the  oldest  and  most  hardy 

pioneers  of  the  early   days   of    Macoupin   County. 

His  father  was  probably  one  of  the  very  oldest  of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


517 


the  surviving  settlers  of  Illinois,  and  was  born  in 
Champaign  County,  Ohio,  in  1805,  and  died  .Tunc 
11.  1891. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  a  native  of 
North  Carolina  and  moved  from  there  to  Ken- 
tucky with  his  relative  Daniel  Boone,  thus  be- 
coming one  of  the  renowned  pioneers  of  Kentucky. 
He  left  that  State  about  the  year  1803  and  removed 
to  Ohio,  becoming  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Cham- 
paign County.  He  took  up  Government  land  and 
cleared  quite  an  extensive  tract.  Indians  were 
then  abundant  and  sometimes  troublesome.  In 
consequence  of  this  state  of  affairs  he  returned  to 
Kentucky  after  about  six  years'  residence  in  Ohio 
and  made  his  home  in  that  Southern  State  until 
January,  1818.  At  that  time  many  Kentuckians 
were  emigrating  to  Illinois  which  was  then  a  terri- 
tory ,  and  he  came  with  them  and  located  nine 
miles  from  Vincennes.  He  resided  there  for  a  few 
years  and  then  went  to  Morgan  County,  where  he 
died  in  1825. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  lad  of  thirteen 
when  he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents  and  a 
young  man  of  twenty  when  he  lost  his  father.  He 
remained  in  Morgan  County  until  1847  when  lie 
removed  to  Scottville  Township  and  bought  the 
farm  where  his  son  now  lives.  The  maiden  name 
of  his  wife  was  Sallie  Hays.  She  was  a  native  of 
Kentucky  and  died  on  the  home  farm  in  1889. 
The  parents  of  our  subject  had  seven  children. 

Marion  Wcstrope  received  his  earl}'  training  and 
education  in  his  native  township  and  with  the  ex- 
ception of  one  year  he  has  always  resided  in  the 
homestead.  He  was  married  October  15,  1874,  to 
Ellen  Amos,  who  lived  in  Brighton,  lids  county. 
She  did  not  live  long  after  her  marriage  as  she 
died  in  1878.  His  second  marriage  occurred  in 
1884  when  lie  was  united  with  Mrs.  Martha  (Sharp) 
Buck.  She  was  born  in  Morgan  County,  111.,  and 
was  the  daughter  of  Hezekiah  and  Sarah  (Hall) 
Sharp  and  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  with  our 
subject  was  the  widow  of  Joseph  M.  Buck.  She 
bad  one  child,  Stella,  by  her  marriage  with  Mr. 
Buck,  and  she  has  presented  Mr.  Westrope  with 
three  children,  John  B..  Earl  B.  and  Wesley  W. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Westrope  are  earnest  and  de- 
voted members  of  the  Christian  Church   in  which 


they  find  a  broad  field  of  activity  and  where  their 
influence  and  labors  are  warmly  appreciated.  Tbe 
political  views  which  are  embodied  in  the  declara- 
tions of  the  Democratic  party  are  such  as  to  satisfy 
the  mind  of  Mr.  Westrope  and  he  casts  his  vote  for 
the  candidates  of  that  party,  believing  it  is  best 
adapted  to  the  safe  conduct  of  public  affairs. 


-J- 


# 


<^p*HOMAS  J.  CARROLL,  who  is  conducting  a 
grocery  business  in  company  with  D.  A. 
Turk,  the  firm  being  known  as  Carroll  & 
Turk,  has  been  identified  with  the  upbuilding  of 
Bunker  Hill  since  1860,  and  especially  has  he  been 
prominent  in  business  circles.  He  came  to  this  city 
from  Alton,  111.,  where  he  had  spent  the  winter  of 
1859-60,  locating  there  on  his  emigration  from 
England  to  America.  He  was  born  in  Middlewich, 
England,  October  5,  1853,  and  is  of  Irish  descent, 
his  parents,  William  and  Margaret  (Sherlock)  Car- 
roll, being  natives  of  the  Emerald  Isle.  However 
during  childhood  they  went  to  England,  were  Har- 
ried in  that  country  aud  there  resided  for  some 
years,  the  father  dying  in  that  country  at  the  age 
of  twenty-six  years,  or  in  January,  1854.  Mrs. 
Carroll  afterward  became  the  wife  of  Anthony 
Duffy,  in  1858,  and  the  following  year  they  and 
her  two  children  sailed  from  Liverpool  to  New 
York.  From  the  Eastern  metropolis  they  continued 
their  journey  to  Alton,  III.,  and  subsequently  c.une 
to  Macoupin  Count}'.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duffy  are  now 
residents  of  Gillespie,  where  he  is  engaged  in  busi- 
ness as  a  coal  miner. 

Our  subject  is  the  younger  of  two  children  born 
to  his  parents.  The  other  son,  John,  died  after 
coming  to  this  country.  Thomas  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  this  community  and  when 
he  had  attained  to  mature  years  he  chose  as  a  help- 
mate on  life's  journey  Miss  Fannie  Mahoney,  a 
native  of  the  Keystone  State,  born  in  1856.  When 
a  child  she  was  brought  by  her  parents  to  Bunker 
Hill,  and  her  father,  Dennie  Mahoney,  now  makes 
his  home  with  Mrs.  Carroll  at  the  age  ot  sixty-seven 
years.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth 
Regan,  died  in  1878,     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carroll  began 


518 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


their  domestic  life  in  Bunker  Hill  and  their  home 
has  been  brightened  and  blessed  by  the  presence 
of  two  interesting  children,  Mary  E.  and  John  C. 
They  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church  and  in 
politics  Mr.  Carroll  is  a  Democrat. 

As  before  stated  our  subject  has  been  promi- 
nently connected  with  the  business  interests  of 
Bunker  Hill  for  many  years.  For  three  years  he 
occupied  the  position  of  inspector  of  coal  mines 
and  for  six  years  did  business  on  his  own  account 
in  the  operation  of  a  coal  mine.  During  the  admin- 
istration of  President  Cleveland  he  held  the  office 
of  Postmaster  and  proved  a  capable  and  faithful 
official  but  on  the  change  of  administration  he  was 
succeeded  by  a  Republican.  He  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing members  of  the  Building  and  Loan  Associa- 
tion, being  a  charter  member.  Mr.  Carroll  has 
ever  manifested  a  commendable  interest  in  all  that 
pertains  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  community  and 
the  promotion  of  such  enterprises  as  are  calculated 
to  advance  the  general  welfare.  In  manner  he  is 
pleasant  and  companionable  and  thereby  has  won 
many  friends. 

^OHN  C.  LOEHR,  of  the  firm  of  J.  C.  Loehr 
&  Son,  dry-goods  merchants  at  Carlinville 
is  one  of  the  successful  business  men  of  this 
wSs/7  county.  He  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Bruchmachtersen,  in  the  Dutchy  of  Brunswick. 
Germany,  December  3,  1826.  Christopher  Loehr, 
his  father,  was  a  native  of  the  same  village,  as  was 
also  his  father  who  was  a  farmer  and  spent  his  en- 
tire life  there.  He  was  a  Lutheran  in  his  religious 
faith. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  to  the  life 
of  a  farmer  and  always  followed  that  calling  in  his 
native  place.  He  married  Dorothea  Koch  who  was 
born  in  the  German  village  of  Lebenstedt  and  died 
at  Bruchmachtersen.  She  was  the  mother  of  six 
children — John  G,  Charles,  Dorothea,  Christian, 
Christina  and  Sophia.  John  and  Charles  are  the 
only  ones  of  the  family  that  came  to  this  country, 
and  the  latter  resides  on  a  farm  in  this  county. 

From  the  time  he  was  six  years  old  until  he  was 


fourteen  our  subject  attended  school  regularly  and 
obtained  an  excellent  education.  After  leaving 
school  lie  was  employed  on  his  father's  farm  until 
lie  attained  his  majority.  He  then  joined  the  army 
in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  his  native  land  and 
served  a  part  of  each  year  for  four  years  and  the 
rest  of  the  time  worked  on  the  farm.  He  continued 
a  resident  of  his  native  village  until  1852  when  he 
determined  to  come  to  the  United  States,  where  he 
wisely  thought  he  could  find  more  opportunities 
to  obtain  a  competence  than  in  the  old  country. 
He  set  sail  from  Bremen,  April  19,  and  landed  at 
New  Orleans  the  13th  of  the  following  June,  with 
less  than  one  hundred  dollars  in  his  pocket  with 
which  to  begin  life  in  anew  land.  He  went  directly 
to  St.  Louis  by  the  Mississippi  River,  and  soon 
engaged  as  a  farm  hand  eight  miles  out  of  the  city 
at  $6  a  month.  He  was  so  employed  one  winter 
and  then  was  taken  sick  and  returned  to  St.  Louis, 
where  he  lay  ill  two  months.  After  that  he  found 
work  in  the  city  at  $7  a  month,  and  nine  months 
later  secured  employment  in  a  flouring-mill  at  *7 
a  week.  He  proved  himself  a  faithful  and  compe- 
tent assistant  and  was  soon  promoted  to  be  sales- 
man, at  a  much  more  liberal  salary. 

He  retained  that  position  until  1857,  and  in  that 
year  came  to  Carlinville  to  engage  in  the  dry-goods 
business  with  W.  H.  Stemmeyer.  They  conducted 
business  together  three  years  and  then  our  subject 
bought  out  his  partner's  interest  in  the  concern  and 
was  alone  until  1864,  when  he  admitted  William 
Schutze  into  partnership.  At  the  end  of  ten  \ears 
he  bought  Mr.  Schutze's  interest  and  was  by  him- 
self until  his  son,  Adolph  T.,  became  his  partner  in 
1886,  under  the  firm  name  of  J.  C.  Loehr  &  Son. 
This  is  one  of  the  oldest  established  business 
houses  in  the  city,  and  the  trade  that  has  been 
built  up  by  degrees  as  the  city  has  increased  in  size 
during  these  many  years  is  very  profitable,  as  it  is 
well  managed,  and  our  subject  is  accounted  one  of 
the  solid  men  of  the  count}'. 

Mr.  Loehr  is  happy  in  his  domestic  relations,  as 
by  his  marriage,  June  1,  1857,  with  Miss  Friedricke 
Knabner,  a  native  of  Germany,  he  has  secured  a 
wife  who  has  been  truly  a  companion  and  helpmate. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  George  Knabner  who  was  horn 
and  reared  in  Germany  and  came  to  this  country 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


519 


in  1854  and  settled  in  Carlinvillc.  Mr.  and  Mrs' 
Loelir  have  seven  children,  namely:  Paulina,  wife 
of  William  Surman;  Adolph  P.,  Theodore,  Guslave 
II..  Matilda.  Theresa,  and  Ida.  The  family  are 
active  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  are 
greatly  esteemed  in  the  community. 


e LAI'S  THODE.  The  name  above  is  that  of 
a  general  farmer  and  dairyman,  living  on 
section  30  of  Dorchester  Township, where  he 
owns  one  hundred  acres  of  good  land,  most  of 
which  is  under  the  plow.  Mr.  Thode  has  erected 
good  buildings  upon  his  place  and  ever}-  outhouse 
is  in  excellent  order.  He  has  lived  on  and  owned 
the  farm  where  he  at  present  resides  since  1879, 
since  which  time  he  has  made  most  of  the  improve- 
ments to  be  found  thereon. 

Our  subject's  advent  into  this  county  was  made 
in  1866.  He  began  work  as  a  farm  laborer  in  Dor- 
chester Township,  and  two  years  later  his  prudence 
and  eeonomj-  enabled  him  to  purchase  a  tract  of 
land  and  begin  work  for  himself  and  later  he 
bought  all  of  what  comprises  his  present  farm.  He 
is  a  native  of  Schleswig,  Germany,  being  there 
horn  August  10,  1845.  He  is  the  son  of  John 
Thode,  who  lived  in  his  native  province  now  be- 
longing to  Prussia. 

Our  subject  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  this 
country  when  but  one  year  old.  He  with  his  sister, 
now  Mrs.  Thomas  Gosch,  of  whom  a  biographical 
sketch  may  be  found  in  another  part  of  this  volume, 
were  the  only  two  children  born  to  their  parents. 
The  mother  whose  maiden  name  was  Celia  Casper, 
after  the  death  of  her  first  husband,  John  Coda, 
was  a  second  time  married  to  Mr.  Casper  Esper,  a 
native  of  the  same  province  that  she  herself  wa,,. 
After  the  birth  of  their  only  child,  Terena,  who  died 
while  young,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Esper  came  to  the 
United  States  one  year  later  than  our  subject  who 
left  Germany  in  the  fall  of  1866  taking  passage 
from  Hamburg.  He  came  over  on  a  steamer  named 
"Titania"  and  landed  in  New  York  City  in  No- 
vember of  1866.  Mr.  Esper  and  wife  landed 
in  this  country  in  the  spring  of  1868  and   the   hus- 


band died  some  few  years  later  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
six  years.  His  wife  is  yet  living  and  makes  her 
home  with  her  daughter.  Mrs.  Thomas  Gosch.  She 
has  reached  the  good  old  age  of  seventy-one  jrears. 
Shu  and  her  two  husbands  were  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  Bunker  Hill  to  Miss 
Charlotta  Wohlert  who  was  born  in  Holstein  in 
1847.  She  was  reared  in  her  native  province  where 
her  parents  lived  and  died.  Mrs.  Thode,  the 
wife  of  our  subject,  after  attaining  womanhood, 
came  to  the  United  Slates  in  1868  and  settled  at 
Hunker  Hill  having  come  hither  alone.  She  is  a 
hard-working  woman  and  one  of  true  worth  to  her 
husband.  She  has  been  the  mother  of  nine  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom  is  dead.  The  deceased  child 
was  named  Emma  and  she  passed  away  at  the  age 
of  three  years.  The  living  children  are:  John, 
Henry,  Louis,  German,  Mary,  Louisa,  William  and 
Albert,  all  of  whom  still  make  their  home  with 
their  parents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thode  and  family  are  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church.  In  politics  Mr.  Thode  is 
independent  Republican. 


;  -s=e=r-i  — sH 


« 


AMUEL  J.   BROWN. 


(7F^\  '    liK""JN.      me  owner  ot    the 

^%^.  well-cultivated  farm  of  seventy-six  acres, 
\ff_Aj  located  on  section  26,  South  Otter  Town- 
ship, is  a  native  of  Tennessee,  his  birth- 
having  occurred  in  Giles  County  of  that  State, 
June  29,  1849.  At  the  earl}'  age  of  nine  years  he 
came  with  his  parents  to  Macoupin  County,  where 
they  settled  upon  a  farm.  He  remained  under  his 
father's  roof  until  he  had  attained  twenty-flve 
years  of  age,  his  early  life  being  passed  chiefly  on 
the  farm.  Several  years  after  he  had  finished 
school  he  taught. 

Mr.  Brown  was  united  in  marriage  in  Bird 
Township  to  Miss  Thersa  J.  Sells.  Their  marriage 
took  place  October  22,  1874.  The  lady  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Michael  and  Sarah  A.  (Brown)  Sells,  the  lat- 
ter is  a  sister  of  the  wife  of  H.  S.  Loveless  and  also 
of  the  wife  of  Samuel  Comer  of   Bird   Township. 


520 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mrs.  Thersa  J.  Brown  was  a  native  of  the  township 
and  county  wherein  she  was  married.  May  26,  1856, 
being  her  natal  day. 

Seven  children  came  to  grace  the  home  of  the 
affectionate  parents  who  reared  them  with  all  pos- 
sible affection.  The  children  are  Minnie  E.,  James 
M.,  Walter  E.,  Oliver  A.,  Hattie  M.,  Thersa  A., 
Milton  S.  and  a  babe  unnamed.  Soon  after  the 
marriage  of  our  subject  and  his  wife  they  settled 
in  South  Otter  Township,  which  has  been  their 
place  of  residence  ever  since.  Fanning  has  been 
the  chief  occupation  in    Mr.    Brown's    experience. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  John  M.  Brown. 
His  mother  was  Elizabeth  M.  Smith.  The  former 
was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  the  latter  of 
South  Carolina.  They  came  to  Macoupin  County  in 
1858,  the  father  passing  away  from  this  life  June 
14.  1890.  Our  subject  was  one  of  twelve  child- 
ren and  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth.  In  pol- 
itics, Mr.  Brown  identified  himself  with  the  Re- 
publican party,  its  tenets  and  theories  appealing 
to  his  intelligence  more  strongly  than  those  of 
any  other  party.  He  has  been  appointed  to  sev- 
eral local  offices,  and  has  filled  the  position  of 
School  Director  most  satisfactorily  for  several 
years.  Mrs.  Brown  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  being  a  generous  supporter  and  upholder 
of  the  same. 


ylLLIAM  II.  WHITFIELD,  one  of  the 
thrifty  farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  the 
township  of  Gillespie,  whose  land  is  on 
section  27,  owns  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
fift3"  acres,  which  is  all  highly  improved  and  has 
upon  it  good  buildings  and  fine  stock.  He  has 
another  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  sections  15 
and  22,  of  this  township,  all  of  which  is  in  a  fine 
condition,  as  he  keeps  his  land  under  cultivation. 
Mr.  Whitfield  came  onto  his  present  farm  in 
1865,  but  came  to  the  county  as  long  ago  as  1847, 
since  which  lime  he  has  been  engaged  successfully 
in  farming.     He  came  to  Illinois  from   the  South, 


being  a  native  of  North  Carolina  where  he  was 
born  September  10,  1832,  of  Southern  parentage, 
his  father,  Travers  W.  Whitfield,  being  a  native  of 
North  Carolina,  who  there  grew  up  and  became  a 
farmer.  His  wife  was  Miss  Elizabeth  Stephen,  a 
native  of  Virginia  who  was  reared  on  the  line  be- 
tween that  State  and  North  Carolina.  After  mar- 
riage the  young  couple  came  to  Tennessee  about 
the  year  1833,  and  in  1847  they  brought  their 
household  to  Illinois,  landing  in  Alton,  whence 
they  came  to  Chesterfield  Township,  Macoupin 
County,  where  they  spent  many  years. 

The  family  finally  removed  to  Lincoln,  Logan 
County,  this  State,  where  the  husband  and  father 
died  when  over  fifty  years  old.  He  was  a  fine  man, 
wide-.-! wake  to  public  interests  and  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  Democratic  party  but  was  not  a 
seeker  for  office.  His  widow  still  survives  him 
and  now  being  eighty-two  years  old,  makes  her 
home  in  Republic  County,  Kan.  She  is  feeble 
from  the  weight  of  her  many  years,  but  is  still  in- 
terested in  both  family  and  church  affairs,  being  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Her 
two  sons  and  four  daughters  are  living,  of  whom 
William  is  the  eldest. 

Our  subject  became  of  age  after  moving  into 
this  county  and  here  he  has  married  his  wife  and 
reared  his  children.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was 
Moning  Clark  and  she  was  born  iu  this  township, 
on  her  father's  old  homestead  on  section  20.  For 
a  full  history  of  ber  family-  the  reader  is  referred 
to  the  sketch  of  Randall  Clark.  This  lady  was  en- 
tirely reared  and  educated  in  this  township  and  is 
well  known  as  a  woman  of  ability  and  both  she  and 
her  husband  are  prominent  in  social  and  church 
circles. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  Republican  in  his 
political  views  and  has  been  placed  by  his  fellow- 
citizens  in  several  offices  of  trust  and  responsibil- 
ity. He  and  his  excellent  wife  are  the  parents  of 
four  children,  namely:  William  M.,  who  look  to 
wife  Mary  Schnieder,  and  lives  on  a  farm  in  Gil- 
lespie Township;  James  L.,  who  is  married  to  Clara 
Coffee  and  is  also  farming  in  this  township;  Thom- 
as, who  married  Cora  Vanata  and  lives  on  the  home 
farm;  Henrietta,  the  eldest  child,  is  the  wife  of 
Theodore  Meyer  of  the  mercantile   firm  of  Meyer 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


521 


Bios.,  Dorchester.  This  family  is  one  of  the  solid 
and  substantial  families  of  Macoupin  County  and 
worthy  of  the  respect  which  is  given  them  by  their 
neighbors. 


UILLIAM  D.  REDER.  lumber  merchant  in 
Chesterfield,  was  born  in  this  county  No- 
^"^  vember  7,  1848,  and  is  the  youngest  child 
of  Paschal  L.  and  Margaret  (Rafferty)  Reder.  His 
parents  were  natives  of  Tennessee  and  Kentucky 
respectively,  and  each  came  to  this  State  early  in 
the  '30s,  accompanying  their  respective  parents. 
The  pioneers,  Jeptha  Reder  and  James  Rafferty, 
improved  farms  and  aided  much  in  bringing  this 
section  under  subjection  and  in  opening  the  way 
for  the  work  which  is  now  being  carried  on  by 
their  descendants  and  those  of  other  equally  hard- 
working and  courageous  frontiersmen.  They  spent 
their  remaining  days  here  and  died  full  of  years 
and  honors. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  united  in  mar- 
riage and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Western  Mound 
Township.  The  father  became  the  owner  of  a 
large  amount  of  land,  a  portion  of  which  he  en- 
tered from  the  Government.  His  career  was  cut 
short  by  death  in  1866,  while  he  was  visiting  old 
acquaintances  at  Dallas,  Ter.  His  wife  survived 
him  many  years,  dying  at  Chesterfield  in  1889. 
They  had  ten  children,  six  of  whom  grew  to  ma- 
turity. These  are  Elizabeth,  wife  of  A.  B.  Peebles; 
Nanc}-  J.,  wife  of  John  Hageman;  Martha  E., 
widow  of  George  Orr;  James  K.,  George  W..  and 
William  D.  The  last  named  was  reared  amid 
the  surroundings  of  rural  life  and  received  the  ma- 
jor part  of  his  education  in  the  district  school,  but 
had  the  added  opportunities  afforded  in  Carlin- 
ville. 

October  7,  1879,  Mr.  Reder  was  married  to  Lucy 
J.  Albin,  daughter  of  William  D.  and  Margaret 
Albin.  The  bride  was  born  in  Western  Mound, 
where  her  parents  settled  in  1860,  coming  hither 
from  Virginia.  They  resided  there  until  1887, 
then  removed  to  Henry  County,  Mo.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.   Reder  have    had   three  children,   but   their 


first- born  was  removed  from  them  by  death.  Their 
living  sons  are  Elmer  I).  and  George  W.  After 
his  marriage  Mr.  Reder  located  on  a  farm  in  Polk 
Township  and   remained   there  until  March,  1889. 

He  was  the  owner  of  a  good  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  which  he  sold  in  1891.  The  year 
that  be  abandoned  farming  he  established  his  pres- 
ent business  and  now  has  the  only  lumber  yard  in 
Chesterfield. 

Mr.  Reder  keeps  on  hand  a  good  supply  of  rough 
and  dressed  lumber,  making  a  specialty  of  mater- 
ial suitable  for  the  best  building  purposes,  and  is 
making  very  satisfactory  progress  as  a  dealer.  He 
gives  his  attention  earnestly  to  the  business  before 
him,  and  at  the  same  lime  keeps  himself  well  in- 
formed regarding  general  news  of  the  day  and  the 
movements  in  which  the  people  are  interested. 
While  he  was  a  resident  of  Polk  Township  he  held 
several  offices  of  public  trust,  among  them  being 
Town  Clerk,  Collector,  Supervisor  and  Justice  of 
the  Peace.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  be- 
longs to  the  United  Baptist  Church,  is  an  earnest 
believer,  and  tries  to  govern  his  life  by  correct 
principles. 

*S^—- 

HOMAS  VANORSDAL.  The  fact  that  a 
man  has  been  a  Union  soldier  is  sutlicicent 
to  give  him  the  respect  and  gratitude  of 
every  American  citizen,  and  when  to  this  recom- 
mendation is  added  a  knowledge  of  an  industrious 
and  upright  life,  he  is  still  more  worth}'  of  regard. 
Under  such  circumstances  is  Thomas  Vanoredal 
placed,  he  having  served  in  the  ranks  of  his  coun- 
try's defenders  during  the  Civil  War,  and  having 
since  been  actively  engaged  in  farming  in  Bird 
Township,  and  joining  with  her  citizens  in  good 
works.  His  farm  is  on  section  16,  and  consists  of 
one  hundred  broad  and  fertile  acres,  well  improved 
and  well  stocked. 

Madison  and  Lucinda  (Burford)  Vanorsdal,  the 
parents  of  our  subject,  emigrated  from  Kentucky 
to  this  State  in  an  early  day  and  made  their  first 
settlement  in  Greene  County.  They  afterward 
came  to  this  county  and  established  their  home  in 
Bird  Township,  where   the   wife   and    mother  died 


522 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


about  1875.  Tliey  had  six  daughters  and  four 
sons,  and  the  subject  of  this  notice  was  the  third 
on  the  family  roll.  He  was  born  in  Greene  County 
January  30,  1843,  but  the  greater  number  of  his 
early  years  were  spent  in  this  count}',  which  he  has 
continued  to  make  his  home. 

When  in  his  twentieth  year  young  Vanorsdal  en- 
listed, being  enrolled  in  Company  A,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Seventy-second  Illinois  Infantry,  August 
9,  1862.  He  served  until  the  close  of  the  war  and 
did  what  he  could  to  maintain  the  Union,  cheer- 
fully enduring  the  hardships  of  a  soldier's  life  and 
displaying  manly'  courage  in  times  of  danger.  He 
took  part  in  the  engagements  at  Perkin's  Cross- 
roads, Town  Creek,  Nashville,  Ft.  Blakely,  etc. 
When  the  war  was  over  he  was  mustered  out,  and 
returning  to  his  old  home  turned  his  attention  to 
farming,  exchanging  the  implements  of  warfare 
for  those  of  his  peaceful  calling. 

In  South  Palmyra  Township,  this  county,  Sep- 
tember 1,  1868,  the  marriage  rites  between  Thomas 
Vanorsdal  and  Martha  Regan  were  solemnized. 
The  bride  was  born  in  Barr  Township.  March  4, 
1847,  and  was  the  youngest  of  eight  surviving 
children  of  Joshua  and  Jane  (Huskey)  Regan,  who 
came  from  Tennessee  to  this  county  many  years 
ago.  Her  parents  are  now  deceased.  Her  happy 
union  has  been  blest  by  the  birth  of  seven  chil- 
dren, who  are  named  respectively:  Alberta,  Elroy, 
Rose.  Walter,  Horace,  Grace  and  Emma.  The 
eldest  daughter  was  married  November  6,  1890,  to 
Edgar  Bates.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vanorsdal  be- 
long to  the  Baptist  Church,  and  their  standing  in 
the  community  is  assured. 


\|7  EANDER  S.  THACKER.  The  good  influ- 
I  (?S)  ence  of  any  family  in  a  community  is 
/lv-^v,  greatly  increased  by  its  prolonged  residence 
therein.  Generation  after  generation  of  honorable 
living  and  thorough,  enterprising  work  brings  a 
cumulative  force  to  bear  which  emphasizes  every 
good  point  in  the  character  and  life  work  of  a 
family.  Illinois  has  been  so  young  a  State  as  to 
have    little    of    this    wealth    of    influence,    but    in 


Macoupin  County  we  occasionally  find  a  family 
homestead  which  has  been  occupied  for  two  gener- 
ations and  there  we  are  sure  to  discern  the  effects 
of  such  occupancy.  This  is  the  case  at  the  Thacker 
homestead,  which  is  now  occupied  by  the  gentle- 
man whose  name  appears  at  the  head  of  this 
sketch. 

Z.  Thacker,  the  honored  father  of  our  subject, 
is  more  fully  sketched  on  another  page  of  this 
Recohd.  His  son  Leander  is  a  native  of  Macoupin 
County,  having  been  born  near  Palmyra,  March 
21,  1849.  He  was  four  years  old  when  his  father 
removed  to  Nilwood  Township,  where  he  received 
his  early  training  and  education,  taking  full  advan- 
tage of  the  district  school  instruction,  after  which 
in  1870  he  entered  Shurtleff  College. 

Our  subject  grew  to  manhood  in  Nilwood 
Township  and  since  his  fourth  year  has  made  it  his 
home,  with  the  exception  of  two  years  which  he 
spent  in  Franklin  County,  Kan.,  where  he  went 
in  1881.  He  has  always  followed  agricultural  pur 
suits  and  now  owns  the  old  homestead,  which 
consists  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  broad  and 
productive  acres,  which  bear  upon  their  surface 
an  attractive  home  and  neat  and  convenient  build- 
ings for  the  accommodation  of  the  farm  work  and 
stock. 

The  married  life  of  Mr.  Thacker  began  February 
10,  1875,  with  his  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Crane 
at  her  home  in  Nilwood  Township.  She  made  him 
an  affectionate  and  helpful  wife  during  the  short 
time  which  was  given  them  together  and  she  died 
at  their  home  September  1,  1879.  One  child 
blessed  their  union,  to  whom  they  gave  the  name 
of  James  O.,  but.  he  too  was  soon  taken  away  from 
the  home,  being  called  hence  when  two  and  one- 
half  years  old.  The  second  marital  union  of  this 
gentleman  took  place  February  17,  1881,  at  the 
home  of  the  bride  in  Montgomery  County,  111. 
The  lady  who  then  became  Mrs.  Thacker  was  Miss 
Edna  A.  Thompson,  who  was  born  in  Dowagiac, 
Cass  County,  Mich.,  July  10,  1856. 

They  have  had  three  children.  His  daughter, 
Amy  E.,  lived  to  be  seven  years  old  and  was  then 
taken  from  him.  Those  living  are  Leroy  H.  and 
a  babe  named  Walter  Clyde.  In  this  quiet  home 
harmony  prevails  and  the  lives    of    its   occupants 


i'BRARY 
Of  THE 
WNIVEW5ITV 


V 


<rt  %. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


525 


are  good  examples  of  the  best  kind  of  country  life. 
Mr.  Thackcr  was  for  one  year  in  the  office  of 
Township  Clerk  and  he  has  ever  been  interested  in 
political  affairs  and  helpful  in  forwarding  the  pros- 
perity of  the  Republican  party,  to  which  lie  is 
ardently  attached.  Both  he  and  his  good  wife 
are  earnest  and  active  in  religious  work  and  are 
conscientious  and  devoted  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church. 

,  ETER  L.  DEN  BY.  The  agricultural  element 
that  has  been  so  largely  instrumental  in 
the  upbuilding  of  Macoupin  County  has  no 
better  representative  than  this  gentleman 
whose  portrait  in  on  the  opposite  page.  He  was  a 
native-born  citizen  of  this  section  of  the  State, 
grew  with  its  growth,  has  become  a  man  of  wealth 
and  one  of  the  principal  farmers  and  stock-raisers 
of  South  Palmyra  Township,  his  birthplace,  where 
lie  has  large  farming  interests  and  n  beautiful  resi- 
dence on  the  old  homestead  where  his  entire  life 
has  been  passed. 

Mr.  Denby  was  born  November  21,  1838,  to 
Peter  and  Sarah  (Quarton)  Denby,  pioneers  of  this 
county.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Yorkshire, 
Eng.,  and  a  son  of  English  people  who  spent  their 
whole  lives  in  the  land  of  their  birth.  The  father 
of  our  subject  and  two  of  his  brothers  were  the 
only  members  of  the  family  that  ever  crossed  the 
ocean  to  this  country.  The  brothers,  William  and 
Thomas,  settled  in  Morgan  County,  this  State. 
Peter  Denby,  Sr.,  was  about  thirty  years  of  age 
when  he  came  to  America  in  1834,  sailing  from 
Liverpool  and  landing  at  New  York.  He  came 
directly  to  Illinois  by  the  most  convenient  and 
expeditious  route  at  that  time,  which  was  by  the 
way  of  the  Hudson  River,  Erie  Canal  and  Lake 
Erie  to  Cleveland,  thence  by  the  Ohio  Canal  to 
Portsmouth,  from  there  by  way  of  the  Ohio  and 
Mississippi  Rivers  to  this  State.  He  first  located  in 
Morgan  Count}',  where  he  rented  land.  In  1835 
he  visited  South  Palmyra  Township  and  entered 
Government  land  on  section  36,  which  was  one  of 
the  finest  tracts  in  this  county.  His  first  pioneer 
work  was  to  build  a  lo°:  cabin,  which   became   the 


birthplace  of  his  son,  of  whom  we  write.  At  that 
time,  and  for  some  years  after,  the  surrounding 
country  was  sparsely  settled  and  people  going  from 
one  place  to  another  drove  over  the  open  prairies, 
where  in  season  large  herds  of  cattle  grazed,  while 
deer,  wolves,  and  other  wild  animals  were  ofien 
seen.  Alton  and  St.  Louis  were  the  nearest  markets. 

By  years  of  hard  and  persistent  toil  Mr.  Denby 
brought  his  land  into  a  fine  slate  of  cultivation  and 
erected  a  neat  set  of  frame  buildings  to  take  the 
place  of  the  primitive  cabin  and  outbuildings  that 
he  first  erected.  He  lived  here  in  peace  and  con- 
tentment until  death  rounded  out  his  life  Decem- 
ber 3,  1862.  His  wife  also  spent  her  last  days  on 
the  home  farm  that  she  had  assisted  him  to  reclaim 
from  the  wilderness,  her  death  taking  place  Febru- 
ary 2,  1847.  She  was  likewise  a  native  of  Yorkshire 
and  came  from  her  early  English  home  with  her 
father,  Thomas  Quarton,  who  was  of  Yorkshire 
birth  and  a  pioneer  of  Morgan  County.  Three 
children  were  reared  by  the  parents  of  our  sub- 
ject: William,  a  resident  of  Cailinville  Township; 
Thomas,  the  youngest,  who  lives  in  Missouri,  and 
our  subject. 

As  before  mentioned.  Peter  Denby.  of  this  bio- 
graphical review,  has  always  resided  on  the  farm 
where  his  life  began  and  he  was  never  separated 
from  his  parents  until  their  death.  1 1  is  education 
was  obtained  in  the  pioneer  schools,  the  first  that 
he  attended  being  taught  in  a  log  house.  The  seats 
were  made  by  splitting  logs  and  hewing  one  side 
smooth  and  inserting  a  wooden  pins  for  support, 
the  seats  being  without  backs  or  desks.  A  log  was 
taken  out  of  one  side  of  the  building  and  in  the 
apperture  thus  made,  that  extended  nearly  the 
whole  length  of  the  room,  glass  was  inserted.  Holes 
were  bored  in  the  logs  underneath  this  primitive 
window,  wooden  pegs  were  inserted  and  a  piece  of 
puncheon  laid  on  them  served  as  a  writing  desk 
for  the  larger  schoolars. 

Our  subject  was  reared  to  habits  of  industry 
and  early  displayed  those  strong  characteristics 
that  have  made  him  eminently  successful  in  carry- 
ing on  extensive  fanning  operations  and  have 
placed  him  among  the  leaders  in  his  vocation. 
Besides  possessing  the  old  homestead  he  has  much 
other  valuable   property,  as  from  time  to  time  he 


526 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


lias  judiciously  invested  li is  money  in  reai  estate, 
and  now  has  twelve  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of 
choice  land.  His  improvements  rank  among  the 
best  in  the  county,  and  make  his  farm  a  model  and 
an  ornament  to  the  township.  He  has  erected  a 
commodious  frame  house  of  a  modern  style  of 
architecture, which  is  neat  and  tasty  in  its  appoint- 
ments and  is  surrounded  by  well-kept  grounds.  In 
keeping  with  this  handsome  residence  are  a  large 
and  conveniently  arranged  barn  and  other  substan- 
tial outbuildings. 

Mr.  Denby  was  6rst  married  in  18G3  to  Miss 
Margaret  S.  Trible,  native  of  England,  she  de- 
parted this  life  in  187G  leaving  behind  her  the 
record  of  one  who  was  a  good  wife  and  tender 
mother.  These  six  children  are  of  that  marriage 
— Nellie,  Laura,  Charles.  John,  Walter  ami  Clara. 
The  marriage  of  our  subject  to  his  present  amiable 
wife,  formerly  Miss  Clara  E.  Johnson,  a  native  of 
Illinois,  was  consummated  in  January.  1K7.S.  Two 
children — Zoe  M.  and  Fred  L.  have  added  to  then- 
felicitous  wedded    life. 

Mr.  Denby  possesses  in  a  rare  degree  force  and 
decision  of  character,  tenacity  of  purpose,  a  saga- 
cious,  independent  judgment  and  great  practibility 
which  have  enabled  him  to  conduct  his  business  to 
the  best  advantage  and  after  the  best  methods,  and 
those  trails  have  also  made  him  an  important  agent 
in  developing  the  agriculture  of  the  county.  He 
has  decided  views  on  all  subjects  with  which  he  is 
conversant;  this  is  particularly* true  in  regard  to 
his  political  opinions,  and  we  find  him  a  firm  sup- 
porter of  the  Republican   party. 

-^X^'«*°" — «*~ 

<>IIN  KELSEY,  deceased,  was  born  in  York- 
shire, England,  January  12,  1821,  and  was 
a  son  of  John  ami  Mary  (Atkinson)  Kelsey. 
His  parents  were  also  natives  of  the  same 
county,  where  they  were  married,  and  after  the  birth 
of  their  children  they  emigrated  with  their  family 
to  America,  in  1834,  crossing  the  Atlantic  in  the 
sailing  vessel  "Hull,"  which  after  a  long  and  tedious 
voyage  safely  landed  in  New  York,  whence  they 
came  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Madison  Count)-,  near 


Edwardsville.  After  there  improving  a  farm,  Mr. 
Kelsey  sold  out  and  in  1854  purchased  a  tract  of 
unimproved  land  in  Brighton  Township,  Macou- 
pin County,  which  he  developed  and  improved, 
making  it  his  home  until  his  death.  His  wife  has 
also  passed  away.  They  were  prominent  people  of 
this  community,  members  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, and  many  friends  mourned  their   loss. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  lad  of  only  ten 
summers  when  by  nis  parents  he  was  brought  to 
America.  After  spending  a  few  years  in  Madison 
County,  III.,  he  came  to  this  county  and  on  attain- 
ing liis  majority  began  life  for  himself,  engaging  in 
agricultural  pursuits,  the  occupation  to  which  he 
had  been  reared.  He  was  very  successful  in  his 
business  undertakings,  ami  his  landed  possessions 
at  the  time  of  his  death  aggregated  more  than  one 
thousand  acres,  the  greater  part  of  which  was 
under  a  high  stale  of  cultivation  and  well  im- 
proved. He  gave  his  personal  supervision  to  the 
Inc. mess,  and  being  a  man  of  industrious  habits, 
energy  and  enterprise,  he  met  with  excellent  suc- 
cess.  He  possessed  more  than  ordinary  business 
ability,  and  was  far-sighted  and  sagacious,  and    his 

g 1  judgment    led    him    to    invest   his   capital   in 

lands  which  rose  in  value  as  time  passed  on  and 
the  country  became  more  thickly  populated.  At 
length,  having  acquired  a  handsome  property,  he  re- 
SOlved  to  lay  aside  business  cares,  and  on  the  17th 
of  April.  1883,  left  the  farm  and  removed  to  Brigh- 
ton. 

Mi-.  Kelsey  was  united  in  marriage  in  Brightoi 
Township  with  Miss  Sarah  E.  Evans,  who  was  there 
born  July  19,  1843,  and  is  a  daughter  of  John 
Evans,  a  native  of  New  York,  who  in  an  early  day 
emigrated  to  this  county.  Incoming  one  of  its  pio- 
neers. His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mercy 
Loveland,  was  born  in  Rhode  Island  in  1 824,  and 
with  her  parents  came  to  the  West  in  a  very  early 
day.  She  was  a  lady  of  influence,  who  figured 
prominently  in  social  circles  and  won  many  friends. 
Of  the  Methodist  Church  she  was  a  faithful  mem- 
ber, iind  -In-  died  in  that  faith  on  the  16th  of  Janu- 
ary,  1873. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kelsey  were  born  six  chil- 
dren, but  Nellie  A.  and  Leroy  both  died  in  child- 
hood.    Mercy  M.  is  now  the  wife  of  Frank  Moore, 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


527 


who  operates  a  part  of  the  old  homestead ;  Mary 
Alice  is  the  wife  of  Harry  M.  Eldredge,  and  they 
reside  in  Brighton  with  Mrs.  Kelsey;  John  II.  and 
James  R.  also  make  their  home  with  the  mother. 
The  children  were  all  well  educated,  and  have  he- 
come  useful  men  and  women  who  do  honor  to  their 
name. 

On  removing  to  Brighton,  Mr.  Kelsey  provided 
a  most  pleasant  and  commodious  home  for  himself 
and  family,  and  there  surrounded  with  all  the  corn- 
forts  of  life,  he  lived  until  called  to  his  final  rest  on 
the  9th  of  November,  1888.  lie  was  a  good  citi- 
zen, a  faithful  and  tender  husband  and  father,  and 
many  friends  shared  with  the  family  in  their  loss. 
Mrs.  Kelsey  still  resides  in  the  beautiful  home  in 
Brighton,  left  her  by  her  husband.  She  devotes 
her  time  to  the  interests  of  her  family  and  friends 
and  to  the  work  of  the  Methodist  Church,  in  which 
she  is  a  leading  and  consistent  member.  Of  her 
means  she  gives  liberally  to  ail  worthy  enter- 
prises, the  poor  and  needy  find  in  her  a  friend, 
and  man}'  have  reason  to  bless  her  for  her 
bounty. 


I  ^ANIEL  II.  COMBES,  a  farmer  of  intelli- 
gence  and   standing,  residing   in  Hilyard 

>•  Township,  has  a  fine  set  of  farm  buildings 
and  a  well-improved  tract  of  land  on  sec- 
tion 10,  and  here  he  carries  on  successfully,  gen- 
eral farming  ami  the  raising  of  line  stock.  This 
land  be  has  been  in  possession  of  since  18(18,  and 
on  it  he  has  made  his  home  since  1861),  when  he 
came  from  Jersey  County.  His  birth  was  near 
Jersey  ville,  November  4,  1 848,  and  his  father, 
Daniel  II.  Combes,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Trenton,  N.  J., 
and  was  a  son  of  Isaac  Combes,  who  lived  and  died 
in  that  State,  having  followed  an  honored  career 
as  a  citizen  and  tradesman. 

Daniel  II.  Combes,  Sr.,  became  an  undertaker  by 
trade  and  followed  ibis  line  of  work  until  he  came 
to  Illinois,  in  1S47,  after  which  he  improved  a 
good  farm  and  gave  to  each  and  all  of  his  children 
a  helpful  start  in  life.  He  died  at  the  home  of  his 
only  daughter  on  the   old   homestead    when   nearly 


eighty  years  of  age.  His  early  political  prefer- 
ances  were  for  the  principles  of  the  Whig  party 
and  he  afterward  became  a  Republican.  He  was 
for  many  years  connected  with  the  Baptist  Church. 

The  mairiage  of  the  father  of  our  subject  in 
Trenton,  N.  J.,  united  him  with  Mary  R.  Sun- 
derland, a  native  of  that  State.  She  was  one  of  a 
large  family  and  a  representative  Of  an  old  New 
Jersey  family.  Together  they  lived  and  labored 
to  build  up  a  home,  in  which  they  attained  good 
success.  Our  subject  is  the  youngest  of  four  chil- 
dren, who  came  to  this  harmonious  home,  bis  sis- 
ter and  one  brother,  yet  surviving. 

He  of  whom  we  write  received  his  education  in 
his  native  county  and  having  reached  the  age  of 
maturity  decided  to  establish  a  home  of  his  own. 
The  lady  whom  he  chose  as  his  life  partner  was 
Abigail  Longstatf,  who  was  born  in  Shipman  Town- 
ship. She  was  reared  by  her  parents  in  Brighton, 
her  father,  Richard  Lougstaff,  being  a  native  of 
England,  and  her  mother,  Maria  Bradley,  being 
also  from  the  British  Islands.  Their  marriage  did 
not  take  place,  however,  until  after  they  had  both 
come  to  this  country,  as  they  met  in  Macoupin 
County,  and  were  there  united.  They  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  their  days  here,  dying  in  Brighton, 
having  neither  of  them  reached  old  age. 

Mrs.  Combes  is  a  woman  of  unusual  refinement 
and  ability  and  is  one  whose  strength  and  sweet- 
ness win  to  her  many  permanent  friends.  Her  ac- 
tivities in  charitable  and  church  work  place  her  in 
'the  front  rank,  and  her  intelligence  and  education 
tit  her  to  be  what  she  is — a  reader  of  thought. 
Both  she  and  Mr.  Combes  are  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  and  in  his  polities  be  is  attached 
to  the  Republican  party.  They  have  one  child — 
Isaac,  who  makes  his  home  with  his  parents. 


KN.IAMIN  E.  PARKER.  Our  subject 
belongs  to  a  family  that  is  widely  known 
/£)  I  and  greatly  respected  throughout  this 
county.  He  resides  on  a  good  farm  located 
on  section '.I,  Shipman  Township.  His  parents  wen- 
Joel  and   Mirian  (llaycroft)  Parker.     The   former 


528 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


died  in  Shiprnan  Township,  November  28,  1843. 
His  mother  afterward  became  the  wife  of  Henry 
.lolly,  she  still  survives  and  a  sketch  of  her  life 
may  be  found  in  that  of  Oliver  C.  Forwood,  in 
another  part  of  this  volume.  Benjamin  E.  Parker  is 
one  of  seven  children  that  were  the  fruit  of  the 
marriage  of  his  parents.  He  was  born  in  Shiprnan 
Township.  October  9,  1839,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood  and  lias  always  resided. 

Mr.  Parker  has  always  followed  agricultural  pur- 
suits and  his  experience  being  wiile  and  D i ^  intelli- 
gence keen  he  has  made  of  his  calling  a  decided 
success,  lie  was  married  in  Shiprnan  Township, 
January  27,  1864,  to  Miss  Margaret.  A.  Cain,  a 
daughter  of  the  late  Abraham  P.  Cain,  who  was  a 
native  of  Grayson  County.  Ky.,  where  he  was  born 

about  the  year  1814.     His  wife  was  Ni y  Downs. 

She  also  was  horn  in  the  same  coiinl.\  of  which  her 
husband  was  a  native,  September  2,  1828.  They 
married  and  settled  in  Grayson  County  and  thence 
came  to  ,K  rx\  County.  III.,  where  they  lived  for 
several  years,  and  then  came  to  Macoupin  County, 
settling  in  Shiprnan  Township  in  I860,  where  the 
father  died  January  l,  1881.  They  bad  eleven  chil- 
dren whose  names  are  as  follows:  .Margaret  A., 
John  T.,  Sarah  C,  Israel  T..  Mary  E.,  James  W.  ami 
Hardin.  The  eldest  daughter  is  the  wife  of  our 
subject;  John  married  Mary  E.  Morgan;  Israel  T. 
was  united  to  Ella  Jolly ;  Mary  E.  became  the  wife 
of  R.  A.  Love;  Hardin  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Lillie  Miller. 

Mrs.  Benjamin  E.  Parker  was  born  in  Grayson 
County.  Ky.,  March  3,  1845.  In  her  social  inter- 
course she  is  distinguished  for  her  geniality  and 
hospitality  for  which  Kentnckians  are  so  noted. 
Our  subject  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  two 
children,  Leonora,  who  is  the  wife  of  J.  G.  Mon- 
tague, and  Kittie  I...  who  presides  over  the  home  of 
Llian  O.  I  lay  ward. 

Mr.  Parker  is  a  Prohibitionist  in  principle  and 
politics  and  has  held  many  positions  awarded  not  so 
much  for  party  allegiance  as  for  capability  and 
judgment.  Delias  been  Highway  Commissioner  for 
ten  years  and  School  Director  for  many  years.  He 
and  his  estimable  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church  at  Medora,  of  which  body  he  has  been  Clerk 
for    many  years.     Socially   he  is  a  member  of  the 


Masonic  fraternity  and  also  the  Fanners'  Mutual 
Benefit  Association.  He  has  erected  a  good  series 
of  buildings  upon  his  farm  and  has  made  with  its 
valuable  improvements  a  truly  enviable  home  upon 
his  tract  of  one  hundred   and   eighty  acres. 


|         ENRY  C.   DUCKELS  is  numbered   among 
the     practical      and      enterprising    young 

fanners  and  stock -raisers  who  have  within 
recent  years  stepped  to  the  front  to  assist 
in  carrying  forward  the  great  agricultural  interests 
of  this  their  native  county  and  is  successfully 
managing  the  Loper  farm  in  Western  Mound 
Township,  lie  was  born  in  Chesterfield  Township 
December  2,  1855,  a  son  of  Richard  and  Elizabeth 
Duckels,  pioneers  of  that  township,  of  whom  a 
Sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

The  early  life  of  our  subject  was  spent  much  as 
that  of  other  farmers'  sons,  in  attendance  at  school, 
and  in  assisting  in  the  labors  of  the  farm,  thus  ac- 
quiring a  good  insight  into  the  best  methods  of 
carrying  on  agriculture,  which  he  has  applied  suc- 
cessfully since  he  began  his  career  as  an  indepen- 
dent  farmer. 

.Mr.  Duckels  resided  with  his  parents  until  his 
marriage  and  then  settled  on  a  farm  in  Western 
Mound  Township.  He  was  busily  engaged  in  tilling 
its  soil  the  ensuing  three  years,  and  at  the  expira- 
tion of  that  time  removed  to  Chesterfield  and  de- 
voted himself  to  the  mercantile  business  there  one 
year.  His  next  enterprise  was  to  engage  in  the 
manufacture  of  Hour  at  Medora,  where  he  operated 
a  mill  one  year.  After  that  he  purchased  a  farm 
in  Chesterfield  Township,  and  taking  up  his  resi- 
dence on  it,  was  actively  employed  in  its  cultivation 
and  improvement  for  some  time.  Under  his  care 
its  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  rich  soil 
yielded  good  harvests  and  a  comfortable  income. 

In  18.SG  Mr.  Duckels  removed  to  the  Loper 
homestead,  the  estate  of  his  late  father-in-law, 
Adrian  W.  Loper.  in  Western  Mound  Township, 
and  has  charge  of  the  farm,  which  under  his  able 
management  is  kept  up  to  the  same  fine    condition 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


529 


that  it  had  attained  during  the  life-time  of  Mr. 
Loper.  Our  subject  carries  on  his  work  in  an 
orderly  manner,  after  the  most  approved  system  of 
agriculture,  and  has  won  an  assured  position  among 
the  successful  inch  of  Ins  calling  in  his  native 
county. 

Mr.  Duckels  was  married  in  l«77  to  Miss  Ophelia 
Loper,  ami  in  her  lie  lias  hail  the  encouragement 
and  assistance  of  a  true  wife,  'she  is  also  a  native 
of  the  county,  born  in  Western  Mound  Township, 
anil  a  daughter  of  the  late  Adrian  W.  and  Susan 
Loper.  of  whom  an  account  appears  elsewhere. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duckels  have  four  children,  whom 
they  have  named  Thomas  W.,  Gertrude,  Reynold 
and  William  Khlen. 


\AJ 


.II.LIAM  F.  QCHT MANN,  now  deceased, 

f    was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  in  August, 
1821,  and    died    at    his    home    in   Cahokia 
Township  on  the  fith  of  March,  1877,  respected  by 
all  who  knew  him.     He  was  for  many  years  one 
of  the  prominent  German   citizens  of  the  commu- 
nity ami    an    enterprising    farmer.     In    the    usual 
manner    of    farmer    lads    his    boyhood   days    were 
Spent,  and  when  he   had   attained    to    mature  years 
he  resolved  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  New  World. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  bade  good-by  to  his 
native  land  and  sailed  for  America, landing  in  New 
York,  whence   he  came  to   Louisville.   Ky.,  work- 
ing in   the  vicinity  of  that    city  for-  some    time  as 
a    farm   laborer.     On    coming    In     Illinois     in    an 
earlv    day,   he    located    in     Mt.    Olive,    Macoupin 
County.      Much    of  the    land    was   still    owned    by 
the  Government,  and  being  unimproved,   he  de- 
cided  to  obtain  a  portion  of  it  and  make  a   home 
fur   himself.     To   this  end    he    secured    a   tract  on 
section  36, Cahokia  Township,  where  he  ever  after- 
ward resided,  and  at  his    death    he   had  a    valuable 
trail  nf  land  of  two   hundred    and    forty    acres,  all 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation   and    equipped 
with  all  the  improvements   necessary   to  the  model 
farm  of  the  nineteenth    century.     Not   a   furrow 
had   been   turned    when    he  came   into  possession 
of    the    land    and    all    tin-    work   done  upon    it  has 


been  the  labor  of  his  own  hands.  He  alway> 
kepi  his  farm  well  stocked  with  a  good  grade  of 
horses,  cattle  and  hogs,  and  the  ncal  appearance  of 
the  place  was  excellent  evidence  of  his  thrift  and 
enterprise. 

As  a  helpmate  on  life's  journey  Mr.  Ichtmann 
chose  Miss  Minnie  Grosscnhider,  their  marriage 
being  celebrated  near  Mt.  Olive.  She  was  born  in 
Prussia,  Germany,  July  15,  1836,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Catherine  (Searf)  Grossen- 
hider.  Htr  father  died  in  Germany  at  the  age  of 
forty-nine  years.  He  followed  farming  for  a  live- 
lihood. His  widow  afterward  came  to  this  coon 
try  and  died  at  the  home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
(Jchtmann,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy-two 
years.  In  their  family  were  nine  children,  all  of 
whom  came  to  this  country,  while  seven  are  yet 

living.      Mrs.    (Jchtma the   fourth    in    order    of 

birth,  was  nineteen  years  old  whim,  with  a  brother, 
she  came  to  the  United  states,  sailing  from  Bremen 
to  New  Orleans,  and  thenci ing  up  the  Mis- 
sissippi River  to  st.  Louis  and  Macoupin  County, 
where  two  years  later  she  was  married.  By  their 
union  were  born  ten  children,  but  only  Ave  are  now 
living — Fritz,  who  married  Lena  Neilbouseand  re- 
sides upon  a  pari,  of  the  home  farm;  Minnie  C, 
Anna L.  S., Matilda  W.  and  Edward  F.  A.  who  are 
still  living  with  their  mother.  Henry  died  at  the 
age  of  eleven  years;  Ida  and  Herman  were  both 
six  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  their  deaths;  John 
also  died  in  childhood,  and  another  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

Mr.  [Jchtmann  came  to  this  country  to  make  a 
home  and  the  United  states  had  no  truer  citizen; 
he  lived  with  an  eye  single  to  the  interests  of  the 
township  and  county,  and  his  labors  were  felt  ill 
the  community  for  good.  An  honest,  upright 
man,  be  won  the  respect  of  all  who  knew  him  and 
had  many  warm  friends  who  shared  with  the  fam- 
ily in  their  loss.  Ho  was  a  member  of  the  Luth- 
eran Church,  to  the  rapport  of  which  he  gave  lib- 
erally,  and  in  politics  was  a  Republican,  having 
held  some  local  offices,  the  duties  of  which  he  ever 
faithfully  discharged.  His  industrious  and  enter- 
prising habits  enabled  him  to  leave  his  family  in 
comfortable  circumstances.  Since  her  husband's 
death  Mrs.  Ucbtmann   has  managed  the  home  farm 


5  10 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  displays  much  business  and  executive  ability 
in  so  doing.  She  and  all  of  the  children  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  the  family  is 
fa vnia hly  known  throughout   the  community. 


F^ 


AMUEL  W.  STUTZMAN.  The  family  to 
which  our  subject  belongs  is  supposed  to 
have  come  originally  from  Switzerland, 
that  country  which  is  noted  among  the  na- 
tions as  being  one  of  the  olde  t  existing  Republics 
and  as  our  wliosc  people  were  as  a  nnii  so  deter- 
mined to  have  freedom  that  they  dared  death  on 
every  occasion  rather  than  submit  to  .Austrian 
supremacy'.  Our  subject's  father  was  Daniel  W. 
Stnt/.inin.  who  was  bom  in  Montgomery  Counts', 
Ohio.  March    28,   1811.     [laving    passed    through 

the    early     pioneer    experience    the    old     gentleman 

would  doubtless  be  surprised  could  he  see  the  beau- 
tiful farm  located  on  section  8,  Nilwood  Township. 
that  his  sou  owns  at  present. 

The  father  of  Daniel  W.  Stutzman,  or  our  sub- 
ject's grandfather,  was  Samuel  Stutzman,  who  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  lie  removed  at  an  early 
date  with  his  parents  from  Pennsylvania  to  Ohio, 
where  he  settled  in  Montgomery  County.  From 
there  he  removed  to  Elkhart  County,  [nd.,  where 
be  died  in  the  spring  of  1861.  Our  subject's 
mother  was  Hannah  Wineland.  She  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Daniel  Stutzman  in  Montgomery 
County,  and  with  him  at  once  removed  to  Elk- 
hart County, Ind.,  when  she  died;  ber  husband 
then  came  to  Macoupin  County  in  about  the  year 
1867,  and  located  wist  of  Virden,  where  he  died 
in  January,  1883. 

The  gentleman  of  whom  we  write  was  one  of 
eight  children,  the  family  comprising  respectively 
six  sons  and  two  daughters,  (if  these  children  our 
subject  was  the  eldest:  lie  was  born  i::  Elkhart 
County.  Ind..  dune  3,  1835.  where  he  remained 
until  he  reached  manhood,  there  engaged  in  work 
on  his  father's  farm.  In  1859  he  removed  to 
Montgomery,  County,  where  he  met  his  fate  in 
the  shape  of  Miss  Barbara  Vaniman.  with  whom 
he  was  united  in  marriage  September  5,  1861.     The 


lady  is  a  native  of  Montgomery  County,  be- 
ing there  born  March  8,  1840.  Her  parents  were 
Jacob  and  Mary  (Bowman)  Vaniman,  the  former  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  the  latter  of  Ohio.  After 
marriage  they  settled  in  Montgomery  County, 
and  there  lived  until  their  death.  They  were  con- 
sistent members  in  good  standing  of  the  German 
Baptist  Church,  as  were  also  the  members  of  our 
subject's  family. 

Soon  after  our  subject's  marriage  he  and  his 
wife  settled  on  the  old  homestead  of  the  bride's 
father,  Jacob  Vaniman,  in  Montgomery  County. 
There  they  lived  until  March.  1871.  when  they 
removed  to  .Macoupin  County,  and  settled  in 
Nilwood  Township.  They  here  acquired  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  acres  which  is  all  well  im- 
proved. Earlier  in  life  our  subject  was  engaged 
in  carpenter  work  but  the  greater  part  of  his  ex- 
perience has  been  in  agricultural  pursuits. 

Mi.  and  Mrs.  Stutzman  are  the  parents  of  eight 
children.  They  are:  Aaron  II.,  Laura  I).,  Jesse 
E.,  John  D.  ami  Jonathan  P.  (twins);  George  A., 
Harvey  D.  and  Mary  P.  of  these,  the  eldest  son 
is  a  resident  in  the  State  of  Washington.  Laura  1). 
i~  the  wife  of  W.  W.  McGhee.  Jesse  K.  is  a  resi- 
dent of  the  State  of  Washington.  Before  Mr.  Stutz- 
man removed  to  this  state  his  position  in  society 
as  a  man  of  ability  was  recognized  and  he  was 
appointed  School  Director,  in  which  capacity  he 
setved  for  several  years.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Stutzman  are  active  workers  in  the  German  Baptist 
Church  in  which  the  former  has  been  a  Deacon  for 
a  long  lime. 


lissom  a  g> 


<|  WILLIAM  III L YARD,  a  retired  farmer  re- 
\  /  siding  in  liunker  Mill,  where  lie  located 
W  in  March,  1890,  has  been  a  resident  of 
the  county  from  boyhood,  and  is  a  representative 
of  one  of  Pie  pioneer  families  of  the  State.  He 
was  born  in  Sangamon  County.  111..  August  30, 
1823,  and  is  a  son  of  Judge  John  M.  and  Mary 
(Gray)  Hilyard.  His  father,  a  native  of  West 
Virginia,  was  born  in  Campbell  County  January 
30,    1798.  and   belonged    to  one   of  the  early  and 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


53 1 


respected  families  of  tbe  Old  Dominion,  lie-  mar- 
ried Miss  Gray,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  near  the 
Hilyard  homestead,  November  27.  1801.  Their 
childhood  was  spent  in  the  same  neighborhood 
and  after  tlie  liirtli  of  two  children  they  started 
Westward,  traveling  overland  with  wagons  and 
teams  from  Virginia  to  Illinois.  They  cam[>ed  onl 
every  night  and  after  journeying  some  weeks  halted 
at  whnt  i-  now  Waverly,  111.,  but  mad.-  a  settle- 
ment in  Sangamon  County  in  the  early  part  of 
1823.  They  took  np  a  claim,  being  the  first  white 
settlers  in  that  part  of  the  count]  where  they  lo- 
cated. After  eighl  years  they  left  Sangamon 
County  and  removed  to  .Macoupin  County,  where 
be  Nad  previously  entered  land,  making  .he  first 
settlement  in  Hilyard  Township,  which  was  named 
in  honor  of  the  father  of  our  subject.  He  en 
the  land  from  the  Government  and  -(cured  the 
title  from  President  Andrew  Jackson.  It  was 
ated  on  section  22.  and  at  first  was  entirely  desti- 
tute of  all  improvements,  l>ui  with  characteristic 
energy  Mr.  Hilyard  began  the  development  of  a 
farm  and  year  by  ycai  improved  acn    _ 

extended  until  at  length  be  became  owner  of  a 
valuable  farm  of  200  acres,  one  of  the  best  in  the 
township,  which  is  now  owned  by  bis  son  Samuel. 
The  family  bore  the  usual  hard- hips  and  experi- 
en  :es  of  pioneer  life.  Their  first  home  was  a  rude 
log  cabin,  but  in  later  years  it  was  supplanted 
by  i  comfortable  frame  residence.  Mr.  Hilyard 
was  a  man  of  worth  and  ability,  and  soon  became 
a  prominent  man  in  the  county.  He  was  one  of 
the  lirst  teachers  in  the  township  and  before  the 
'lay  of  public  school-  he  established  a  small  pri- 
vate school,  where  he  taught  his  own  and  his  neigh- 
bors' children,  more  for  their  good  than  for  any 
financial  benefit  resulting  therefrom.  In  politics 
lie  was  a  stalwart  supporter  of  Democratic  prin- 
ciples, and  in  addition  to  the  various  township 
offices  which  he  held,  he  served  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  several  y<  ars  and  was  a  namber  of  times 
eiccted  County  Judge.  His  rulings  were  wise,  his 
decisions  unbiased,  and  he  won  favor  with  all. 
whether  Democrat  or  Republican.  For  some  > 
prior  to  his  death  he  was  an  invalid.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  were  for  a  Ion/  lime  members  of  tbe  Reg- 
ular Baptist  Church,  but    they    afterward    united 


with  the  Universalis!  Church.  Judge  Hilyard 
died  in  this  county  in  1872,  and  his  excellent 
wife  was  called  to  her  final  rest  on  the  23d  of 
April,  1874.  In  their  family  were  ten  children. 
seven  -on-  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  all  are 
yet  living  with  the  exception  of  two  sons.  Mount 
Calvary  died  when  sixteen  years  old  ami  John  M. 
while    in  Mexico  during  the    Mexican  War. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  since  his  eighth 
year  resided  in  Macoupin  County.  In  Hilyard 
Township  he  was  reared  to  manhood,  spending  his 
lime  amidst  play  and  work  in  the  usual  manner  of 
lad-,  while-  hi-  education  was  acquired  under  the 
direction  of  his  father  as  public  schools  of  a.ny 
worth  had  not  then  been  instituted.  In  1845,  in 
Hilyard  Township,  be  was  united  in  ma,  i 
with  Miss  Mail  ha  Barnes,  who  was  born  near 
Springfield,  III..  May  27.  1825,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  William  and  Irena  (Welton)  Haines,  who  were 
natives  of  Connecticut  and  Vermont  respectively. 
Thej  were  married  in  the  Bast  and  most  of  their 
children  were  born  prior  to  their  emigration  to 
Illinois,  which  occurred  in  1824,  Thee  settled  on 
forty  acres  of  land,  now  lying  within  the  cor| 
lion  limits  of  Springfield.  The  capital  city  was 
then  a  mere  hamlet  and  the  while  settlers  were 
outnumbered  by  the  Indians  who  oftentimes 
proved  very  troublesome.  Twice  they  burned  down 
the  home  of  the  l'.arnes  family,  and  so.  in  1827, 
his  wife  having  died,  Mr.  Barnes  determined  to 
locate  elsewhere.  He  went  to  Memphis.  Tenn.,  but 
about  1835  returned  to  Illinois,  taking  up  bis  resi- 
dence in  Madison  Count}',  whence  after  live  years 
he  came  to  Macoupin  County,  settling  on  a  farm 
in  Hilyard  Township,  where  bis  death  occurred  in 
1845.  He  was  born  January  15,  1780,  and  had 
therefore  reached  the  age  of  sixty-live  years  when 
he  departed  this  life.  He  was  an  inflexible  Demo- 
crat in  political  ienliment  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  upheld  the  faith  of  the  Methodist  Church. 
Mrs.  Hilyard  was  the  } oungest  of  the  eight  chil- 
dren born  unto  that  worthy  couple,  and  she  grew 
to  womanhood  under  the  care  of  her  father  and 
elder  Bister,  for  her  mother  died  when  -he  was 
quite  young. 

Ten  children    graced    the   union  of    Mr.  Hilyard 
ami    his  wife,   of   whom    four   are   now    die, 


532 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Three  sons,  Elias,  John  and  William  D.,  died  in 
childhood;  and  Mary,  wife  of  Adam  Taggart,  died 
leaving  two  children.  The  members  of  the  fam- 
ily who  still  survive  are:  Eliza  J.,  the  wife  of 
Achilles  Morrison,  who  resides  on  a  farm  near 
Shipman;  James  P.,  who  married  E.  J.  Wood  and 
is  a  resident  farmer  of  Bunker  Hill  Township; 
Sarah,  the  wife  of  W.C.Barnes,  who  is  a  resi- 
dent farmer  of  Shipman  Township;  Lewis,  who 
wedded  Sarah  L.  Taggart  and  is  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  in  Bunker  Hill  Township;  Wal- 
ter, who  married  Ida  Moore  and  is  living  in  Cham- 
paign County;  and  Mattie,  who  married  A.  R. 
Moore,  a  telegraph  operator  of  Champaign  County. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hilyard  are  worthy  people,  kind 
and  obliging  in  manner,  and  their  lives  have  been 
such  as  to  merit  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all 
with  whom  they  have  come  in  contact.  In  poli- 
ties he  is  a  stalwart  Democrat.  Farming  has  been 
his  life  work  and  for  many  years  he  resided  in 
Hilyard  Township,  where  he  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock-raising.  The  first  land  which 
he  owned  was  raw  and  unbroken  at  the  time  of 
his  purchase,  but  he  developed  therefrom  a  good 
farm  and  increased  its  boundaries  until  it  com- 
prised one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  He  also  owns 
a  one  hundred  and  twenty  acre  tract  and  twenty 
acres  of  timber  land.  In  March.  1890,  he  laid 
aside  all  business  cares  and  removed  to  Bunker 
Hill,  where  he  expects  to  spend  the  remainder  of 
his  days  in  his  pleasant  home,  enjoying  the  com- 
forts and  luxuries  of  life,  which  are  the  fruits  of 
his  toil. 


|OHN  W.  HANKINS,  M.  D.,  a  well-known 
I  and  successful  physician  of  Carlinville,  was 
born  at  Burlington,  N.  J.,  November  20, 
1820,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Hankins,  a  na- 
tive of  the  same  State,  born  at  Princeton.  The 
father  of  the  latter,  also  named  John  Hankins,  was 
likewise  a  native  of  New  Jersey.  His  father,  the 
great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Eng- 
land, and  came  to  America  in  early  Colonial  times  as 
an  officer  in  the  British  Army.   He  married  in  New 


Jersey,  and  as  far  as  known,  spent  his  last  years 
there.  His  son  passed  his  entire  life  in  the  same 
State. 

The  father  of  Dr.  Hankins  was  educated  at  Prince- 
ton College,  and  when  a  young  man  commenced 
teaching,  which  vocation  he  followed  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1825.  The  maiden  name 
of  his  wife  was  Hannah  Ayers.  She  was  born  on 
a  farm  three  miles  from  Princeton,  and  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  and  Johanna  Ayers.  She  survived 
her  husband  many  years,  departing  this  life  at  Car- 
linville in  1856,  at  a  venerable  age.  She  reared  a 
family  of  eight  children. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  was  but  five  years 
old  when  his  father  died,  and  three  years  later  he 
went  to  reside  with  a  farmer  in  Burlington  Count)'. 
He  assisted  in  the  duties  of  the  farm  until  he  was 
fourteen  years  old,  in  the  meantime  taking  advan- 
tage of  all  the  opportunities  afforded  for  obtaining 
an  education,  as  he  was  very  fond  of  books,  and 
was  an  eager  student.  At  the  age  mentioned 'he 
commenced  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  shoemaker,  at 
which  he  served  seven  years  at  Burlington,  receiv- 
ing his  board  and  clothes  for  his  work.  At  the 
close  of  his  apprenticeship  he  gave  up  the  trade, 
and  took  charge  of  an  estate  as  a  gardener,  in  which 
position  he  remained  two  and  one-half  years,  in 
the  meantime  studying  medicine,  to  which  he  had 
turned  his  attention  while  an  apprentice,  giving  to 
it  all  his  spare  time,  as  he  had  a  decided  taste  for  it. 

In  June,  1844  he  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in 
Carlinville,  which  at  that  time  was  a  small  place  of 
about  three  hundred  inhabitants,  and  the  houses 
were  nearly  all  of  logs.  There  was  then  but  one 
public  road  in  the  county,  and  that  led  from  St. 
Louis  to  Springfield.  The  only  house  on  the  north 
for  a  distance  of  twenty  miles  was  a  stage  station, 
and  it  was  situated  three  fourths  of  a  mile  south- 
west of  the  present  site  of  the  town  of  Virden.  The 
Doctor  continued  his  studies  here  until  1846,  and 
then  commenced  practice  as  an  eclectic  physician, 
and  for  a  period  of  more  than  forty  years  he  has 
been  successfully  administering  to  the  ills  of  the 
people  far  and  near.  When  he  first  established  him- 
self here  he  had  to  make  his  trips  on  horseback, 
often  traveling  for  miles  through  a  wild,  sparsely 
settled  country.      Wishing  to  further  perfect  him- 


1IBRARV 
Of  T«E 


- 


V? 


PORTRAIT  AND  RIOORAPHICAL  RECORD. 


535 


self  in  medicine,  in  18.52  and  1853  he  attended  a 
scries  of  lectures  at  Chicago,  and  in  1855  was  grad- 
uated from  a  Philadelphia  medical  school.  His 
place  is  among  the  highest  members  of  ihe  school 
of  medicine  that  he  represents,  ami  his  treatment 
of  disease  in  its  various  forms  has  secured  him  a 
fine  practice. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  Hankins  with  Elizabeth  Mc- 
Ker,  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  was  solemnized  in 
1841,  and  for  half  a  century  they  have  faithfully 
shared  life's  joys  and  sorrows.  Of  this  union  there 
are  live  children  living:  Robert  A.,  a  physician; 
John,  a  mechanic;  William  C,  an  attorney;  Charles 
C.  a  physician;    and  Leon  C,  an  attorney. 

The  Doctor  is  essentially  a  self-made  man,  hav- 
ing had  to  make  his  own  way  in  Ihe  world  from  his 
youth  up,  commencing  life  poor,  and  is  now  one  of 
the  wealthy  men  of  Carlinville.  He  was  unable  li> 
attend  medical  lectures  until  he  had  accumulated 
sufficient  money  by  his  practice.  lie  has  always 
put  his  whole  heart  into  his  profession  with  the  suc- 
cess that  is  sure  to  follow  such  devotion  to  one's 
calling.  His  patients  attribute  his  success  to  his 
skill  and  ability,  but  the  Doctor  frankly  says  their 
unbounded  faith  in  him  have  more  to  do  with  it 
than  any  merit  he  may  possess. 

Our  subject  has  been  elected  by  his  fellow-towns- 
men to  various  offices  of  trust.  He  was  a  member 
Of  the  first  City  Council,  and  has  also  served  as  a 
member  of  the  County  Hoard  of  Supervisors.  So- 
cially, he  is  identified  with  Macoupin  Lodge,  No. 
107,  !.().( ).  F.  lie  was  also  a  delegate  to  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention  of  this  State  in  1869-70. 


OBERT  W.  HUDDLESTUN,  formerly  con 
nected  with  the  agricultural  interests  of 
this  county,  now  living  in  retirement  at 
^^)  Carlinville,  is  a  son  of  one  of  the  early  pio- 
neer families  of  this  section  of  Illinois.  He  was 
born  in  Putnam  County,  Ind.,  November  1,  L829. 
His  father,  John  Huddlestun,  was  a  Kcntuckian  by 
birth,  while  the  paternal  grandfather  was  named 
either  Daniel  or  Abraham  Huddlestun,  and  was 
born  either  in  Virginia  or  England  of  English  par- 


ents. He  was  a  pioneer  of  Kentucky,  aid  resided 
there  many  years  ere  his  removal  to  Indiana,  where 
he  died. 

John  Huddlestun  was  reared  and  married  in 
Kentucky,  Nancy  Dunn,  also  a  native  of  that  State. 
Im  ((lining  bis  wife.  Her  father,  whose  name  was 
Robert  Dunn,  was  of  Irish  bil'th,  and  coining  to 
America  in  early  manhood,  he  first  settled  among 
i  In  pioneers  of  Kentucky.  He  afterward  removed 
to  Indiana,  and  his  life  was  brought  to  a  close  in 
that  State.  In  1828.  the  father  of  our  subject, 
located  in  Indiana  as  a  pioneer  of  Putnam  County, 
where  he  lived  two  years.  In  1830  he  came  to 
Illinois,  the  removal  being  made  with  teams.  He 
took  up  his  residence  in  what  is  now  Gillespie 
Township,  where  he  bought  a  tract  of  wild  land, 
the  family  moving  into  the  floorless  log  cabin  that 
stood  on  the  place. 

Entering  a  tract  of  Government  land  in  Cahokia 
Township,  Mr,  Huddlestun  erected  upon  it  a  hewed 
log  house,  which  was  considered  a  fine  residence 
for  those  times.  After  residing  there  a  few  years, 
he  sold  that  farm  and  bought  a  tract  of  land  on 
section  If.  Brushy  Mound  Township,  and  there  his 
life  was  terminated  a  few  months  later  by  his  un- 
timely death.  He  won  an  honorable  record  as  a 
pioneer,  and  was  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 
Ilis  widow  survived  him  many  years,  and  li nail y 
died  at  a  ripe  age  at  the  home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Mclinda  Clark,  in  the  same  township.  She  reared 
these  seven  children — Samuel,  Elizabeth,  Melvina, 
Robert  W.    Melinda,  Mary  Ellen  and  Lydia  J. 

On  another  page  appears  a  portrait  of  the  subject 
of  this  life  review,  who  was  reared  in  a  pioneer 
home,  and  was  early  taught  to  lead  a  life  of  useful- 
ness. He  was  very  young  when  his  father  died,  and 
when  his  brother  married,  the  care  of  the  farm  soon 
devolved  on  the  youthful  shoulders  of  our  subject, 
who  proved  equal  to  the  occasion,  and  successfully 
managed  it.  until  he  was  lured  to  California  to  seek 
a  quicker  way  of  making  a  fortune  in  the  gold 
fields  of  that  Slate,  going  thither  in  1850.  He 
stalled  from  his  old  home  March  2li.  with  a  party 
of  twelve,  traveling  with  eleven  yoke  of  oxen  to 
three  wagons,  and  going  the  entire  distance  across 
the  plains  and  mountains  to  the  Pacific  Coast  in 
that  manner,  arriving  at  Weaver  Creek,  their   des- 


536 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tinalion,  September  5.  Our  subject  and  bis  com- 
panions had  thus  journeyed  a  distance  of  over  two 
thousand  miles  over  an  almost  trackless,  uninhab- 
ited region,  there  being  scarcely  a  while  settler  be- 
yond St.  Joseph  on  the  plains,  that  were  known  as 
the  ''Great  American  Desert."  Indians  were  some- 
times encountered,  deer  and  wild  game  frequently 
crossed  the  path  of  our  travelers,  and  buffaloes 
were  seen  in  great  .numbers. 

For  a  little  more  than  a  year,  Mr.  Iluddleshm 
engaged  in  prospecting  and  mining  in  the  Golden 
State,  and  then  tiring  of  the  wild,  rough  life  of 
mining  camps,  he  turned  his  face  homeward,  and 
came  back  to  Illinois  by  way  of  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama,  lie  very  quietly  resumed  farming 
with  his  brother-in-law,  and  before  his  mar- 
riage in  1853  bought  a  home  in  Honey  Point  Town- 
ship, lie  soon  traded  that  place  for  land  in  Brushy 
Mound  Township,  on  which  stood  a  small  frame 
house  10x16  feet,  and  in  that  humble  abode  he  and 
his  young  bride  commenced  their  happy  wedded 
life.  He  resided  there  until  1889,  and  then  went 
to  Kansas,  and  remained  in  Bourbon  County  four 
months.  Returning  to  Brushy  Mound  Township, 
in  February,  the  same  month  he  bought  a  pleasant 
iiomc  at  Carlinville,  and  has  ever  since  been  a  res- 
ident of  this  city. 

Mr.  Huddlestun  and  Miss  Eli/.a  A.  McPherron 
were  married  in  1853,  and  to  them  have  been  born 
thirteen  children,  seven  sons  and  six  daughters,  all 
deceased  except  Amos  E.,  Ada  Lou.  Addic  F.  and 
James  Clinton.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Huddlestun  arc  mem- 
bers in  high  standing  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  are  people  whom  to  know  is  to  respect 
and  esteem  for  their  many  excellent  qualities  of 
head  and  heart.  Mrs.  Huddlestun  is  a  native  of 
this  State,  her  birthplace  in  Greene  County,  and 
the  date  of  her  birth.  April  3,  1835.  Her  father. 
Amos  McPherron, was  born  at  Knoxville.Tenn..  in 
17116.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  State, 
and  was  there  married  to  Miss  Hettie  Morris,  who 
was  also  a  native  of  Tennessee.  Her  father,  Will- 
iam Morris,  came  from  there  to  Illinois  in  an  early 
day  of  its  settlement,  and  spent  his  last  years  in 
Greene  County.  In  1828  Mrs.  Huddlestun's  father 
came  to  this  State,  and  was  one  of  the  early  pio- 
neers of  Greene  County.     He   located   eight  miles 


east  of  Carroll  ton  on  the  south  side  of  Spring 
Prairie  and  there  improved  a  good  farm,  on  which 
he  made  his  home  until  his  long  and  useful  life  was 
closed  by  death  July  6.  1888. 

EACON  C.  V.  A.  QUICK,  now  retired  from 
active  business  as  a  farmer,  lives  in  a  pleasant 
home  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  city  of 
Bunker  Hill.  Here  he  has  lived  since  the  fall  of 
1880,  when  he  removed  from  his  farm  near  Dor- 
chester to  this  place.  His  line  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  was,  when  he  left  it,  in  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  but  when  he  took  it  in  1851 
it  was  all  raw  prairie.  He  brought  it  into  excellent 
condition,  supplied  it  with  good  buildings  and 
fences  and  it  is  now  considered  one  of  the  best 
farms  in  the  neighborhood. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Somerset  County,  N.J., 
April  16,  1825,  and  was  the  son  of  Jacob,  the  son 
of  James  who  was  born  in  Holland  and  emigrated 
to  America  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  War,  with 
a  colony  of  his  co-patriots.  It  was  in  Somerset 
County  that  James  Quick  lived  and  died,  having 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  reached  the  goodly  age  of 
three-score  years  and  fifteen.  He  was  a  farmer 
and  came  from  the  sturdy  old  Dutch  stock  who 
helped  to  make  the  early  history  of  New  Jersey. 
His  wife  was  also  from  Holland  and  she  lived  to 
the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  They  were  prom- 
inent and  esteemed  members  of  what  was  then 
known  as  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  more  recently 
called  the  Reformed  Church. 

Jacob  Quick,  the  father  of  our  subject  was  one 
of  the  older  children  of  a  large  family,  and  while 
growing  to  manhood  acquired  a  knowledge  of 
weaving.  He  never  followed  it  as  a  specialty,  but 
took  up  farming  instead.  He  was  a  noble-minded 
man  of  pure  habits  and  an  upright  Christian  char- 
acter and  a  friend  to  a  large  circle  of  people  in 
Somerset  Count}'.  He  had  been  a  life-long  Demo- 
crat in  politics.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Catherine  VanArsdale,  spent  her  entire  life 


and  died  in  Somerset  County,  where  she  passed  away 
at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years.     She  was  possessed 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


537 


of  a  good  and  noble  character  and  was  highly 
esteemed  as  a  member  of  the  Reformer!  Church. 
Her  parents,  Christopher  and  Catherine  VanArs- 
llale  were  natives  of  Holland  and  bad  come  to  this 
country  when  young  people.  After  their  marriage 
they  spent  their  lives  on  a  farm  except  as  Mr.  Van 
Arsdale  was  absent  while  serving  as  a  soldier  in 
the  Revolutionary  War.  They  died  at  the  good 
old  age  of  eighty  and  eighty  two  years  respect- 
ively. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  eldest  of  a  fam- 
ily of  eight  children,  who  all  lived  to  be  married 
and  establish  homes  of  their  own.  All  but  one 
arc  now  living.  This  boy  was  reared  in  his  native 
county  and  in  early  life  learned  and  followed  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter.  When  quite  a  young  man  be 
came  West  to  Jersey  County,  111.,  in  the  spring  of 
1849,  coming  over  what  was  known  as  the  canal 
and  river  route  from  New  Jersey.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Jersey  County,  to  Mrs.  Susan  Randolph 
nee  Staats,  who  was  born  in  our  subject's  native 
county,  and  who  had  come  when  quite  young  to 
Greene  County,  III.,  and  later  became  a  resident 
of  Jersey  County.  In  1851  they  removed  to 
Macoupin  County  and  afterward  to  Bunker  Hill. 
Here  she  was  called  away  to  the  better  land 
July  28,  1883,  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine  years,  hav- 
ing been  born  October  16,  1824.  She  had  come 
of  Dutch  and  French  ancestry.  She  was  a  consis- 
tent and  devout  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  was  possessed  of  true  womanly  char- 
acteristics. She  was  the  mother  of  three  children. 
The  only  child  of  her  union  with  Mr.  Quick,  a  son 
William,  died  in  infancy.  Her  two  children  by 
her  marriage  with  Mr.  Randolph  still  survive: 
Etta,  the  wife  of  Henry  Hoagland,  of  Lincoln, 
Neb.,  and  John,  a  farmer,  lives  in  Ililyard  Town- 
ship. 

The  second  marriage  of  Deacon  Quick  took  place 
in  theeity  of  Hunker  Hill,  October  15,  1884.  This 
wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Margaret  K.  Harlan. 
She  was  born  in  Gillespie  Township,  this  county, 
November  26,  1834.  She  was  reared  and  educated 
within  the  borders  of  the  county  and  spent  some 
flfteen  years  in  Edwardsville,  where  she  completed 
her  education.  She  is  the  daughter  of  George  and 
Margaret  (King)   Harlan,  natives  of  Virginia  and 


Kentucky  respectively.  Her  parents  were  married 
in  Kentucky  shortly  before  their  coming  to  Illinois 
in  1831.  They  entered  a  large  tract  of  Govern- 
ment land  in  Gillespie  Township,  and  began  life  as 
pioneers.  They  improved  their  farm  and  made  a 
comfortable  home  and  there  died,  Mr.  Harlan  in 
1851  at  the  age  of  seventy-live  years  and  Mrs. 
Harlan  in  1842,  while  still  in  middle  life.  Their 
religious  belief  was  in  accord  with  the  doctrines 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Harlan's  politi- 
cal views  were  with  the  Whig  party.  The  mother 
of  Mrs.  Margaret  Quick  was  Mr.  Harlan's  third 
wife,  and  this  daughter  was  one  of  the  youngest  of 
her  mother's  children. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Quick  are  active  members  of  the 
Congregational  Church  in  which  Mr.  Quick  has 
been  a  Deacon  for  many  years,  and  where  he  has 
been  a  member  ever  since  he  came  to  Macoupin 
County.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a 
man  who  is  highly  intelligent  in  regard  to  matters 
of  public  interest. 

ENRY  O.  MEENEN.  The  owner  of  the 
fine  farm  on  section  29,  Gillespie  Town- 
ship, is  one  of  the  many  farmers   who   has 

S3!)  made  a  success  of  agricultural  life  in  this 
State,  making  the  ground  productive  to  the  fullest 
possible  extent.  Mr.  Meenen  is  a  general  farmer 
and  stock-raiser  and  owns  one  hundred  twenty 
acres  of  land,  all  under  the  plow,  with  first-class 
improvements  and  buildings.  All  the  improv- 
ments  were  made  by  himself.  The  place  has  been 
his  home  since  1866,  although  he  has  eighty  acres 
on  section  28,  of  the  same  township,  upon  which  he 
has  a  tenant.     It  also  is  Qnely  improved. 

Mr.  Meenen  came  to  this  county  in  1857  after 
having  lived  for  three  years  in  Madison  County, 
III.  He  began  his  life  here  as  a  poor  man  and 
struggled  for  his  living,  earning  it  by  hard  labor 
as  a  farmer  for  other  people,  and  later  renting  land 
which  he  farmed  for  himself,  making  it  pay  for  it- 
self and  declare  a  dividend  which  he  finally  invest- 
ed in  the  land  which  is  now  his  home.  He  is  a 
native  of   that  part   of  Germany    known    as    the 


538 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


province  of  Hanover,  being  born  there  in  1838. 
He  is  I  he  son  of  Otto  and  Antke  (Thelan) 
Meencn,  who  were  also  natives  of  Hanover  where 
they  were  small  farmers.  Mr.  Meenen's  father 
remained  in  German)'  until  his  children  were  born. 
They  were  two  in  number  of  which  our  subject  is 
the  younger. 

In  March,  1854.  the  little  family  of  Meencns 
took  passage  from  Bremen  on  a  sailing  vessel 
which  bore  a  German  name.  They  landed  in  New 
Orleans  after  a  pleasant  voyage  of  seven  weeks  and 
three  days.  Very  soon  tbey  came  to  Alton,  111., 
and  afterward  the  father  and  son  worked  in 
Madison  County  on  various  farms  for  some  time. 
There  the  father  died  in  1857,  he  then  being  in 
the  heyday  of  life.  The  wife  and  mother  with 
her  two  children  came  on  to  Macoupin  County 
and  here  she  was  for  the  second  lime  married  to 
Fred  Week  and  the  couple  afterward  spent  their 
last  years  in  this  county,  both  dying  here. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  and  both  her  husbands 
were  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Our  sub- 
ject is  the  only  member  of  the  family  now 
living,  his  sister  having  died  here  after  marriage 
to  Harm  Marines.  Her  name  was  Anna.  Her 
death  was  especially  sad,  in  that  she  left  a  family 
of  nine  children. 

Mr.  Meenen  reached  his  majority  after  lie  had 
come  Macoupin  County  and  here  he  has  ever  since 
lived.  He  was  married  at  Alton  to  Miss  Joanna 
Gronwold.  She  also  was  a  native  of  Hanover  in 
which  province  she  was  born  July  20,  1837.  being 
a  daughter  of  Harm  and  Marguerite  (Venting) 
Gronwold,  natives  of  Hanover,  who,  after  the 
birth  of  all  their  children,  left  their  native  shore 
and  taking  passage  on  a  sailer  in  1857,  came  to 
this  country,  landing  in  New  Orleans.  Thence 
they  came  to  Illinois  and  after  some  years  the 
father  died  at  Litchfield.  After  his  death  the 
mother  lived  in  Christian  County,  where  she  died 
December  25,  1890,  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight 
years,  she  having  been  all  her  life  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church. 

Mrs.  Meenen,  wife  of  the  original  of  our  sketch, 
lived  with  her  parents  helping  them  to  make  a 
living  until  her  marriage.  She  is  the  mother  of 
five  children,  three  of  whom    are  deceased.     The 


deceased  children  are  Henry,  Harm  and  Antke. 
Those  living  are  Otto,  who  took  to  wife  Antke 
Hemken,  a  native  of  Germany,  but  reared  in 
Montgomery  County,  this  State;  they  live  on  the 
father's  farm  and  are  the  parents  of  three  children 
— Henry,  (iaorge  and  Otto,  Jr.  The  other  living 
child  is  Marguerite,  wife  of  Benjamin  Schmidt; 
they  live  at  Venice,  the  husband  running  a  grocery 
at  that  place. 

Our  subject,  his  wife  and  children  arc  members 
of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Mr.  Meenen  has  been 
honored  by  election  to  office  several  times  in  the 
township.  He  and  his  son  are  adherents  of  the 
Republican  party. 

— -#wf^ -— 


E  WILLIAM  MINDRUP.  Among  the  worthy 
citizens  and  thrifty  German  farmers  of 
Staunton  Township,  we  are  pleased  to  men- 
tion the  hard  working  and  earnest  young  bachelor 
who  enjoys  single  blessedness  upon  section  23,  and 
who  bears  the  name  which  appears  at  the  head  of 
this  sketch.  Since  he  was  old  enough  to  do  farm 
work,  he  has  been  actively  engaged  as  a  farmer 
and  stock-raiser,  and  he  now  owns  a  substantial 
farm  of  ninety-five  acres  on  the  section  where  lie 
resides,  and  adjoining  it  upon  section  23,  he  has 
eighty  acr?s.  All  of  this  land  is  well  improved 
and  excellently  well  stocked.  Our  subject,  with 
his  brother  Henry,  purchased  this  farm  and  settled 
upon  it  some  years  ago,  and  they  have  carried  it 
on  together  since  that  time. 

He  of  whom  we  write  is  the  elder  of  these  two 
brothers,  and  was  born  in  Madison  County  of  this 
State  in  1855,  and  received  his  early  education  and 
training  in  that  county  and  in  this.  He  came  of 
German  parentage,  his  father,  Abraham,  and  mother 
Sopbia(Fischer)  Mindrup,  being  born  in  the  Father- 
land, where  the}7  grew  to  man's  and  woman's  estate 
and  while  yet  young  and  unmarried,  came  at  the 
same  time  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Madi- 
son County,  111.  There  they  were  married  about  a 
a  year  later  and  began  life  together  upon  a  new 
farm  which  they  had  rented.  They  proceeded  to 
improve  it  and  lived  there  for  about  twelve  years. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


539 


They  purchased  the  land  which  is  now  owned  by 
oiii'  .subject  and  his  brother,  and  after  the  death  of 
his  wife  which  occurred  in  1889,  at  the  age  of  sixty 
years,  he  concluded  to  reside  with  his  son.  He  is 
non  sixty-three  years  old  and  is  yet  an  active  and 
capable  man,  and  able  to  do  much  upon  the  farm. 
The  departed  mother  was  a  devoted  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  with  which  her  husband  and 
family  are  also  connected.  The  father  and  sons 
are  all  active  and  earnest  Republicans  in  their  po 
litical  views  and  vote. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  the  second  child  of 
the  little  household  born  to  his  parents  and  is  now 
the  eldest  of  the  four  who  survive.  Next  in  age 
to  him  comes  Henry,  who  took  to  wife  Sophia 
Frankc,  and  with  her  lives  on  the  farm  with  his 
brother  and  father,  and  helps  to  operate  it.  The 
next  younger  is  a  sister,  Dena,  the  wife  of  Henry 
Kruse,  who  lives  on  a  farm  in  Staunton  Township. 
Another  sister,  Sophia,  has  married  William  Kruse, 
and  lives  upon  a  farm  in  this  township.  This  ex- 
cellent family  has  set  an  example  of  pluck,  push 
and  perseverance  which  may  well  be  emulated  b}' 
any  young  man  who  has  determined  to  make  for 
himself  a  place  and  a  fortune  in  the  West. 


^j  LI  W.  RICHIE  has  for  many  years  been  a 
resident  of  this  county  and  during  that  time 
£i  has  won  an  honorable  place  for  himself 
among  its  industrious  and  thrifty  farmers,  aiding 
in  the  development  of  the  agricultural  resources  of 
I  South  Palmyra  Township,  where  he  has  made  for 
himself  and  family  a  comfortable  home.  His  native 
place  is  Cabarrus  County,  N.  C,  and  October 
•25.  1833,  the  date  of  his  birth.  His  father  was 
Jacob  Richie,  who  is  also  supposed  to  have  been 
born  in  that  State.  There  he  was  reared  to  the  life 
of  a  farmer,  married  and  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  in  Cabarrus  County  until  his  premature 
death  in  183G, while  yet  in  life's  prime.  His  widow 
was  thus  left  with  seven  children  to  care  for.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Walker  and  she  was  a 


native  of  Cabarrus  County.  She  did  not  long  sur- 
vive her  husband  but  died  September  3,  1840. 

Our  subject  was  thus  left  an  orphan  at  the  tender 
age  of  seven,  and  he  lived  with  an  elder  brother 
some  years.  He  grew  to  be  a  strong,  self  reliant 
lad,  and  at  an  early  age  he  started  in  life  for  him- 
self by  working  on  a  farm  by  the  month.  When 
he  was  sixteen  years  old  he  went  to  Tennessee  to 
live  with  a  farmer  in  Washington  County.  The 
agreement  was  that  he  was  to  live  with  him  until 
he  was  twenty-one,  and  in  consideration  for  his 
services  he  was  to  receive  his  board  and  clothes, 
twelve  months'  schooling  during  that  time,  and  a 
horse,  saddle  and  bridle  when  he  left  him. 

The  man  did  not  clothe  him  and  after  a  year  of 
hard  labor  under  this  rough  taskmaster  our  subject 
left  him  and  found  employment  elsewhere  at  *8  a 
month.  In  1853  he  engaged  with  a  man  to  drive 
a  team  from  Tennessee  to  Illinois,  and  starting  on 
his  journey  in  the  fall  of  that  year  he  arrived  at 
Girard  after  a  month's  travel.  He  found  work 
there  for  a  time,  and  then  coming  to  Palmyra  he 
was  employed  in  the  village  by  the  job  or  month 
for  a  year  and  a  half.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
time  he  rented  land  and  proceeded  to  put  in  a  crop, 
and  he  then  bought  a  quarter  of  a  section  of  land 
in  South  Palmyra  Township.  After  a  two  years' 
residence  on  that  place  he  sold  it  and  bought  an- 
other in  South  Otter  Township.  Two  years  later 
he  sold  that  property  and  the  succeeding  two  years 
farmed  as  a  renter.  He  next  bought  a  tract  of  land 
in  South  Palmyra  Township,  upon  which  he  resided 
until  1875  when  he  purchased  his  present  home, 
which  was  formerly  the  property  of  his  wife's  fa- 
ther and  is  a  well-equipped  and  finely  cultivated 
farm. 

Mr.  Richie  has  not  been  without  the  help  of  a 
good  wife  who  has  been  an  important  factor  in  his 
prosperity,  as  he  was  married  in  1855  to  Miss  Sarah 
Ross.  They  have  eight  children — Julia,  dames, 
Robert,  William,  Franklin,  Carrie,  Milton  and 
Morris.  Mrs.  Richie  is  a  native  of  South  Palmyra 
Township,  of  which  her  parents,  Robert  and  Mary 
Ross,  were  pioneer  settlers.  Her  father  was  a  native 
of  North  Carolina  and  a  son  of  Reuben  Ross.  The 
latter,  who  was  a  farmer  came  to  Illinois  in  the 
earl}-  years   of   its  settlement,  anil  was  one  of  the 


540 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


original  pioneers  of  Morgan  County,  where  the 
rest  of  his  life  was  passed.  Mrs.  Richie's  father 
was  four  years  old  when  his  parents  removed  to 
Tennessee,  and  he  came  from  there  to  Illinois  in 
1830.  He  settled  first  in  Morgan  County  but  sub- 
sequently came  to  this  county  and  bought  the  farm 
on  which  our  subject  now  lives.  He  immediately 
entered  upon  its  improvement,  building  first  a  log 
house  for  the  shelter  of  his  family,  and  in  that 
primitive  dwelling  Mrs.  Richie  was  born.  He  car- 
ried on  farming  on  his  homestead  until  death 
closed  his  mortal  career.  Mrs.  Richie  was  educated 
in  the  pioneer  schools  of  the  time  and  received  a 
careful  training  in  housekeeping,  besides  learning 
how  to  spin,  weave  and  knit,  so  that  she  was  per- 
fectly able  to  care  for  a  house  of  her  own  when 
she  married,  and  could  make  cloth  for  garments 
and  other  use. 

Mr.  Richie  is  a  shrewd,  practical  man,  skillful  in 
his  calling,  of  a  social,  obliging  disposition,  and  he 
stands  well  in  his  community.  He  is  a  respected 
member  of  the  Scottville  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
which  he  joined  in  1SG4.  In  his  political  senti- 
ments he  is  a  sturdy  Democrat. 

.    OOP    - 


OHN  BRANDENBURGER,  who  fur  many 
years  was  connected  with  the  business  inter- 
ests of  Bunker  Hill,  but,  is  now  living  a 
i^/''  retired  life,  is  a  native  of  Germany.  He 
was  born  on  the  Rhine,  November  16,  1826,  and 
of  the  same  locality  his  parents,  Andrew  and  Cath- 
erine (Canel)  Brandenburger,  were  natives.  The 
mother  died  in  Germany  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight 
years,  after  which  the  father  came  to  the  United 
States  and  spent  his  last  days  in  Belleville,  III., 
dying  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  Both  were 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  He  served  for 
a  lime  in  the  Prussian  regular  army  and  made 
farming  his  life  occupation. 

Our  subject  is  the  second  in  order  of  birth  in  a 
family  of  five  children,  numbering  four  sons  and 
a  daughter,  all  of  whom  lived  to  come  to  this 
country,  while  two  brothers  and  a  sister  yet  sur- 
vive.    John   grew  to   manhood    in  his  native  land 


and  there  learned  the  trade  of  a  shoemaker,  which 
he  has  followed  to  a  considerable  extent  in  his 
mature  years.  He  worked  as  a  journeyman  until 
he  came  to  this  country.  In  the  month  of  Novem- 
ber, 1851,  he  sailed  from  Havre,  France,  to  New 
Orleans,  where  he  landed  on  the  12th  of  December 
after  a  seven  weeks'  voyage.  Coming  up  the  Mis- 
sissippi River,  he  located  in  Belleville,  111.,  where 
an  elder  brother  had  settled  three  years  before.  A 
year  later  he  removed  to  Mareno,  Madison  County, 
where  he  made  his  home  until  1859,  when  he  came 
to  Bunker  Hill  and  established  a  shoemaking  shop, 
where  he  manufactured  and  mended  boots  and 
shoes.  This  busit.ess  he  carried  on  successfully 
until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion,  when  he 
laid  aside  the  last  and  awl  and  enrolled  his  name 
among  the  boys  in  blue,  August  15,  1861.  He 
was  assigned  to  Company  B,  of  the  First  Missouri 
(  avalry  under  Capl.  Clinton  and  Col.  Ellis,  and 
with  his  regiment  went  to  the  South.  They  first 
nut  the  enemy  on  the  8th  of  January,  1862,  at 
Silver  Creek,  where  four  hundred  of  the  Uniou 
Cavalry  successfully  routed  fourteen  hundred 
Rebels,  who  were  not  only  superior  in  numbers 
but  were  fortified  by  the  banks  of  the  creek. 
Moving  on  southward  through  Missouri  another 
engagement  occurred  at  Sugar  Creek,  where  the 
First  Cavalry  acted  as  the  advance  guard  of  Gen, 
Ellis.  The  regiment  was  ordered  to  make  a 
charge,  which  they  did,  silencing  the  rebel  batter- 
ies. They  met  with  a  heavy  loss  but  it  gave  the 
Union  troops  the  advantage.  Moving  on  to  Pea 
Ridge,  Ark.,  the  rebels  were  again  defeated  after  a 
three  days'  engagement  and  in  April,  1863,  the 
Battle  of  Neoscho  occurred.  Thence  the  troops 
marched  to  Prairie  Grove  where  the  First 
Cavalry  suffered  severely.  The  lighting  was  con- 
tinued at  Little  Rock  on  the  10th  of  September. 
when  Price  was  defeated  and  the  city  taken  under 
Gen.  Banks.  From  thence  the  regiment  went  to 
Camden,  Ark.,  where  another  victory  for  the 
Union  arms  occurred.  After  a  little  more  than 
three  years  Mr.  Brandenburger  was  honorably  dis- 
charged in  Little  Rock.  He  saw  some  hard  light- 
ing and  proved  himself  a  valiant  soldier.  He  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  Sergeant  and  his  faithful- 
ness made  hi  in  a  favorite  not  only  with  his  com- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


541 


cades  but  with  the  officers  as  well.  Early  in  the 
w:ir,  while  on  skirmish  duty  and  his  command  was 
meeting  a  charge  down  a  steep  decline  on  a  gallop, 
one  man  and  his  horse  fell  into  a  ravine  and  a 
second  shared  the  same  fate;  then  came  our  sub- 
ject, who  fared  no  better,  and  upon  him  tumbled 
the  fourth  horse  and  his  rider.  There  they  lay  in 
a  confused  mass  and  the  pommel  of  the  saddle 
coming  in  contact  with  Mr.  Brandenburger's  ster- 
num, tlic  bone  was  broken.  The  first  man  who 
fell  lost  his  life  and  the  second  had  his  leg  broken. 
With  the  exception  of  this  accident  our  subject 
escaped  all  wounds,  neither  was  he  captured,  but 
in  several  instances  narrowly  escaped. 

On  receiving  his  discharge  Mr.  Brandenburger 
relumed  to  Illinois  and  again  resumed  work  at  his 
trade,  but  owing  to  ill  health  he  was  forced  to 
abandon  that  work  and  began  keeping  a  hotel,  which 
he  followed  uotil  he  retired  altogether  from  active 
business  life.  1 1  is  wife,  who  has  proved  to  him  a 
true  helpmate,  was  formerly  Miss  Christena  Finkc, 
an:l  their  wedding  was  celebrated  in  Madison 
County,  December  2,  1854.  The  lady  is  a  native 
of  Germany  and  a  daughter  of  Ignatius  and  Cath- 
erena  (Ilenge)  Finke,  who  were  born  in  Hesse- 
Cassel.  After  the  birth  of  their  children,  four  in 
number,  they  emigrated  to  the  United  Stales,  leav- 
ing their  native  land  in  1852  and  landing  at  Balti- 
more, Md.,  going  thence  to  St.  Louts  and  soon 
afterward  to  Madison  County,  where  they  located 
on  a  new  farm  which  Mr.  Finke  cultivated  and 
improved,  he  and  his  wife  making  it  their  home 
until  death.  The  former  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
nine  years  and  the  latter  in  the  eighty  second  year 
of  her  age.  The}-  were  both  members  of  the  Ger- 
man  Catholic  Church    and    were    worthy    people. 

;  Their  children  are  all   yet  living,  are   married    ami 
with  one  exception  live  in  Illinois. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brandenburger  have  been 
born  five  children:  Louisa,  wife  of  Samuel  Lee, 
whose  sketch  appears  on  another  page  of  this  work; 
Maggie,  wife  of  .John  Haneghan,  a  furniture  dealer 
of  Bunker  Hill;  Li  Hie  F.,  at  home ;  John,  now  a 
resident  of  St.  Louis,  and  Minnie,  who  completes 
the   family.     In   politics  Mr.   Brandenburger   is  a 

■  Republican  and  keeps  himself  well    informed   con- 
cerning the  issues  of  the  day.     Religiously  he  is  a 


member  of  the  Luthe  an  Chinch  and  his  wife  and 
children  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church.     He 

was  one  of  the  faithful  soldiers  during  the  late  war 
and  has  since  been  a  valued  citizen  of  the  commu- 
nity, where  for  a  third  of  a  eontury  he' has  made 
his  home. 


-«■ — 


,_^  KNUV    R.   STUTSMAN,   a    leading    farmer 
of  Girard  Township,  bis  well-improved  and 

well-managed  homestead  being  on  section  MO 
was  born  on  a  farm  three  and  one-half  miles 
southeast  of  the  town  of  Goshen,  Elkhart  County, 
1ml.,  May  2,  1846.  His  father,  Jacob  Stutsman, 
was  born  in  Montgomery  County.  Ohio,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1815,  a  sou  of  Samuel  Stutsman,  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  that  section  of  the  country,  who  was 
a  Pennsylvanian  by  birth,  and  of  German  anteced- 
ents. He  was  reared  and  married  in  the  Keystone 
State,  and  removed  from  there  to  Ohio  in  the  early 
years  of  the  settlement  of  Montgomery  County. 
He  purchased  a  tract  of  forest,  built  a  shelter  for 
his  family,  and  in  due  time  cleared  a  farm  from 
the  wilderness.  In  1838  he  removed  from  there 
to  Elkhart  Count}',  Ind.,  where  his  remaining  days 
were  spent.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was 
Magdalena  Ulcry.  She  was  horn  in  Pennsylvania 
ami  died  in  Elkhart  County,  Ind. 

.Jacob  Stutsman  wa>  a  youth  of  eighteen  years 
when  he  went  with  his  parents  to  their  new  home 
in  the  wilds  of  Indiana.  lb'  inherited  a  portion  of 
his  father's  farm,  bought  other  land  adjoining,  ami 
resided  there  until  1868,  when  lie  came  !o  Macou- 
pin County.  He  bought  two  hundred  ami  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  Girard  Township,  including  the 
farm  now  owned  by  our  subject,  and  he  was  pros- 
perously engaged  in  agriculture  until  his  death 
in  1871.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Han- 
nah Studebaker,  ami  she  was  born    in   Monlg cry 

County,  Ohio,  May  19,  1819.  Her  father  was  Ja- 
cob Studebaker,  and  he  was  a  native  of  Pennsylva- 
nia. He  was  a  son  of  David  Studebaker,  who  is 
supposed  to  have  been  born  in  Lancaster  County. 
Pa.,  of  German  parentage,     lb'   became   a  pioneer 


542 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


W 


of  Montgomery  County,  Ohio,  in  an  early  day.  and 
there  died  in  the  fullness  of  time. 

.Jacob  Studebaker,  grandfather  of  our  subject  was 
a  carpenter.  In  1816,  with  his  wife  and  the  one 
child  that  had  been  born  to  them  in  their  old 
home,  lie  went  to  Ohio  and  settled  among  the  pio- 
neers of  Montgomery  County,  where  he  bought  a 
tract  of  land.  When  not  engaged  at  his  trade,  be 
devoted  his  lime  to  the  improvement  of  a  farm. 
In  1830  he  emigrated  to  Elkhart  County,  Ind., 
where  the  Indians  pre  dominated,  as  there  were  but 
few  white  settlers.  He  bought  a  piece  of  land  two 
miles  northwest  of  Goshen,  on  the  Elkhart  River. 
He  improved  the  water  power  by  building  the  first 
mill  for  the  manufacture  of  lumber  ever  erected  in 
that  section  of  country.  He  did  a  gieat  deal  to- 
wards the  upbuilding  of  that  county  in  his  capac- 
ity as  a  skillful  carpenter,  as  it  was  he  who  erected 
the  first  Court  House  in  Goshen,  and  many  other 
buildings  were  the  work  of  his  hand.  He  resided 
in  that  locality  until  his  demise.  The  maiden  name 
of  his  first  wife  was  Esther  Leer,  and  she  was  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Lydia  Leer.  She  was  bom 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  died  in  Montgomery  County, 
Ohio,  her  death  occurring  in  February,  1827.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  still  makes  her  home  on  the 
old  homestead  with  her  son. 

Henry  Stutsman  grew  to  man's  estate  in  his  na- 
tive county.  After  marriage  he  purchased  a  farm 
east  of  Girard,  but  after  living  on  it  two  years,  he 
sold  it,  and  bought  a  tract  west  of  Giraid.  He 
did  not,  however,  settle  upon  that  at  once,  but  de- 
voted himself  to  the  lumber  business  at  Girard  five 
years,  and  the  following  four  years  was  connected 
with  the  creamery  in  the  same  village.  He  then 
located  on  the  old  homestead,  where  lie  has  since 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  carrying  on  his 
operations  skillfully,  industriously,  and  with  good 
profit.  He  is  an  honest,  upright  man,  kind  and 
neighborly  in  his  relations  with  his  fellow-citizens, 
and  none  know  him  but  to  esteem  him.  lie  and 
bis  family  are  worthy  members  of  the  German  Bap- 
tist Brethren  Church. 

Mr.  Stutsman  was  first  married  in  1868  to  Miss 
Mary  Miller.  She  was  born  in  Elkhart  County, 
Ind.,  and  died  at  Girard  in  1881,  leaving  six  chil- 
dren— Ella,    Emma,  Charles,  Asa  A.,  Maude  and 


Thomas.  The  second  marriage  of  our  subject  was 
in  1883  to  Miss  Susie  Frantz,  a  native  of  Clarke 
County,  Ohio.  Her  father,  Joseph  Frantz,  was 
born  in  Virginia,  and  removed  from  there  to  Ohio, 
locating  in  Clarke  County,  where  he  bought  anil 
improved  a  farm,  on  which  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  The  maiden  name  of  his  second  wife, 
mother  of  Mrs.  Stutsman,  was  Catherine  Neher, 
She  was  born  in  Clarke  County,  and  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  and  Susan  (Frantz)  Neher,  the  latter 
a  native  of  Virginia.  Mrs.  Stutsman's  grandparents 
were  early  pioneers  of  Clarke  County,  Ohio.  She 
was  only  three  years  old  when  her  parents  died, 
and  she  lived  with  her  maternal  grandparents  until 
she  was  thirteen,  when  she  vvent  to  live  with  an  un- 
cle, with  whom  she  came  to  Illinois  when  she  was 
seventeen  years  of  age.  Her  marriage  with  our 
subject  has  brought  them  three  children — Fred, 
Verner  and  Sylvia  P. 


o 


OBKRT  K.  ALDERSON,  an  extensive 
farmer  of  North  Palmyra  Township,  is  a 
1  \  son  of  Robert  Alderson,  a  Southerner  by 
birth,  whose  nativity  was  either  in  Ken- 
tucky or  Tennessee.  His  mother  was  Elizabeth 
Clack,  and  both  parents  died  in  Cherokee  County, 
Kan.  Of  a  family  of  fourteen  children  our  subject 
is  one  of  the  younger  members.  He  was  born  in 
North  Otter  Township,  February  20,  1849.  There 
he  grew  to  manhood  and  continued  to  live  until 
his  marriage.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
married  in  Carlinville,  February  20,  1868,  to  Miss 
Luc3'  A.  Nevin,  daughter  of  James  Nevin.  For 
the  minutia  of  the  history  of  this  well-known  fam- 
ily our  readers  will  be  pleased  to  turn  to  the  bio- 
ographical  sketch  elsewhere  of  James  Nevin.  After 
marriage  the  young  couple  made  their  home  first 
in  Nortli  Otter  Township,  but  after  several  years 
removed  to  section  12,  Nortli  Palmyra  Township, 
where  they  have  since  been  residents.  Mrs.  Ald- 
erson is  a  native  of  this  county  and  was  born  May 
17,  1849. 

Mrs.  and  Mrs.  Alderson  are  the  parents  of  seven 
children:    Minnie  M.,  who  married  Edward  Walk- 


UBHART 
Of  TWE 


\i 


/6v:  C.tAnJ. 


£A4I 


PORTRAIT  AND  RIOG  RAPHICAL  RECORD. 


545 


ington;  Mina  11.,  Nettie  A..  Mattie  L..  Millie  M.. 
Kelvin  M.  and  Myrtle  D.  Five  hundred  anil  thirty- 
five  acres  constitute  the  tract  of  land  which  is 
owned  and  managed  03-  our  subject.  Agricultural 
pursuits  have  always  engaged  hi*  exclusive  atten- 
tion and  he  has  made  a  success  of  farming.  The 
comfortable  and  commodious  set  of  farm  buildings 
with  which  he  has  adorned  his  farm  attest  his  thor- 
ough management  and  correspond  well  with  the 
neat  fences  which  there  appear.  Mr.  Alderson  has 
filled  well  the  office  of  School  Director  and  in  that 
capacity  has  done  much  to  elevate  the  standard  of 
the  public  schools.  His  wife  is  an  earnest  and 
effleient  member  of  the  Christian  Church  and  a 
woman  of  influence  in  the  community. 


UILLIAM  C.  ANDERSON.  Many  beautiful 
farms  may  be  seen  by  the  traveler  in 
Shaw's  Point  Township,  but  none  more 
attractive  than  that  of  Mr.  Anderson,  on  section  9. 
He  owns  about  four  hundred  acres  of  land  and  also 
has  four  hundred  acres  in  Smith  Otter  Township, 
all  of  which  is  carefully  tilled  and  systematically 
managed.  The  dwelling  is  comfortable  in  appear- 
ance and  gives  evidence  of  the  presence  of  an 
orderly  and  refined  woman  within.  Among  the 
farm  buildings  are  such  barns,  granaries  and  sheds 
as  the  extent  of  the  work  carried  on  makes  con- 
venient. This  fine  farm  has  been  gained  by  the 
exercise  of  judicious  management  and  unremitting 
toil  on  the  part  of  the  present  owner,  and  he  justly 
merits  his  position  among  the  foremost  agricultur- 
alists and  stock- raisers  of  Macoupin  County. 

The  immediate  progenitors  of  our  subject  are 
William  D.  and  Elizabeth  (Hancock)  Anderson, 
natives  of  Kentucky.  The  father  was  reared  in 
Wayne  County,  that  State,  and  in  1828,  accom- 
panied by  his  family,  came  to  this  State  and  located 
in  Macoupin  County.  This  was  his  home  the  most 
>f  the  time  until  his  death,  although  for  one  year 
le  sojourned  in  Sangamon  County.  The  family 
oniprised  eight  children,  of  whom  seven  attained 
rO  mature  years.  Our  subject,  who  wras  the  second 
in  order  of  birth,    was    born    in    Carlinville,    this 


county,  August  21;.  1830,  and  therefore  knows  no 
home  but  this.  He  has  been  a  witness  of  the  many 
changes  which  have  been  made  in  the  country,  has 
watched  with  interest  the  springing  up  of  towns, 
the  hewing  out  of  the  wilderness  and  the  improve- 
ment Of  the  soil. 

When  he  was  fourteen  years  old  our  subject  was 
orphaned  by  the  death  of  his  father,  after  which 
sad  event  he  went  to  live  with  an  uncle.  Henry 
Edwards.  There  he  grew  to  manhood,  attending 
the  pioneer  schools  of  the  district  whenever  oppor- 
tunity offered,  and  aiding  in  the  farm  work.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  utilized  his  thorough 
knowledge  of  agricultural  pursuits  by  working 
out  on  farms  for  others  and  continued  thus  em- 
ployed until  he  was  twenty-six  years  old.  After 
his  marriage,  which  occurred  about  this  time,  he 
settled  on  section  9.  Shaw's  Point  Township,  where 
he  lias  since  resided.  He  has  devoted  his  attention 
both  to  general  farming  and  stock-raising  and,  as 
he  brings  to  his  work  an  unusual  degree  of  judg- 
ment and  foresight,  his  efforts  have  naturally  met 
with  Battering  success.  He  keeps  abreast  with  all 
improvements  in  agriculture,  has  his  estate  sup- 
plied with  the  latest  improved  machinery,  and  good 
management  is  shown  in  all  the  details  of  farm 
work. 

For  more  than  thirty  years  the  pleasant  home  of 
Mr.  Anderson  has  been  presided  over  by  a  lady 
whose  nobility  of  character  and  hospitality  of  dis- 
position have  won  for  her  a  warm  place  among  a 
large  circle  of  acquaintances.  Mrs.  Anderson  was 
born  in  Macoupin  County,  August  11,  1834  and 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  Ann  Anderson. 
She  is  the  sister  of  M.  M.  Anderson,  of  Carlinville, 
and  her  parents  James  C.  and  Ann  Anderson  wen- 
natives  of  Virginia  and  Kentucky,  The  happy 
wedded  life  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  has  been 
blest  to  them  by  the  birth  of  six  children,  of  whom 
we  note  the  following:  William  T.  died  May  9, 
1880,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  leaving  a 
wife  Josephine  (Leach)  Anderson;  Henry  M.  mar- 
ried Miss  Lizzie  Sharp  and  they  have  one  daugh- 
ter; Sarah  M.  is  now  Mrs.  William  Leach;  .1.  C. ; 
David.  P.  and  Mary  C.  died  in  infancy. 

In  educational  matters  Mr.  Anderson  maintains 
a  special  interest  and  for  many  years  has  served  as 


546 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


= 


School  Director  of  his  district,  .1  position  which  he 
ably  fills.  He  has  never  been  an  office-seeker,  but 
believes  in  Democracy,  and  supports  the  principles 
of  that  party  with  his  ballot  and  influence.  A 
public-spirited,  generous  man,  his  influence  in  the 
community  is  great,  and  his  position  among  the 
leading  citizens  of  this  county  has  been  gained 
through  patient  efforts  in  the  interests  of  the  great 
commonwealth  to  which  lie  gives  his  allegiance. 

In  connection  with  this  brief  biographical  notice, 
a  lithographic  portrait  of  Mr.  Anderson  is  pre- 
sented to  our  readers. 


-^*S 


'tS.   I'DLEY     SAINDKRS    owns    and    occupies 
one  of  the  fertile  farms   that  have  made  Ma- 


D' 


coupin  Count)  notable  as  an  agricultural 
district.  The  property  consists  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  on  sections  20  and  29,  of 
Honey  Point  Township.  The  owner  being  now 
quite  advanced  in  years,  his  youngest  son  has  the 
active  management  of  the  property.  Mr.  Saunders 
was  born  in  Caldwell  County,  Ky..  December  20, 
1817.  His  grandfather,  .hilius  Saunders,  was  born 
in  Virginia  and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in 
Fayette  County,  Ky.,  whence  he  removed  to  Trigg 
County,  where  he  spent  his  lastyeais.  .Jeremiah 
Saunders,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  the 
Blue  Grass  State  in  Fayette  County,  and  with  the 
exception  of  two  years  in  Clinton  County,  this 
State,  spent  his  life  in  that  in  which  he  was  born. 
He  married  Priscilla  Ramey,  whose  death  occurred 
in  Trigg  County,  Ky. 

Our  subject  left  the  parental  roof  when  seven- 
teen years  old  and  came  on  horseback  to  this 
State.  His  entire  wealth  consisted  of  the  horse  he 
rode  and  the  saddle  upon  the  back  of  the  animal. 
Reaching  this  county,  he  sought  employment  and 
found  it  with  a  blacksmith  at  $13  per  month. 
When  he  married  he  began  working  land  on 
shares,  and  having  but  one  horse,  the  owner  of  the 
property  furnished  a  team. 

Mr.  Saunders  made  a  success  of  agriculture, 
and  being  careful  in  his  expenditures  he  was  soon 
able  to  buy   property.     His    first    purchase    was  a 


tract  on  sections  19  and  30,  Honey  Point  Township, 
for  which  he  paid  $2.50  per  acre.  There  was  a 
log  cabin  on  the  place  and  twenty-four  acres  had 
been  cultivated.  After  occupying  the  farm  two 
years  he  sold  it  at  an  advance  of  ¥200  and  bought 
another  tract  in  Brushy  Mound  Township,  consist- 
ing of  one  hundred  acres.  He  made  further  im- 
provements there  and  after  two  years  sold  at  an 
advance  of  $200  and  bought  on  section  32.  Honey 
Point  Township.  He  had  clerred  a  few  acres 
when  a  good  opportunity  arose  for  selling,  and  lie 
took  advantage  of  it  and  then  bought  his  present 
estate. 

In  1838  Mr.  Saunders  was  married  to  Elizabeth 
Huddleston,  a  noble-hearted  Kentucky  lady,  whose 
skill  and  affection  were  proved  time  and  again, 
and  had  a  potent  influence  in  the  advancement 
of  the  family.  She  understood  how  to  card,  spin 
and  in  her  early  married  life  made  most  of  the 
cloth  used  in  the  family  and  dressed  her  children 
in  homespun  of  her  own  manufacture.  She  was 
not  unwilling  to  share  the  fortunes  of  the  man 
whom  she  chose  for  her  husband,  even  though 
they  began  life  together  with  little  but  their 
strength  of  mind  and  heart  and  their  mutual  affec- 
tion as  capital.  She  was  rewarded  by  the  esteem 
of  those  with  whom  she  associated  and  the  rever- 
ent affection  of  her  family.  She  reared  ten  chil- 
dren, who  are  named  respectively:  Nancy  A.,  Jobh, 
Sarah  J.,  Margaret,  Maria,  Edgar,  Fanny,  Charles, 
Ada  and  Nettie.  She  was  removed  from  earth  in 
1876. 


W.  SWITZER.  Among  the  virions  busi- 
ness interests  represented  in  Atwaler,  is  that 
of  grain  dealing,  in  which  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  is  engaged.  Mr.  Switzer  was  born  in 
Lincoln,  Logan  County,  November  17,  1859.  His 
grandfather,  Samuel  Switzer,  was  a  Pennsylvania 
farmer,  and  spent  his  entire  life  in  his  native  State. 
His  son,  Samuel,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Mechanicsburg,  Pa.,  and  learned  the  trade  of  a  car- 
penter, at  which  he  worked  in  his  native  State  until 
1856.     He  then  removed  to  the  Mississippi  Valley 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


547 


and  settled  in  Lincoln,  which  was  then  but  a  hum- 
let,  while  the  siu  rounding  country  was  sparsely  set- 
tled. The  greater  part  of  the  land  was  still  owned 
by  the  Government  and  was  for  sale  at  $1.2;")  per 
acre.  Mr.  Switzer  bought  a  home  in  Lincoln  and 
followed  his  trade  there  until  his  decease,  lie  was 
twice  married,  his  first  wife  being  Mary  A.  Miller, 
a  native  of  Mechanicsburg,  Pa.,  who  died  in  1  8G3. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  remained  with  his  fa- 
ther until  he  was  fourteen  years  old,  and  as  his 
mother  died  during  his  childhood,  his  habits  of  life 
and  thought  were  largely  molded  by  his  step- 
mother. At  the  age  mentioned  he  began  to  care 
for  himself,  first  finding  employment  on  a  farm 
where  he  worked  until  1878.  lie  then  began  lay- 
ing tile,  an  occupation  that  he  followed  some  four 
years,  after  which  he  began  work  in  Bristow's  mill 
at  Girard.  He  was  still  working  there  when  the 
mill  was  burned,  in  1884,  and  he  then  resumed 
farming  near  Atwater.  After  two  years  of  agricul- 
tural work,  he  bought  a  hay  press,  and  for  some 
months  dealt  in  hay.  but  in  June,  18S7,  with  W. 
W.  Bristow  as  a  partner  he  began  buying  grain, 
lie  has  continued  in  this  business  and  he  also  buys 
and  ships  live  stock,  finding  in  these  lines  of  trade 
more  congenial  employment  than  in  some  which  he 
attempted. 

In  November,  1881,  Mr.  Switzer  was  married  to 
Miss  Ella  Barrick,  who  was  born  in  Middlctown, 
Logan  County,  and  is  a  well  informed  and  agree- 
able lady.  The  pleasant  home  is  made  more  at- 
tractive by  the  presence  thereof  a  young  son,  Lau- 
rence, in  whose  increasing  intelligence  the  parents 
take  great  delight.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Switzer  have  a 
large  circle  of  acquaintances,  and  as  they  are  well 
informed  and  well  bred,  they  are  quite  popular  in 
I  society. 

&mi> — -  - 


AMES  B.  SEARCY.  This  young  gentleman 
is  numbered  among  the  members  of  the  legal 
fraternity  located  in  Palmyra,  and  has  en- 
tered upon  his  professional  career  in  such  a 
way  as  to  give  promise  of  becoming  one  of  the 
prominent  lawyers  of  this  locality.  He  has  been  in 
I  practice  but  a  few  years,  yet  is  already  doing  well 


financially  speaking,  and  becoming  known  as  a 
young  man  of  ability  and  sound  knowledge  of  the 
law.  lie  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Boone  County, 
Mo.,  August  15,  1858,  and  was  an  in  fan  I  when  his 
parents  removed  to  New  Mexico.  When  he  was 
ten  years  old  they  made  their  home  in  this  county. 
His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  district 
school  and  he  advanced  his  knowledge  by  attend- 
ance at  Blackburn  University  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  the  Class  of  '83.  He  entered  the 
Bloomington  Law  School  and  after  studying  there 
for  a  time  continued  his  reading  in  the  office  of 
Rinaker  &  Rinaker  in  Carlinville.  He  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  in  Ml,  Vernon  in  1885  and  at  once 
opened  an  office  at  Palmyra. 

Mr.  Searcy  was  married  in  18711  to  Miss  Anna 
E.  Richie,  who  was  born  in  this  county  in  185!)  and 
was  the  daughter  of  Eli  and  Sarah  Richie.  The 
happy  anticipations  of  the  young  couple  were 
doomed  to  be  unfulfilled,  as  the  young  wife  died 
the  year  after  her  marriage.  Mr.  Searcy  lived  a 
widower  until  1880  when  he  made  a  second  mar- 
riage. His  bride  on  this  occasion  was  Mrs.  Mary 
E.  Duncan  nee  Fansler,  a  native  of  this  county, 
born  in  March,  1861.  She  was  the  widow  of  Allen 
C.  Duncan,  who  died  during  the  year  after  their 
marriage,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Endimon  and  Araan  • 
da  (King)  Fansler.  Mrs.  Searcy  received  her  edu- 
cation at  the  district  schools  and  at  Shurtleff  Col- 
lege in  Alton,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Chautauqua 
Literary  and  Scientific  Circle,  graduating  with  the 
Class  of  '91.  This  union  has  been  blest  by  the 
birth  of  three  children,  who  form  a  bright  and  in- 
teresting group  around  the  family  fireside.  Their 
respective  names  are  Earl  1!.,  William  E.  and 
Evan  L. 

Tracing  the  ancestry  of  Mr.  Searcy  bad:  a  few 
generations  we  find  that  the  family  lived  in  Vir- 
ginia. From  that  Stale  the  grandfalhei  of  our 
subject  went  to  Kentucky  when  a  young  man  and 
during  the  War  of  1812  he  served  in  a  Kentucky 
regiment.  He  was  one  of  the  few  survivors  of  the 
Dudley  massacre.  He  removed  from  the  Blue 
Grass  State  to  Missouri,  and  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  in  Boone  County,  where  he  bought  a  tract 
of  land  and  improved  a  farm.  His  death  occurred 
there  early  in  the  '60s.      Lemuel  I!.  Searcy  married 


548 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mildred  Conley;  Iter  father,  John  Conley,   was  in 

the  Revolutionary  War,  anil  in  their  family  was  a 
son,  Benjamin  P.,  who  was  born  in  the  same  county 
as  his  son,  our  subject.  That  gentleman  grew  to 
manhood  amid  somewhat  primitive  surroundings, 
as  for  many  years  after  his  father  settled  in  Boone 
County  there  were  no  railroads  there  and  St.  Louis 
was  the  nearest  depot  for  supplies,  while  the  jour- 
ney to  and  fro  was  performed  with  wagons  drawn 
by  oxen,  or  at  a  later  period  by  horses. 

Benjamin  Searcy  married  Nancy  E.  Ridgway, 
who  was  born  in  Boone  County.  Mo.,  December 
25.  1838,  and  in  1860  they  went  to  New  Mexico, 
traveling  with  teams  via  the  Santa  Fe  trail.  They 
located  in  Mora  County,  where  at  that  time  there 
were  very  few  settlers,  as  indeed  whites  were  but 
few  in  the  entire  territory.  Mr.  Searcy  and  his 
cousin,  Enoch  Tipton,  established  their  homes  near 
the  present  site  of  Watrous,  a  station  on  the  Santa 
Fe  Railroad,  and  were  the  fust  settlers  in  the  Boone 
Valley.  Mr.  Searcy  bought  a  portion  of  the  La- 
junta  grant,  and  engaged  in- stock-ra'sing  and 
farming.  He  found  it  necessary  to  irrigate  his 
land,  as  is  generally  necessary  in  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tain region.  For  some  time  Ft.  Union,  nine  miles 
from  his  ranch,  was  the  nearest  point  of  any  im- 
portance and  the  principal  military  post  in  the 
territory.  Mr.  Searcy  died  in  1868,  and  in  No- 
vember of  that  year  his  widow  came  to  this  county 
with  her  three  children  and  bought  a  farm  in  South 
Palmyra  Township.  After  living  in  widowhood 
more  than  a  decade,  she  married  Capt.  .1.  S.  Chiles, 
and  she  still  occupies  her  farm. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  was 
John  D.  Ridgway,  who  was  born  in  Clark  County, 
Ky.,  but  whose  father,  Ninian  Ridgway,  was  a  Vir- 
ginian who  had  gone  to  the  Blue  Grass  State  after 
attaining  to  his  majority.  In  1823  the  family  re- 
moved to  Missouri,  taking  up  pioneer  work  anil 
improving  a  tract  of  considerable  extent.  Their 
first  home  was  in  Boone  County  and  thence  Ninian 
Ridgway  went  to  Calloway  County,  Mo.,  and  made 
his  home  with  his  son  Dudley  until  his  decease. 
John  Ridgway  was  married  in  1831  to  Sophia  Wig- 
ginton,  a  native  of  Boone  County,  Ky.,  and  a 
daughter  of  Badger  and  Parthena  (Greene)  Wig- 
ginton.     After  his  marriage  he  entered  Government 


land  in  Calloway  County,  improved  it  and  resided 
there  some  years,  then  changed  his  place  of  abode 
to  Boone  County.  There  he  bought  land  on  which 
he  lived  until  1857,  when  he  went  to  Arkansas.  In 
I860  he  came  to  this  State  and  he  is  now  living  in 
Palmyra,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  His  wife 
died  September  29.  1888.  Their  daughter,  the 
mother  of  our  subject,  reared  three  children,  of 
whom  James  B.  is  the  eldest.  The  second  is  Sarah 
F  ,  wife  of  Lincoln  Chiles,  and  the  youngest  is 
William  N.,  who  is  now  studying  law  in  the  Bloom- 
in-1'  mi  Law  School. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Searcy  of  this  notice  have  made 
many  friends  since  they  established  their  home  in 
Palmyra.  Mr.  Searcy  belongs  to  Palmyra  Lodge, 
No.  163,  F.  &  A.  M..  and  Palmyra  Camp.  No.  149. 
M.  W.  A.  His  political  sympathy  and  interest  is 
with  the  Republican  party.  He  belongs  to  the 
Christian  Church,  while  his  wife  ii  connected  with 
the  Southern  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Barr's 
Store.  It  is  the  aim  of  each  to  act  in  accordance 
with  the  Christian  profession  they  have  made,  to 
bring  up  their  children  alight,  and  to  do  good  as 
they  have  opportunity. 


-^=rs~ 


,*p^  AMI  EL  D.  EDDINGFON,  a  representa- 
V^tf  tive  farmer,  residing  on  section  3,  is  nuin- 
\Jju   bered  among  the  honored  pioneers  of  1841 

A  half-century  has  passed  since  he  located' 
here  and  with  the  history  of  the  growth  and  'level 
opment  of  the  county  he  has  since  been  identified. 
He  has  been  an  eye-witness  of  almost  its  entire 
progress,  has  seen  its  wild  prairies  transformed  into 
beautiful  farms  and  thriving  cities,  its  log  cabins 
replaced  by  commodious  residences,  churches  and 
school  houses  built,  manufactories  and  industries 
established,  until  in  the  course  of  civilization  the 
county  has  been  placed  in  the  front  rank  among 
her  sister  counties  in   Illinois. 

As  one  of  the  pioneers  Mr.  Eddington  is  cer- 
tainly deserving  of  a  representation  in  this  volume. 
He  was  born  near  Bridgewater.  Somersetshire,  Eng- 
land, April  5,  1819,  and  is  the  elder  of  two  sons 
whose   parents  were  Joseph  and  Betsy  (Domanee) 


ggL^ge£*s&^^ 


RESIDENCE  OF     F.   R.   K  AH  L  ,  SEC.  11. ,  SHI  PMAN     TR, MACOUPIN    CO.,  ILLS. 


RESIDENCE  OFS.  D.    EDDI  NGTON  ,  SEC.  3.,  BRIGHTON    TR,  MACOU  PI  N    CO.,    ILLS. 


ilBRARY 
OF  T"E 

nv<**- — 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


551 


Eddington.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  William 
Eddington,  of  Somersetshire,  who  reached  the  ad- 
vanced nge  of  one  hundred  and  three  years,  lie 
married  Miss  Hawkins,  who  died  when  little  pasl 
the  prime  of  life.  Both  were  members  of  the 
Church  of  England.  Joseph  Eddington  was  born 
and  reared  near  Bridgewater  and  in  his  native 
county  wedded  Miss  Domanee,  who  was  several 
years  his  junior.  They,  too,  adhered  to  the  faith 
of  the  Episcopal  Church.  The  father  died  at  his 
old  home  at  about  the  aye  of  sixty-three  years. 

In  the  community  in  which  he  was  horn  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood 
and  youth.  When  a  young  man  of  twenty-two 
years,  in  company  with  his  only  brother  Joseph,  he 
started  for  the  United  states,  taking  passage  at  Liv- 
erpool upon  the  sailing-vessel ''Kensington,"  which 
left  port  in  the  month  of  .lune  and  reached  this 
country  in  August,  after  a.  voyage  of  forty- two 
days.  From  New  York  the  brothers  made  their 
way  to  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburg,  where  they 
boarded  a  tialboat  and  went  down  the  river  to  St. 
Louis,  becoming  connected  later  on  with  the  boat- 
ing service  on  the  Mississippi.  A  few  months  were 
spent  in  New  Orleans  by  Mr.  Eddington  and  he 
then  came  to  Macoupin  County.  He  had  only  a 
cash  capital  of  $5  and  this  lie  put  into  the  Stf.te 
Bank  at  Shawneetown,  which  failed  a  few  days 
later.  This  left  him  without  a  cent,  but  he  did 
not  become  discouraged;  on  the  contrary  he  set  to 
work  to  find  a  position  that  would  provide  him  a 
sustenance  and  worked  at  breaking  prairie  and 
other  hard  labor  until  he  had  acquired  through  in- 
dustry and  economy  a  sufficient  sum  to  purchase 
land  and  begin  business  for  himself.  After  a  few 
years  his  brother  died,  leaving  him  the  only  one  of 
the  parental  family  in   America. 

A  marrirge  ceremony,  performed  in  St.  Louis, 
united  the  destinies  of  Samuel  Eddington  and  .lane 
Elworthy,  who  was  born  at  West  Zoyland,  Somer- 
setshire, England,  April  5,  1823.  Her  parents. 
James  and  Sarah  (Cattle)  Elworthy',  were  also 
natives  of  the  same  county,  where  they  spent  their 
entire  lives,  dying  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  anil 
eig'uty-four  years  respectively.  Mr.  Elworthy  was 
a  tailor  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
Wesleyan  Church  and  were  highly  respected,     The 


paternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Eddington  was  Isaac 
Elworthy,  a  butcher  by  trade,  who  was  born,  lived 
and  died  in  Somersetshire,  departing  this  life  at  an 
advanced  age.  The  wife  of  our  subject  is  one  of 
the  youngest  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  four  of 
whom  came  to  this  country,  but  her  brother  Isaac, 
now  a  tailor  of  Brighton,  ami  herself  are  the  only 
ones  yet  living,  si'e  was  twenty  years  of  age 
when  with  her  two  elder  brothers  she  crossed  the 
broad  ocean  and  came  from  New  York  City  to  Ill- 
inois. A  lady  of  many  excellencies  of  character, 
she  has  won  many  friends,  who  hold  her  in  high 
esteem. 

Ten  children  have  been  born  unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Eddington,  but  their  first  child,  Fred,  is  now  de- 
ceased. He  grew  to  manhood,  married  Rowena 
Gen tt  and  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight  years, 
leaving  four  children.  The  other  members  of  the 
family  are  James,  who  wedded  Edith  Mitchell  and 
is  a  farmer  of  Shipman  Township;  John  W.,  who 
married  Hannah  Flarety  and  farms  in  Brighton 
Township:  Samuel  I).,  who  aids  in  the  operation  of 
the  home  farm  :.C.  Wesley,  who  married  Ellen  Ed- 
dington amHwjes-Jifji  a  part  of  the  old  homestead; 
Sarah,  wife  of  Augti~t"'lW>omingslein,  a  resident 
farmer  of  this  township;  Thomas  II.,  who  assists  in 
the  farm  work  at  home;  Louisa  E.  and  Ida  M.,  in- 
telligent young  ladies  who  are  still  with  their  par- 
ents (the  latter  possessing  considerable  musical 
ability),  and  Bessie  D.,  a  successful  teacher  in  the 
public  schools. 

Mr.  Eddington  and  his  wife  attend  the  Metho- 
dist Church  ami  in  politics  he  is  a  supporter  of 
Republican  principles.  His  entire  property  has 
been  acquired  since  he  came  to  this  county.  With- 
out capital  save  a  young  man's  bright  hope  of  the 
future  and  a  determination  to  succeed,  he  has 
worked  his  way  upward  to  a  position  of  affluence. 
About  1845  he  made  his  first  purchase  of  land,  be- 
coming owner  of  eight)-  acres  of  raw  prairie  on 
section  10.  He  lived  on  that  and  improved  it,  af- 
terward purchasing  several  tracts  as  his  financial 
resources  were  increased,  until  finally  he  became  the 
owner  of  his  present  property.  It  was  in  1872 
that  he  purchased  and  located  upon  the  fine  farm 
which  he  still  makes  his  home  and  a  view  of  which 
is  shown  upon  another  page.     It  comprises  three 


552 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


hundred  and  sixty-three  acres  of  valuable  land  on 
sections  2,  3.  10  and  1  I,  and  is  well  supplied  with 
good  farm  buildings.  The  competence  which  Mr. 
Eddington  has  acquired  is  but  the  just  reward  of 
his  labors.  For  some  years  he  has  suffered  the 
partial  loss  of  his  eyesight,  but  he  bears  his  mis- 
fortune very  patiently. 


rERDINAND  R.  KAHL.  Some  German 
author  has  put  into  words  the  characteris- 
tic trait  of  his  countrymen,  when  he  says. 
'Do  with  your  whole  soul  that  which  is  set  before 
you;  let  nothing  appear  so  hard  that  it  may  abash 
you,  nothing  so  low  that  you  may  overlook  it." 
The  greatest  strides  have  been  made  in  the  arts  and 
sciences  by  our  Teutonic  neighbors,  and  yet,  the 
finish  of  their  work  is  so  thorough  as  almost  uni- 
versally to  excite  admiration.  Attention  to  minu- 
tia  is  ingrained  in  them  from  earliest  years.  Our 
subject  Ferdinand  R.  Kahl,  is  not  different  from 
his  countrymen  in  this  respect.  His  fine  farm  lo- 
cated on  section  11,  Shipman  Township,  declares 
him  to  be  careful  in  his  attention  to  every  detail. 
As  his  name  indicates  our  subject  is  of  German 
birth  and  parentage.  His  father,  Detleo  Kahl,  was 
born  in  Germany  about  1812.  His  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Margaret  Fischer,  was  a  native 
of  Germany,  born  in  1818.  They  emigrated  to 
America  when  the  country  was  suffering  a  relapse 
from  the  horrors  of  war.  and  coming  to  the  district 
of  Macoupin  County  in  18C4.  settled  in  Shipman 
Township.  There  both  parents  died,  the  father  pass- 
ing away  in  August,  1873;  the  mother  in  the  spring 
of  1886.  They  had  eight  children  who  lived  to  be 
grown.  Of  these  our  subject  was  the  fourth  child, 
and  was  bom  in  Holsteiu,  Germany,  September  7, 
1841. 

Mr.  Kahl's  early  life  was  spent  on  a  farm  in  the 
old  country.  He,  however,  learned  the  shoemaker's 
trade  before  coming  to  America.  His  emigration 
to  this  country  was  made  in  the  fall  of  1800,  and 
he  came  direct  to  Shipman  Township,  remaining 
here  for  one  and  one-half  years,  during  which  time 
he  supported  himself  by  working  at  his  trade.     At 


the  expiration  of  this  time  he  went  West  to  Color 
ado  in  the  raining  district,  and  was  engaged  in 
searching  for  the  precious  metal  while  in  the  moun- 
tains. He  continued  there  for  four  years  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  Shipman  Town- 
ship, and  soon  after  purchased  a  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred acres,  upon  which  he  now  lives. 

Since  coming  to  Macoupin  County,  our  subject 
has  greatly  improved  his  land  and  has  added  many 
buildings.  He  now  gives  his  devoted  attention  to 
farming,  being  particularly  interested  in  his  dairy 
products,  and  is  an  extensive  producer  of  dairy 
commodities  which  he  ships  to  St.  Louis.  A  view 
of  his  beautiful  home  appears  on  another  page.  Our 
subject's  marriage  took  place  in  Litchfield,  111., 
December  21,  1868.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Sarah  A.  Deahl,  and  is  a  sister  of  Adam 
Deahl,  whose  sketch  will  be  found  in  another  part 
of  this  Record.  Mrs.  Kahl  was  born  in  Alleghany 
County,  Md.,  June  11,  1817.  She  is  a  capable 
woman,  a  loving  helpmate  to  her  husband,  and  a 
devoted  mother  to  their  eleven  children.  They  are: 
Edwin  A.,  Charles  II.,  Mary  E.,  George  F.,  Maggie 
E..  Iluldah  L.,  Walter  W.,  Clara  M.,  Henrietta  C, 
Edna  E  ,  and  Ohauncy  E.  Charles  11.  died  when 
ten  months  of  age. 

Since  returning  from  the  West  Mr.  Kahl  has  been 
principally  engaged  in  farming,  and  now  ownstivo 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  on  which  he  has  placed  a 
fine  grade  of  improvements,  lie  has  been  elected 
to  the  office  of  Highway  Commissioner  and  School 
Director  which  positions  he  has  filled  satisfactorily. 
Politically  he  is  an  adherent  of  the  Democratic 
party.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Church.  Socially  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  Eralernit}'  and  also  a 
Knight  of  Honor. 


ig*£ 


.  RIAL  M.  SOLOMON.  It  gives  us  pleas- 
0y  I  ure  to  represent  in  this  Biographical 
HI  &  Rkcord,  dedicated  to  the  residents  of 
Macoupin  County,  this  gentleman,  who  is 
one  of  the  oldest  citizens  of  Illinois  now  living  in 
this  section,  a  man  well  known  and  much  respected. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


553 


He  was  formerly  actively  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  and  acquired  a  goodly  amount  of  prop- 
erly thereby.  He  is  now  living  in  honorable 
retirement  from  business  in  the  village  of  Palmyra. 

A  native  of  Muhlenberg  County,  Ky.,  our  sub- 
ject was  born  October  1,  1821.  His  father,  Henry 
Solomon,  was  born  December  6,  1799,  in  Franklin 
County,  N.  '.'.  He  was  a  son  of  Lewis  Solomon, 
who  was  a  native  of  the  same  State,  and  was  there- 
reared  and  married.  He  finally  removed  to  Mulil- 
enberg  County,  Ky.,  and  was  a  pioneer  of  that 
region.  In  1825  he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  fam- 
ily, making  the  entire  journey  by  land,  lie  became 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Morgan  County  and 
uas  a  resident  there  until  his  removal  to  this 
county.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  settle  in  North 
Palmyra  Township,  where  he  secured  a  tract  of 
Government  land,  which  he  improved  into  a  good 
farm,  and  there  he  passed  quieily  away  in  the 
month  of  August.  1849.  He  served  as  Justice  of 
the  Peace  before  the  county  was  organized  and 
was  the  first  justice  elected  after  it  became  a 
county.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Sarah 
Bowdcn.  She  was  a  native  of  Franklin  County, 
N.  C  and  a  daughter  of  John  Bowden.  She  pre- 
ceded her  husband  in  death  a  few  months,  dying 
in  February,  1849. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  child  when  the 
family  took  up  their  abode  in  Kentucky  and  there 
he  grew  to  a  stalwart  manhood.  He  learned  the 
trade  of  a  shoemaker  in  his  youth.  In  1825  lie 
left  his  home  in  Muhlenberg  County,  and  bringing 
with  him  his  wife  and  two  children,  he  came  to 
Illinois,  journeying  by  land  to  his  destination. 
He  arrived  at  Jacksonville  October  19.  and  found 
hut  one  house  on  the  present  site  of  the  city, 
though  the  town  had  been  platted  the  previous 
August.  That  house  was  of  logs  and  still  stands 
one  block  east  of  the  Square,  a  relic  of  the  past. 
It  is  weather- boarded,  the  boards  having  been 
rived  by  hand,  and  the  flooring  was  drawn  from 
St.  Louis.  The  greater  part  of  the  land  was  still 
in  the  hands  of  the  Government  when  Mr.  Solomon 
settled  there  and  as  he  had  but  16.50  in  his 
possession  he  was  unable  to  purchase  any.  He 
rented  land  for  two  years  and  at  the  end  of 
that  time  was  enabled  to  buy  a  claim  to   a   tract, 


which  now  joins  the  city.  There  was  a  log  house 
on  the  place  and  a  few  acres  of  the  land  broken 
constituted  the  improvements.  He  held  onto  his 
chum  for  two  years  and  then  entered  it  at  the  land 
office  at  Vandalia. 

In  1835  the  father  of  our  subject  sold  his  prop- 
erty in  Morgan  County  at  the  rate  of  $10  an 
acre,  a  good  ad  vancc  on  the  purchase  price,  and  with 
the  proceeds  lie  bought  Government  laud  in  this 
county  in  what  is  now  known  as  South  Palmyra 
Township.  He  erected  a  log  house  and  at  once  set 
about  the  hard  labor  of  clearing  a  farm.  There 
were  no  railways  then  in  this  part  of  the  country 
and  the  fanners  had  to  go  to  Alton  to  market. 
Mr.  Solomon  lived  to  see  a  great  change  wrought 
in  the  face  of  the  country  and  he  did  his  share  of 
toil  necessary  to  subdue  the  forces  of  nature  and 
make  this  a  rich  and  flourishing  agricultural 
region.  With  the  exception  of  one  year,  he  con- 
tinued to  occupy  his  farm  until  death  closed  his 
career  at  a  ripe  age  in  1876.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried. The  maiden  name  of  his  first  wife,  mother 
of  our  subject,  was  Rebecca  James.  She  died  in 
Muhlenberg  County  in  1823.  The  step-mother  of 
our  subject  was  named  Elizabeth  Krous  and  she 
was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  She  died  on  the  home 
farm  in  1888  in  her  eighty-second  year.  Three  of 
her  children  arc  now  living. 

Our  subject  is  the  only  survivor  of  the  chil- 
dren of  his  father's  first  marriage.  He  was  but 
four  years  old  when  the  family  came  to  Illinois. 
He  attended  the  first  school  ever  taught  in 
Jacksonville,  which  was  held  in  a  log  cabin  near 
the  square  on  the  south.  The  seats  were  made  by 
splitting  logs  and  hewing  one  side  smooth  and 
there  were  no  backs  to  them.  The  building  was 
heated  by  a  fire  in  a  rude  fireplace  and  lighted  by 
removing  logs  from  the  walls  and  pasting  greased 
paper  over  the  aperture.  Fach  family  had  to  pay 
money  for  the  teaching  in  accordance  with  the 
number  of  scholars  sent  to  school. 

As  soon  as  he  was  large  enough  Mr.  Solomon 
assisted  his  father  in  the  farm  work,  and  he  con- 
tinued an  inmate  of  the  parental  home  until  he  was 
twenty-four  \ears  old.  When  he  was  seventeen 
years  of  age  his  father  gave  him  $50  and  told 
him    to    do    whatsoever  he     liked     with   it.     The 


Of)  I 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


enterprising  youth  wisely  invested  it  in  forty  acres 
of  Government  land  in  South  Palmyra  Township, 
entering  it  at  the  land  office  at  Edwardsville. 
Two  years  later  his  father  again  gave  him  a 
like  sum  of  money  and  he  judiciously  exchanged 
it  for  forty  acres  of  land  in  Barr  Township, 
adjoining  his  first  entry.  He  never  located  on 
the  land,  but  eventually  sold  it  at  15.25  an 
acre.  He  then  bought  one  hundred  and  ten  acres 
in  Barr  Township  and  took  up  his  residence  there- 
on. He  did  well  as  a  farmer  and  from  t'mc  to 
time  bought  other  land  until  lie  had  four  hundred 
acres  in  his  possession.  In  the  fall  of  1888  he  re- 
moved from  his  homestead  in  Barr  Township  to 
Palmyra  and  has  since  lived  retired  in  this  village. 
Mr.  Solomon  was  first  wedded  in  November, 
1844,  to  Miss  .lane  Norman,  a  native  of  Tennessee. 
Their  married  life  was  one  of  mutual  helpfulness 
and  felicity.  It  was  terminated  by  the  death  of 
the  faithful  wife  in  1S7G  in  the  home  that  she  had 
helped  her  husband  to  build  up.  The  second  mar- 
riage of  our  subject,  which  took  place  in  March, 
1879,  was  with  Mrs.  Elvira  (I'.radshaw)  Wiswell. 
She  was  born  on  a  farm  adjoining  the  city  of  .Jack- 
sonville, Morgan  County,  January  21.  182:5.  Her 
father,  John  Bradshaw,  vvas  a  native  of  North 
Carolina.  He  removed  from  there  to  Tennessee, 
whence  he  enme  to  Illinois  in  1817,  this  State  then 
being  a  territory.  He  resided  for  one  year  in  a 
block  house  on  the  American  Bottoms,  as  the 
Indians  were  then  numerous  and  troublesome.  In 
1818  be  went  to  Morgan  County,  where  he  entered 
a  tract  of  Government  land  which  now  joins  the 
city  of  Jacksonville  on  the  east.  He  erected  a 
rude  log  cabin,  riving  the  boards  for  a  roof,  making 
a  puncheon  floor  and  splitting  boards  for  the  door, 
which  had  wooden  hinges,  and  a  wooden  latch  that 
was  raised  by  a  string  put  through  the  door  and 
hanging  on  the  outside.  He  had  no  nails  to  use  in 
building  the  structure.  Later  he  built  a  hewed 
log  house,  sawing  the  lumber  for  it  with  a  whip 
saw.  He  made  that  his  abode  until  his  death  in 
1845.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Fanny 
Elkins.  She  was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  She 
passed  from  life  to  death  on  the  home  farm  at 
Jacksonville  in  1865. 

Mrs.  Solomon  lived  with  her  parents  until   her 


marriage.  She  learned  to  weave  and  spin  and  in 
her  early  married  life  made  all  the  cloth  used  by 
the  family.  She  was  first  wedded  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  years  to  Eugene  Wiswell,  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont and  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Catherine  (Deal) 
Wiswell.  Mr.  Wiswell  served  in  the  late  war  as 
Quartermaster  in  the  Ninety-first  Illinois  Infantry. 
After  the  war  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  New  Orleans,  where  he  died  of  yellow  fever 
in  18Cfi. 

After  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Solomon 
returned  to  Iroquois  County,  this  State.  She  is 
the  mother  of  eight  children  by  her  first  marriage, 
of  whom  the  following  is  recorded  :  Elvina,  Mrs. 
Skeels,  lives  in  Iroquois  County;  Nancy  A..  Mrs. 
Douglas  is  a  resident  of  Clinton,  Mo. ;  Catherine 
F.,  Mrs.  Lindsey,  lives  in  Iroquois  County;  John 
W.  lives  at  Lee.  Summit  County,  Mo.;  Lou,  Mrs. 
Thisler,  resides  at  Bergen,  Ky. ;  Flora,  Mrs.  Austin, 
resides  at  Abilene,  Kan.;  Cora,  Mrs.  Doolittle,  is  a 
resident  of  Jacksonville;  Josephine,  Mrs.  Shank, 
lives  at    Palmyra. 

Mr.  Solomon  has  six  children  living  by  his  first 
marriage:  Elizabeth  J.,  Mrs.  Hinckle,  a  resident  of 
Pana,  Christian  County,  III.;  Mary  J.,  Mrs.  Ross, 
lives  at  Wilber,  Neb.;  Melvina,  Mrs.  Edwards,  is 
a  resident  of  Denver,  Colo.;  Benjamin  F.  lives  in 
Oklahoma,  and  Samuel  C. 

Our  subject  is  a  Christian  in  deed  and  word  and 
a  member  in  high  standing  in  the  Baptist  Church. 
He  is  as  sound  in  his  politics  as  in  his  religion  and 
is  an  unswerving  adherent  of  the  Democratic  party. 
Mrs.  Solomon  belongs  to  the  Christian  Church  and 
is  an  active  worker  in  the  fold. 

-.  : sg^jUjc       :    . 

^p^l  ARDNER  CASE,  a  retired  farmer  who  re- 
J||  ,=-,  sides  in  a  pleasant  and  beautifu  1  home  on 
^JJl  Franklin  Street,  Bunker  Hill,  has  lived  in 
this  place  for  twelve  years,  coming  here  from  his 
farm  in  Bunker  Hill  Township,  where  he  had  lived 
since  1842.  He  obtained  the  land  unbroken, 
and  put  it  in  a  splendid  state  of  cultivation.  He 
then  sold  it  and  purchased  a  large  farm  of  more 
than  eight  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  Montgomery 


of  m 


I  ' 


PORTRAIT  AND   HKHMJAI'HICAL   RECORD. 


557 


County,  and  this  he  now  owns.  He  was  a  practi- 
cal farmer  and  stock-raiser,  especially  in  the  line  of 
swine  and  sheep. 

Mr.  Case  came  to  this  State  from  Connecticut  in 

1812.  His  birthplace  was  ten  miles  west  of  Hart- 
ford, Conn.,  and  his  ratal  day  was  February  1  1. 
1818.  His  father,  Nathan  Case,  was  horn  and 
reared  in  Connecticut,  and  became  the  largest  land 
owner  in  his  township.  He  devoted  himself  largely 
to  the  culture  of  fruit  and  the  manufacture  of  cider 
and  died  at  the  old  home  at  the  age  of  seventy-two 
years.  He  was  a  Whig  i;i  his  political  views,  and 
was  sent  by  that  party  to  the  State  Legislature.  He 
was  a  member  in  good  and  regular  standing  of  the 
Congregational  Church,  as  was  his  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Lucy  Moses,  who  was  born  in 
Hartford  County,  Conn.  She  died  i.i  the  prime  of 
life,  when  her  son,  our  subject,  was  only  six  years 
old.  Nathan  Case  was  married  a  second  time  to 
Edna  Gillett,  who  also  died  in  Hartford  County. 
The  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  a  patriot  of  the 
Revolutionary  days.  Jedadiab  Case  by  name,  who 
was  a  brave  soldier,  a  good  citizen  and  a  promi- 
nent farmer  of  Connecticut. 

The  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch,  was  one 
of  the  younger  of  the  five  children  born  to  his 
mother.  When  twenty-one  years  old  lie  left  Con- 
necticut and  came  to  Illinois,  and  began  life  for 
himself  on  a  new  farm  in  Bunker  Hill  Township, 
this  county.  Here  he  has  made  his  fortune  and 
here  he  has  built  up  a  reputation  as  a  man  of  pure 
habits  and  sound  character.  Every  one  who  knows 
him  rejoices  to  speak  well  of  him.  His  marriage 
took  place  in  Montgomery  County,  111.,  his  bride 
being  Fannie  Gallaher.  She  was  born  in  West  Vir- 
ginia, in  1839,  eight  miles  from  Harper's  Ferry. 
Her  natal  da)-  was  December  29.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Sidney  and  Jane  (Howard)  Gallaher,  both 
Virginians.  Mrs.  Gallaher  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-seven  years.  Her  husband  lived  to  be  sev- 
enty four  years  old.  He  spent  a  number  of  bis 
later  years  in  Illinois,  but  returned  to  Fairfax 
County,  W.  Ya.,  before  his  death.  They  were  both 
earnest  and  conscientious  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church. 

The  wife  of  our  subject  is  one  of  three  daugh- 
ters of  her  parents,  all  yet  living,  and   all    having 


established  homes  of  their  own.  Mrs.  Case  was 
reared  in  Johnstown,  W.  Ya.,  and  is  a  lady  of  rare 
intelligence  and  of  most  lovely  character.  She  has 
hosts  of  friends  in  Hunker  Hill.  She  has  been  the 
mother  of  two  children,  one  of  whom  .Maud,  died 
in  infancy:  Harvey,  who  is  still  at  home,  is  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Hunker  Hill  Academy;  Mrs.  Case  is  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church.  Her  grand- 
father was  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  Amer- 
ica when  a  young  man  and  lived  and  died  in  West 
Virginia,  passing  away  in  extreme  old  age.  Mr. 
Case  casts  his  vote  for  the  Democratic  party,  to 
which  he  has  always  been  attached. 


•;♦.?;■►; ♦ 


1  OllX  1'.  HENDERSON  is  well  known  in 
financial  circles  not  only  as  a  part  proprie. 
tor  of  the  Hank  of  Virden,  but  as  one  of  the 
prominent  farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  the 
county,  owning  and  occupying  a  large  and  well- 
ordered  farm  in  Virden  Township.  lie  was  born 
in  Garrard  County,  Ky.,  January  15,1833.  His 
father  was  .Tames  Harvey  Henderson,  a  Virginian 
by  birth,  coming  of  Scotch  ancestry.  He  removed 
with  his  family  to  Kentucky  in  the  early  years  of 
its  settlement,  and  then  went  from  there  to  Indiana 
in  its  territorial  days,  and  located  near  Blooining- 
ton.  There  were  but  few  whites  in  that  part  of 
the  country  then,  and  as  the  Indians  were  numer- 
ous and  hostile,  the  whole  neighborhood  lived  for 
some  time  in  a  fort. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  a  resident  of 
Indiana  during  the  War  of  1812,  and  one  of  his 
brothers  took  part  in  that  conflict  and  never  "as 
heard  from  afterward.  In  1830  Grandfather  Hen- 
derson came  to  Morgan  County,  111.,  and  spent  the 
••Winter  of  the  Deep  Snow"  there.  Soon  after  he- 
took  up  his  residence  among  the  pioneers  of  Greene 
County,  locating  on  a  tract  of  timber  and  prairie 
land  near  Whitehall,  where  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life  in  improving  a  farm,  dying  in  1849. 
lie  married  Nancy  Provinc,  who  died  at  the  home 
of  the  father  of  our  subject  about  two  years  after 
her  husband's  death. 


558 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


.lames  Harvey  Henderson  was  very  young  when 
his  parents  removed  to  Indi&na,  where  he  grew  to 
manhood.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  began  to 
learn  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith,  receiving  sufficient 
money  to  clothe  and  board  himself.  At  that  time 
blacksmiths  used  to  make  chains,  wedges,  axes, 
hoes,  and  even  the  horse  shoes  and  the  nails  with 
which  to  put  them  on.  He  worked  evenings  to 
make  those  things  to  sell,  and  in  that  way  earned 
his  first  money,  which  was  the  basis  of  a  fortune. 
After  completing  his  apprenticeship  Mr.  Henderson 
returned  to  Kentucky  and  carried  on  his  trade  in 
that  Stale.  He  married  during  his  residence  there, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1837  came  to  Illinois  once  again, 
bringing  with  bim  his  wife  and  the  two  children 
that  had  been  born  to  them  in  Kentucky.  The 
journey  was  made  with  a  pair  of  oxen  and  a 
horse  to  lead,  attached  to  a  covered  wagon,  in 
which  were  all  their  earthly  possessions. 

Mr.    Henderson    located    at    Carrollton,  then    a 
small  place,  and  became  one  of  its  pioneer  mechan- 
ics, opening  a  shop  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on 
trade,  and  operating  it  two  years.     At  the  expira- 
tion of  that  time  he  entered  Government  land  six- 
miles  east  of  Whitehall.      lie  erected  a   log  house, 
also  a  smithy,  and  devoted  a  part  of  his  time  to  his 
trade    and    the    rest    to    his    farm,    residing  there 
until    1853.     About    1850   he  came    to    Macoupin 
County  and  entered  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
Government  land  in  what  is  now  Yirden  Township. 
In  1853  he  took  up  his  residence  upon  it,  building 
his  dwelling  on  section    10,  and    in    the   years   that 
followed  he  devoted  himself  assiduously  to  improv- 
'   ing  his  farm,      in  the  fall  of   1883   he  died   in   the 
comfortable  home  that  was  the  result  of  his  unre- 
mitting toil.     He  was  more  than  ordinarily   fortu- 
nate   in    the   prosecution   of  his   calling,  and  had 
become  one  of  the  wealthy  farmers  of  the  county, 
whose  name  will  ever  be  held  in  respect  as  that  of 
one    who    aided    in    developing   the  riches  of  the 
county,  and  who,  though  not  one  of  its  earliest  set- 
tlers, is  deserving  of  a  high   place  among  its  pio- 
neers.    The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was   Almira 
B.  Reid.  and  she   was  a  native  of  Kentucky.     She 
departed    this    life   on  the  home   farm    in  Greene 
County   in    1845,  leaving    three    children,  namely : 
Samuel  B.,  who  died  in  1849;  John  P.;  and  Mary, 


- 


who  married  John  Woodson,  and  died  at  St.  Louis 
in  1880,  leaving  two  children,  Julia  and  Alma. 

In  the  pioneer  schools  of  Greene  County  our 
subject  received  his  education.  These  temples  of 
learning  were  rudely  furnished  with  benches  made 
of  puncheon,  with  wooden  pins  for  legs,  and  with- 
out backs  or  desks.  A  log  was  taken  out  of  the 
wall  of  the  house  to  admit  light.  The  country 
surrounding  his  early  home  in  this  State  was  in  a 
wild  condition,  as  the  pioneers  had  not  made  much 
headway  against  the  forces  of  nature  at  that  period, 
and  deer,  wdd  turkeys  and  other  game  were  plen- 
tiful. He  was  quite  young  when  he  began  to  assist 
his  father  in  the  farm  work,  and  he  continued  to 
live  with  him  until  he  attained  manhood.  In  1856 
he  turned  aside  fiom  the  calling  to  which  he  had 
been  bred,  to  engage  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Yirden,  and  carried  it  on  there  successfully  the  en- 
suing four  years.  In  1863  he  decided  to  try  his 
fortune  in  the  Golden  State,  and  with  fifteen  others 
he  started  for  the  Pacific  Coast  in  the  month  of 
April,  taking  quite  a  number  of  horses  and  mules 
to  dispose  of  in  California.  The  little  parly  made 
the  entire  journey  overland  across  the  plains  by 
the  way  of  the  Platte  River  Valley  and  Salt  Lake. 
In  the  month  of  August  our  subject  and  his  com- 
panions arrived  at  Marysville,  where  they  disposed 
of  their  stock,  and  in  December  of  tue  same  year 
he  started  homeward  by  way  of  the  Isthmus,  ar- 
riving one  month  later. 

After  his  return  from  California  Mr.  Henderson 
accepted  the  position  of  clerk  to  Sheriff  Wills,  who 
was  then  County  Tax  Collector.  He  remained  with 
him  two  years,  and  then  began  to  improve  a  farm 
west  of  Virden.  In  1873  he  sold  that  place  and 
purchased  the  one  on  which  he  now  resides  of  Dr. 
Orange  B.  Heaton.  This  farm  contains  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  of  fine,  well-cultivated  prai- 
rie land,  well  stocked  with  cattle  and  horses  of  high 
grade,  and  amply  provided  with  buildings  of  a 
neat  and  substantial  class,  and  all  the  modern  p.pJ 
pliances  for  carrying  on  agriculture  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage. 

Our  subject  is  a  man  of  large  enterprise,  and  he- 
sides  managing  his  extensive  farming  affairs  very 
successfully,  he  is  interested  in  the  banking  busi- 
ness.    In  1887  he  formed  a  partnership  with  B.  F. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


559 


Caldwell,  E.  I).  Keys,  W.  T.  Lewis  and  George  J. 
Patterson,  to  establish  the  Bank  of  Virden,  and  he 
is  still  a  member  of  the  linn.  The  bank  has  had  a 
prosperous  run  of  four  years,  and  is  firmly  founded 
in  the  confidence  of  the  people,  who  regard  it  as 
one  of  our  safest  and  best  managed  monetary  in- 
stitutions, and  its  credit  is  high  wherever  it  has 
financial  dealings. 


father,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Morgan 
County,  this  State,  was  a  native  of  Hagerstown, 
Md.  lie  in  turn  was  a  son  of  John  Rohrcr,  who 
was  of  Swiss  birth.  The  latter  was  reared  and 
married  in  the  land  of  his  nativity,  and  in  1793 
came  to  America,  three  of  his  brothers  accompany, 
ing  him,  one  of  them  settling  in  Virginia  and  two 
of  them  in  Pennsylvania.     The  grandfather  of  our 


The  marriage  of  Mr.  Henderson  with  Miss  Maxie       subject  erected  a  stone  Homing  mill  at  Hagerstown, 


Z.  Bronaugh  was  solemnized  in  January,  1867,  and 
their  happy  wedded  life  has  brought  them  one 
daughter,  whom  they  have  named  Almira  L.  Mrs. 
Henderson  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Louisa  (Poin- 
dexter)  Bronaugh,  of  whom  a  sketch  appears  on  an- 
other page  of  this  work.  Mr.  Henderson  is  a  man 
of  sensible  and  sound  views  on  all  the  important 
questions  of  the  day,  and  is  well  dowered  with 
tenacity  of  purpose,  sagacious  and  independent 
judgment  and  other  traits  necessary  to  success  in 
any  vocation.  He  has  not  staid  to  question 
whether  or  no  "life  is  worth  living,"  but  has  done 
his  best  to  make  it  so  by  doing  his  whole  duty 
wherever  placed.  In  his  politics  he  is  unswerving 
in  his  allegiance  to  the  Democratic  party.  Both  he 
and  his  good  wife  are  exemplary  members  of  the 
Christian  Church,  and  are  of  high  repute  in  their 
community. 

A  lithographic  portrait  of  Mr.  Henderson  is  pre- 
sented on  another  page  of  this  volume. 

-gM —  -y-^^-"       ■ 


ffiAME.S  H.  ROHRER,  one  of  the  oldest  resi- 
dents of  this  county,  is  prominent  and  well- 
known  as  a  member  of  its  farming  commun- 
ity who  has  for  many  years  been  active  in 
helping  to  develop  its  agricultural  resources,  and 
so  has  materially  promoted  its  rise   and   progress. 


which  is  still  standing,  a  relic  of  the  past.  He 
operated  that  mill  eight  years  and  at  the  expiration 
of  that  time  went  to  Virginia,  whence  he  subse- 
quently removed  to  Kentucky,  where  he  purchased 
land  and  gave  his  attention  to  farming  until  death 
closed  his  mortal  career.  His  youngest  son  still 
occupies  the  old  homestead  that  he  improved  from 
the  primeval  wilds.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife 
was  Kate  Orendorph,  and  she  was  also  a  native  of 
Switzerland.  She  died  on  the  Kentucky  home- 
stead. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  lad  when  his  par- 
ents went  to  Kentucky,  and  there  in  due  time  lie 
married  and  established  himself  as  a  farmer  on 
Kentucky  soil.  In  August.  1826,  deeming  that  he 
could  do  still  better  in  the  more  newly  settled 
State  of  Illinois,  he  came  hither  with  his  wife  and 
the  two  children  that  had  been  born  to  them,  the 
journey  being  made  by  land  with  a  pony  and  a 
blind  horse  attached  to  a  wagon  that  held  all  their 
earthly  possessions.  They  were  delayed  by  sick- 
ness, and  did  not  arrive  at  their  destination  in 
Morgan  County  until  the  10th  of  October. 
They  camped  near  a  cabin,  and  during  the  night 
the  owner  of  that  dwelling  called  and  offered  to 
give  ill)  lLie  claim  on  which  it  stood  and  a  stack  of 
fodder  in  exchange  for  the  pony,  possession  to  be 
given  the  next  day.  The  bargain  was  made  at  once, 
and  on  the  morrow  Mr.  Rohrer  and  his  family 
moved  into  the  cabin.  He  had  but  $50  with 
which  to  begin  life  in  a  new  country,  and  with  that 


For  more  than  thirty  years  he  has  owned  and  occu 

pied  his  present  farm,   which  is   pleasantly  situated       he  entered  forty  acres  of  tin1  land,  which  was  located 

in   Seottville  Township,    and  is  as    well  improved        two  miles  west  of  Waverly.   The  cabin  was  a  prim- 


and  cultivated  as  any  within  its  bounds. 

Logan  County,  Ky.,  is  the  birthplace  of  our  sub- 
ject, and  there  in  the  humble  pioneer  home  of  Ja- 
cob and  Artemisia  (Ashbaugh)  Rohrer  he  first 
opened    his   eyes    to  the  light  of  the  world.     His 


itive  affair,  with  a  puncheon  floor  and  a  mud  and 
stick  chimney,  while  the  boards  on  the  roof  were 
held  in  place  by  weight  poles. 

Mr.  Rohrer  commenced  at  once  the  hard  pioneer 
task  that  lay   before   him  of  evolving  a  farm  from 


.560 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  wilderness.  He  had  to  go  way  to  Alton  or  St. 
Louis  to  market  his  grain  and  other  produce,  which 
was  a  difficult  journey  in  those  days  before  railways 
were  introduced  in  this  part  of  the  world.  He 
carried  on  his  operations  with  great  success,  as  he 
was  more  than  ordinarily  gifted  with  energy  and 
good  judgment,  and  besides  developing  his  origi- 
nal purchase,  he  bought  other  land,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death  in  1  s:»8  had  a  fine  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred acres  of  very  fertile  land,  well  supplied  with 
good  buildings  and  other  improvements.  He  did 
good  work  as  a  pioneer  and  was  much  missed  in 
his  community.  His  wife  died  at  the  home  of  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Spencer  Norvell.  She  was  a  native 
of  Bullitt  County,  Ky.,  and  a  daughter  of  .Tames 
aud  Kate  Ashbaugh.  She  was  the  mother  of  four 
children  that  grew  to  maturity:  Mary,  .lames, 
George  and  Kate. 

But  few  men  are  as  well  posted  in  the  early  his- 
tory of  this  county  as  our  subject.  Coming  to  Illi- 
nois in  his  infancy  his  earliest  recollections  are 
connected  with  its  pioneer  life,  and  he  has  wit- 
nessed almost  the  entire  development  arid  growth 
of  this  section  from  its  primitive  wildness.  When 
his  father  came  to  the  State  the  greater  part  of  the 
land  was  owned  by  the  Government,  and  has  since 
been  sold  at  sums  varying  from  twelve  and  a  half 
cents  to  a  $1.25  an  acre.  The  habits  and  customs 
of  the  people  were  necessarily  different  from  those 
of  to-day,  owing  to  far  different  environments,  as 
the  e.irly  settlers  of  the  country  had  to  struggle 
against  the  rude  forces  of  nature  and  had  but  little 
time  for  the  amenities  of  life.  This  perhaps  was 
but  little  to  be  regretted,  as  perchance  the  hard- 
ships that  were  so  patiently  and  heroically  endured 
brought  out  many  fine  traits  of  character,  such  as 
unwearying  self-sacrifice,  a  generous  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  their  fellow-pioneers,  and  a  warm-hearted 
hospitality  that  have  never  been  exceeded  by  any 
other  people.  They  were  obliged  to  live  chiefly 
on  the  products  of  their  farms  and  on  the  wild 
game  that  abounded  on  the  prairies  or  in  the  tim- 
ber, and  were  mostly  clothed  in  homespun  made 
by  the  skillful  hands  of  the  women. 

Our  subject  was  quite  a  lad  when  the  village  of 
Waverly  was  platted,  and  he  watched  the  men 
drive  the  first  stakes  that  marked  its  bounds,     His 


education  was  obtained  in  the  pioneer  schools  of 
the  time,  which  were  furnished  with  puncheon 
benches  that  had  no  backs  or  desks,  and  the  build- 
ing was  lighted  by  the  admission  of  the  sunshine 
through  a  hole  made  in  the  wall  by  the  removal  of 
a  log.  When  not  in  school  Mr.  Rohrer  was  required 
to  help  his  father  in  the  farm  work,  and  he  con- 
tinued to  remain  an  inmate  of  the  parental  house- 
hold until  he  attained  the  age  of  twenty-three 
years.  In  the  meantime,  he  had  earned  money 
enough  to  pa}1  for  the  land  that  he  had  bought  at 
%i  an  acre  in  Morgan  County.  There  was  a  log 
house  on  it  at  the  time  of  purchase,  and  in  thai,  he 
and  his  bride  commenced  housekeeping  on  an  hum 
ble  scale.  In  1858  he  sold  that  place  and  bought 
the  homestead  on  which  he  has  since  resided.  It 
comprises  two  hundred  and  sixty-seven  acres  of  ns 
tine  farming  land  as  can  be  found  in  that  vicinity, 
which  is  under  excellent  cultivation,  and  it  is  pro- 
vided with  ample  and  well-built  buildings  for  every 
needed  purpose. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  with  Miss  Elizabeth 
Sharp  took  place  in  1852.  and  in  her  he  has  found 
one  who  has  always  sympathized  with  him  in  all 
his  plans,  and  has  co-operated  with  him  cheerfully 
in  carrying  them  out.  A  sincere  Christian,  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  finds  in  her  an  earnest 
member.  Her  marriage  with  our  subject  has  been 
blessed  to  them  by  the  birth  of  children,  of  whom 
these  six  have  been  spared  to  bless  their  declining 
years:  Harriet,  Katie,  Minnie,  Julia,  Uolla  and 
Nora.  Their  fourth  child,  Ella,  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years.  Their  only  son,  .lames  Freder- 
ick, who  was  born  January  14,  187.3,  died  Decem- 
ber 19,  1890.  Harriet  married  John  Hurt,  and  has 
four  children,  who  are  named  Jeptha,  Ilallie,  Ora 
and  Lizzie.  Kate  married  Gordon  Crum,  they  live, 
in  Gage  County,  Neb.,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren: Roy,  Cora,  and  Ralph.  Minnie  married 
William  Dalton,  and  they  have  three  children, 
Clarence,  Lela,  and  Baby  ;  they  live  in  Clay  County, 
Neb.  Julia  married  William  Close;  and  Rolla  mar- 
ried Frederick  Butcher,  they  have  one  child  living, 
Floyd. 

Mrs.  Rohrer  is  a  native  of  Scottville  Township 
where  she  still  makes  her  home,  born  here  in  the 
early   days   of    its  settlement  May   19,  1833.     She 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


50 1 


comes  of  tbe  old  pioneer  slock  of  this  county,  anil 
is  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Sharp,  who  was  a  native  of 
Tennessee.  His  father  was  a  pioneer  of  that  State. 
whence  he  came  to  this  count}"  during  the  latter 
part  of  his  life.  Mrs.  Rohrer's  father  was  reared 
and  married  in  Tennessee,  taking  as  his  wife  Chloe 
Berry,  also  a  native  of  that  Slate,  and  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Ray  wood)  Kerry.  She  sur- 
vived her  husband  some  years,  and  died  at  the  home 
of  a  daughter  near  Waverly.  In  Ihe  prime  of  a 
stalwart  manhood  Mr.  Sharp  came  with  his  wife  to 
Illinois  and  was  among  the  first  to  settle  in  Scott- 
ville  Township.  He  bought  land  on  section  13, 
improved  a  farm,  and  there  dwelt  in  contentment 
and  comfort  the  rest  of  his  days. 

Our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife  arc  held  in 
high  regard  for  their  many  excellencies  of  character 
that  have  made  them  good  citizens,  kind  neighbors 
and  true  friends.  Mr.  Rohrerisone  of  the  strong- 
est advocates  of  the  Democratic  party  in  his  com- 
munity. He  has  always  displayed  true  public- 
spirit  in  his  manifest  interest  in  the  well-being  of 
his  township  and  county,  and  has  done  loyal  service 
whenever  he  has  been  called  to  responsible  positions 
in  civic  life.  He  was  the  first  to  represent  Scott- 
ville  Township,  on  the  County  Board  of  Supervis- 
ors, elected  to  I  hat  office  the  year  of  its  organiza- 
tion, 1871,  and  he  filled  it  three  terms.  He  has 
been  School  Treasurer  many  years. 


\       JjfclLLIAM  AN 

M/l  taingMi 

!\W      where  he  has 


ILLIAM  ANDERSON,  who  is  engaged  in 
section  5,  Cahokia  Township, 
has  made  his  home  for  seventeen 
rears,  has  the  honor  of  being  one  of  the  pioneer 
lettlers  of  Macoupin  County,  where  he  has  resided 
ilmost  continuously  since  his  early  childhood.  No 
me  in  the  community  is  more  deserving  of  a  rep- 
lesentation  in  the  county's  history  than  he,  and  it 
s  with  pleasure  that  we  present  his  sketch  to  the 
leaders  of  the  Record. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  born  in  Putnam  County.  Ind., 
iear  Greencastle,  February  14,  1832.  His  father, 
anies   Anderson,   was   a  native  of    Tennessee,    of 


English  and  Scotch  descent,  and  made  farming  his 
life  work.  He  married  a  Miss  Whitehead  and 
they  resided  in  Tennessee  until  after  all  of  their 
children  were  born  when  they  emigrated  to  Put- 
nam County,  Ind.,  which  was  then  in  its  infancy, 
the  greater  partof  the  land  being  still  in  its  prim- 
itive condition,  while  the  work  of  civilization  and 
progress  seemed  scarcely  begun.  Upon  the  farm 
which  he  there  developed  James  Anderson  and  his 
wife  abided  until  death  called  the  mother  to  the 
home  beyond.  He  afterward  went  to  Boonr 
County,  where  he  spent  his  last  days  with  om-  of 
his  daughters.  He  had  served  as  a  private  in  the 
Black  Hawk  War  and  was  a  man  of  prominence  in 
the  community  where  he  resided.  He  held  mem- 
bership with  the  Baptist  Church  and  both  he  and 
his  wife  were  highly  esteemed  people. 

Thomas  Anderson,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  the  State  of  Tennessee  where  he 
he  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  childhood  and 
youth.  Soon  after  removing  to  Indiana  he  at- 
tained, his  majority  and  was  joined  in  wedlock  with 
Miss  Mary  Scott,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  who 
when  a  young  maiden  went  to  Indiana  with  her 
parents,  Robert  and  Martha  (Proffitt)  Soctt,  the 
family  locating  in  Putnam  County,  whence  the 
parents  removed  in  1831  to  Macoupin  County, 
III.  They  became  pioneers  of  this  region  and  here 
died  when  well  advanced  in  years.  One  child  was 
born  unto  Thomas  Anderson  and  wife  in  Indiana 
and  they  then  came  in  1834  to  Macoupin  County  fet- 
tling in  what  is  now  Honey  Point  Township,  where 
both  died  in  middle  life,  the  mother  in  1838,  the 
father  in  1813.  He  was  a  faithful  and  consistent 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  as  was  also  Mrs. 
Anderson. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  eldest  of  five 
children,  of  whom  four  sons  by  a  second  mar- 
riage are  yet  living.  He  was  left  an  orphan  when 
only  eleven  years  of  age,  when  he  began  to  make 
his  own  way  in  the  world  and  has  since  been  de- 
pendent upon  his  own  resources.  He  may  truly 
be  called  a  self-made  man  and  certainly  he  deserves 
no  little  credit  for  his  success  in  life.  He  began 
as  a  farm  hand  and  for  four  years  was  employed 
in  a  saw  mill  by  Columbus  Corr.  lie  had  pre- 
viously worked  for  two  other  farmers  in  the  neigh- 


562 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


borliood  and  his  fidelity  to  liis  employers  was  such 
that  he  never  had  to  seek  for  work,  but  on  the  con- 
trary was  sought  by  those  in  need  of  such  services. 
At  length  by  industry  and  economy  he  hud  se- 
cured enough  money  to  purchase  a  small  tract  of 
land  and  began  farming  for  himself.  As  a  help- 
mate on  life's  journey  he  chose  Miss  Lydia  J.  Hud- 
dlestun, who  was  born  in  this  county  in  1837,  and 
is  the  youngest  daughter  of  John  and  Nancy 
(Dunn)  Huddlestun,  who  were  natives  of  Tennes- 
see and  were  married  after  their  emigration  to  the 
Iloosier  Stale.  At  an  early  day  they  came  to  this 
county,  locating  in  Cahokia  Township  and  after- 
ward made  a  home  in  Brushy  Mound  Township, 
but  in  the  former  they  spent  their  last  days.  Mr. 
Huddlestun  died  before  the  birth  of  Mrs.  Ander- 
son. The  mother  long  survived  him,  passing  away 
at  a  ripe  old  age.  Roth  were  identified  with  the 
Methodist  Church. 

The  combined  capital  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson 
on  their  marriage  was  little  more  than  $400  but 
as  the  result  of  their  united  labors,  their  persever- 
ance and  enterprise,  the}'  acquired  a  handsome 
property.  The  raw  prairie  which  our  subject  pur- 
chased in  Brushy  Mound  Township  continued  to 
be  their  home  until  their  removal  to  the  farm  in 
Cahokia  Township  some  seventeen  years  ago.  He 
now  owns  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  valuable 
land,  constituting  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the 
county,  upon  which  may  be  seen  substantial  im- 
provements in  the  shape  of  good  buildings  and 
machinery,  together  with  a  fine  residence.  He  also 
raises  excellent  grades  of  stock,  which  like  his  real- 
estate  give  evidence  of  the  care  of  the  owner. 

After  a  happy  married  life  of  twenty-five  years, 
during  which  she  had  proved  a  true  helpmate  to 
her  husband,  Mrs.  Anderson  was  called  to  her  final 
rest.  She  was  a  faithful  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  a  consistent  friend  and  a  loving  wife  and 
mother.  She  died  April  9,  1881,  at  the  age  of 
forty-three  years,  leaving  six  children  to  share 
with  the  husband  in  his  bereavement.  John  T., 
the  eldest,  wedded  Matilda  Mitchell,  now  deceased, 
and  follows  farming  in  Honey  Point  Township. 
Samuel  F.  assists  in  the  operation  of  the  home 
farm  ;  Clara  J.  since  her  mother's  death,  has  pre- 
sided over  the  home  and  taken  charge  of  the  house- 


hold duties;  William  Luther  who  married  Cora 
Winsor,  is  a  farmer  living  in  Clyde;  Ida  A.  is  the 
wife  of  James  McReynolds,  an  agriculturist  of 
Honey  Point  Township;  and  Charles  L.  is  at  home. 
Two  children  died  prior  to  the  mother's  death  — 
Joseph  and  an  infant.  Mr.  Anderson  is  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  Church,  in  which  he  has  served  as 
Deacon  for  a  number  of  years.  He  affiliates  with 
the  National  Greenback  party,  and  has  held  a 
number  of  local  offices,  the  duties  of  which  were 
very  faithfully  performed.  His  example  in  many 
respects  is  well  worthy  of  emulation  and  should 
serve  to  encourage  young  men  who,  like  himself. 
who  have  to  start  out  in  life  empty  handed.  His 
prosperity  is  not  due  to  good  luck  but  is  the  result 
of  years  of  laborious  effort,  industry,  perseverance 
and  good  management. 


— a- 


4$H 


,ps^  IDNEY   L.  TWITCHELL.  though  not  one 

^^^  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  county,  is 
M/_JJ)  entitled  to  a  high  place  among  its  ener- 
getic, far-sighted,  enterprising  pioneers,  as 
he  came  here  while  it  was  yet  a  sparsely  settled  and 
but  little  improved  wilderness,  and  in  the  years  of 
down-right  hard  labor  that  followed,  he  helped  to 
develop  the  vast  agriculturel  resources  of  this 
region  by  transforming  a  tract  of  land  into  one  of 
the  best  cultivated  farms  in  the  locality  where  lie 
settled  more  than  forty  years  ago.  He  is  now  liv- 
ing in  honorable  retirement  from  active  business 
in  the  village  of  Virden,  though  he  still  takes  a 
lively  interest  in  the  public  affairs  and  takes  a  part 
in  their  administration. 

Mr.  Twitchell  was  born  in  the  pretty  New  Eng- 
land town  of  Wyebridge,  Addison  County,  Vt., 
September  27,  1  827.  His  father  was  John  Twitchell, 
and  he  was  born  in  Rutland  County,  that  State,  fl 
son  of  Daniel  Twichell,  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  England.  In  early  manhood  he  left  his  old 
English  home  to  seek  another  one  on  American 
soil,  being  accompanied  hither  by  one  or  two 
brothers.  He  married  in  Vermont,  and  for  a  time 
carried   on   farming   in    Rutland  Count}',  and  later 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


563 


in  Addison  County,  where  lie  died.  He  and  his 
wife  reared  a  family  of  five  sons  and  one  daughter. 
The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  to  the  life  of 
a  farmer  among  the  hills  of  his  native  county.  When 
a  young  man  he  went  to  Addison  County,  and 
there  married  Annie,  daughter  of  William  and 
Harriet  Sanford.  In  1831  he  left  the  home  that 
he  had  established  there,  and  with  his  wife  and 
seven  children  made  his  way  to  Illinois,  traveling 
overland  and  bringing  all  his  household  goods  with 
him.  His  brother-in  law  Evarts  Griswold  also 
came  with  him.  Mr.  Twitchell  spent  the  first  year 
after  his  arrival  in  Greene  County,  and  then  became 
a  pioneer  of  Jersey  County,  where  he  entered  a 
tract  of  Government  land  near  the  present  site  of 
Kemper.  He  bought  and  removed  a  log  house  to 
his  claim  for  a  temporary  shelter,  and  at  once 
busied  himself  in  the  hard  labor  of  developing  a 
farm  from  the  surrounding  wilds.  In  the  spring 
of  1833  he  began  to  build  a  frame  house,  but  he 
died  before  its  completion,  and  Jerse}'  Count}'  was 
deprived  of  the  services  of  one  of  its  most  indus- 
trious pioneers.  His  death  was  a  severe  blow  to 
his  family  as  he  left  them  in  limited  circumstances. 
The  mother  worked  hard  and  kept  her  children  to- 
gether as  best  she  could,  and  as  soon  as  they  were 
large  enough  they  had  to  help  earn  their  own 
living. 

Our  subject  was  educated  in  the  primitive  pin. 
neer  schools  of  his  boyhood,  that  were  taught  in 
log  houses,  which  were  furnished  with  rude  seats 
made  of  slabs  and  without  backs  or  desks.  A 
slab  along  the  side  of  the  room  served  as  a  writing 
'desk  for  the  older  scholars.  The  schools  were  con- 
ducted on  the  subscription  plan,  each  family  pay- 
ing according  to  the  number  of  scholars  sent. 
Our  subject  was  early  thrown  on  his  own  resources, 
and  developed  into  a  sturdy,  self-reliant,  capable 
lad.  Soon  after  his  father  died  he  went  to  live 
With  a  farmer  in  Greene  County,  and  remained 
with  him  three  years.  He  then  returned  home,  and 
<vas  employed  by  different  people  by  the  day  or 
month  until  he  was  fifteen  years  old.  At  that  age 
leand  his  brother,  Gaston  D..  commenced  farming 
the  old  homestead  together.  In  1849  he  came  to 
this    count)'  and    entered    two.  hundred   acres   of 

overment  land  in  North  Otter  Township,     Years 


of  hard  and  well-directed  labor  followed  his  settle- 
ment upon  it.  which  resulted  in  the  improvement 
of  a  valuable  farm,  with  fields  neatly  fenced  and 
well  tilled,  and  provided  with  suitable  buildings. 
In  1882  he  left  his  son  in  charge,  and  coming  to 
Virden  bought  thirty  acres  of  land  finely  situated, 
and  erected  his  present  home,  that  is  replete  with 
comfort,  and    hospitality  abounds  within    its  walls. 

Mr. Twitchell  was  first  married  in  1852  to  Miss 
Celia  C.  Saunders.  She  was  a  native  of  Greene 
County,  and  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Deborah 
(Woodman)  Saunders,  who  were  pioneers  of  both 
Greene  and  Jersey  counties.  In  November,  1861, 
after  a  brief  but  happy  wedded  life,  Mrs.  Twitchell 
was  removed  from  her  household  by  the  hand  of 
death.  There  are  three  children  living  born  of 
her  marriage  with  our  subject,-  Allena  L.,  Hansom 
L.  and  Ernest.  In  1  873  Mr.  Twitchell  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Augusta  V.  (Bartletl)  Cox,  and 
two  children  have  blessed  their  union,  John  and 
Eugene.  Mrs.  Twitchell  is  a  native  of  Seneca 
County,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Water- 
man and  Mary  (Twombly)  Bartlett.  Her  first  hus- 
band was  Lansden  I.  Cox.  He  was  a  native  of 
North  Otter  Township,  this  county,  and  a  son  of 
Jesse  and  Cynthia  Cox,  who  were  pioneers  of  this 
section  of  Illinois.  During  the  war  he  enlisted 
in  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-second  Illinois 
Infantry,  and  died  while  in  service. 

Asa  gentleman  of  stainless  character,  of  a  sound 
and  sensible  mind,  and  of  an  even,  kindly  dis- 
position, no  man  stands  higher  in  his  county  than 
our  subject.  He  has  always  discharged  his  duties 
as  a  citizen  with  fidelity,  and  in  the  various 
offices  that  he  has  held,  has  sought  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  the  community.  He  has  always  taken  a 
warm  interest  in  educational  matters,  and  has 
helped  to  enlarge  the  school  facilities  of  the  town- 
ship where  he  formerly  lived  and  of  his  present 
place  of  residence.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was 
a  member  of  the  School  Hoard  of  North  Otter 
Township  and  three  years  was  one  of  the  School 
Board  of  Virden.  For  six  years  he  was  Highway 
Commissioner  of  North  Otter  Township,  and  is 
now  Treasurer  of  the  Virden  Board  of  Highway 
Commissioners.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican  of 
the   truest   type.      Religiously,    both     he    and    his 


564 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


estimable  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  their  names  are  associated 
with  whatsoever  of  good  it  lias  accomplished  in 
this  community. 

=*-  -***>  -  -«— 

AMDEL    S.  CLARK,   a    retired    merchant, 
living  in  Bunker  Hill,  is  numbered  among 

the  honored  pioneers  of  that  city,  of    De. 

cember,  1840,  his  residence  there  cover- 
ing a  period  of  more  than  half  a  century.  He 
came  to  Macoupin  County  from  the  Empire  state. 
where  he  had  sojourned  a  few  years  after  leaving 
Massachusetts,  the  State  of  his  nativity.  He  was 
born  in  New  Braintree,  Worcester  County,  Decem- 
ber 4,  1806,  and  is  descended  from  one  of  the  early 
New  England  families.  His  father.  James  Clark, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Mansfield,  Conn.,  and 
learned  the  trade  of  a  cabinetmaker.  Throughout., 
the  greater  part  of  bis  life  he  engaged  in  the  furni- 
ture business,  but  after  his  emigration  to  the  Wesl 
followed  fanning.  In  1810  lie  accompanied  our 
subject  to  Macoupin  County,  and  secured  a  piece  of 
open  prairie  land  north  of  Bunker  Hill,  where  he 
developed  and  improved  a  farm,  making  it  bis 
home  for  sixteen  years,  when  in  1856  he  went  to 
the  city,  where  his  last  days  were  spent.  He  passed 
away  in  185S,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five.  He  was 
a  successful  business  man,  and  look  a  prominent 
part  in  all  public  affairs.  His  first  wife  was  in  her 
maidenhood  Mary  Shumway,  a  Massachusetts 
lady,  who  came  of  a  good  family.  She  died 
in  183'.),  while  they  were  living  in  New  York 
City,  being  then  fifty-six  years  of  age.  She  left 
four  children,  but  two  have  since  died — Mary, 
wl  -   the  wife  of  S.  J.  Bacon,  and  died   in 

i  oik  City;  and  Nancy,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Moses  True,  one  of  the  oldest  settlers,  and 
for  years  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  Bun- 
ker Hill.  He  is  also  now  deceased.  She  died  in 
1875,  leaving  one  son,  James  C.  True,  of  Wichita, 
Kan.  The  surviving  members  of  the  family  are 
Samuel  S.  and  James.  The  latter  married  Laura 
Sanford,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
eider  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.     After  James   Clark  came 


to  Illinois,  he  was  a  second  time  married,  Mrs. 
Mary  (Spooner)  Daniels,  of  North  Brookfield, 
Mass.,  becoming  his  wife.  She  died  in  1863  at  the 
age  of  seventy  five  years.  Mr.  Clark  and  his  two 
wifes  were  all  devoted  members  and  active  work- 
ers in  the  Congregational  Church. 

We  now  lake  up  the  personal  history  of  our  sub- 
ject, who  has  so  long  been  prominently  connected 
with  the  history  of  Macoupin  County.  Under  the 
parental  roof  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth 
were  passed,  and  he  learned  the  trade  which  li is 
father  had  followed.  In  West  Brookfield  he  led  to 
the  marriage  altar,  in  1838,  Miss  Jane  S.  Pritchatd, 
who  was  born  in  that  place  in  1814.  They  began 
their  domestic  life  in  the  East,  but  after  two  years, 
following  the  course  of  human  emigration  which 
was  steadily  flowing  Westward,  they  landed  in 
Bunker  Hill,  and  Mr.  Clark  embarked  in  the  mer- 
cantile business.  His  wife  was  not  long  permitted 
to  enjoy  her  new  home,  for  her  death  occurred  in 
l.sll.  She  was  a  most  estimable  woman  and  a 
Enenrbeftitf  the  Congregational  Church.  Three  chil- 
dren were  born  of  her  marriage,  but  all  died  in 
childho  x>d. 

It  was  in  Jacksonville,  111.,  that  Mr.  Clark  led  to 
the  marriage  altar  Miss  Phoebe  Pierson,  who  was 
born  in  Ccdarville,  N.  J.,  March  28,  1818,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Dr.  Daniel  C.  and  Naomi  C.  (Nixon) 
Pierson.  They  were  natives  of  the  same  State  and 
were  married  in  Cumberland  County.  In  1833 
they  emigrated  with  their  family  to  Illinois,  and 
for  a  time  lived  upon  a  farm  until  Dr.  Pierson 
bought  out  the  drug  business  of  a  Mr.  Ayres,  carry- 
ing on  the  store  for  some  years.  Later  he  built  a 
grist  mill  in  Jacksonville,  and  on  selling  out,  re- 
moved to  Augusta,  Hancock  County,  111.,  where  he 
died  in  1857,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  He 
was  a  prominent  man  wherever  he  lived  and  won 
many  friends.  His  wife  went  to  Kansas,  where  she 
made  her  home  with  her  son  George  until  her 
death  in  1884,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years. 
The  Doctor  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  had  a  large  family  of 
children,  of  whom  six  are  yet  living. 

Mrs.  Clark  was  carefully  reared,  and  in  Jackson 
ville  obtained  an  excellent  education.     In  an  early 
day  she  came  to  Bunker  Hill  to  teach  school,  being 


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PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


567 


one  of  the  first  teachers  of  the  place,  and  here  gave 
her  hand  to  Mr.  Clark.  The  marriage,  however, 
was  celebrated  in  Jacksonville.  This  worthy  and 
respected  couple  are  active  workers  in  tlie  Congre- 
gational Church,  in  which  for  twenty-four  years  our 
subject  has  filled  the  office  of  Clerk.  He  has  also 
filled  theolliceof  Town  Clerk  six  years,  and  School 
Treasurer,  having  served  in  the  latter  position 
since  I8t>9,  and  is  the  present  incumbent.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  stalwart  Republican  and  is  a  prominent 
and  well-known  citizen  of  the  community.  In  his 
business  life  he  has  formed  an  extensive  acquaint- 
ance. Soon  after  locating  in  Bunker  Hill,  Mr. 
Clark  became  associated  with  Maj.  P.  C.  Huggins 
in  the  mercantile  trade,  which  connection  was  con- 
tinued for  four  years,  when  our  subject  embarked 
in  business  on  his  own  account  as  a  general  mer- 
chant. His  courteous  treatment  and  fair  dealing 
soon  won  him  a  liberal  patronage,  and  he  became  a 
prosperous  citizen  of  the  community.  As  his 
financial  resources  increased,  he  made  judicious  in- 
vestments in  real  estate,  and  when  he  had  acquired 
a  handsome  property,  he  laid  aside  business  cans 
and  is  now  living  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  fruits 
of  former  toil.  Although  in  his  eighty-fifth  year, 
Mr.  Clark  is  superintending  the  remodeling  of  a 
house. 


(jyft  RS.  SUSAN  (KELLER)  LOPEB,  one  of  the 
surviving  pioneers  of  Macoupin  County. 
cow  resides  in  Western  Mound  Township, 
in  the  pleasant  home  in  whose  upbuilding 
she  assisted  her  husband,  the  late  Adrian  W.  Loper. 
who  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  leading  fanner 
of  this  section.  His  portrait  presented  on  the  op- 
posite page  perpetuates  for  coming  generations  the 
lineaments  of  one  universally  esteemed  and  be- 
loved. 

Mrs.  Loper  was  born  in  Crawford  County,  Ind., 
September  4,  1818,  and  comes  of  old  pioneer  stock. 
Her  father,  John  Keller,  who  was  of  German  de- 
scent, was  young  when  his  parents  removed  from 
his  native  State,  Maryland,  to  the  wilds  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  there  he  was  reared  and  married.  In 
1800  he  went  to  Indiana  and  was  one  of   the   first 


settlers  in  Crawford  County,  where  he  bought  a 
hut  of  wild  land.  He  immediately  entered  upon 
the  hard  pioneer  task  that  lay  before  him.  and  his 
firs!  work  was  to  clear  away  the  brush  and  trees  to 
make  room  for  the  log  cabin  that  he  intended  to 
build  for  the  shelter  of  his  family.  In  1833  he  dis 
posed  of  that  place  and  with  his  wife  and  eleven 
children  penetrated  to  the  primeval  wilds  of  Illinois 
with  an  ox-team,  bringing  his  household  go.  ds 
along,  and  camping  and  cooking  by  the  wayside  at 
night.  He  also  drove  about  one  hundred  sheep  and 
fifty  cows  to  his  new  home.  He  found  a  suitable 
location  on  the  Kickapoo  River,  in  Coles  County, 
of  which  he  was  a  pioneer. 

In  1836  Mr.  Keller  sold  his  property  in  Coles 
County,  and  coming  to  Macoupin  County,  was  a 
pioneer  of  Chesterfield  Township.  He  entered  a 
tract  of  Government  land,  improved  it  into  a  fine 
farm,  and  dwelt  thereon  many  years,  receiving 
from  his  neighbors  and  associates  the  respect  'due 
to  an  upright  life.  He  finally  removed  to  Chester- 
field, and  his  last  days  were  spent  in  that  village  in 
honorable  retirement.  The  maiden  name  of  his 
wife  was  Zilla  Van  Meter,  and  she  was  a  native  of 
Grayson  Count}',  Kv.  Her  father,  John  Van  Meter, 
is  thought  to  have  been  born  in  Kentucky,  and  was 
of  French  ancestry.  He  was  a  pioneer  farmer  of 
Kentucky,  and  spent  his  last  years  in  that  State. 
lie  married  Diana  Holselaw.  Mrs.  Loper's  mother 
resided  at  Chesterfield  during  the  latter  part  of  her 
life,  and  at  her  death  her  body  was  deposited  be- 
side that  of  her  husband  in  Kilby  Cemetery. 

Mrs.  Loper  was  eleven  years  old  when  she  ac- 
companied her  parents  to  this  State,  and  she  was 
fourteen  years  of  age  when  the  family  removed  to 
this  county.  Her  early  life  was  thus  passed  amid 
the  pioneer  scenes  that  characterized  this  county  in 
the  opening  years  of  its  settlement,  and  she  has 
been  an  intelligent  witness  of  much  of  its  growth. 
The  people  were  then  mostly  home-livers,  that  is 
they  subsisted  on  the  products  of  their  farms,  and 
many  articles  of  food  that  are  now  considered  in- 
dispensable, were  then  unknown  luxuries.  Our 
subject  was  taught  all  the  useful  household  arts 
that  were  at  that  time  in  vogue,  and  early  became 
an  adept  in  carding,  spinning  and  weaving  wool 
and  flax,  and  in  her  early  married  life  she  made  the 


568 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


cloth  in  which  her  children  were  clad.  When  she 
was  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  cooking,  it  was 
before  a  fire  in  a  huge,  old-fashioned  fireplace,  and 
many  a  delicious  meal  she  1  as  prepared  by  such  a 
fire. 

When  she  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  Adrian 
W.  Loper,  December  22,  1837,  she  was  well  pre- 
pared to  assume  the  responsibilities  of  wedded  life 
ami  to  make  a  home  comfortable  and  happy,  and 
her  husband  could  have  made  no  better  choice  of 
a  helpmate  and  life  companion  than  she  proved  to 
him  in  the  fifty  and  more  years  that  they  journeyed 
together.  She  has  also  been  a  wise  and  tender 
mother  to  the  children  oorn  of  their  marriage,  of 
whom  there  are  six  as  follows:  Lodusky,  Mrs. 
Hayward;  Gideon  B„  Cruise  Y.;  Lena  Lota,  Mrs. 
Creaser;  Ophelia,  Mrs.  Duckies;  and  Adrian  C. 
Wright. 

Adrian  W.  Loper  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey, 
and  a  son  of  James  Loper,  who  is  also  supposed  to 
have  been  born  in  that  State.  He  was  a  seafaring 
man,  and  at  the  time  of  the  War  of  1812  was  the 
owner  of  two  large  vessels,  but  losing  them  on  ac- 
count of  the  war  he  removed  to  Indiana.  He  was 
accompanied  in  his  migration  by  his  wife  and  two 
children,  making  the  journey  across  the  Allegheny 
Mountains  in  a  one-horse  wagon.  He  located  near 
Fairfield,  and  after  residing  there  for  a  time,  in 
1829  he  again  started  Westward,  and  coming  to 
Illinois  took  up  his  abode  in  Greene  County,  where 
he  lived  through  the  "winter  of  the  deep  snow." 
In  1831  he  made  still  another  move,  and  coming 
to  this  county,  became  an  early  settler  of  Chester- 
field Township,  where  his  earthly  pilgrimage  ceased 
and  he  was  gathered  to  his  fathers  at  a  ripe  age. 
His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth 
Fitzgerald,  spent  her  last  years  in  Chesterfield 
Township.  James  Loper  and  his  wife  became  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  namely:  George,  A.  W. 
James,  John,  Eliza,  Margaret  and  Phoebe. 

At  the  time  of  his  marriage  Adrian  Loper  lo- 
cated in  Western  Mound  Township,  and  from  that 
date  until  the  day  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
January  18,  1890,  he  was  one  of  its  most  success- 
ful farmers.  He  was  wide-awake,  endowed  with 
activity  and  firmness  of  purpose,  mpre  than  ordin- 
arily far  sighted,  shrewd  and   sound  of  judgment, 


and  by  years  of  close  application  to  his  business 
and  real  hard  work,  he  accumulated  a  handsome 
property.  He  helped  to  develop  the  county,  and 
his  name  will  ever  occupy  an  honorable  position  in 
its  history  as  an  honored  pioneer. 


rLETCHER  RICHARDSON.  Another  of 
the  foster  children  of  our  country  who  has 
gratefully  3hows  his  appreciation  of  the  ad- 
vantages here  attained  by  coming  to  the  aid  of  his 
adopted  land  when  in  her  sore  need,  throwing  his 
life  in  the  balance  with  the  chances  of  war.  is  he 
whose  name  is  at  the  head  of  this  sketch  who  has  a 
good  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  located 
on  section  27,  of  Shipman  Township.  To  such 
men  as  these  the  youth  of  to-day  should  lake  off 
their  hats  in  reverence,  for  there  was  nothing  of 
selfishness  in  the  gift  that  they  made  our  beloved 
land  of  services  rendered  during  the  late  War  of 
the  Rebellion. 

Our  subject  is  of  English  origin  and  birth,  his 
father  being  John  Richardson  who  was  bom  in 
Herfordshire,  England,  and  his  mother,  Margaret 
Barrett,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  The  former  lived 
until  he  had  reached  an  advanced  age.  The  mother 
still  survives.  They  resided  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Ten 
children  comprised  the  parental  family  of  whom 
our  subject  was  the  sixth.  He  was  born  in  Greene 
County,  this  State,  December  2,  1842.  When  he 
was  about  two  years  of  age  his  parents  removed  to 
Macoupin  County,  and  settled  in  Shipman  Town- 
ship, where  he  grew  to  an  intelligent  and  vigorous 
manhood. 

The  original  of  this  sketch  was  married  February 
22,  1869,  to'  Miss  Maria  A.  Seeor,  daughter  of 
James  and  Maria  (Fishback)  Secor,  the  former  of 
whom  was  a  native  of  New  York  State,  the  latter  of 
Tennessee.  Mrs.  Richardson's  father  died  in  Ship- 
man  Township,  in  October,  1888,  having  reached 
ninety-two  years  of  age.  The  mother  still  survives. 
Mrs.  Richardson  was  one  of  seven  children,  being 
the  fourth  in  order  of  birth.  Her  birth  occurred 
in  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

After  the  marriage  of  the  gentleman  whose   his- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


509 


tory  it  is  our  pleasure  to  here  chronicle  and  the 
lady  who  lias  greatly  added  to  the  beauty  and 
serenity  of  his  life,  they  settled  on  a  farm  on  sec- 
tion 27,  Shipnian  Township,  where  they  have  ever 
since  resided.  Mr.  Richardson  has,  during  his  res- 
idence here  erected  a  number  of  good  buildings. 
His  barns  are  capacious  and  well  built  and  his  stock 
sheds  are  warm  and  nicely  arranged.  The  home 
which  the  mother  has  made  beautiful  with  the  nat- 
ural instincts  of  feminine  taste  and  fancy,  is  a  com- 
fortable dwelling,  and  the  scene  of  a  harmonious 
home  life. 

<  >n  the  first  call  for  volunteers. — that  celebrated 
appeal  made  by  Lincoln  for  three  hundred  thousand 
men  to  quell  the  trouble  that  the  majority  of  men 
felt  to  be  of  insignificant  importance,  our  subject 
was  one  of  the  first  to  respond — entering  his  name 
for  enlistment  August,  1801.  in  Company  F, 
Twenty-seventh  Illinois  Regiment.  His  war  rec- 
ord is  very  full,  having  taken  part  in  some 
of  the  most  decisive  battles.  He  was  a  partici- 
pant in  the  battle  of  Belmont,  Mo.,  also  at 
Island  No.  10,  Stone  River,  Mission  Ridge,  at  the 
siege  of  Corinth,  Chickamauga,  Rocky  River  Ridge 
Resaca,  Adamsville,  Dallas,  Mud  Creek,  Kenasaw 
Mountain.  Peach  Tree  Creek  and  Atlanta.  A  mere 
recapitulation  of  these  battles  to  the  mind  of  the 
youth  of  today  conveys  comparatively  little,  but 
to  the  veteran  each  one  brings  up  a  picture  that  is 
indelibly  stamped  upon  the  mind.  True, a  picture 
of  bloodshed  and  tragedy,  but  with  occasional 
gleams  of  human  kindness  and  even  of  sentiment 
and  wit. 

At  the  battle  of  Missionary  Ridge  our  subject 
had  his  right  ear  shot  off  and  at  the  same  engage- 
ment his  brother  John  received  his  death  wound 
while  standing  at  his  side.  His  body  was  brought 
to  Shipman  Township,  and  interred  by  his  griev- 
ing parents  and  friends.  Mr.  Richardson  served 
three  years  and  was  mustered  out  of  the  service 
at  Springfield.  III.  A  man  who  has  lived  through 
such  an  experience  as  our  subject  is  ages  older 
than  one  who  has  passed  his  life  in  undisturbed 
peace  of  civil  life.  He  of  whom  we  write  loves  to  ' 
recount  his  military  experience  and  being  an  inter- 
eating  talker  finds  charmed  listeners  in  the  youth  j 
that  can  only  imagine  the   terrors  of  war.      After   I 


his  discharge  from  the  army  lie  engaged  again  in 
agricultural  pursuits.  Originally  a  Republican,  of 
late  the  pure  principles  of  Prohibition  have  ap- 
pealed to  him  so  strongly  that  he  has  cast  the 
weight  of  his  vote  with  them.  Mi.  Richardson  has 
served  as  School  Trustee  for  some  time.  Socially, 
he  is  a  member  of  Buford  Post,  No.  246,  of  the 
G.  A.  R.  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Farmers' 
Mutual  Benefit  Association. 


-^= 
"^a 


~SrEi^" 


6HARLES  EDWARD  SMITH,  M.  D„  one  of 
.,  the  best  known  and  most  prosperous  physi- 
1  cians  of  Palmyra,  first  saw  the  light  in  Cats- 
kill,  N.  Y.  His  father,  the  Rev.  Carlos  Smith, 
was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  ami  in  turn  was  the 
son  of  a  clergyman,  the  Rev.  Ethan  Smith,  pastor 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Thetford,  Vt.  Here 
lie  had  charge  of  the  church  for  many  years.  The 
father  of  our  subject  was  educated  at  Union  Col- 
lege Schenectady,  N.  Y.  His  first  charge  was  at 
Manlius.  N.  Y.,  from  which  point  he  went  to  Ohio 
in  183G,  and  became  the  pastor  of  a  church  at  Ak- 
ron, with  whom  he  remained  in  harmonious  and 
helpful  relations  for  many  years.  His  death  oc- 
curred there  in  1877,  when  he  had  reached  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  seventy-six  years.  His  loss  was 
deeply  felt  in  the  community  where  he  hail  spent 
so  many  years  of  his  ministry,  and  many  of  his 
spiritual  children  followed  him  in  sorrow  to  the 
grave.  The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our 
subject  was  Susan  Saxon.  She  was  a  native  of 
Hanover,  N.  II.,  and  was  a  true  helpmate  to  her 
husband  in  his  long  life  of  usefulness.  She  also 
passed  away  in  Akron,  Ohio,  being  taken  from  |ier 
home  by  death  in  1  889. 

The  son  Charles,  of  whom  we  write,  received  his 
early  education  and  training  in  Ohio.  In  1849 
he  went  to  Mississippi  and  there  engaged  in  teach. 
ing,  putting  in  all  his  spare  time  in  the  meanwhile 
in  the  study  of  medicine.  He  continued  thus  teach- 
ing and  studying  in  Mississippi  until  the  year  1854, 
and  after  a  short  visit  to  his  home  in  Ohio  he  came 
to  Macoupin  County,  and  locating  at  Cummington 
at  that  time  a  village,  now  a  part  of  Palmyra,  there 


570 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


established  his  practice.  He  remained  there  until 
1857,  and  then  made  his  home  in  Nilwood  where 
he  practiced  medicine  for  twenty  years.  For  some 
years  past  he  has  lived  in  Palmyra  and  has  there 
built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  wife  of  our  subject  was 
Jane  Gardner.  Her  native  home  was  Lexington, 
Kv.,  and  she  remained  with  her  husband  and  chil- 
dren until  March,  1885,  when  she  was  taken  away 
from  their  side  by  death  at  Palmyra.  Of  the  three 
children  of  this  family,  Susan  is  now  Mrs.  Samuel 
(Lee)  Smith;  May  is  Mrs.  John  O'Connor  and 
Gertie  is  at  home.  Dr.  Smith  has  been  since  1851 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Macoupin  County  Medical  So- 
ciety. 


# 


-:- 


NDREW  CRANDAL,  of  the  Arm  of  An- 
drews ife  Crandal,  extensive  lumber  dealers 
(fi  of  (Junker  Hill,  claims  Ohio  as  the  State  of 
his  nativity.  The  date  of  his  birth  is  Jan- 
uary 28,  1842,  and  the  place,  near  Cleveland,  Lor- 
ain County.  His  father,  George  Crandal,  also  a 
native  of  Ohio  was  reared  in  Lorain  County, 
where  he  learned  and  followed  the  trade  of  a  me- 
chanic. After  becoming  of  age  he  married  Miss 
Roena  Squier,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  the  same 
county.  Two  children  were  there  born  unto  them, 
our  subject  and  Ira,  and  when  the  former  was  thir- 
teen years  of  age,  the  little  family  removed  to  La 
Grange  County,  Ind„  where  about  four  years  were 
spent  when  they  returned  to  Huron  County,  Ohio. 
One  year  was  there  spent  and  they  went  to  Rich- 
land County,  where  the  succeeding  seven  years  of 
their  lives  were  passed.  The  next  home  of  the 
family  was  in  Missouri,  but  after  a  year  we  find 
them  located  in  Montgomery  County,  111.,  wdience 
they  removed  to  Lincoln,  this  State,  where  the 
father  followed  the  mechanic's  trade  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1875,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
eight  years.  In  religious  belief  he  was  a  Metho- 
dist and  in  political  sentiment,  a  Republican.  His 
wife,  who  still  survives  him,  now  makes  her  home 
with  her  son  Ira,  in  Denver,  Col.,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-eight   years.     She    too    is  a    member  of  the 


Methodist  Church  and  a  lady  of  many  excellencies 
of  character. 

The  days  of  the  boyhood  and  youth  of  our  sub- 
ject were  spent  in  various  localities,  he  removing 
with  his  parents  to  their  several  places  of  residence, 
lie  was  living  in  Hillsboro  when  he  became  of  age. 
He  had  hardly  attained  his  majority,  when  on  the 
20th  of  September.  1861,  he  enlisted  for  the  late 
war  as  a  member  of  Company  II,  Ninth  Illinois  In- 
fantry, under  Capt.  Armstrong  anil  Col.  Mercer. 
The  regiment  was  assigned  to  the  Seventh  Brigade 
of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  he  partici- 
pated in  a  number  of  engagements  and  skirmishes. 
After  serving  for  fourteen  months  and  five  days  he 
was  honorably  discharged  at  St.  Louis  and  returned 
to  his  father's  home. 

In  1865,  Mr.  Crandal  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Mary  Paulhamus,  the  union  being  cele- 
brated in  Lawrence,  Henry  County.  The  lady  was 
born  in  Richland  County,  Ohio,  March  2,  1838,  and 
with  her  parents  removed  to  Princeton,  Bureau 
County,  III.  Her  father  died  in  Indiana  while  on 
his  way  to  this  State,  being  then  in  the  prime  of 
life.  The  widowed  mother  with  her  children  con- 
tinued her  journey  and  settling  in  Princeton,  there 
made  her  home  for  some  years.  Subsequently  she 
removed  to  Sharon,  Wis.,  where  she  died  at  a  ripe 
old  age.  Into  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crandal  have  been 
born  three  children,  two  yet  living.  The  elder, 
Fred,  who  graduated  from  the  Bunker  Hill  city 
schools,  and  in  1888  was  graduated  from  the  East- 
man Business  College  of  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  from 
which  his  father  had  graduated  in  February,  1864, 
is  now  acting  as  salesman  for  the  firm  of  Andrews 
&  Crandal.  Ira  is  now  attending  school,  and  Kittie 
died  in  childhood. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Crandal  took  up  his 
residence  in  Lincoln,  111.,  where  he  made  his  home 
for  seventeen  years  and  engaged  in  business  as  a 
contractor  and  builder.  He  came  to  this  county 
from  Iola,  Allen  County,  Kan.,  whither  he  went  in 
1880,  there  spending  a  year.  In  1881,  he  arrived 
in  Bunker  Hill,  where  he  soon  engaged  in  the  lum- 
ber business  and  subsequently  he  was  manager  of 
the  business  of  the  lumber  firm  of  McDaniels  & 
Crandal  of  Gillespie  for  eighteen  months.  In  1884 
a  partnership  was  former!  between  the  members  of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


571 


the  firm  of  Andrews  <fe  Crandal  and  tlioy  have  since 
Carried  on  an  extensive  business.  They  deal  in 
lumber,  both  dressed  and  plain  and  all  oilier  build- 
ing materials.  Mr.  Crandal  bas  entire  management 
of  the  business,  which  under  his  able  charge  is  as- 
suming large  proportions.  He  is  an  enterprising, 
wide-awake  and  thrifty  business  man,  and  by  all 
with  whom  he  is  brought  in  contact,  whether  in 
public  or  private  life  he  is  held  in  high  regard.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Odd  Fellows  Lodge  of  Lincoln,  and  of  Bunker 
Hill  Lodge,  No.  151,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Bunker 
Mill.  He  has  tilled  all  the  chairs  in  the  latter  or- 
ganization. His  wife  holds  membership  in  the 
Meihodist  Church. 


eHARLES  POHLMANN,  a  self-made  man 
and  an  enterprising  farmer  and  slock  raiser 
of  Cahokia  Township,  residing  on  section 
7.  was  born  in  Barrendorf,  Germany,  May  19, 
1848,  and  is  a  son  of  William  Pohlmann,  a  German 
farmer  who  lived  and  died  in  the  town  where  our 
subject  was  born.  He  married  Miss  Xett'e  Grote, 
a  native  of  the  same  locality  who  survived  her 
husband  some  years  and  was  a  second  time  married 
becoming  the  ivife  of  Henry  Harlwig,  who  is  also 
now  deceased. 

Charles  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  six  child- 
ren, five  sons  and  a  daughter,  born  to  William 
and  Nettie  Pohlmann,  of  whom  three  came  to  the 
United  States.  He  and  his  brother  William,  a 
resident  of  Bollinger  County,  Mo.,  are  all  that  are 
now  living.  Charles  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  18.i7,  when,  having  determined  to  try 
his  fortune  in  America,  he  took  passage  on  a  sail- 
ing vessel,  the  "Edmond,"  commanded  by  Capt. 
Wayman  which  left  the  German  port  on  the  17th 
of  October.  For  seven  weeks  and  four  days  he 
was  upon  the  bosom  of  the  Atlantic.  The  voyage 
was  an  unusually  pleasant  and  smooth  one  and  he 
safely  arrived  at  New  Orleans,  from  whence  he 
made  his  way  up  the  Mississippi  River,  joining  his 
brother  Christ  in  .Missouri.  Christ  was  the  first  of 
the  family  to  come  to  America  and   he    is  now  de 


ceased.  Mr.  Pohlmann  had  no  capital  with  which 
to  begin  life  in  the  new  world  except  a  young 
mun's  bright  hope  of  the  future,  and  an  abundance 
of  vitality  and  energy.  His  fortune  be  has  carved 
out  for  himself  and  the  property  which  he  now 
possesses  ranks  him  among  the  substantial  farmers 
of  this  community.  He  resided  in  Missouri  until 
the  breaking  out  of  the  late  war  when  he  gave 
evidence  of  his  loyalty  to  his  adopted  country  by 
enlisting  in  June,  1861,  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany B.,  .Second  Missouri  Infantry,  under 
Capt.  Christ  Burkhardt  and  Col.  Scbafer.  The 
regiment  was  sent  at  once  to  the  front  and  parti- 
cipated in  the  battles  of  Pea  Ridge,  Ark.  and  Cape 
Girardeau,  Mo.  About  this  time,  Mr.  Pohlmann 
was  stricken  with  rheumatism  and  sent  to  the 
hospital.  He  then  received  a  ninety  days'  fur- 
lough which  was  extended  sixty  days  and  finally 
he  received  his  discharge  on  account  of  disability 
in  October,  1862. 

The  following  year,  having  partially  recovered 
his  health,  Mr.  Pohlmann  removed  to  Madison 
County,  III.,  and  from  thence  came  to  Macoupin 
County  where  he  has  made  his  home  since  18(53. 
For  a  few  years  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  until  he 
had  acquired  enough  capital  to  purchase  land.  In 
1867  he  bought  a  small  farm  in  Cahokia  Township, 
which  he  made  his  home  until  1888.  when  he 
bought  a  highly  improved  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  forty  acres  on  section  7 — his  present  home. 

Since  coming  to  Macoupin  County,  Mr.  Pohl- 
mann was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Margaret 
Duncan,  a  native  of  Count}^  Tipperary,  Ireland, 
born  in  1849.  Her  father,  Patrick  Duncan,  died 
in  that  county  when  she  was  about  a  year  old  and 
by  her  mother  she  was  carefully  and  tenderly 
reared.  Mrs.  Duncan  was  a  second  time  married 
and  died  in  her  native  land  when  well  advanced  in 
life.  She  and  both  of  her  husbands  were  members 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  When  a  maiden 
of  sixteen  summers,  Mrs.  Pohlmann  started  alone 
for  America,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1864,  sailed 
from  Queenstown,  England,  to  New  York  City, 
whence  she  came  to  Macoupin  County,  111., 
joining  her  brothers,  John  and  Timothy  Duncan 
who  some  years  before  had  taken  up  their  resi- 
dence in  this  community.     The  union  of  our  sub- 


572 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


, 


jectand  his  wife  has  been  blessed  with  four  child- 
ren— William  F.,  Charles,  Elizabeth  A.  and  Mary 
E.  The  mother  and  child  adhere  to  the  faith  of 
the  Catholic  Chinch  and  Mr.  Pohlmann  and  his 
sons  are  Democrats. 


ENRYSCHWERTFEGER.  The  name  that 
heads  this  sketch  is  that  of  one  of  the  pro- 
'  gressive,  go-ahead,  German-American  far- 
mers who  has  come  to  this  country  to  make 
his  fortune  and  to  bring  up  his  family  under  the 
principles  of  freedom  and  brotherhood  with  all. 
He  is  a  general  farmer  and  stock-raiser,  his  place 
being  located  on  section  3,  of  Mt.  Olive  Township. 
He  also  owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  ten  ani- 
on section  10,  which  is  well  improved,  lie  is  pro- 
prietor, besides,  of  forty  acres  in  another  part  of 
the  same  township,  located  on  section  4.  This 
last  is  a  fine  piece  of  timber  land. 

Since  1873  the  farm  whereon  heat  present  re- 
sides has  been  his  home.  He  has  lived  in  this 
township  since  he  was  four  years  of  age.  The 
original  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Hanover,  Ger- 
many, August  10,  IIS  17,  and  he  was  four  years  of 
age  when  his  parents,  Conrad  and  Elinore  (Funke) 
Schwcrtfeger,  came  to  the  United  States,  taking 
their  departure  from  their  native  land  at  Bremen 
and  making  the  voyage  hither  in  a  sailing-vessel. 
They  landed  at  New  Orleans  in  the  fall  of  1851, 
and  thence  proceeded  up  the  river  to  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  and  a  few  months  later  came  to  this  township 
and  county;  they  located  at  once  upon  a  farm  in 
what  is  now  Mt.  Olive  Township. 

Our  subject's  father  bent  his  energies  to  im- 
proving the  place  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in 
1883,  it  was  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation.  He 
passed  away  from  this  life  when  sixty-two  years  of 
age,  deeply  mourned  by  his  family  and  friends. 
His  wife  still  lives  on  the  old  farm,  having  attained 
the  age  of  sixty -six  years.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  as  was  her  husband. 

The  original  of  this  sketch  was  the  first  child 
born  to  his  parents  and  is  the  only  son,  having 
ten  sisters,  five  of  whom  are  living.     When  he  had 


arrived  at  years  of  manhood,  he  was  attracted  to 
Miss  America  Schoen,  who  was  born  in  Madison 
County,  111.,  in  1856,  her  natal  day  being  March  6. 
Their  marriage  took  place  in  Mt.  Olive  Township. 
The  lady  was  only  three  years  of  age  when  her  par- 
ents came  to  this  county  and  settled  upon  a  farm 
about  one  mile  south  of  Mt.  Olive  village.  They 
are  still  living  upon  their  well-improved  farm  and 
have  attained  a  yood  old  age.  The  father,  John 
B.  Schoen,  is  now  seventy  one  years  old  and  his 
wife,  Antegc  (Arkebauer)  Schoen,  is  now  three- 
score and  seven  years  of  age.  They  arc  both  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

( )ur  subject's  wife  was  reared  in  this  township 
anil  lived  with  her  father  until  her  marr'age.  She 
is  the  mother  of  eleven  children,  four  of  whom  are 
deceased,  having  passed  away  while  very  young. 
The  living  children  are:  Conrad,  Brunka,  Sophia 
William,  Antege,  Lienor  and  Anna.  They  are  all 
useful  and  intelligent  members  of  society. 


^?Sy  HARLES   FRANCIS,  one  or  the   early  set 
jl(  tiers   of  the  county  of  1818,  and  a  promin- 

V_/  cut  farmer  and  stock-raiser  residing  on 
section  23,  Gillespie  Township,  is  a  native  of  the 
Emerald  Isle.  He  was  bom  in  County  Wexford 
on  the  2d  of  February,  1823  and  come  of  Scotch- 
Irish  ancestry  of  the  Protestant  faith.  His  family 
was  prominently  connecled  with  the  religious 
troubles  of  that  country.  His  father,  Thomas 
Francis  and  his  grandfather,  Charles  Francis,  were 
both  natives  of  County  Wexford.  The  latter  lived 
on  a  farm  which  had  been  purchased  by  his  father, 
a  Scotcli  emigrant,  who  had  fled  into  Ireland  at  the 
time  of  the  religious  persecution  when  under  the 
reign  of  Queen  Anne,  the  Protestants  were  so  terri- 
bly treated.  Thomas  Francis  also  succeeded  to  the 
old  homestead  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  dying  at  middle  age.  He  married  Miss  Ros- 
anna  Scott  who  was  also  born  and  reared  in 
County  Wexford,  where  her  parents,  George  ami 
Rosanna  Scott,  passed  their  entire  lives.  Their 
ancestry  had  also   sought  refuge    in  Ireland  from 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


;,7:! 


persecution  for  their  opposition  to  the  Catholics. 
Their  places  were  burned,  their  homes  pilfered. 
After  the  death  of  Thomas  Francis,  his  widow 
with  her  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  took  pass- 
age on  the  sailing  vessel,  the  "Old  Messenger,"  and 
after  six  weeks  landed  at  Quebec.  Canada,  contin- 
uing their  journey  by  lakes,  canal  and  river  to 
Alton  and  on  by  team  until  they  arrived  in  Gill- 
espie. About  a  year  later  the  mother  died.  She 
was  a  high-minded,  noble  woman,  who  with  a 
loving  fidelity  cared  for  her  children  and  lived  a 
consistent  life  in  harmony  with  her  professions  as 
a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 

Upon  our  subject  and  his  brothers,  after  the 
mother's  death,  devolved  the  care  and  support  of 
the  younger  children.  They  worked  by  the  month 
as  farm  hands  to  secure  the  money  by  which  they 
might  educate  them  and  secure  them  comfortable 
homes,  laboring  with  a  faithfulness  and  consecra- 
tion of  purpose  seldom  witnessed  m  one  so  young. 
By  industry  and  economy  Charles  Francis  was  at 
length  able,  when  about  twenty-three  years  of  age, 
to  purchase  a  small  farm  and  begin  life  on  his  own 
account.  Some  time  afterward,  he  secured  a  tract 
of  wild  land  and  began  the  development  of  what 
is  now  his  piesent  fine  farm.  Since  then,  prosper- 
ity has  attended  his  efforts  and  his  labors  have 
been  crowned  with  success.  He  owns  three  hund- 
red and  twenty  acres  of  highly  cultivated 
land,  pleasantly  situated  within  a  mile  of 
Gillespie,  whore  are  good  buildings  and  all 
the  improvements  necessary  to  the  model  farm. 
His  fine,  substantial  and  commodious  residence  is 
surrounded  by  a  grove  of  beautiful  trees  of  his 
own  planting,  which  throw  their  delightful  shade 
over  the  lawn  and  protect  the  home  from  the 
summer's  sun. 

Mr.  Francis  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Pauline  Temple,  who  was  born  in  Cleveland, Ohio. 
May  16, '1820.  She  proved  a  true  helpmate  to  her 
husband,  aiding  and  encouraging  him  in  his  labors 
and  keeping  home  pleasant  that  it  might  be  to  him 
a  welcome  spot,  when  he  should  return  wearied 
with  the  toils  of  the  day.  She  also  figured  promi- 
nently in  social  circles,  being  an  intelligent  and 
cultured  lady.  She  was  educated  in  Obcrlin,  Ohio 
and  after  completing  the  course    of   study  in   the 


college,  engaged  for  a  time  in  teaching.  She  then 
came  West  to  friends  in  Macoupin  County.  Ills, 
and  again  taught  school  until  her  marriage.  Her 
death  occurred  June  24,  1887  and  was  mourned  by 
all  who  knew  her.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Epis- 
copal Church  and  lived  a  consistent  Christian  life. 
She  was  a  friend  to  the  poor  and  needy,  a  great 
church  worker  and  many  have  reason  to  bless  her 
for  her  kindness  to  them  and  her  timely  assistance 
in  their  hours  of  distress  or  need.  Two  children 
were  left  to  mourn  the  loss  of  a  loving  mother  and 
share  with  the  husband  in  his  great  bereavement. 
Rosanna,  the  elder,  is  now  the  wife  of  Emmett 
Rice,  who  owns  and  operates  a  good  farm  near  the 
Francis  homestead;  Thomas  R.,_  who  wedded 
Emma  Frees,  is  engaged  in  the  butchering  business 
in  Fredericktown,  Mo.;  one  child  also  died  in 
infancy. 

Mr.  Francis  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  an  active  worker  in  its  interests  and  con- 
tributes liberally  to  its  support.  He  is  a  charter 
member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  of  Gillespie  in  which 
he  has  filled  all  the  chairs  and  in  politics,  he  and 
his  son  are  Democrats.  He  is  now  living  a  retired 
life,  having  by  industry  and  enterprise  in  former 
years  acquired  a  competence  sufficient  to  keep  him 
through  the  remainder  of  his  days  without  his 
again  resorting  to  work  in  order  to  supply  his 
wants.  Blessed  in  basket  and  store  and  surround- 
ed by  many  friends,  he  has  everything  to  make  his 
declining  years  the  happiest  of  his  life.  Those 
who  know  him  respect  him  for  his  sterling  worth 
and  integrity  and  no  one  is  more  worthy  of  a  re- 
presentation  in  this  volume  than  Charles  Francis. 


*L 


JM^ 


f(y^  ARTIN  DICKERSON,  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, which  is  known  for  its  highly  culti- 
vated farms  located  on  undulating  ground 
where  the  sun  yellows  the  wheat  as  it  slants 
upon  the  hills,  and  having' virgin  forests  that  are 
comparable  with  nothing  in  this  country.  He 
early  learned  the  comforts  of  the  old  Colonial  homes 
with  their  wide  southern  halls  and  open  piazzas, 
located  on  some  eminence  that  commands  a  broad 


574 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


perspective  of  field,  river  and  forest.  We  are  ever 
struggling  to  come  up  to  our  ideals  and  our  ideals 
are  only  a  shade  better  or  more  beautiful  than  the 
best  that  we  have  seen  or  know.  Thus  the  reali 
zation  of  Mr.  Dickerson's  home  is  only  a  modified 
copy  of  the  beautiful  Colonial  places  abounding  in 
his  native  State. 

Our  subject,  a  son  of  the  late  Lewis  Dicker- 
man  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  His  mother  was 
Catherine  (Rice)  Dickerson.  She  also  was  born  in 
Virginia.  After  the  marriage  of  Lewis  Dickerson 
he  with  his  wife  removed  to  Jessamine  County,  Ky., 
where  he  died.  After  his  death  the  mother  removed 
to  this  county  and  settled  near  Carlinvillo;  she  died 
at  the  residence  of  her  son  Martin,  in  Girard  Town- 
ship. <>f  a  family  of  seven  children  the  original  of 
our  sketch  was  the  fifth,  he  was  born  in  Jessamine 
County,  Ky.,  March  5,  1816,  and  came  to  Macoupin 
County  with  his  mother  when  he  was  a  young  man. 

Mr.  Dickerson  was  married  in  Girard  Town 
ship.  December  20,  1841,  to  Miss  Mahala  Harlan,  a 
daughter  of  Mathew  Harlan.  She  was  born  in 
Christian  County,  Ky.;  her  mother  was  Mary  (Rob- 
erts) Harlan,  a  native  of  North  Carolina  They 
removed  from  Todd  County,  Ky..  to  Sangamon 
County,  III.,  but  lived  there  only  two  years,  and 
then  changed  their  abode  to  Macoupin  County, 
settling  in  Girard  Township  where  the  wife  died. 
The  father  died  in  Brushy  Mound  Township.  Mrs. 
Dickerson  was  oneof  the  oldest  in  a  family  of  nine 
children.  She  was  born  in  Christian  County,  Ky., 
December  13,  1815. 

When  Martin  Dickerson  was  married  he  with  his 
bride  settled  in  what  is  now  Shaw's  Point  Town- 
ship. They  lived  there  five  or  six  years  and  then 
removed  to  Girard  Township.  In  I860  they  settled 
on  section  2,  Nilwood  Township,  where  Martin 
Dickerson,  our  subject,  died  Januaiy  3,  1877.  Our 
subject  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  child- 
ren, four  of  whom  are  living:  George  W.,  Mary  C. 
Edward  H.,  and  Thomas  R.  George  W.  married 
Clara  Clayton  and  resides  in  Nebraska.  They  have 
two  bright  children  who  are  named  respectively, 
Mabel  and  Minnie.  Mary  C.  is  the  wife  of  George 
Beck.  She  is  the  mother  of  one  son,  Jesse  M. 
Thomas  R.  now  resides  at  home  and  operates  the 
farm.  The  youngest  son,  Edmund  H.,  married  Ida 


Langley  and  resides  in  Nilwood  Township.  He  is 
the  father  of  two  children,  Ethel  R.  and  Edward  R. 
Mr.  Dickerson  was  a  man  who  had  won  the  re- 
spect and  esteem  of  the  community  in  which  he 
lived.  Open  hearted  and  generous  he  was  ever 
ready  to  do  all  in  his  power  for  any  one  who  might 
need  his  aid.  He  and  his  tstimable  wife  were  con- 
sidered representative  people  of  the  township.  He 
was  the  owner  of  two  hundred  acres  of  improved 
land  and  the  home  that  he  made  thereon  was  an 
ideal  one  of  comfort  and  rural  life. 

S'»If2'"~- 


.,  LEXANDER  THOMPSON  represents  one 
WLA  of  the  most  intelligent  families  in  North 
Palmyra  Township  and  his  line  farm  ami 
pleasant  home  are  situated  upon  section  31. 
He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  Thompson  who  was  born  in 
Virginia,  June  12.  1809,  and  his  mother,  Artimesia 
Hettick  was  born  August  8,  1813,  in  Ohio.  They 
first  settled  in  Scottvilie  Township,  but  after  a  short 
residence  there  removed  to  Morgan  County,  this 
State  and  settled  on  Apple  Creek.  They  continued 
to  reside  in  Morgan  County  for  some  time  but  finally 
made  their  home  in  Scottvilie  Township,  where 
they  died,  she  in  1864,  and  he  in    1870. 

He  of  whom  we  write  was  the  eldest  in  a  family 
of  ten  children,  and  was  born  in  Scottvilie  Town- 
ship, this  county,  April  24,  1821.  He  lived  with 
his  father  until  he  grew  to  maturity  and  established 
a  home  of  his  own.  He  was  happily  united  in  mar 
riage  in  South  Palmyra  Township,  March  8,  1860, 
with  Miss  Elizabeth  Crum,  daughter  of  William 
and  Lydia  (Coons)  Crum,  who  spent  their  last  years 
in  South  Palmyra  Township.  Their  daughter 
Elizabeth  was  born  in  Clark  County,  Ind.,  Septem- 
ber 10,  1838,  and  she  came  with  her  parents  at  an 
early  day  to  Macoupin  County. 

The  seven  children  of  Elizabeth  and  Alexander 
Thompson  are:  Elisiia,  who  married  Matilda  Zcl- 
mer;  Mary  J.;  John,  who  died  in  infancy;  Alfred, 
Frances  E..  Lydia  A.,  and  Clara  N.  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Thompson  died  in  North  Palmyra  Township,  March 
3,  1882.  She  had  been  for  many  years  a  faithful 
member   of    the   Methodist    Episcopal    Church    in 


WBRAHV 
W«VP?Sr**v  of    — 


s^Lcui^c/aJzl  s^j  awry 


PORTRAIT  AND  RIOGRAPHICAL  RKCORI). 


577 


which   she    had    labored    zealously  and  in  the  doc- 
trines of  which  she  had  brought  lip  her  family. 

Agricultural  pursuits  have  employed  the  time 
end  energies  of  Mr.  Thompson  throughout  life  ami 
upon  his  farm  he  has  erected  a  pleasant  home  and 
commodious  barns  and  outbuildings.  lie  owns  one 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  in  North  Palmyra 
Township,  and  has  rendered  it  a  prosperous  and 
attractive  piece  of  property.  He  has  been  School 
Director  for  two  years  and  has  filled  that  office  to 
the  satisfaction  and  profit  of  the  district.  His 
political  views  have  led  him  to  affiliate  with  the 
pari}'  of  Jackson  and  Jefferson  and  he  takes  an  intel- 
ligent interest  in  public  affairs.  His  children  arc- 
well  educated  and  intelligent  and  are  making  their 
mark  in  the  community.  They  deserve  what  they 
receive,   the  esteem  and  respect  of  their  neighbors. 


ANDAL  CLARK.  For  more  than  half  a 
century  this  gentleman  has  resided  upon  a 
farm  on  section  20,  Gillespie  Township. 
Since  1839  he  has  been  the  owner  of  a 
part  of  his  present  farm,  and  during  all  the  years 
which  have  since  come  and  gone,  has  been  not 
only  an  eye-witness  of  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  the  county,  but  has  also  taken  a  promi- 
nent part  in  its  upbuilding.  As  one  of  the  pioneers 
and  most  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  Macoupin 
County,  we  are  pleased  to  present  his  portrait  to 
our  readers.  Mr.  Clark  claims  South  Carolina  as 
the  State  of  his  nativity.  The  date  of  his  birth 
is  November  30,  1815.  and  the  place  Greenville 
County. 

Joseph  Clark,  father  of  our  subject,  was  also  a 
native  of  Greenville  Count)',  and  is  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent.  He  grew  to  manhood  upon  his  father's 
farm,  and  serveil  as  a  private  during  the  War  of 
1812,  participating  in  many  important  engagements 
during  that  struggle.  When  the  country  no  longer 
needed  his  services  he  returned  to  h;s  native  home, 
and  was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Mary  Taylor, 
who  also  spent  her  childhood  days  in  Greenville 
County.     Her  father,  William  Taylor,  was  one  of 


the  heroes  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  under 
fire  at  many  important  engagements,  including  the 
battle  of  Cowpens.  His  fidelity  to  duty  made  him 
a  favorite  with  comrades  and  officers  alike.  His 
last  days  were  spent  in  Georgia,  whcie  after  a  two- 
years'  residence  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years. 
His  wife  survived  him  four  years,  and  she  too  was 
well  advanced  in  years  when  called-  to  her  final 
rest. 

After  their  marriage  Joseph  Clark  and  his  wife 
settled  upon  a  farm  in  Greenville  County,  where 
the  husband  died  at  a  eompaiatively  early  age,  Ran- 
dal being  then  about  eight  years  old.  Mrs.  Clark 
afterward  came  to  Illinois  and  died  in  Montgomery 
County,  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  a 
noble  Christian  woman,  whose  many  graces  of 
character  endeared  her  to  the  hearts  of  all. 

Our  subject  is  the  eldest  of  five  children,  and 
has  two  sisters  yet  living — Elizabeth,  who  resides 
in  Dorchester;  and  Eunice,  widow  of  Lawson 
Royee,  living  on  a  farm  which  is  known  as  the 
Clark  homestead.  At  the  age  of  twenty  years 
Randal  Clark  arrived  in  this  county,  and  not  only 
was  he  without  capital,  but  upon  him  hung  an  in- 
debtedness of  £50  which  he  had  incurred  to  pay 
the  expenses  of  the  trip.  However,  it  was  not 
long  before  he  found  work  as  a  farm  hand,  and  al- 
though his  wages  were  very  small,  he  was  faithful 
to  his  duty,  and  in  course  of  time  became  able  to 
purchase  a  small  tract.  He  entered  eighty  acres  of 
wild  land  on  section  20, Gillespie  Township,  which 
forms  a  part  of  his  present  fine  farm,  began  clear- 
ing it  and  in  course  of  time  gathered  abundant 
harvests  as  the  reward  of  his  labors.  For  some 
years  he  also  devoted  considerable  attention  to 
stock-raising,  breeding  good  grades  of  horses  and 
cattle,  and  in  this  line  materially  increased  his  in- 
come. As  his  financial  resources  were  increased  he 
made  judicious  investments  of  his  capital  in  real 
estate,  adding  to  his  former  purchases  until  his 
landed  possessions  now  aggregate  more  than  one 
thousand  five  hundred  acres  in  Gillespie  Township. 
Much  of  this  has  been  cleared  and  developed  by 
Mr.  Randal's  own  efforts.  He  has  divided  it  into 
fields  of  convenient  size,  all  of  which  he  has  sup- 
,    plied   with  good    farm    buildings   and    has  it  well 


578 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRA  PI1JCAL  RECORD 


stocked.  He  also  owns  considerable  property  in 
Kansas,  Missouri  and  elsewhere. 

Not  long  after  Lis  arrival  in  this  county.  Mr. 
(lark  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lucy  P. 
Gray,  a  Virginia  lady,  horn  in  the  Old  Dominion 
February  25,  1816.  She  was  only  a  child  when 
her  parents,  James  and  Marian  (Ruber)  Gray,  fol- 
lowing the  course  of  emigration  which  was  stead- 
ily flowing  Westward,  came  to  Illinois.  They 
traveled  overland  with  teams  and  spent  some  years 
in  Sangamon  County,  whence  they  came  to  Macou- 
pin County,  making  their  home  in  Hilyard  Town- 
ship until  they  departed  this  life.  They  were 
members  of  the  old  school  Baptist  Church,  and  are 
numbered  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  this  coni- 
munity. 

After  a  long  and  happy  wedded  life  Mrs.  Clark 
died  at  her  home  in  Gillespie  Township,  July  17, 
1887.  She  was  the  mother  of  thirteen  children, 
but  five  are  now  deceased:  Mary,  Elizabeth  and 
.lames,  all  of  whom  were  married,  have  now  passed 
away;  and  William  and  Edward  died  in  childhood. 
Those  who  still  survive  are:  Marian,  wife  of  Will- 
iam Whitfield,  a  resident  farmer  of  Gillespie 
Township;  Noah,  who  wedded  Rachel  Meadows, 
and  lives  in  Oklahoma;  Josephus,  who  wedded 
Jane  Walker,  and  carries  on  farming  in  St.  Clair 
County,  Mo.;  Elijah,  who  was  joined  in  wedlock 
with  Ella  Rose,  and  is  engaged  in  the  same  pur- 
suit in  Gillespie  Township;  Best  P.,  a  farmer  of 
Texas,  first  married  Miss  Dorcas  Walker,  and  after 
her  death  wedded  Matilda  A.  Rockenbaugh ;  Ann 
is  the  wife  of  Newton  Gwin,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  St.  Clair  County,  Mo.;  Lincoln  mar- 
ried Frances  Walker,  and  is  a  farmer  of  Gillespie 
Township;  and  Isabella  completes  the  family.  She 
is  the  wife  of  Orange  Walker,  and  they  reside  with 
Mr.  Clark  on  the  old  homestead. 

The  name  of  Randal  Clark  is  inseparably  con- 
nected with  the  county's  history.  .  For  fifty-six 
years  he  has  here  resided,  and  has  done  his  part 
toward  promoting  its  best  interests  and  aiding  in 
its  progress.  He  has  also  served  as  Supervisor  of 
his  township,  being  elected  by  the  Republican 
party,  of  which  he  and  his  sons  are  stanch  sup- 
porters. The  wild  and  unimproved  prairies  he  has 
seen  transformed  into  beautiful  homes  and  farms, 


has  seen  towns  and  villages  spring  up,  witnessed 
the  introduction  of  the  railroads,  the  telegraph  and 
telephone,  seen  countless  manufactories  established 
and  the  whole  county  transformed  from  an  almost 
barren  wilderness  to  a  blooming  garden.  His  life 
has  been  such  as  to  win  the  confidence  and  regard 
of  all  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact.  He  is 
now  living  a  retired  life,  and  for  some  time  has 
been  confined  to  his  room  by  paralysis,  but  he 
bears  his  misfortune  uncomplainingly,  and  takes 
pleasure  in  the  enjoyments  yet  left  to  him. 

SSJS3 

IIS.  HANNAH  MITCHELL  is  well  known 
throughout  Brushy  Mound  Township,  and 
her  home  has  been  here  for  many  years. 
She  is  now  occuping  the  old  homestead  on 
which  her  husband  carried  on  his  work  for  years, 
and  where  she  also  labored  at  those  employments 
that  fall  to  the  lot  of  wives  and  mothers.  Her 
dwelling  is  made  attractive  by  her  geniality  and 
good  taste  and  the  spirit  of  true  hospitality  and 
neighborly  kindness  that  actuates  her.  She  was 
born  in  Worcester  County,  Mass.,  and  came  this 
State  with  her  parents  when  quite  small,  living  with 
them  until  her  marriage,  in  184!t,  to  Elijah  Mitch- 
ell. This  gentleman  was  one  of  the  earliest  set- 
tlers in  Brushy  Mound  Township,  and  his  name  is 
well  remembered  by  those  who  are  familiar  with 
the  former  history  of  this  section.  The  reader  is 
referred  to  the  biographical  sketch  of  William 
T.  Mitchell  for  facts  regarding  his  life  and  ances- 
try. 

The  maiden  name  of  Mrs.  Mitchell  was  Hollings- 
wortb,  and  her  parents  came  from  England.  Her 
grandfather,  George  Hollingsworth,  ^migrated  with 
his  family  and  spent  his  last  years  in  Connecticut. 
John  Hollingsworth,  father  of  Mrs.  Mitchell,  also 
came  this  country.  He  came  some  five  years  before 
his  wife  and  two  children  and  afterward  sent  for 
them.  He  found  employment  in  the  woolen  mills 
of  New  England  until  about  1838,  when  he  came 
to  this  State  and  settled  in  Brushy  Mound  Town- 
ship, this  county.  After  a  few  years  he  sent  for 
family  to   join   him,  the)   having   remained    in  the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


57U 


East,  and  their  home  was  here  for  several  years. 
During  the  Civil  War  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hollingsworth 
removed  to  Minnesota,  and  the  remnant  of  their 
days  was  spent  in  McLeod  County.  Mrs.  Hollings- 
worth was  in  her  maidenhood  Miss  Sarah  Hearst,  of 
England. 

The  children  born  to  Mrs.  Mitchell  were  nine  in 
number,  and  the  following  lived  to  manhood  and 
womanhood:  Mary,  Ansel,  Archibald,  Nancy, 
Clinton,  Ira  and  Rietta.  al!  married  but  Ira,  who 
lives  with  his  mother,  Both  parents  have  endeav- 
ored to  govern  their  lives  aright,  being  members 
of  the  Honey  Creek  Baptist  Church,  and  every 
possible  opportunity  was  afforded  their  children  to 
fit  themselves  for  usefulness  in  the  lines  of  life 
they  adopted.  Mr.  Mitchell  died  August  17, 
1877. 


OI1N  E.  HART,  is  a  man  who  has  a  reputa- 
tion in  the  vicinity  in  which  he  lives  for  a 
zeal  and  enthusiasm  in  whatever  lie  under- 
takes that  usually  procures  for  him  the  ob- 
ject for  which  he  is  working.  He  is  a  man  in  the 
prime  of  life  with  worlds  before  him  to  be  con- 
quered, and  as  he  is  ambitious  and  able,  doubtless 
he  will  attain  whatever  he  desires,  be  it  in  mental, 
moral,  or  financial  standing. 

Our  subject  comes  from  strong  and  able  families 
on  both  sides  of  the  house.  His  father  was  John 
C.  Hart  who  was  born  in  Morgan  County  this 
State.  His  mother  was  Martha  Bull,  who  was  born 
in  North  Carolina.  They  were  married  in  Morgan 
County,  and  there  settled.  From  there  they  came 
to  Macoupin  County  and  located,  about  184-1,  in 
North  Otter  Township,  where  they  died  during  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion.  They  left  a  family  of  fen 
children,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the  fourth. 

Mr.  Hart  was  born  in  North  Otter  Township, 
February  8,  1855.  On  the  death  of  his  parents  he 
went  to  live  in  Morgan  County  with  relatives  and 
remained  with  them  until  he  reached  his  majority. 
He  soon  after  married  Miss  Sarah  M.  Cherry,  their 
nuptials  being  celebrated  in  North  Otter  Township, 
June  1,  187G.     Mrs.  Hart  was  a  daughter  of    the 


late  Pleasant  Cherry,  and  was  born  in  North  Otter 
Township.  She  presented  her  husband  with  four 
children,  two  dying  in  infancy.  Those  living  are: 
Nora  A.  and  Moses  A.  Mrs.  Sarah  Hart  died 
February  7,  1883,  deeply  mourned  by  her  husband 
and   children. 

For  a  second  time  Mr.  Hart  united  himself  in 
marriage,  his  choice  being  Miss  Laura  Hunt,  their 
wedding  taking  place  in  South  Otter  Township, 
December  7,  1881.  The  present  wife  of.  our  sub- 
ject was  the  daughter  of  Amiel  and  Mary  J.  ( Bat- 
tcrsbell)  Hunt,  who  are  residents  of  South  Otter 
Township.  Mrs.  Hart  was  born  in  Pike  County, 
111.,  September  27,  1865.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren whose  names  are,  Bessie  L.,  John  W.,  and 
Fred  D. 

When  our  subject  was  first  married  he  lived  for 
a  short  time  in  North  Otter  Township  and  in  1876, 
settled  on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives.  He  owns 
two  hundred  and  nineteen  acres  of  good  arable 
land  which  is  in  a  fine  state  of  cultivation.  Good 
buildings  have  been  erected  thereon  and  the  neat- 
ness and  taste  with  which  they  are  kept  up  speak 
well  for  their  owner.  Mr.  Hunt  is  a  successful  and 
progressive  farmer. 

Our  subject  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party 
giving  them  the  weight  of  his  vote  and  influence. 
He  has  held  several  positions  of  trust  in  thf  gift  of 
the  county,  having  been  Highway  Commissioner 
and  School  Trustee. 


/*g  HARLES  II.    KLAUENBEBG,  druggist  at 

f(^,   Carlinvil 

^9^('    prising  young  business  men  of  this  county. 


iville,  is  one  of  the  popular  and  enter- 
g  young  business  men  of  this  county. 
He  is  a  native  of  this  city,  and  a  son  of  Charles 
Klauenberg,  one  of  its  former  well-known  residents. 
His  father  was  born  in  Grossen  FIoei.be,  Hanover, 
Germany,  in  June,  18211.  He  in  turn  was  a  son  of 
Conrad  Klauenberg,  who  was  born  in  the  same  lo- 
cality, as  was  also  his  father,  whose  given  name  was 
David,  who  was  a  farmer,  and  a  lifelong  resident 
of  his  birthplace.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject 
was  a  stone  and  plaster  mason  by  trade,  and  carried 
on  his  occupation  in  the  Old  Country   until    1854, 


580 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


when  lie  emigrated  to  America,  and  coming  to  this 
county  made  his  home  in  Carlinville  his  remaining 
days,  following  his  trade  during  his  active  life. 

The  father  of  our  subject  attended  school 
steadily  in  his  native  town  until  he  was  eighteen 
years  old,  thus  obtaining  a  good  education.  He 
then  learned  the  t.-ade  of  a  barber,  and  as  was  the 
custom  used  to  practice  as  a  surgeon  in  connection 
with  his  calling.  In  1852  he  came  to  this  country, 
and  for  a  time  was  a  resident  of  New  Orleans, 
whence  he  came  to  Carlinville  in  the  spring  of  1853. 
Carlinville  was  then  bu'»  a  small  place,  and  the 
business  as  a  barber  that  he  established  here  grew 
with  the  growth  of  the  village.  In  1854  he  had 
made  money  enough  to  warrant  him  in  purchasing 
a  lot  on  West  Main  Street. the  same  that  our  subject 
now  occupies,  and  here  he  erected  the  first  building 
ever  put  upon  the  street,  the  city  jail  excepted.  He 
had  started  with  one  chair,  but  his  business  in- 
creased and  he  put  in  another  chair,  and  soon 
bought  a  stock  of  cigars. 

In  1861  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  drug  busi- 
ness, which  he  carried  on  successfully  until  his  death 
in  1873.  During  his  many  years  residence  in  this 
city,  he  had  won  his  way  to  an  honorable  place 
among  the  solid  business  men,  and  there  were  none 
more  worthy  of  respect  than  he.  He  was  a  sinule 
man  when  he  came  here,  but  he  soon  met  and 
wooed  for  his  wife  Miss  Catherine  Zengle,  a  native 
of  Marjoss,  Hesse-Cassel,  German}'.  She  came  to 
America  when  a  young  lady,  bravely  setting  out 
in  the  wide  world  alone,  unaccompanied  bv  any  of 
her  friends  or  relatives.  She  landed  at  St.  Louis 
with  but  a  few  dollars  in  her  pocket,  and  there  she 
married  Mr.  Klauenberg,  and  proved  herself  a 
worthy  helpmate  and  true  wife.  She  died  in  1888. 
She  was  the  mother  of  two  children,  Lillie  and  our 
subject.      Lillie  is  the  wife  of  II.  A.  Steinmeyer. 

Charles  Klauenberg  gained  the  preliminaries  of 
his  education  in  the  city  schools,  and  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  entered  Blackburn  University,  where  he 
pursued  a  fine  course  of  study.  When  not  in  school 
he  assisted  his  father,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
commenced  business  for  himself,  and  has  been  ac- 
tively engaged  since  that  time,  with  the  exception 
of  three  years  when  he  was  in  ill  health.  During 
that  time  his  building  was  burned,  and    he  erected 


the  two  story  brick  that  he  now  occupies  on  the 
spot  where  his  father  first  built.  His  store  is  neatly 
and  tastefully  fitted  up,  and  he  carries  a  full  stock 
of  drugs,  stationery,  school  books,  etc.,  and  com- 
mands an  extensive  trade. 

Mr.  Klauenberg  and  Miss  Maggie  Winter  were 
married  in  June,  1876.  Mrs.  Klauenberg  is  a  na- 
tive of  Keyport.  N.  J.,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Conrad 
and  Mergerch  Winter,natives  respectively  of  Ger- 
many and  Ireland.  Our  subject  and  his  wife  have 
two  children  living,  Leo  and  Grace.  Nellie,  their 
second  child,  died  at  the  age  of  two  years. 

Our  subject  is  wide-awake  and  progressive,  and 
is  an  important  factor  in  helping  to  carry  forward 
the  business  interests  of  his  native  city.  He  is  a 
man  of  social  prominence,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
following  organizations:  was  charter  member  of 
Orient  Lodge,  No.  95,  K.  of  P.;  Silver  Lodge,  No. 
924,  K.  of  II.;  and  belongs  to  the  camp  of  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America. 


1LLIAM  N.  Bl'DD.  It  is  always  pleasant 
to  record  the  success  attending   upon  the 

yyj  efforts  of  an  intelligent  and  energetic  man. 
One  of  the  most  successful  business  men  in  Bunker 
Hill  Township  is  William  N.  Budd.  He  was  born 
of  English  parents  in  Brighton  Township,  this 
county,  in  the  year  1853.  He  has  lived  for  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  in  the  county  with  the  ex- 
ception of  four  years,  when  he  enjoyed  the  unu- 
sual advantage  of  school  life  in  an  English 
university  town.  He  is  the  owner  of  the  leading 
drug  house  in  Bunker  Hill.  This  business  was 
originally  established  in  the  fall  of  1874  under  the 
firm  title  of  Budd  Bios.,  succeeding  that  of  Dr.  S. 
V.  Hale,  who  had  conducted  the  business  for  twelve 
years  prior  to  this  time.  In, Inly,  1889  our  sub- 
ject bought  out  the  brother's  interest  since  which 
time  he  has  conducted  the  business  single  handed. 
Mr.  Budd  has  a  large  and  line  assortment  of  drugs, 
school  books,  stationery,  paints,  oils,  perfumes  and 
toilet  articles.  He  is  indefatigable  in  his  attention 
and  efforts  in  a  business  way. 

Mr.  Budd's  wife  was  Mrs.  Julia  B.  Dorsey,  nee 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


581 


Hornsby,  daughter  of  one  of  the  prominent  phy- 
sicians and  old  settlers,  who  is  still  living  in  this 
place.  Mrs.  Budd's  family  is  from  old  Kentucky, 
that  land  of  fine  horses,  Bourbon  whisky  and  beau- 
tiful women.  She  was  reared,  however,  in  this 
county.  By  her  former  marriage  she  has  one 
daughter,  Lydia  C.  Dorsey.  Socially,  Mrs.  Budd 
holds  a  place  among  the  most  prominent  ladies  of 
the  city.  She  is  a  well-educated  and  charming 
woman,  presiding  with  grace  and  dignity  over  the 
beautiful  home  that  her  husband  lias  built  in  Bunker 
Hill.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  residences  in  the  city, 
a  two-story  brick,  with  wide  verandas  and  all  the 
modern  conveniences  that  the  present  style  of  liv 
ing  demands.  A  beautiful  lawn  stretches  away  in 
front  of  the  house  and  is  gay  with  many  colored 
flowers. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Budd  are  prominent  members  of 
the  Episcopal  Church  of  which  they  are  liberal  sup- 
porters. Our  subject  has  been  Junior  Warden  of 
his  church  for  some  years.  In  politics  he  is  a 
sound  Democrat  and  in  1884  was  elected  the  Col- 
lector of  the  Township.  lie  is  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  of  Charter 
Oak  Lodge,  No.  251  and  of  the  Encampment,  Barry 
Lodge,  No.  51,  both  of  Bunker  Hill.  Mr.  Budd 
has  been  honored  by  being  elected  successively  to 
the  Chair  of  each  of  the  orders. 


GEORGE  VANIMAN.  Broad-minded  and 
intelligent  men  who  can  take  a  just  view  of 
^^jl  the  possibilities  of  their  section  of  country, 
and  who  are  intelligent  enough  to  work  from  the 
outset  for  those  principles  which  will  tend  to  the 
ultimate  prosperity  of  the  State,  are  of  great  value 
in  any  community.  Such  men  are  public-spirited 
enough  to  lay  aside  petty  differences  and  be  willing 
to  adjust  matters  upon  a  sound  basis  which  will  be 
for  the  good  of  all,  and  they  thus  work  most  effec- 
tively for  the  benefit  of  the  section  of  country  in 
which  they  make  their  homes. 

Such  a  man  is  George  Vaniman,  who  resides  on 
section  16,  Virden  Township,  the  son  of  Jacob 
Vaniman,  a  Pennsylvania:!,  and  Mary  Bowman,  a 


native  of  Ohio.  These  parents  settled  in  Mont- 
gomery County,  Ohio,  and  it  became  their  home 
through  life.  They  carefully  brought  up  and  edu- 
cated to  the  best  of  their  ability  the  nine  children 
who  were  granted  to  them,  and  the  fourth  among 
that  number  was  our  subject,  who  was  born  Octo- 
ber 18,  1832,  in  Montgomery  County,  Ohio.  There 
he  was  reared  to  a  sturdy  and  efficient  manhood, 
and  there  he  continued  to  live  until  the  spring  of 
1866,  when  lie  came  to  this  county  and  purchased 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  rich  and  fertile 
soil,  situated  in  Girard  and  Virden  Townships.  His 
life  training  and  life  work  have  been  upon  the  farm 
with  the  exception  of  about  three  or  four  years, 
when  he  was  engaged  in  milling  in  Montgomery 
County,  Ohio.  With  general  farming  he  has  also 
devoted  himself  largely  to  stock-raising. 

The  happy  marriage  of  George  Vaniman  and 
Louisa  Decker,  was  celebrated  in  Goshen,  Ind.,  early 
in  the  summer  of  1864.  The  bride  is  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Catherine  (Alwine)  Decker,  who  made 
their  home  in  Elkhart  County,  Ind.,  and  there  spent 
their  later  years.  Their  daughter,  Louisa  was  born 
near  Johnstown,  Pa.,  April  26,  1843. 

After  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vaniman  lived 
upon  the  old  home  farm  in  Montgomery  County, 
Ohio,  until  1866,  when  they  came  to  Macoupin 
County.  Upon  their  beautiful  farm  they  have  an 
excellent  set  of  farm  buildings,  most  of  which  Mr. 
Vaniman  has  placed  there.  These  are  not  only- 
pleasing  to  the  eye,  but  most  conveniently  arranged 
and  well  adapted  to  the  purposes  for  which  they 
are  intended.  The  house  is  an  attractive  one,  the 
barns  a.-e  first-class,  and  the  smaller  buildings  are 
snug  and  comfortable. 

Four  sturdy  sons  have  come  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Vaniman,  whom  they  have  trained  carefully  through 
their  childhood  years,  and  upon  whom  they  may 
well  hope  to  lean  when  they  have  to  go  down  the 
shady  side  of  life.  They  are:  Chester  C,  Elmer  E., 
Calvin  and  Vernon.  Chester  C.  is  a  teacher  of  mu- 
sic in  Indiana,  where  he  is  making  his  mark  among 
the  young  professional  men  of  the  day;  Elmer  is 
Still  a  student,  and  a  bright  and  capable  one,  in 
McPherson  College  at  McPherson,  Kan.;  Calvin 
and  Vernon  are  still  at  home  under  the  parental 
roof,  and  are  carrying  on  their   education    in   the 


.182 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


local  schools.  The  offlje  of  Highway  Commis- 
sioner is  one  which  Mr.  Vaniman  has  filled  well  and 
acceptably,  and  much  to  the  gratification  of  bis 
neighbors.  Perhaps  few  men  have  more  fully  the 
solid  endorsement  of  their  fellow-citizens  than  this 
able  and  public-spirited  man. 


#^  KPTIMrs  s-  WOODWARD.     One  of  the 

^£     successful  business  establishments  in  Carlin- 

Wj|  ville  is  that  of  wllicl1  Mr-  Woodward  is 
—  is  President,  It  is  the  S.  S.  Woodward 
Hardware  Company,  well  stocked  with  a  carefully- 
selected  assortment  of  goods,  and  business  there  is 
conducted  according  to  honorable  methods  and 
straightforward  principles.  The  store  is  well-known 
to  all  who  trade  in  Carlinville,  as  it  has  been  estab- 
lished since  in  1861,  and  the  proprietor  can  look 
back  over  a  successful  career.  Mr.  Woodward  is 
a  Eentuckian  by  birth  but  has  lived  in  this  State 
since  his  infancy  and  has  no  recollection  of  his 
birthplace.  His  natal  day  was  January  28,  IK.'W, 
and  his  parents  were  Henry  and  Mary  (Bell) 
Woodward.  Both  were  born  in  Kentucky  and  the 
mother  died  in  Winchester,  Scott  County,  in  1849. 
The  father  closed  his  eyes  in  death  in  185.'i,  in 
Pittsfield,  Pike  County,  this  State,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  grocery  trade.  The  father  was  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  that  county  and  until  1842  was 
engaged  in  farming,  first  near  Griggsville  and  later 
at  Winchester.  He  also  gave  some  attention  to  the 
trade  of  a  tobacconist,  which  he  had  learned  in  his 
native  State. 

As  the  parents  of  our  subject  were  in  limited 
circumstances  it  was  necessary  for  the  lad  to  aid  in 
the  support  of  the  family  as  soon  as  he  was  strong 
enough.  He  worked  on  the  farm  until  he  was  six- 
teen years  old,  then  began  working  out  by  the  day, 
receiving  seventy-five  cents  and  boarding  himself. 
After  spending  aycar  in  this  manner  he  became  an 
apprentice  at  the  tinner's  trade  in  Winchester. 
After  a  few  months  he  changed  to  Naples,  where 
he  completed  a  three  years'  apprenticeship,  receiv- 
ing bis  board  and  $35  the  first  year,  and  each  suc- 
ceeding year  $5  more  than  the   last.     He  clothed 


himself  from  the  small  amount  and  at  the  termina 
tion  of  his  apprenticeship  was  square  with  the  world. 

Mr.  Woodward  at  once  began  work  as  a  jour- 
neyman and  in  1856  came  to  Carlinville  where  for 
five  years  he  labored  thus.  In  the  meantime  he 
had  been  industrious  and  economical  and  had  paid 
for  a  comfortable  home.  In  1861  he  mortgaged 
the  property  and  with  the  proceeds  purchased  a 
stock  of  hardware  and  embarked  in  business. 
Close  attention  to  the  business  and  prudence  in  all 
its  details  resulted  in  success,  and  from  year  to 
year  Mr.  Woodward  has  seen  his  financial  condi- 
tion improve. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Woodward  and  Elizabeth 
B.  Trumbull  took  place  January  8,  185:5.  The 
bride  was  born  in  Griggsville,  l'ike  County,  and  is 
a  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Sarah  (Bickford) 
Trumbull,  pioneers  of  that  place  and  natives  of 
Massachusetts.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woodward  six 
children  have  come,  who  are  named  respectively, 
Mary  A  ,  Nellie  May  and  Charles  T.  Lora,  May 
and  Kattie  are  deceased.  The  eldest  daughter, 
Mary  A  ,  is  the  wife  of  Edwin  C.  Barber,  who  is 
connected  with  Mr.  Woodward  in  the  hardware 
company;  Nellie  married  J.  W.  O'Brien,  and 
Charles  is  associated  with  his  father  in  business. 

Mr.  Woodward  exercises  the  elective  franchise 
in  favor  of  candidates  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  He 
belongs  to  Carlinville  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.  Public  life 
hits  no  charms  for  him,  but  he  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Common  Council,  yielding  to  the  wishes  of 
his  neighbors.  He  and  his  estimable  wife  are  well 
respected,  and  in  business  circles  Mr.  Woodward 
has  hieh  standing. 


AMES  MORRISON,  a  resident  of  Virden, 
was  formerly  for  many  years  actively  en- 
gaged in  business  as  a  wide-awake,  practica] 
farmer,  and  so  successful  was  he  in  carrying 
on  his  operations  he  acquired  a  good  amount  of 
property,  and  in  due  time  retired  to  his  present 
home,  that  he  might  enjoj'  his  wealth  at  his  leisure, 
free  from  the  cares  and  labors  that  beset  his  early 
life. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


583 


Mr.  Morrison  was  born  in  Chester  County.  Pa., 
near  the  town  of  Kimballville,  May  8.  1811.  His 
father  was  Alexander  Morrison,  and  he  was  also  a 
native  of  that  count}-,  while  his  father,  James  Mor- 
rison, was  of  Irish  birth.  He  came  to  America 
with  his  family  in  Colonial  times,  and  settled  in 
Pennsylvania.  He  offered  his  services  to  his 
adopted  country  during  the  Revolution,  and  fought 
bravely  in  the  ranks  of  the  Continental  Army.  He 
was  a  fanner  by  occupation,  and  carried  on  agri- 
culture in  Chester  County,  Pa.,  where  he  died  at  a 
ripe  age. 

The  father  of  our  subject  grew  to  manhood  in 
his  native  State,  and  continued  to  reside  there  un- 
til 1816,  when  he  removed  to  Ohio  with  his  wife 
and  three  children,  going  thither  with  teams,  taking 
household  goods  along  cooking  and  camping  by 
the  way  whenever  it  was  deemed  expedient.  He 
at  first  took  up  his  residence  in  the  forest  wilds  of 
Jefferson  County,  but  in  1828  he  went  to  Seneca 
County,  and  cast  in  his  lot  with  its  pioneers,  buy- 
ing a  tract  of  timber  land  three  miles  from  Tiffin 
on  which  to  build  up  a  new  home.  He  erected  a 
log  cabin  to  shelter  his  family,  and  actively  entered 
upon  the  task  of  clearing  a  farm.  At  that  time 
timber  was  of  but  little  value,  and  large  logs  that 
would  now  bring  a  good  price  were  rolled  together 
and  burned  to  get  rid  of  them.  There  were  no  rail- 
ways for  some  years  after  the  Morrisons  moved  to 
that  part  of  the  country,  and  Sandusky  City,  forty 
miles  distant  from  their  home,  was  the  principal 
market  and  depot  for  supplies.  Deer,  wild  turkeys 
and  other  kinds  of  game  offered  the  settlers  a  plea- 
sing variation  from  their  usual  fare. 

Mr.  Morrison  in  time  developed  a  choice  farm, 
on  which  he  lived  until  his  death  in  1847.  His 
widow  survived  him  until  1852,  when  she  too 
passed  away,  dying  on  the  home  farm  in  Seneca 
County,  Ohio.  In  her  maiden  days  her  name  was 
Mary  Beadle.  She  was  born  in  Chester  County, 
Pa.  Her  parents  were  natives  respectively  of 
Wales  and  Pennsylvania. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  a  family  of  ten  children, 
seven  sons  and  three  daughters.  lie  was  about 
five  years  old  when  bis  parents  removed  to  Ohio, 
and  he  was  reared  under  pioneer  influences.  His 
education  was  obtained  in  the   primitive  schools  of 


Jefferson  and  Seneca  counties,  which  were  taught 
(in  the  subscription  plan,  each  family  paying  ac- 
cording to  the  number  of  scholars  sent.  Log 
cabins  were  used  as  school-houses;  the  seats  were 
made  of  puncheon;  a  log  was  taken  out  from  the 
wall  and  greased  paper  pasted  over  the  hole  thus 
made  admitted  the  light,  while  a  huge  fire-place 
served  to  heat  the  building.  Our  subject's  life 
was  much  like  that  of  other  farmer's  boys  at  that 
period,  and  as  soon  as  large  enough  he  was  taught 
to  make  himself  useful  on  the  farm.  In  his  youth 
all  grain  was  cut  by  a  sickle  until  the  invention  of 
the  cradle,  which  was  considered  a  great  improve- 
ment. 

Mr.  Morrison  continued  to  live  with  his  parents 
until  his  marriage,  when  he  rented  land  for  some 
years.  In  1854  he  came  to  this  State,  and  entered 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  Government 
land  in  Harvel  Township,  Montgomery  County, 
upon  which  he  immediately  erected  a  dwelling 
and  other  suitable  buildings.  The  surrounding 
country  was  then  but  little  improved,  and  his  as- 
sistance in  developing  the  agricultural  resources  of 
that  region  was  invaluable.  He  fenced  his  entire 
tract  of  land,  and  from  time  to  time  bought  other 
land  until  he  had  a  large  farm,  upon  which  he  had 
placed  many  substantial  improvements  ere  he  sold 
it  in  1866.  After  disposing  of  that  property  at  a 
good  price  he  purchased  other  land  in  the  same 
county,  and  was  very  much  prospered  in  his  under- 
takings, so  much  so  that  in  1885  he  was  enabled  to 
abandon  active  labor,  as  Le  was  in  possession  of  a 
handsome  competence,  and  since  that  lime  he  has 
lived. in  retirement  at  Yirden,  having  first  sold  his 
land  in  Montgomery  County  for  a  round  sum  of 
money. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  with  Miss  Rachel  L, 
Evans,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  a  daughter  of 
Walter  and  Nellie  (Cross)  Evans,  was  solemnized 
February  22,  1832.  It  was  fraught  with  much 
happiness  to  both  husband  and  wife,  and  they  lived 
together  mutually  helping  each  other  to  bear  sor- 
row when  it  came  to  them,  and  sharing  such  joys 
as  fell  to  their  lot,  for  nearly  thirty -eight  years, 
when  death  parted  them  January  17,  1870,  by  call- 
ing the  devoted  wife  to  that  dreamless  sleep  that 
knows  no  waking  this  side  of  the  grave.     Fourteen 


584 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


children  were  born  of  that  union,  of  whom  nine 
grew  to  maturity,  namely,  Walter  A.,  .lames  H., 
Mary  E.,  Caroline,  Laura.  Melissa,  Rachel  E., 
Theodore  and  William  Sidney. 

Mr.  Morrison's  cheerful  disposition,  kindly 
thoughtfulness  for  others,  and  excellent  qualities 
of  head  and  heart  have  gained  him  a  warm  place 
in  the  hearts  of  his  neighbors  and  other  friends.  In 
his  course  as  a  farmer  lie  displayed  those  traits  of 
perseverance,  foresight  and  business  tact  that  are 
necessary  to  carry  on  any  calling  so  as  to  obtain 
success.  He  has  always  fulfilled  the  duties  of 
citizenship  intelligently  and  loyally.  In  politics, 
he  is  closely  identified  with  the  Republicans.  Dur- 
ing his  residence  in  Pitman  Township,  he  was  oc- 
casionally called  to  hold  important  offices,  and  he 
did  good  service  as  Collector  and  Assessor,  and 
also  as  a  member  of  the  District  School  Board.  He 
was  appointed  Postmaster  of  Herndon  during  James 
Buchanan's  administration  which  office  he  retained 
for  twelve  or  fifteen  years. 


ROBERT  B.  SHIRLEY,  a  lawyer  of  good 
«  repute  located  in  Carlinville,  has  been  act- 
ively engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion since  1878.  As  he  has  been  located  in 
Carlinville  since  that  time,  his  name  is  well  known 
here,  and  the  number  of  clients  who  visit  his  office 
will  compare  favorably  with  that  which  call  upon 
any  lawyer  in  the  county.  He  is  well  grounded  in 
the  principles  of  law  and  equity,  has  a  fine  knowl- 
edge of  the  precedents  established  in  the  courts,  and 
the  ability  to  present  causes  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
impress  the  facts  upon  his  hearers.  The  reader  is 
referred  to  another  page  for  items  regarding  his 
parents — the  Hon.  William  C.  and  Mary  .T.  Shirley. 
The  birthplace  of  Mr.  Shirley  was  a  farm  on 
Silver  Creek  in  Madison  County,  and  his  natal  day 
October  9,  1850.  He  is  the  oldest  living  son  of 
his  parents,  and  was  but  an  infant  when  they  came 
to  this  county.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
acquired  an  education  by  attending  the  district  and 
other  schools  whenever   it   was  possible.     In    the 


intervals  of  study  he  was  kept  busy  on  the  farm, 
and  grew  to  a  vigorous  manhood  both  physically 
and  mentally. 

When  twenty-two  years  old  Mr.  Shirley  began 
the  study  of  his  chosen  profession  in  the  office  of 
Judge  William  R.  Welch,  and  in  July,  187G,  he 
passed  the  requisite  examination  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.  After  a  brief  interval  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  S.  T.  Corn  and  the  two  gentlemen 
carried  on  their  legal  work  together  until  188G, 
when  Mr.  Corn  was  appointed  Territorial  Judge  of 
Wyoming  by  President  Cleveland  and  removed 
thither.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Shirley  has  practiced 
alone.  His  former  partner  has  remained  in  the 
Northwest  and  now  makes  his  home  in  Evanston, 
Wyo. 

Mr.  Shirley's  wife  was  Miss  Etta  W.  Burton, 
only  living  daughter  of  Henry  W.  and  Laura  Bur- 
ton, of  whom  further  mention  is  made  in  the  biog- 
raphy of  Frank  W.  Burton.  The  marriage  rites 
were  solemnized  October  16,  1879.  Mr.  Shirley 
belongs  to  SL".unton  Lodge,  No.  177,  E.  k  A.  M., 
and  St.  Omar  Commandeiy,  No.  30,  K.  T.,  of  Litch- 
field, lie  is  a  Democrat  and  his  first  Presidential 
ballot  was  for  Horace  Greeley.  His  legal  reputa- 
tion is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  has  been  City 
Attorney  three  terms  and  Master  in  Chancery  one 
term.  He  was  one  of  the  original  stock-holders  in 
the  Carlinville  National  Bank  and  at  the  organiza- 
tion in  May,  1  890,  was  elected  Director. 


5~«— *v- 


GEORGE  L.  BROWN,  residing  on  section  30, 
Carlinville  Township,  who  is  one  of  the 
representative  men  of  Macoupin  County, 
was  born  in  Berkshire  County,  Mass.  His  early 
youth  and  manhood  were  spent  in  Massachusetts, 
New  York  and  Virginia  till  1852,  when  he  came 
West  and  settled  in  Morgan  and  Scott  Counties, 
111.,  where  for  a  period  of  several  years  he  was  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1863,  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Govern- 
ment and  for  three  years  was  Paymaster  in  the 
army.  In  1871  he  settled  in  Carlinville,  111., 
where   he    made    extensive   and  valuable  improve- 


OF  THE 
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PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RKCORD. 


58? 


men  is,  not  only  in  the  city  but  in  the  country 
adjacent  and  is  the  owner  of  valuable  city  and 
country  properly. 

His  first  marriage  took  place  in  Litchfield  County, 
Conn.,  to  Miss  Mary  L.  Couch,  a  native  of 
that  county.  Three  children  were  horn  to  them, 
two  sons  and  one  daughter,  who  were  graduates  of 
Blackburn  University.  Howard  S.,  the  eldest,  was 
married  to  Miss  Dora  M.  liettersworth,  daughter  of 
Dr.  Bettersworth,  of  Carlinville,  was  formerly  en- 
gaged in  the  land  and  loan  business,  lie  died  July 
8.  1890;  Charles  W.,  the  second  son,  who  is  a  law- 
yer in  Rapid  City,  S.  Dak.,  married  Miss  Adella 
(ioie,  daughter  of  Hon.  David  Gore,  of  Carlinville. 
Caroline  I.  is  the  wife  of  John  II.  Robinson,  of  Pu- 
eblo, Col.  Mrs.  Mary  L.  Brown,  who  was  great iy 
esteemed  for  her  many  lovable  qualities  of  mind 
and  heart,  gently  passed  to  her  everlasting  rest  at 
El  Paso,  Tex.,  February  G,  1889.  His  present 
wife  was  formerly  Mrs.  E.  M.  Whittaker,  widow  of 
the  late  Dr.  Whittaker,  of  New  Jersey. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  believer  in  Republican  principles 
and  formerly  has  taken  an  active  part  in  political 
affairs.  He  is  also  a  believer  in  the  doctrines  of 
Christianity  and  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  in  which  he  has  filled  some  of 
the  important  offices. 

In  the  home  of  our  subject  one  can  well  note  the 
air  of  culture  and  refinement  which  there  exists. 
Macoupin  County  can  boast  of  many  excellent  men 
and  Mr.  Brown  takes  high  rank  with  those  whose 
memories  should  be  perpetuated  and  kept  green. 


HON  S.  CARTER.  Postmaster  of  Hornsby 
and  a  general  merchant  at  Clyde  Station, 
i!)  is  one  of  the  prominent  and  influential 
citizens  of  Cahokia  Township.  lie  claims 
New  York  as  the  State  of  his  nativity,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Leyden.  Lewis  County,  Novem- 
ber 24,  1840,  and  he  is  the  eldest  of  six  children, 
whose  parents  were  Loyal  W.  and  Lucy  (Pose) 
Carter.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Berlin.  Conn., 
and  belongs  to  an  old  family  of  the  Nutmeg  State, 
Of  New  England   ancestry.     The  mother  came  of 


an  old  respected  family  of  Middlehury,  Yl.  After 
their  marriage  they  located  in  Leyden,  living  on  a 
farm  in  that  locality  until  1849,  when  they  removed 
to  Batavia.  N.  Y.,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
lives  at  that  place;  there  the  father  died  at  the  age 
of  seventy. three  years.  They  were  leading  and 
respected  people  of  the  community,  were  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  in  political  senti- 
ment Mr.  Carter  was  a  Republican. 

Our  subject  spent  his  early  life  in  the  State  of 
his  nativity  and  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  While  still  single  he  emigrated  Westward, 
taking  up  his  resilience  at  Clyde,  and  at  Kinder- 
hook,  Pike  County,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Amanda  Churchill,  a  native  of  that  place,  born 
February  10,  1840.  Her  parents,  Melvin  ami 
Sarah  (Hornor)  Churchill,  were  natives  of  New 
York  and  Ohio  respectively.  Their  marriage  was 
celebrated  in  Pike  County,  111.,  where  Mr.  Church- 
ill had  located  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  emigrat- 
ing Westward  with  his  father,  who  was  one  of  the 
first  settlers  of  the  county  and  laid  out  the  town  of 
Kinderhook.  He  became  an  extensive  landowner, 
acquired  considerable  wealth  and  was  a  man  of 
prominence  and  celebrity  in  that  part  of  the  State, 
lie  died  at,  the  age  of  forty-five  years  and  his  wife 
passed  away  March  19,  1888,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
six. 

Mrs.  Carter  remained  at  home  with  her  parents 
until  her  marriage.  She  received  excellent  educa- 
tional advantages,  was  for  some  time  a  student  in 
the  female  college  of  Batavia,  N.  Y.,  and  prior  to 
her  marriage  successfully  engaged  in  teaching. 
She  figures  prominently  in  social  circles  and  the 
home  over  which  she  presides  with  so  much  grace 
is  the  abode  of  hospitality.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Carter  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church  and 
are  active  workers  in  the  Master's  vineyard.  Five 
children  have  been  born  unto  them  but  two  are 
now  deceased — Nellie  May  and  Nellie  Maude. 
Leo  M.  is  now  assisting  his  father  in  the  store  and 
Harold  S.  and  Cleon  C.  are  at  home.  Mr.  Carter 
has  held  the  position  of  Postmaster  of  Hornsby 
since  1871,  with  the  exception  of  one  year  dur- 
ing President  Cleveland's  administration.  In  pol- 
ities he  is  a  sound  Republican,  who  warmly  advo- 
cates the  party  principles  and  does  all  in  bis  power 


588 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


for  its  success.  In  1874  he  embarked  in  general 
merchandising  and  now  has  a  good  store,  carrying 
a  full  line  of  groceries  and  dry  goods.  From  the 
beginning  his  trade  has  constantly  increased  and 
owing  to  his  earnest  desire  to  please  his  customers, 
his  genial  manner  and  his  fair  dealing,  lie  has  won 
a  liberal  patronage  of  which  he  is  well  deserving. 

The  attention  of  the  reader  is  directed  to  a  lith- 
ographic portrait  of  Mr.  Carter,  presented  in  this 
connection. 

IKA  RS.  REBECCA  VARBLE  is  a  Southerner 
I     \\\    by  birth,  and  education.     Her  father  was 
III       w   Isaac    Irwin  who  was   a  native  of  North 
*  Carolina.     Her  mother  was  Rachel    (Glas- 

cock) Irwin,  also  a  native  of  the  same  State.  After 
their  marriage  they  settled  in  their  native  State  for 
a  time  and  then  emigrated  to  Illinois,  first  settling 
in  Greene  County,  where  they  died.  A  large  fam- 
ily of  children  had  come  to  gladden  their  last  days; 
they  were  ten  in  number  of  whom  Mrs.  A'arble  was 
the  eldest.  She  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  De- 
cember 6,  1823  and  was  only  about  eight  3'ears  old 
when  her  parents  came  to  Greene  County.  Airs. 
Varble  remained  under  the  home  roof  until  she  had 
reached  womanhood,  and  was  married  from  the 
home  of  her  father,  December  3,  1846,  to  Philip 
Varble.  Her  husband's  father  was  John  Varble,  a 
native  of  Kentucky  as  was  also  her  mother,  Sarah 
Admire  Varble.  They  came  here  from  Kentucky 
and  settled  in  Greene  County,  at  an  early  day.  The 
father  died  in  Montgomery  County  and  the  mother 
in  Greene  County.  The  husband  of  our  subject, 
Philip  Varble,  was  born  near  Louisville,  Ky.,  June 
14,  1821;  while  yet  a  boy  lie  emigrated  with  his 
parents  to  Greene  County,  where  he  met  the  lady 
to  whom  he  was  afterward  married. 

The  young  couple  continued  to  live  in  the  place 
where  they  first  settled  for  nineteen  years  when 
they  came  to  Macoupin  County,  in  the  year  1865, 
and  settled  in  Nil'.vood  Township.  He  was  a  farmer 
bv  bringing  up  and  choice,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  he  owned  a  good  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty   acres,  upon  which  he  placed    valuable    im- 


provements. His  death  took  place  December  18, 
1884,  and  caused  a  void  in  the  family  which  will 
always  be  felt,  both  by  the  widow  and  their  chil- 
dren. 

Mr.  Varble  was  liberal  in  his  religious  views  and 
was  a  generous  supporter  of  the  Methodist  Church. 
Our  subject  is  the  mother  of  eleven  children.  They 
are:  Harriet,  James  F.,  Sarah  E.,  Emily,  Laura, 
Eliza,  Mattie,  Lucy,  Ida,  Katie  and  Thomas  P. 
The  eldest  daughter  is  the  wife  of  George  Corry; 
James  F.  took  to  wife  Mary  Murphy;  Emily  died 
when  about  twenty-one  years  of  age;  Laura  is  the 
wife  of  Christ  Remling;  Eliza,  is  the  wife  of  George 
Long;  Mattie  became  the  wife  of  Joseph  T.  Bay- 
less;  Lucy  is  the  wife  of  John  Dorsey  and  Ida  is 
the  wife  of  Frank  Plummer.  Mrs.  Varble  is  a 
member  of  the  Christian  Church  and  in  her  daily 
life  she  is  an  exemplary  example  of  the  teachings 
of  the  Golden  Rule,  her  delight  being  to  do  for 
others. 


-i- 


% 


-*- 


I 


/AMES  W.  DROKE  was  a  farmer  who  set- 
tled in  Macoupin  County  in  1855,  and  who 
resided  there  continuously  until  1888.  He 
was  a  native  of  Sullivan  County,  Tenn., 
and  a  son  of  William  and  Tabitha  Droke.  The 
family  came  to  Illinois  in  1855,  and  the  father  died 
in  this  county  about  1882,  and  the  mother  subse- 
quently died  in  McPherson,  Kan.,  in  1888. 

The  early  years  of  our  subject  were  passed  upon 
the  farm,  and  here  he  arrived  at  early  manhood.  In 
1857  he  married  Abigail  R.,  a  daughter  of  Wesley 
and  Susan  (Range)  Butler,  natives  of  Tennessee,  in 
which  State  Abigail  was  born  November  25,  1833. 
The  family  came  to  Illinois  in  1842,  and  settled 
on  a  farm  near  Scottville,  where  the  mother  died, 
leaving  six  children.  The  father  married  a  second 
time  and  there  were  three  children  by  this  mar- 
riage. 

When  our  subject  and  his  young  wife  began  life 
for  themselves  they  set  up  housekeeping  near 
Scottville,  but  in  1861  they  removed  to  a  farm 
near  Carlinville.  The  Civil  War  now  broke  out 
and  Mr.  Droke,  like  other  young  men,  felt  the 
call  of  duty  to  go  to  the  help  of  his  country.     He 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


589 


enlisted  in  1862,  and  was  mustered  into  service  in 
Company  B,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-second  Illi- 
nois Infantry.  During'  his  three  years'  service  lie 
was  neither  wounded  nor  taken  prisoner  and  at 
the  close  of  the  war  lie  was  enabled  to  resume  his 
usual  avocations.  In  1866  he  settled  on  section  1. 
Western  Mound  Township,  where  he  purchased 
two  hundred  and  five  acres  and  subsequently  added 
one  hundred  and  sixty  more. 

Six  of  the  seven  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Droke  are  now  living,  namely:  Jannie,  Mrs.  Al- 
baugh;  Martha  A.,  who  married  Carman  Gavett, 
and  who  died  in  1889;  Elizabeth  E.,  Mrs.  Thomas 
Dawson;  Susan  Ida;  John  E.;  and  Norah  I.,  Mrs. 
Dawson.  Politically  Mr.  Droke  was  a  Republican 
but  was  not  a  politician  in  the  ordinary  sense  of 
the  word.  He  was  ever  ready  to  serve  his  fellow- 
citizens  and  acted  upon  the  School  Board  for  sev 
eral  years.  He  was  also  a  local  preacher  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  to  which  he  gave 
considerable  lime  for  thirty  years. 

The  war  record  of  our  subject  is  as  follows.  He 
was  enrolled  August  13,  1862,  in  Company  B,  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-second  Illinois  Infantry,  and 
discharged  July  15,  I860,  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  in  com- 
pliance with  general  orders  Nos.  64  and  94  from 
the  War  Department,  bearing  date  May  15,  1865. 
He  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Parker's  Cross 
Roads  December  21,  1862,  and  at  Tupelo  Decem- 
ber 15  to  16,  1864.  Mrs.  Droke  still  resides  on 
the  homestead  and  is  universally  respected  and 
esteemed  by  her  neighbors. 


fjOHN  D.  SCHROEDER,  who  is  numbered 
among  the  early  settlers  of  Macoupin  County 
of  the  year  1854,  is  now  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  on  section  7,  Dorchester  Town- 
ship, where  he  owns  a  good  farm  of  eighty  acres. 
lie  claims  Germany  as  the  land  of  his  nativity, 
having  been  born  in  the  Province  of  Hanover, 
September  24,  1830.  There  were  but  two  children 
in  the  family,  himself  and  a  brother,  Henry,  who 
died  in  Germany.  The  parents,  J.  Adam  and  Dora 
(Temka)  Schroeder,  were  also  natives  of  the  same 


Province.  The  father  died  in  the  prime  of  life, 
after  which  the  mother  was  again  married,  becom- 
ing the  wife  of  Henry  Neimeier.  They  resided 
in  Hanover  on  a  farm  until  her  death,  which 
occurred  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years,  after  which 
Mr.  Neimeier  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America  and 
died  at  the  home  of  his  son  Fred,  in  Gillespie 
Township,  this  county,  in  1888,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-one  years.  The  parents  of  our  subject 
and  also  Mr.  Neimeier  were  members  of  the  Luth- 
eran Church. 

John  I).  Schroder,  whose  name  heads  this  sketch, 
spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  his 
native  Province,  where  he  remained  until  twenty- 
four  years  of  age,  when  he  determined  to  seek  his 
fortune  in  America.  Bidding  good-by  to  home 
and  native  land,  he  took  passage  upon  the  vessel 
"Neptune,"  which  sailed  in  the  spring  of  1854, 
from  Bremen  to  New  Orleans,  where  after  a  voy- 
age of  forty  days  the  vessel  was  anchored.  Pro- 
ceeding up  the  river  to  S-,.  Louis,  he  then  made  his 
way  to  Macoupin  County,  and  since  then  has  lived 
within  her  borders.  As  he  was  without  money, 
he  began  to  work  as  a  farm  hand  and  served  in 
that  capacity  for  a  time  until  he  rented  land.  By 
industry  and  economy  he  secured  some  capital 
and  at  length  purchased  his  present  farm  in  1876, 
which  has  been  his  home  since  1881.  As  before 
staled,  it  comprises  eighty  acres  of  good  land,  all 
of  which  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and 
well  improved,  being  furnished  with  good  build- 
ings and  all  the  accessories  of  a  model  farm.  The 
stock  which  he  raises  is  also  of  excellent  grades, 
and  he  is  numbered  among  the  leading  and  pro- 
gressive farmers  of  the  community. 

Mr.  Schroeder  has  been  twice  married.  In  Bun- 
ker Hill  he  was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Cath- 
erine Erich,  who  was  born  in  Holstein,  Germany, 
and  in  her  maidenhood  came  alone  to  this  country. 
She  spent  two  years  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  came 
to  Bunker  Hill,  where  she  was  afterward  married. 
She  died  in  that  city  some  twenty-eight  years 
later,  in  the  faith  of  the  German  Methodist  Church, 
of  which  she  had  for  some  years  been  a  member. 
Of  the  eight  children  born  of  her  marriage  four 
are  now  deceased — one  who  died  in  infancy; 
William    and    Elizabeth,  who  died    in    childhood; 


590 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ami  John  P.,  who  at  his  death  left  a  wife  and  one 
child.  Charles  married  Gusta  Doehring  and  is 
fen  engineer  in  a  coal  mine  in  Mt.  Olive,  III.; 
Henry,  who  married  Laura  Doehring,  is  employed 
in  the  same  capacity  as  his  brother;  Dora  is  the 
wile  of  Benjamin  Pepper,  who  lives  on  a  farm  near 
Ohlman  Station;  and  Anna,  who  is  at  home.  For 
a  second  wife  Mr.  Schroeder  wedded  Eliza  Hespe, 
a  native  of  Hanover,  who  when  a  young  lady  ac- 
companied her  brother  Christopher  to  America  and 
made  her  home  in  Bunker  Hill.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Schroeder  are  both  members  of  the  German  Meth- 
odist Church  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 
For  his  integrity  and  sterling  worth  he  is  held  in 
high  regard  in  business  circles  and  both  rank  liigli 
in  the  social  world. 


<[|=z>REDERICK   BUMANN,  Mayor  of   Bunker 
I— ?/<j\    Hill,  has  for   many   years   been   one  of  the 
ji^  prominent   business   men  of  that  place,  but 

has  now  practically  laid  aside  all  business  cu-es. 
One  of  the  honored  early  settlers,  he  dates  his  resi- 
dence from  1849,  covering  a  period  of  forty-two 
years.  Of  the  many  worthy  citizens  which  Ger- 
many has  furnished  to  Macoupin  County,  none  are 
more  deserving  of  a  representation  in  this  volume 
than  he. 

Mr.  Bumann  was  born  in  Holstein,  Germany, 
February  29,  1828,  and  is  a  son  of  Jorjan  and 
Sophia  M.  (Castor)  Bumann,  both  of  whom  were 
also  natives  of  Holstein,  where  they  spent  their 
entire  lives.  Mr.  Bumann  was  an  overseer  of  a 
large  farm  when  young,  and  later  owned  a  small 
farm.  He  died  in  1839,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three 
years.  His  wife  survived  him  some  years,  being 
called  to  her  final  rest  at  the  age  of  seventy-four. 
Both  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  After 
his  father's  death  our  subject  remained  with  his 
mother  until  1844,  when  he  left  home  to  learn 
the  trade  of  a  mason  and  plasterer  in  the  cities 
of  Lichtenburg  and  Kiel.  After  a  period  of 
four  years  he  determined  to  tiy  his  fortune  in 
America,  of  which  country  he  had  heard  such 
favorable  reports  concerning  its  excellent  ad  van- 


tages  and  opportunities.  In  consequence,  with 
his  twin  brother  Claus,  a  carpenter  by  trade,  he 
crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  United  States,  taking 
passage  on  a  three-masted  vessel,  which  sailed  from 
Hamburg  and  arrived  at  New  Orleans  after  a  long 
and  tedious  voyage  of  eight  weeks.  The  brothers 
proceeded  up  the  Mississippi  to  St.  Louis  in  De- 
cember, 1848,  and  the  following  year  came  to 
Bunker  Hill,  arriving  on  the  9th  of  June,  1849. 
They  were  poor  men  at  that  time,  but  they  at 
once  began  work,  Frederick  following  his  trade 
of  a  plasterer  for  many  years.  However  his  opera- 
tions in  that  line  were  interrupted  by  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  Civil  War. 

At  that  lime  he  began  business  as  a  grain 
dealer  and  for  two  years  was  associated  with  a 
Mr.  Butterfield.  The  succeeding  year  he  carried 
on  operations  alone,  and  in  1865  admitted  to  part- 
nership J.  11.  Bauer,  which  firm  continued  business 
until  1880,  when  the  partners  turned  over  the 
management  and  care  of  their  interests  to  their 
respective  sons,  Einil  F.  Bumann  and  Albert  Bauer, 
but  the  latter  is  now  deceased,  leaving  the  former 
in  sole  charge.  Frederick  Bumann  owns  consider- 
able real  estate  in  Bunker  Hill  and  the  surround- 
ing country,  and  his  possessions  have  all  been 
acquired  through  his  own  efforts.  He  may  truly 
be  called  a  self-made  man,  for  when  he  came  to 
this  country  he  had  no  capital  save  a  young  man's 
bright  hope  of  the  future  and  a  determination  to 
succeed.  And  he  has  succeeded  far  beyond  his 
expectations,  being  numbered  among  the  wealthy 
citizens  of  this  community. 

A  marriage  ceremony  performed  in  Bunker  Hill 
on  the  2d  of  May,  1851,  united  the  destinies  of 
Frederick  Bumann  and  Miss  Dora  C.  Kuhl,  who 
was  born  in  Holstein,  Germany,  May  2,  1825, 
and  there  resided  until  after  the  death  of  her 
parents,  when,  with  a  sister,  she  left  her  native 
land  in  1850,  and  came  to  America.  Landing  in 
New  York  City,  she  made  her  way  to  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  and  soon  afterward  came  to  Bunker  Hill. 
Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bumann  have  been  born  ten 
children,  five  of  whom  are  now  deceased — Ma- 
tilda, Emma,  George  and  Fredericka  died  in  in- 
fancy. F.  Segel  accidentally  broke  one  of  his  lower 
limbs  in   1889,  and    died  from   the  effects  twelve 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


.v.i  l 


weeks  later.  He  left  .1  wife  and  one  child,  who  are 
living  in  Bunker  Hill.  The  living  members  of 
the  family  are:  Adolpb,  who  married  Louisa  Spen- 
cer and  is  a  successful  young  merchant  and  busi- 
ness man  of  Bunker  Hill;  Theodore,  who  married 
Catherine  Hentz,  of  Bunker  Hill,  where  he  carries 
on  a  hardware  business;  Emil  F.,  who  wedded 
May  Morgan  and  is  a  grain  dealer  of  Bunker 
Hill;  Anna  M.,  wife  of  Harry  Wise,  of  the  firm  of 
Wise,  Mercer  &  Co.,  millers,  of  Hunker  Hill;  and 
Albert  M.,  Superintendent  of  a  manual  training 
school  in  Omaha,  Neb. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buniann  attend  the  Presbyterian 
Chinch  as  do  also  their  children,  and  the  father 
and  sons  are  standi  supporters  of  the  Republican 
party,  Mr.  Buniann  has  laker,  an  active  part  in 
political  affairs  and  has  been  honored  with  a  num- 
ber of  positions  of  public  trust,  having  served  as 
Councilman  of  the  city  for  several  years,  and 
is  now  the  efficient  Mayor.  The  duties  of  the 
office  he  faithfully  discharges,  and  thereby  has 
won  the  confidence  and  commendation  of  his  po- 
litical enemies  as  well  as  his  constituents. 


.»,  WEN  WARD.  Many  of  the  best  citizens  of 
Illinois  have  come  from  that  excellent  stock, 
the  Protestant  families  of  Northern  Ireland. 
Among  these  we  find  the  citizen  whose  name  ap- 
pears at  the  head  of  this  paragraph,  who,  with  his 
excellent  wife  resides  on  section  30,  Ililyard  Town- 
ship, where  they  carry  on  general  farming,  upon  a 
well-improved  tract  of  eighty  acres.  This  has  been 
his  home  for  some  thirteen  years,  and  he  has  lived 
in  the  State  since  1841,  coming  to  this  county  in 
1847,  and  making  it  his  home  here,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few  years  which  he  passed  in  Jersey 
County. 

Mr.  Ward  was  born  in  Ireland  about  the  year 
1816,  and  grew  up  in  his  native  country  until  he 
became  a  young  man,  when  he  emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica and  settling  in  New  York  City,  learned  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter.  He  followed  ship  carpenter- 
ing in  the  Navy  Yarcl  for   some   years   and  later 


came  West  and  followed  his  trade  in  Alton  and 
other  [daces  for  sonic  years.  His  work  was  mainly 
in  the  line  of  building  houses,  until  lie  came  to 
this  county  and  settled  upon  his  present  farm. 

This  handsome  property  belonged  to  Mrs.  Ward, 
whom  our  subject  married  after  coming  to  this 
county.  Her  maiden  name  was  MaryTaggart  and 
she  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  being  born  about  the 
year  1825,  and  was  still  young  when  she  came-, 
with  her  father, Adam  Taggart,  to  the  United  States. 
Her  mother,  Fannie  nee  Morrison,  had  died  when  a 
young  woman  in  her  native  land,  leaving  four  chil- 
dren to  be  cared  for  by  her  husband.  Mrs.  Ward 
is  the  only  one  now  living.  After  living  one  year 
in  Pennsylvania,  the  father  came  to  Ohio  and  died 
there  a  few  years  later,  while  still  in  the  prime  of 
life,  and  while  this  daughter  was  yet  a  child.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taggart  were  members  of  the  Protest- 
ant Church. 

Mrs.  Ward  was  reared  by  an  uncle,  Andrew 
Taggart,  who  brought  her  in  her  girlhood  to  Ma- 
coupin County  which  has  since  been  her  home.  She 
is  a  true  wife  and  mother  and  has  had  four  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom  Mary  J.,  has  passed  to  the 
other  world,  .lames  is  a  farmer  inSliipman  Town- 
ship; Thomas  is  now  working  on  the  Mississippi 
River  and  Adam  is  at  home  and  carries  on  the 
farm.  The  Democratic  party  receives  the  political 
allegiance  of  Mr.  Ward.  The  happy  home  of  this 
old  couple  is  a  pleasant  place  of  resort  to  all  the 
neighborhood,  and  their  true-hearted  kindness  and 
worth  make  them   beloved    by  all  who  know  them. 


«ff  NTON   I1UBER. 


The  business  interests  of 
Hunker  Hill  have  been  represented  more 
extensively  by  the  Huber  family  than  by 
any  one  family  in  the  city.  At  the  bead 
of  the  business  stood  our  subject  and  associated 
with  him  were  his  two  sons,  but  Anton  Huber  has 
now  retired  from  active  life,  having  through  his 
own  efforts  acquired  a  handsome  competency  which 
enables  him  to  lay  aside  business  cares,  while  he 
rests  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  fruit  of  foiraer  toil. 


592 


PORTRAIT  AxND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


The  story  of  his  life  is  as  follows.  He  was  born 
in  Biden,  Germany,  June,  9,  1826,  and  his  father, 
also  named  Anton,  was  a  native  of  Baden,  where 
his  entire  life  was  spent.  By  occupation  he  was  a 
laborer  and  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-six 
years.  In  the  place  of  his  nativity  he  wedded 
Miss  Mary  Beckley,  who  lived  and  died  in  her 
native  province.  She  was  killed  by  falling  from 
a  cherry  tree  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years.  Both 
she  and  her  husband  were  members  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  twelve  children,  three  of 
whom  came  to  this  country  and  are  yet  living, 
while  two  still  make  their  home  in  the  father  land. 
In  the  common  schools  Anton  acquired  his  edu- 
cation and  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight  years  started 
for  America,  embarking  from  Havre,  France,  on 
the  "  Maud  Livingston,"  a  three-mast  sailing  vessel, 
November  5,  1854,  and  reaching  his  destination, 
New  Orleans,  after  forty -seven  days.  He  had  only 
money  enough  to  get  his  trunk  off  the  boat  and 
thus  without  means,  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land, 
he  began  life  in  America.  I,t  was  necessary  that 
he  should  have  occupation  to  supply  his  daily 
wants  and  so  he  accepted  a  position  as  a  wood 
chopper.  For  three  months  he  followed  that 
business,  working  in  the  swamps  of  Louisiana, 
where  often  times  the  water  was  nearly  up  to  his 
knees.  He  remained  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Cre- 
scent City  for  three  months,  during  which  time  he 
had  secured  money  enough  to  lake  him  up  the 
river  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  worked  as  a  laborer 
for  some  time.  He  was  industrious  and  economical 
and  at  length  had  saved  enough  money  to  start  in 
the  grocer}'  business,  opening  a  small  store  in  1863. 
In  August,  1865,  he  sold  out  and  from  St.  Louis 
went  to  Prairietown,  Madison  County,  III.,  where 
he  bought  out  the  stock  of  Conrad  Cramer,  a 
general  merchant  of  that  place.  He  was  very 
successful  in  his  undertaking  and  when  his  financial 
resources  were  somewhat  increased  he  came  to 
Macoupin  County  where  he  invested  his  capital. 

Not  long  after  his  arrival  in  the  United  States, 
Mr.  Huber  was  married  to  a  lady,  an  old  acquaint- 
ance of  his,  who  on  the  same  vessel  with  him  crossed 
the  Atlantic.  Her  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth 
Gebhardt,  and  she  wag  born   September  24,  1831, 


in  Germany.  Her  parents  lived  and  died  in  Baden. 
Mrs.  Huber  has  proved  a  true  helpmate  to  her 
husband  and  has  done  not  a  little  towards  securing 
the  competence  which  they  now  possess,  although 
her  work  has  been  of  a  less  public  character. 
Seven  children  have  been  born  of  their  union,  six 
of  whom  are  yet  living;  Andrew,  who  married 
Augusta  Fah renkrog,  and  he  is  engaged  in  business 
in  Bunker  Hill;  Herman,  who  wedded  Mary 
Schoeber  of  Madison  County,  111.,  and  is  now  a 
general  merchant  of  Marvel,  III.;  Caroline:  Charles 
who  married  Ella  Heneke,  and  is  now  a  leading 
grocer  of  Bunker  Hill;  Lousia  and  Henry.  The 
mother  and  children  are  identified  with  the  Luth- 
eran C. lurch,  and  Mr.  Huber  and  his  sons  are 
stanch  Republicans  in  politics. 

In  1882.  Anton  Huber  erected  a  fine  two  story, 
brick  business  block  with  a  basement  and  hall,  the 
latter  known  as  the  Huber  Opera  House.  The 
building  is  located  on  the  corner  of  Washington 
and  Warren  Streets  and  is  81  x  71  feet.  The  first 
floor  is  occupied  b}r  a  grocery  store,  32  x  48  feet, 
facing  the  North,  and  the  remainder  of  the  store, 
48  x  48  feet,  is  occupied  by  a  dry  goods  store, 
also  a  clothing  establishment  and  boot  and  shoe, 
hat  and  cap  store.  Behind  this  is  a  large  ware 
room  20  x  50  feet.  The  building  was  erected  in 
1882,  and  at  the  same  time  Mr.  Huber  began 
business  in  the  various  lines  of  trade  above 
mentioned,  carrying  on  a  general  merchandise 
store  until  1884,  when  the  dry  goods  and  clothing 
department  was  placed  in  charge  of  his  son 
Andrew,  who  carried  on  that  branch  of  the  busi- 
ness., while  the  father  was  in  charge  of  the  grocery 
department.  This,  however,  he  afterward  placed  in 
charge  of  his  son  Charles,  who  has  been  numbered 
among  the  leading  grocers  of  Bunker  Hill  since 
1888.  Mr.  Huber,  our  subject,  is  still  the  owner 
of  the  building  and  has  in  his  possession  one  of 
the  fine  farms  in  this  vicinity.  Andrew  Huber 
also  controls  one  of  the  elevators  of  Bunker  Hill, 
with  a  capacity  of  five  thousand  bushels,  which  he 
took  possession  of  in  1884,  and  is  doing  an  exten- 
tive  coopering  business  and  also  buys  and  ships 
apples,  selling  in  one  year  as  high  as  six  thousand 
barrels  of  that  fruit.  The  dry-goods  business  run 
by  Andrew  amounts  to  upwards  of  $20,000  aunu- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


593 


ally,  while  the  grocery  department  under  the  man- 
agement of  Charles  takes  in  about  $10,000  annually. 
As  we  stated  at  the  beginning  of  this  sketch 
no  family  is  so  largely  connected  with  the  business 
interests  of  Bunker  Hill  as  the  Huber  family. 
Father  and  sons  are  enterprising,  sagacious  and  far- 
sighted  and  the  success  which  attends  their  efforts 
is  justly  merited. 


^ 


3N^ 


IfeiM  RS-  SARAH  J.  MAXFIELD,  a  prominent 
lady  among  the  citizens  of  Barr  Township, 
is  known  far  and  wide  as  a  true-hearted 
woman  of  genial  nature  and  charitable  dis- 
position, who  willingly  takes  her  part  in  every 
movement  for  the  good  of  the  community,  and 
stands  unflinchingly  for  the  right,  whenever  expe- 
diency and  principle  come  in  conflict.  Her  womanly 
character  makes  her  beloved  by  all  who  know  her, 
and  her  intelligence  gives  to  her  a  strong  influence 
with  all. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  Jacob  Petefish,  was 
born  in  Rockingham  County,  Va.,  as  was  also  her 
mother,  whose  name  in  girlhood  was  Elizabeth 
Price.  They  emigrated  from  the  Old  Dominion  to 
the  Prairie  State  in  1834,  and  settled  in  what  is 
now  Cass  County,  where  they  both  died.  Their 
daughter  Sarah,  was  like  themselves  a  native  of 
Rockingham  County,  Va.,  and  as  she  was  born  No- 
vember 9,  1816,  she  had  reached  the  age  of  eight- 
een years,  when  she  came  with  her  parents  to  Illi- 
nois. 

The  marriage  of  Sarah  Petefish  with  Robert  H. 
Maxfield,  took  place  in  Cass  County,  this  State,  De- 
cember 17,  1840.  Her  husband  was  a  son  of  George 
and  Sarah  E.  (Thomas)  Maxfield,  who  came  from 
Boone  County,  Ky.,  to  Illinois,  early  in  the  '30s, 
settling  in  Greene  County.  The  father  died  in  Barr 
Township,  and  the  mother  passed  away  while  re- 
siding in  Waverly,  111. 

Robert  II.  Maxfield  was  born  in  Boone  County, 
Ky.,  March  20,  1810,  and  came  to  Illinois  early  in 
the  '30s.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  which  call- 
ing he  followed  in  connection  with  farming.  Dur- 
ing the  later  years  of  l)is  life  he  devoted  his  atten- 


tion exclusively  to  agriculture.  After  marriage 
this  couple  settled  upon  the  homestead  in  Barr 
Township,  now  occupied  by  the  widow,  and  here 
this  faithful  husband  died  June  15,  1876. 

Mrs.  Maxfield  is  the  mother  of  eight  children: 
John  W.,  a  fanner  in  Barr  Township,  who  was 
thrown  from  a  wagon  in  Scottville  Township,  and 
died  October  31,  1887,  from  these  injuries;  Sarah 
Elizabeth,  who  is  the  wife  of  Caleb  Capps,  of  whom 
our  readers  will  find  more  under  that  name;  James 
K.,  who  is  a  Methodist  clergyman  in  Nebraska; 
Ella  P.;  Clarissa  A.,  the  wife  of  John  Kissiek; 
Robert  L.,  a  farmer  in  Nebraska;  Martha  I.elle,  the 
wife  of  James  M.  Pulliam;  and  Edwin  G.,  a  farmer 
in  Nebraska. 

The  husband  of  our  subject  was  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  his  loss 
was  greatly  felt  by  his  pastor  and  brethren  as  well 
as  by  his  bereaved  family.  His  widow  is  identified 
with  the  same  church  and  an  active  laborer  in  re- 
ligious work.  Mr.  Maxfield  owned  at  one  time 
about  eight  hundred  acres  upon  which  he  made  sub- 
stantial improvements,  and  erected  excellent  build- 
ings. 


^j  AMES  II.  HAMNER  who  has  been  promi- 
nent in  North  Otter  Township,  both  as  a  suc- 
cessful agriculturist  and  as  a  township  of- 
ficial, resides  on  section  30,  where  his  finely 
improved  farm  is  an  ornament  to  the  neighborhood. 
II is  father  was  the  late  John  S.  Hamner,  and  his 
mother  Mary  Rohrer  still  survives.  Their  home 
was  in  Morgan  County,  III.,  and  there  the  father 
died.  Two  of  their  four  children  have  passed  from 
earth,  and  our  subject  is  their  only  son  now  living. 
He  was  born  in  Morgan  County,  May  31,  1843, 
and  was  left  an  orphan  by  the  death  of  his  father 
when  he  was  quite  young.  After  his  mother's  sec- 
ond marriage  she  removed  to  Macoupin  Count}', 
and  James  grew  to  manhood  in  North  Palmyra 
Township,  where  he  was  reared  upon  a  farm. 

The  lady  to  whom  James  Hamner  was  united  in 
marriage  March  10,  1854,  bore  the  maiden  name 
Nancy  E.  Nevins.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Austin 
unci  Margaret   (Steel)  Nevins  of  North   Palmyra 


594 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Township.  Mrs.  Nevins  died  in  that  township 
and  her  bereaved  husband  now  resides  in  Girard. 
Of  their  seven  children  Mrs.  Hamner  was  the  fourth, 
being  born  August  29,  1843.  They  settled  on  sec- 
tion 30,  North  Otter  Township,  which  they  have 
made  their  home  up  the  present  day. 

Our  subject  has  through  life  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits  and  has  made  many  improvements 
n pun  his  farm,  where  he  is  the  owner  of  two  bun- 
hundred  and  eighty  acres.  He  and  his  excellent 
and  amiable  wife  are  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
namely:  Mary  E.,  the  wife  of  N.  H.  Walkington. 
Amanda  J.,  the  wife  of  William  T.  Turner;  Emma, 
who  is  now  Mrs.  Isaac  Drennan;  John,  Effie  and 
James  11.,  Jr.  A  little  one  named  Albert  was 
snatched  by  death  from  the  aims  of  the  parents 
when  he  was  only  two  years  old.  The  offices  of 
Highway  Commissioner  and  School  Director  have 
been  filled  by  our  subject  with  credit  to  himself 
and  advantage  to  the  community  which  he  repre- 
sented. His  political  views  are  embodied  in  the 
declarations  of  the  Democratic  party  and  he  be- 
lieves that  its  doctrines  are  adapted  to  increase  the 
prosperity  of  the  country.  His  wife  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Christian  Church  and  finds  in  its  fej 
lowship  and  activities  an  abundant  field  for  her 
religious  efforts. 

ois^*  m  a  m  ic^pr 

LFRED  READER  is  engaged  in  general 
W/LM  farming  on  section  2,  Brighton  Township. 
(4  England  has  furnished  a  number  of  good 
citizens  to  Macoupin  County,  but  none  are 
more  worthy  a  representation  in  this  volume  than 
the  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch.  He 
was  born  in  Dorsetshire,  October  15,  1846,  and  is 
a  son  of  Robert  and  Sarah  (Rowlins)  Reader,  who 
were  also  natives  of  Dorsetshire  and  came  of  Eng- 
lish parents.  The  father  was  a  farm  laborer  and 
died  in  the  county  of  his  nativity  about  1856,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-eight  years.  Some  years  after  the 
death  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Reader  crossed  the  At- 
lantic to  America  where  a  number  of  her  children 
had  previously  emigrated,  and  lived  with  her 
daughter,  Mrs,  Gilbert  Keirl  of  Bunker  Hill  Town- 


ship, until  her  death  which  occurred  August  15, 
1891.  The  Reader  family  was  quite  large  and  most 
of  the  children  cams  to  the  United  States  and  are 
living  in  Illinois. 

Under  the  parental  roof  Alfred  Reader  grew  to 
manhood  and  in  the  public  schools  acquired  a  good 
common  school  education,  such  as  would  fit  him 
for  the  practical  duties  of  life.  Having  heard  much 
of  America  and  the  advantages  here  afforded  young 
men,  he  determined  try  his  fortune  in  the  United 
States  and  in  1855  when  nineteen  years  of  age,  Wok 
passage  at  Liverpool  upon  a  sailing  vessel  bound 
for  New  Orleans,  where  he  arrived  after  a  voyage 
of  nine  weeks.  Coming  up  the  Mississppi  River  to 
Alton  he  traveled  across  the  country  to  Macoupin 
County  where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  was 
then  a  young  man  with  no  capital  with  which  to 
begin  life  but  possessing  plenty  of  English  pluck 
together  with  energy  and  a  strong  determination  to 
succeed.  Through  his  own  efforts  he  has  acquired 
a  handsome  property  and  is  now  numbered  among 
the  substantial  farmers  of  Brighton  Township. 
Since  1861  h<'  has  resided  upon  bis  present  farm 
which  now  comprises  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  arable  land.  In  the  rear  of  Ins  comfortable  and 
commodious  home  good  barns  and  other  outbuild- 
ings are  seen  and  these  are  surrounded  by  fields  of 
waving  grain  which  speak  of  the  thrift  and  enter- 
prise of  the  owner  and  yield  to  him  a  golden  trib- 
ute as  the  reward  for  his  care  and  cultivation. 

In  this  country  Mr.  Reader  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Kboda  Wheeler,  a  native  of  Somerset, 
England,  who  during  her  maidenhood  days  came  to 
America  with  her  parents,  the  family  settling  in  the 
northern  part  of  Illinois.  Two  years  later,  however, 
they  came  to  Macoupin  County,  where  her  father 
and  mother,  Richard  and  Ann  (Eddington) 
Wheeler,  both  died  when  well  advanced  in  years. 
Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reader  were  born  six  children, 
as  follows:  Alice,  wife  of  Henry  Eddington  a  res- 
ident farmer  of  Brighton  Township;  Fred,  who 
married  Jennie  Eddington  and  is  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  in  the  same  township;  Joseph, 
who  married  Anna  Bctts  and  makes  his  home  in 
Woodburn;  Jennie,  wife  of  John  Reader  who  ope- 
rates the  home  farm  of  our  subject;  Emma,  wife  of 
Richard  Lockyar,a  famerof  Dorchester  Township; 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


597 


and  William  who  is  now  working  on  a  farm  in 
Cherokee,  Iowa.  The  mother  of  this  family  was 
called  to  her  final  rest  July  15,  1800.  She  was  for 
many  years  a  consistent  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  and  in  her  death  the  church  lost  one 
of  its  best  members,  her  neighbors  a  kind  friend 
and  her  family  a  loving  and  tender  wife  and 
molher. 

Mr.  Reader  and  the  children  are  also  members  of 
the  Congregational  Church,  to  the  support  of  which 
he  contributes  liberally,  and  in  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat.  With  the  upbuilding  and  growth  of 
Brighton  Township  he  has  been  closely  connected 
for  a  third  of  a  century  and  as  a  true  citizen  has 
aided  in  many  ways  in  its  progress  and  develop- 
ment. The  interests  of  the  community  he  has 
made  his  and  his  upright  life  and  strict  integrity 
has  won  him  many  friends. 


IIOMAS  S.  RIGBY,  an   extensive  and  suc- 
<T\    cessfiil  dealer  in  horses  at  Hunker  Hill,  claims 

Ohio  as  the  State  of  his  nativity.  He  was 
born  in  Ashland,  May  12,  1836,  and  is  a  son  of  Will- 
iam Z.  and  Temperance  (Norn's)  Rigby,  who  were 
also  born,  reared  and  married  in  the  Buckeye  State 
and  now  make  their  home  in  Fostoria,  Ohio.  The 
father  has  reached  the  age  of  seventy-six  years  and 
the  mother  is  now  seventy-four  years  of  age.  He 
is  a  prominent  attorney  in  that  part  of  the  State, 
where  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  legal  profession 
for  forty  years,  and  is  the  counselor  and  warm 
personal  friend  of  ex-(iov.  Foster.  In  politics  he 
is  a  supporter  of  Democratic  principles  and  has 
twice  been  elected  Mayor  of  the  citj*  in  which  he 
makes  his  home.  He  is  also  a  warm  advocate  of 
the  cause  of  temperance  and  his  second  election  was 
on  the  Prohibition  ticket. 

Under  the  parental  roof  our  subject  was  reared 
to  manhood  and  his  early  life  was  marked  by  no 
event  of  special  importance.  When  the  war  broke 
out  he  responded  to  the  call  for  troops  and  enlisted 
for  three  months' service  in  the  Third  Ohio  In  fan  - 
I  try.  Afterward  he  went  to  Grand  Rapids,  Mich., 
:  wheie   he  again  enlisted    in    the  Sixth    Michigan 


Cavalry  for  three  years'  service  under  (Jen.  Custer. 
The  regiment  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  and  he  particicated  in  many  of  the  im- 
portant engagements  of  the  Eastern  campaigns, 
including  the  battle  of  Gettysburg.  Culpeper, 
[  Chancellorsville,  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  and 
the  raids  around  Richmond.  Later  he  witnessed 
the  surrender  of  Gen.  Lee  and  snbseqently  followed 
his  commander  to  the  West  where  he  served  en  the 
frontier  until  at  the  expiration  of  his  three  years' 
enlistment  he  was  honorably  discharged. 

Immediately  thereafter  Mr.  Rigby  came  to  Bun- 
ker Hill,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home,  and 
began  business  as  a  dealer  in  and  trainer  of  horses. 
On  the  outskirts  of  the  city  he  has  huge  and  com- 
modious barns  and  .1  fine  half-mile  track,  one  of  til! 
best  in  the  State,  which  he  uses  to  develop  the 
speed  of  his  horses  and  those  brought  to  him  for 
that  purpose.  From  all  over  Illinois  he  receives 
horses  which  he  lits  for  the  race  course,  and  many 
of  those  he  has  trained  when  put  upon  the  track 
have  won  premiums  at  the  fairs  in  this  and  .Mis- 
souri. From  his  youth  he  has  been  a  lover  of 
horses,  having  made  them  his  study  and  is  there- 
fore very  successful  in  the  business  which  he  has 
undertaken. 

Mr.  Rigby  was  joined  in  wedlock  November  7. 
1867,  with  Miss  Mary  Y .  Payne,  who  was  born  in 
Bunker  Hill  Township  on  her  father's  homestead, 
June  28,  1849.  Her  parents,  William  and  Mary 
(Hickley)  Payne,  were  natives  of  Kentucky  and 
Maryland,  respectively,  and  during  their  childhood 
the}-  both  lived  for  some  time  in  Louisiana,  where 
they  were  married,  coming  thence  to  Macoupin 
Count}'.  They  are  numbered  among  the  early  set- 
tlers of  Bunker  Hill  Township,  where  Mr.  Payne 
developed  a  good  farm  from  wild  prairie  land. 
After  many  years,  on  account  of  the  failing  health 
of  his  wife  he  went  to  Texas,  but  she  rapidly  grew 
worse  and  died  shortly  after  their  arrival.  Her 
remains  were  interred  in  the  Lone  Star  State  and 
Mr.  Payne  then  returned  to  his  old  home  in  Bunker 
Hill,  where  he  is  still  living  at  an  advanced  age. 
He  is  a  well-known  citizen  of  this  community  and 
has  taken  a  prominent  part  in  the  upbuilding  of 
the  county's  best  interests. 

Mrs.  Rigby  has  spent  her  entire  life  in  this  county 


598 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  has  won  hosts  of  friends  by  her  kindness,  court- 
esy and  the  hospitality  which  she  extends  to  those 
who  visit  her  home.  Eight  children  grace  the  union 
of  our  subject  and  his  worthy  wife,  four  sons  and 
four  daughters — William  J.,  Charles,  Katie,  Rosa, 
Silva,  Mary,  Frank  and  Thomas.  In  polities  Mr. 
Righy  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  numbered  among  the 
leading  business  men  of  Bunker  Hill  and  in  social 
circles  himself  and  wife  rank  high  where  worth 
and  merit  are  received  as  the  passports  into  good 
society. 

A    lithographic    portrait  of  Mr.  Rigby  accom- 
panies his  sketch. 


NDREW  J.  KEISER,  of  the  firm  of  Reiser 
Bros.,  proprietors  of  the  Anchor   Rolling 


Mills,  of  Mt.  Olive,  is  a  native  of  Germany. 
0jj  The  date   of   his   birth   is    September    28, 

1845,  and  the  place  Prussia.  In  1851  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  this  country,  the  family  mak- 
ing their  first  settlement  in  Mrcoupin  County. 
(See  sketch  of  C.  J.  Reiser  for  parental  history.) 
He  acquired  a  good  education  in  private  and  pub- 
lic schools  in  this  county,  and  in  1869  started  out 
in  life  for  himself.  He  came  into  possession  of  one 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land,  to  the  develop- 
ment of  which  he  gave  his  undivided  attention  for 
several  years.  In  1875  by  purchase  he  secured  an 
additional  two  hundred  acres,  making  his  farm 
ihree  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  extent.  This  is 
situated  just  across  the  line  in  Montgomery  County 
and  was  brought  up  to  its  present  high  standard  of 
improvement  through  his  own  efforts.  Supplied 
with  good  houses,  barns  and  other  buildings,  it  is 
accounted  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  community. 
In  1874  Mr.  Reiser  became  connected  with  his 
brother  C.  J.  and  others  in  opening  up  and  oper- 
ating mines  under  the  film  title  of  the  Mt.  Olive 
Coal  Company.  The  brothers  had  personal  con- 
trol of  the  mines  as  long  as  they  were  the  property 
of  that  company.  About  sixty  car  loads  per  day 
were  taken  out,  but  afterward  the  mines  were  sold, 
becoming  the  properly  of  the  Consolidated  Coal 
Company.      There  is  now   a  yield   of  about  one 


hundred  and  twenty  cars  daily,  these  being  among 
the  best  mines  in  the  State.  There  is  a  rich  vein 
of  coal  seven  feet  in  thickness  and  the  shaft  leads 
down  into  the  ground  four  hundred  feet. 

In  1869,  in  Mt.  Olive  Township,  Mr.  Reiser  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Anna  Ross,  who  was 
born  in  Alton  in  1852  and  is  a  daughter  of  Gerd 
and  Mareke  (Arkebauer)  Ross,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Germany,  and  when  young  came  to  the 
United  States.  They  were  married  in  Alton,  spend- 
ing some  years  in  Madison  Count}',  after  which 
they  removed  to  a  farm  near  Mt.  Olive,  where 
they  are  now  living.  They  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  and  are  numbered  among  the 
best  and  most  highly  respected  citizens  in  the  com- 
munity. I'nto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reiser  were  born 
thiee  children,  but  Mary  and  John  are  now  de- 
ceased. Anna  G.  is  an  intelligent  and  cultured 
young  lady  of  twenty  summers.  The  mother  of 
this  family  was  called  to  her  firal  rest  in  1875, 
dying  at  her  home  in  Montgomery  County  when 
in  the  prime  of  life.  Mr.  Reiser  was  again  married, 
his  second  union  being  with  a  sister  of  his  first 
wife,  Frances  L.  Ross,  who  was  born  in  Alton  in 
1854  and  when  one  year  old  came  to  Macoupin 
County.  Four  of  the  seven  children  born  of  that 
union  died  in  childhood,  namely :  Anna,  George, 
Mary  and  Martha.  John  G..  Herman  A.,  and 
Andrew  J.  F.  are  still  at  home  with  their  parents. 

The  business  with  which  Mr.  Reiser  is  now  con- 
nected has  been  carried  on  under  the  firm  name  of 
Reiser  Bros.  <fe  Co.,  owners  of  the  Anchor  Rolling 
Mills  since  1881,  at  which  time  he  became  a  part- 
ner. He  has  since  devoted  his  entire  attention  to 
the  interests  of  the  business,  having  the  manage- 
ment of  the  operating  of  the  mill  under  his  per- 
sonal control.  He  is  one  of  the  enterprising  busi- 
ness men  of  Mt.  Olive  and  is  meeting  with  excel- 
lent success  in  his  work.  The  product  of  the  An- 
chor Mills  is  of  excellent  quality  and  therefore  a 
fine  trade  is  secured.  This  is  one  of  the  leading 
industries  of  the  place  and  in  fact  is  one  of  the 
largest  businesses  of  the  kind  in  this  part  of  the 
county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reiser  are  both  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  in  which  he  has  been  an  officer 
for  twenty  years,  and   in   the  work  of  the  church 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


599 


Itaey  take  an  active  interest.  In  polities  lie  is  a 
Republican  and  has  held  a  number  of  local  offices. 
Fair  and  honest  in  all  his  dealings  he  has  won  the 
confidence  of  all  and  by  his  pleasant  manner  and 
gentlemanly  deportment  has  secured  many  friends. 


-3g-ar^ * 


OIIN  PATRICK,  who  is  engaged  in  farming 
on  section  27,  Bunker  Hill  Township,  and 
is  numbered  among  the  early  settlers  of  the 
'  county  of  1840,  was  born  on  the  11th  of  Ju- 
ly, 1822,  in  Ayershire,  Scotland,  about  nineteen 
miles  from  the  home  of  Robert  Burns.  His  father 
and  his  grandfather  were  both  named  John  Patrick 
and  both  were  natives  of  Ayershire.  The  latter 
was  a  carpenter  and  mechanic  and  died  at  his  home 
in  Scotland,  at  the  age  of  ninety-five  years.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  a 
prominent  man  in  the  community  where  he  made 
his  home.  He  married  a  Scotch  lady  of  the  Low- 
lands and  she  too  reached  an  advanced  age.  John 
Patrick,  the  father  of  our  subject,  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Ayershire,  and  learned  the  trade  of  a  silk 
weaver,  which  he  followed  in  his  native  land.  Af- 
ter he  had  attained  to  mature  years  he  married, 
in  Ayershire,  Miss  Margaret  Stirat,  daughter  of 
James  Stirat,  who  was  a  dyke-builder  and  died  in 
Dalri,  Scotland,  where  iie  spent  his  entire  life.  He 
attained  to  the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety-five  years. 
He  was  never  sick  a  day  in  his  life,  but  passed  away 
quietly  and  peacefully,  the  flame  of  life  growing 
dimmer  and  dimmer  until  at  last  it  flickered  and 
went  out.  Through  his  business  operations  he  ac- 
quired quite  a  fortune.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

For  some  years  after  their  marriage,  John  Pat- 
rick and  his  wife,  the  parents  of  our  subject,  re- 
sided in  Ayershire.  There  all  their  children  were 
born  unto  them,  and  in  1839,  their  son  James  came 
to  the  United  States,  locating  in  New  Jersey,  where 
be  embarked  in  business  as  a  silk  manufacturer. 
Two  years  later  the  parents  and  their  remaining 
seven  children  crossed  the  broad  Atlantic  on  a  ves- 
sel which  sailed  from  Liverpool  and  after  a  long 
and    tedious   vovage    reached    New    York,    from 


whence  they  traveled  to  Pittsburg  by  way  of  the 
railroad  and  canal,  then  down  the  Ohio  and  up  the 
Mississippi  River  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Continuing 
onward  to  Alton,  the  family  there  spent  the  win- 
ter, while  the  father  and  sons  came  into  Macoupin 
County,  and  bought  land  on  section  27,  Bunker 
Hill  Township,  where  they  rented  a  log  cabin.  In 
this  home  the  family  were  installed  the  following 
spring  and  John  Patrick  and  Ins  wife  resided  upon 
that  farm  until  they  departed  this  life.  The  hus- 
band's death  occurred  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight 
years,  and  his  wife  died  in  her  eighty-third  year. 
True  to  the  faith  in  which  they  had  been  reared 
they  were  life-long  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

Under  the  parental  roof  our  subject  spent  his 
boyhood  days  and  with  his  parents  came  to  Amer- 
ica. In  his  native  land  he  had  learned  the  trade 
of  a  blacksmith  which  he  has  followed  in  pursuit 
of  fortune  through  many  years.  His  residence  in 
tin's  community  rovers  half  a  century  and  few  are 
the  intervals  when  he  has  been  absent  from  bis 
home.  In  1849,  he  crossed  the  plains  to  Califor- 
nia, attracted  by  the  discovery  of  gold.  Leaving 
home  in  the  month  of  May,  he  forded  the  Missouri 
River  at  St.  Joe,  and  thence  followed  the 
trail  to  iln'  Pacific  slop',  landing  at  Johnson's 
Ranch  on  Bear  River,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains,  where  for  :\  time  he  engaged 
in  mining.  Later  he  went  to  Sacramento,  Cal.. 
and  subsequently  went  into  the  Nevada  mining 
country,  where  for  two  ami  a  half  years,  near  Ne- 
vada City,  he  engaged  in  digging  for  the  precious 
metal.  With  the  gold  dust  which  he  had  secured 
he  started  for  his  home  in  1853,  traveling  by  way 
of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and  New  York  City, 
whence  he  returned  to  Illinois.  Meanwhile  the 
gold  fields  of  Australia  were  attracting  atten- 
tion and  before  his  return  in  1852,  be  visited  those 
mines  where  he  worked  for  nearly  one  year. 

Mr.  Patrick  has  been  twice  married.  In  this 
county  he  wedded  Janet  Longwill,  who  was  also  a 
native  of  Ayershire.  and  came  to  America  with 
her  parents  during  her  girlhood.  She  and  their 
only  child  died  at  their  home  in  1849,  with  the 
cholera,  during  her  husband's  abseace  in  Califor- 
i    nia.     The  marriage  of  Mr.  Patrick  and  Miss  Sarah 


600 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


A.  David  was  celebrated  in  Bunker  Hill  Town- 
ship, in  1854.  The  lady  was  born  in  Parke  County, 
Ind.,  and  with  her  family  came  to  Illinois  about 
1850.  She  died  at  her  home  in  this  township  in 
1887,  when  sixty  years  of  age,  and  her  death  was 
sincerely  mourned  by  many  friends,  as  well  as  her 
immediate  family.  She  was  a  faithful  member  of 
the  Christian  Church  and  was  held  in  universal  es- 
teem. Seven  children  were  born  unto  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Patrick,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  John 
married  .losie  Stehline,  who  resides  in  Topeka, 
Kan.,  where  he  is  engaged  in  blacksmi  thing;  James 
is  a  blacksmith  of  Denver,  Colo.;  William,  who 
wedded  Althea  Carter,  follows  the  same  business 
in  Oklahoma  City;  Lizzie  is  the  wife  of  William 
Chuppel,  a  farmer,  residing  in  Holdon,  Mo.;  Belle 
is  the  wife  of  0.  F.  Stehline,  a  hardware  merchant 
of  Arkansas  City,  Kan.;  and  May  is  the  widow  of 
F.  Seigel  Bumann,  who  died,  leaving  one  child, 
Sarah  G.  His  death  occurred  July  28,  188!).  since 
which  time  Mrs.  Human  has  made  her  home  witli 
her  father. 

On  his  return  from  California,  Mr.  Patrick  es- 
tablished a  smith}'  in  Bunker  Hill  and  engaged  at 
work  at  his  trade  for  more  than  thirty  years  with 
excellent  success.  He  is  an  efficient  workman,  re- 
ceived a  liberal  patronage  and  became  one  of  the 
prosperous  business  men  of  the  community.  De- 
ciding to  retire  to  more  private  life,  he  began  the 
improvement  of  his  farm  which  he  had  purchased 
some  time  previous.  He  now  owns  two  hundred 
and  eight  acres  of  valuable  land,  the  greater  part 
of  which  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  he 
is  numbered  among  the  substantial  and  highly  re- 
spected farmers  of  the  community. 


— -SS^< 


AVID  N.  HOWSER  was  born  on  the  farm 
which  he  now  occupies  August  31,  1811. 
His  father  was  one  ot  the  first  settlers  and 
was  born  in  Tennessee.  He  was  of  Ger- 
man parentage,  as  his  father,  Nicholas,  was  a  na- 
tivce  of  that  country  and  came  to  America  during 
the  progress  of  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  made 
his  home  for  a  time  in  Tennessee,  and  thence  went 


as  a  pioneer  to  Kentucky.  He  bought  land  there 
and  engaged  in  farming,  making  it  his  home  to  the 
end  of  his  life. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  in  Ken- 
tucky ami  resided  there  until  the  fall  of  1833,  and 
then  came  with  his  family  to  Illinois.  They  made 
their  journey  in  wagons  drawn  by  ox  teams,  and 
brought  with  them  everything  they  could  call 
their  own.  He  located  in  what  is  now  Scottville 
Township  and  entered  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  Government  land.  Here  he  erected  a  log 
house,  v»- 1 1 i c- 1 1  is  still  standing  and  in  use.  His  fam- 
ily occupied  this  house  until  1860,  when  he  erected 
a  pleasant  frame  residence,  in  which  he  lived  until 
his  death  in  1S70,  being  called  away  from  life  Au 
gust  30. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Sarah  Jackson.  He  was  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
and  a  daughter  of  David  Jackson,  who  was  born 
in  North  Carolina,  and  moved  from  there  to  Ten- 
nessee and  came  on  to  Illinois  about  the  year  1833, 
settling  near  Athensville,  Greene  County.  There 
he  improved  a  farm  and  resided  on  it  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  His  daughter  Sarah  was 
first  married  in  Tennessee  to  Wesley  Henderson, 
and  came  from  that  State  to  Illinois  in  1830,  set- 
tling in  Morgan  County  in  the  locality  known  as 
Buck  Horn,  and  resided  on  the  same  place  until 
after  the  death  of  her  husband.  She  died  upon 
the  home  farm  May  3,  1887.  In  the  period  when 
these  early  pioneers  made  their  home  in  Macoupin 
County  markets  were  almost  inaccessible,  and  it 
was  next  thing  to  an  impossibility  to  obtain  manu- 
factured goods.  It  therefore  fell  to  the  lot  of  the 
women  of  the  families  to  not  only  manufacture  the 
garments  of  the  household,  but  to  manufacture  the 
cloth  out  of  which  they  were  cut.  Mrs.  Howser, 
like  the  other  matrons  of  her  neighborhood,  spun 
and  wove  and  made  all  the  cloth  used  in  the  fam- 
ily. Deer  and  wild  turkeys  were  plentiful  and 
wandered  at  will  over  the  farms  of  Macoupin 
County. 

Young  Howser  continued  to  assist  his  father  on 

the  farm,  attending  the  district  school  as  he  had  an 

opportunity,  but  after  he  was  large  enough   to   be 

of  much  help  on   the  farm    his  school   days   were 

|  short.     After  the  death  of  his  father  he  bought  out 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


001 


tlie  interest  of  the  other  heirs,  and  made  the  old 
homestead  his  own.  He  now  resides  in  it  with  his 
family. 

The  marriage  of  David  N.  Howser  with  Keziah 
J.  White  took  place  in  1866.  She  was  born  in 
Macoupin  County,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Cyrena  White.  Eight  children  have  blessed 
this  union,  namely;  Leonard  M.,  Iva  E.,  Sarah  ('., 
CeliaS..  Bertha  H.,Colia  A.,  Howard  H..  and  Klva; 
C.  W\.  A.  H.  and  a  baby  unnamed  are  deceased. 
Their  mother  is  a  devoted  and  active  member  of 
the  United   Brethren  Church. 

This  gentleman's  political  affiliations  are  with 
the  Democratic  party,  and  he  has  a  number  of 
times  been  placed  in  positions  of  trust  and  respon- 
sibility. He  served  for  one  year  as  Highway  Com- 
missioner, and  four  terms  as  Assessor.  1 1  is 
religious  training  was  in  the  Baptist  Church, 
as  his  father  joined  that  body  in  his  younger 
days,  and  was  a  consistent  member  of  it  through- 
out life. 

- 'fcgfcft 


/^MUSTEK     H.    COGSWELL 

if|  business  men,  agriculturists 

^^    of    Macoupin    Count}',    we 


IESTER        .    COGSWELL.      Among    the 

and  old  soldiers 
are  pleased  to 
mention  the  name  which  appears  at  the  head  of  this 
pa-ragraph,  the  name  of  a  man  who  has  made  a  good 
record  in  every  one  of  the  departments  noted  above. 
He  is  the  proprietor  of  the  Virden  nursery,  and 
Secretar}'  of  the  Farmers'  Mutual  Aid  Association, 
of  Virden. 

Norman  P.  Cogswell,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  of  New  England  birth,  being  a  native  of  Hamp- 
shire County,  Mass.,  as  was  also  the  mother  whose 
maiden  name  was  Eliza  Farley,  whose  birth  place 
was  Goshen  in  that  county.  Like  many  New  Eng- 
enders they  early  set  their  faces  Westward,  and 
brought  with  them  to  new  homes  the  sterling  in- 
tegrity, conscientiousness  and  practical  industry 
which  characterized  the  early  settlers  in  that  part 
of  the  country. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Norman  P.  Cogswell,  emigrated 
from  Massachusetts  to  Cuyahoga  County.  Ohio,  in 
1836,  and  made  their  home  there  for  some  sixteen 
years,  after  which  they  came  to  Illinois  and  resided 


in  Jerseyville  in  Jersey  County,  where  they  lived 
from  1851  to  1854.  They  then  came  to  Macoupin 
County,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  settled  upon 
section  15.  Virden  Township,  which  became  their 
last  home  upon  earth.  The  mother  passed  away  in 
1855,  but  the  call  of  the  father  to  the  heavenly 
home  did  not  tome  until  1881. 

In  a  family  of  four  children  our  subject  was  the 
youngest,  being  born  in  Cuyahoga  County.  Ohio, 
August  14.  1839.  He  received  the  best  education 
which  was  to  be  obtained  in  the  vicinity  of  his 
home,  and  was  a  lad  of  thirteen  years  when  his  par- 
ents brought  him  with  them  to  Illinois,  and  his 
education  was  continued  in  the  common  schools 
of  .lersey  County.  He  came  with  his  parents  to 
Macoupin  County,  where  his  home  has  been  from 
that  day  to  this. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion 
the  Cogswell  family  at  once  took  a  keen  interest  in 
the  conflict,  actively  sustaining  the  Government  in 
its  attempt  to  suppress  secession,  and  giving  freelv 
of  their  influence  and  services  in  this  hour  of  trial. 
Our  subject  enlisted  in  August,  1802,  in  Company 
t :.  <  )ne  Hundred  and  Twenty -second  Illinois  Infan- 
try, and  served  through  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  took  part  iii  the  engagement  at  Trenton.  Tenn., 
and  was  there  taken  prisoner  by  troops  under  com- 
mand of  Brigadier-General  N.  15.  Forrest,  but  was 
at  once  paroled  and  his  exchange  was  effected  about 
nine  months  later.  He  was  at  the  time  of  his  cap- 
ture, serving  on  detached  duty  in  the  office  of  the 
District  Provost  Marshal.  He  also  saw  the  smoke 
of  battle  at  Tupelo,  Nashville.  Spanish  Fort  and 
Ft.  Blakeley.  During  a  large  portion  of  his  time 
he  was  serving  on  detached  duty,  and  was  mustered 
out  of  the  service  at  Mobile,  Ala. 

When  the  war  was  over  the  young  soldier  re- 
turned to  the  peaceful  pursuits  of  agricultuie  at 
his  old  home,  and  about  that  time  began  to  build 
up  a  nursery  business  of  which  he  has  made  a  suc- 
cess, and  in  which  he  has  since  continued.  Besides 
his  nursery  he  raises  general  crops,  and  has  forty 
acres  of  excellent  land.  His  marriage  to  Mary  Col- 
lins took  place  in  Jerseyville,  in  <  October,  1 866.  This 
lady  was  not  long  lived,  and  died  in  Jerseyville, 
III.,  in  January,  1868,  leaving  no  children,  lie  was 
again    married    to   Abbie   C,  .lanes,  of  Cuyahoga 


602 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


County,  Ohio,  the  marriage  taking  place  in  July, 
1869.  By  this  union  he  had  two  children,  Frank 
H.  and  Edwin  J.;  the  former  is  studying  law  with 
B.  Cowne;  the  latter  died  in  infancy,  and  the 
mother  passed  away  in  May,  1873.  He  was  again 
married  in  Marshall  County,  Ind.,  in  July,  1881, 
to  Miss  Sarah  Hess,  who  died  at  their  home  in 
August,  1882. 

Mr.  Cogswell  is  a  member  of  the  John  Baird  Post 
No.  285,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Virden,  where  he  is  a  promi- 
nent member  and  commander  of  the  Post.  His 
honorable  reputation  as  a  loyal  soldier,  and  his 
standing  as  a  straightforward,  thorough-going  busi- 
ness man,  gives  him  great  influence  in  the  commu- 
nity, and  makes  his  opinions  of  weight  with  all  who 
know  him.  As  a  conscientious  and  devoted  ad- 
herent to  the  Republican  cause,  he  takes  an  active 
interest  in  local  affairs  of  a  political  kind. 


> .  ^DSr-. sHHf"!^* ^ 


eT.  DRIPPS,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  a  leading  and 
successful  physician  of  the  Allopathic  school, 
who  for  ten  years  has  engaged  in  practice  in 
Staunton,  was  born  not  far  from  that  city,  October 
19,  1850.  Tradition  tells  a  curious  story  about  the 
origin  of  the  name  of  Dripps.  The  family  was 
Scotch  and  they  were  known  by  the  name  of  Sel- 
don.  However  religious  persecution  at  one  time 
caused  them  to  flee  from  their  home  to  escape  the 
wrath  of  the  King  of  England  and  they  took  refuge 
in  a  cave.  This  cave  leaked  and  when  the  Seldon 
family  emerged  with  wet  clothing  they  were  called 
by  strangers  "Drips."  Ever  afterwards  they  re- 
tained the  name  which  has  come  down  to  our  sub- 
ject with  only  the  change  of  an  additional  p. 
Thomas  Dripps,  the  father  of  the  Doctor,  was  born 
in  Ireland  and  when  a  young  man  sailed  to  the 
United  States.  He  settled  in  Staunton  Township, 
Macoupin  County,  111.,  where  he  began  life  as  a 
farmer  and  wedded  Miss  Mary  A.  Patterson,  who 
was  also  an  early  settler  of  the  county.  He  bought 
and  improved  a  good  farm  which  he  made  his 
home  for  some  years,  when  he  retired  to  Staunton 
where  he  and  his  worthy  wife  are  yet  living  at  an 


advanced  age.  They  are  members  of  the  Reform 
Presbyterian  Church  and  are  highly  respected 
people. 

The  Doctor  is  one  of  quite  a  large  family.  He 
lived  at  home  and  aided  in  the  farm  work  until 
wishing  to  acquire  a  better  education  than  die 
common  schools  afforded  he  entered  Monmouth 
College,  of  Monmouth,  111.,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  the  Class  of  '75,  carrying  off  the  first 
honors  in  English  literature.  He  wa3  a  diligent 
student  and  won  the  confidence  and  regard  of  the 
faculty.  He  was  one  of  the  originators  of  the  idea 
of  giving  oratorical  contests,  which  is  now  one  of 
the  leading  features  in  the  colleges  of  this  State. 
He  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts 
and  some  years  later,  in  1880,  the  degree  of  A.  M. 
was  conferred  upon  him,  he  being  the  first  native 
citizen  of  Staunton  Township  to  receive  that  de- 
gree. When  his  literary  education  was  completed 
he  was  appointed  by  the  prison  warden,  Maj.  R. 
W.  McClaughry,  to  a  position  in  the  hospital  of 
the  State  Prison  at  Joliet.  Here  he  acquired  con- 
siderable knowledge  of  medicine,  and  in  1879,  he 
entered  Rush  Medical  College  of  Chicago,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  the  Class  of  '80. 

In  1889,  Dr.  Dripps  was  joined  in  wedlock  with 
Miss  Mary  L.  Bley,  who  was  born  in  Rock  Island, 
III.,  June  10,  1859,  and  is  the  youngest  child  of 
Dr.  George  Bley.  (See  sketch  of  Dr.  Robert  E. 
Bley.)  Almost  her  entire  life  has  been  passed  in 
this  county  where  she  lived  with  her  parents  until 
she  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  Dr.  Dripps.  She 
is  a  lady  possessed  of  many  graces  and  excellencies 
of  character  and  figures  prominently  in  the  social 
circles  of  Staunton.  She  is  also  a  worthy  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  for  some  years  has 
been  connected  with  the  church  choir.  The  Doctor 
takes  considerable  interest  in  civic  societies  and  is 
Past  Master  of  Staunton  Lodge,  No.  177,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.;  also  a  member  of  Litchfield  Commandery, 
No.  30,  K.  T.  In  Staunton  Lodge,  No.  685,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  he  is  Past  Noble  Grand,  and  in  politics  he  is 
a  stalwart  Republican. 

Soon  after  his  graduation  Dr.  Dripps  located  in 
Staunton  and  began  the  practice  of  medicine  on  his 
own  account.  Later  he  bought  out  Dr.  R.  E.  Bley 
in  the   firm  of  Bley  Bros.,  and   in  June,  1888,  the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


603 


linn  name  was  changed  to  Drs.  Bley  &  Dripps. 
Since  this  connection  was  formed  they  have  en- 
joyed a  fine  practice  and  are  ranked  among  the 
leading  medical  firms  of  the  count}'.  Dr.  Dripps 
is  a  learned,  scholarly  gentleman  of  genial  character 
and  has  many  warm  and  admiring  friends  among 
his  large  circle  of  acquaintances. 


KNRY  E.  WHITTLER.  The  German- 
American  citizens  who  have  made  their 
homes  in  Macoupin  County  have  done 
(jjjy)  much  in  many  ways  to  advance  the  material 
prosperity  of  this  section.  Their  steady  and  per- 
severing industry,  their  thrift  and  frugality  have 
not  been  without  effect  in  bringing  prosperity  to 
the  county.  Their  neat  and  thoroughly  cultivated 
farms  are  productive  and  their  good  business 
habits  have  helped  forward  the  commercial  rela- 
tions of  this  region  of  the  State. 

Henry  E.  Whittler,  who  resides  on  section  15, 
Viiden  Township,  was  born  in  Bremen,  Germany, 
on  the  30th  April,  in  the  year  of  1830.  His  parents 
emigrated  to  America  in  the  fall  of  1842  and  land- 
ing in  New  Orleans  came  on  to  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
where  the}'  resided  for  a  short  tune.  After  four 
months  there  they  went  to  Perry  County,  that 
Stale,  where  they  remained  nearly  eighteen    years. 

Illinois  proved  more  attractive  to  this  family 
than  Missouri,  as  they  loved  the  air  of  freedom 
and  did  not  choose  to  bring  up  their  son  in  a  slave 
State.  In  1860  they  came  to  Sangamon  County 
and  after  residing  in  Springfield  for  a  short  time, 
came  in  the  spring  of  that  year  to  Macoupin 
County,  and  settled  in  Virden  Township,  where 
they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  days.  The  fath- 
er's name  was  John  D.  Whittler  and  the  mother 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Adelina  Crumb.  They 
had  but  one  child  who  is  the  subject  of  this  bio 
graphy,  and  has  always  since  the  spring  of  I860 
been  a  resident  of  Macoupin  County,  where  he  has 
carried  on  farming  and  placed  his  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation  and 
erected  upon  it  good   improvements. 

Henry  Whittler  was  united  in  the  holy  bonds  of 


matrimony  June  13,  1852  with  Elizabeth  Schriner 
at  her  home  in  Perry  County.  Mo.  Mrs.  Whittler 
was  born  September  23,  1833,  in  Hesse-Darmstadt, 
Germany,  and  came  across  the  ocean  with  her 
parents  when  she  was  a  Utile  child  of  four  years 
old.  Her  father  was  John  Schriner  and  her  mother 
Katherina  (Ollcy)  Schriner.  The}'  made  their 
home  in  Perry  County,  Mo.,  anil  there  spent  their 
last  days. 

Eight  living  children  bless  the  home  of  Mr.  and 
Mis.  Whittler.  The  sons  are:  Philip  J.,  Henry  E., 
William,  Benjamin  V.  and  Edward.  The  daugh- 
ters are:  Mary,  Sophia  and  Minnie.  Three  little 
ones  passed  away  in  infancy.  Katie  became  the 
wife  of  John  Eifert  and  died  in  Girard,  III.  in 
January,  1885.  Adelina  was  the  wife  of  Paul 
Eifert,  and  died  in  Elgin,  III.  Philip  J.  has  mar- 
ried Miss  Nora  Lilly;  Henry  E.  has  taken  to  wife 
Miss  Nettie  Davidson;  Mary  married  Mr.  James 
Kidgeway;  and  Sophia  is  the  wife  of  George  Wil- 
ucki. 

The  gentleman  of  whom  we  write  is  wide-awake 
in  regard  to  the  political  movements  of  our  coun- 
try and  earnestly  espouses  the  doctrines  and  policy 
of  the  Democratic  part}',  taking  an  active  part  in 
local  movements  and  supporting  the  candidates  of 
that  party.  The  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  his 
fellow  citizens  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  they 
have  placed  him  in  the  office  of  High  Commission- 
er and  that  they  have  insisted  upon  his  filling  tor 
fifteen  years  the  responsible  position  of  Justice  of 
the  Peace.  In  these  capacities  he  has  served  the 
community  with  good  sense  and  good  judgment 
and  has  powerfully  aided  in  maintaining  the  peace 
of  the  neighborhood. 


*~^ 


-<«— 


^wjOHN  DOWZER,  who  is  now  carrying  on  a 
large  coopering  establishment  where  barrels 
are  manufactured  for  the  Staunton  Milling 
Company,  began  business  in  this  line  soon 
after  locating  in  this  place  in  1868.  He  purchased 
a  cooper  shop  of  Mr.  McAllister,  and  soon  built 
up  an  excellent  trade.  So  rapidly  did  his  business 
increase'that  it  soon  became  one  of  the  leading  in- 


GOT 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


dustries  of  the  county  and  furnished  employment 
to  thirty  men,  while  the  daily  output  was  about 
four  hundred  barrels.  The  greater  pari  of  these  were 
for  the  exclusive  use  of  the  Royal  Gem  Mills  Com- 
pany and  he  continued  to  supply  them  until  1882, 
when  the  mill  was  blown  up.  For  about  ten  years 
afterward  he  lived  a  retired  life,  doing  little  busi- 
ness until  1891,  when  he  again  opened  a  cooper 
shop  near  the  coal  shaft  of  the  Wabash  depot, 
where  he  now  follows  his  trade.  He  supplies  the 
entire  demand  of  the  Staunton  Milling  Company 
and  has  a  good  business. 

As  Mr.  Dowzer  is  widely  known  throughout  this 
community  we  feel  that  a  sketch  of  his  lh'e  will  be 
received  with  interest  by  many  of  our  readers.  He 
was  born  among  the  hills  of  Wicklow  County,  lie- 
land,  on  the  18th  of  Dec-ember,  183(1,  and  belongs 
to  a  family  which  was  originally  of  English  origin. 
His  ancestors  emigrated  from  England  to  t lie  Em- 
erald Isle  during  the  Conquest.  Michael  Dowzer, 
father  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Ireland,  and 
when  a  young  man  learned  the  trade  of  a  cooper, 
which  he  followed  throughout  his  entire  lite  in 
connection  with  the  occupation  of  fanning.  In 
the  county  of  his  nativity  he  remained  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  at  a  ripe  old  age.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Sarah  Hopkins,  a  lady  of  Irish  birth 
who  also  spent  her  entire  life  in  her  native  land. 
Both  were  members  of  the  Episcopal  Church  and 
were  highly  respected   people. 

Mid  play  and  work  John  Dowzer  spent  his  boy- 
hood days  and  when  a  youth,  entering  his  father's 
shop,  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  cooper,  which  he 
has  since  followed  in  pursuit  of  fortune.  Believing 
that  the  new  world  afforded  better  advantages  to 
young  men  than  the  old  countries,  he  determined 
to  emigrate  to  America  and  in  1850  crossed  the 
broad  ocean,  locating  in  Toronto,  Canada.  Sub- 
sequently he  crossed  the  line  into '•Free  America.'' 
and  after  spending  a  tew  years  in  the  South,  came 
to  Macoupin  County,  III,  in  1868. 

In  Staunton,  Mr.  Dowzer  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Mrs.  Mary  (Carson)  Smith  who  was  born  in 
Ireland,  and  when  young  came  to  America.  Almost 
her  entire  life  has  been  passed  in  St.  Louis  and  in  the 
city  where  she  yet  makes  her  home.  She  has  been 
a  faithful  wife  and  a  true  helpmate  to  her  husband 


and  is  a  lady  of  intelligence  and  worth.  Both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Dowzer  are  identified  with  the  Covenan- 
ters Church  of  Scotland.  Their  union  has  been 
blessed  with  three  children,  a  son  and  two  daugh- 
ters— Mollie  I)..  John  C.  and  Maggie.  The  son  is 
now  assisting  his  father  in  his  business.  Mr.  Dow- 
zer is  a  self-made  man  who  began  life  without  cap- 
ital and  has  worked  his  way  steadily  upward,  over- 
coming by  a  determined  will  and  energy  the  ob- 
stacles in  his  path,  until  he  has  reached  a  proud  posi- 
tion and  is  numbered  among  the  substantial  citi- 
zens of  the  community. 

•>  EORGE  II.  CLARK.  Postmaster  and  gen- 
eral merchant  at  Piasa,  one  of  the  native- 
born  citizens  of  this  county  and  has  been 
identified  with  its  interests  since  he  was  able  to 
understand  what  lay  before  him  in  the  way  of 
man's  work  and  obligations.  He  was  born  March  7. 
1852,  ami  is  a  son  of  Edward  B.  and  Nancy  (Park- 
er) Clark,  of  whom  a  sketch  is  given  on  another 
page  in  this  Record.  1 1  is  birth-place  was  in  Ship- 
man  Township  and  his  early  life  was  passed  on  his 
father's  farm.  His  fundamental  education  was 
obtained  in  Piasa.  and  he  attend  the  Illinois  State 
Normal  University  at  Normal  two  terms.  Taking 
up  the  profession  of  teaching,  he  devoted  himself 
to  the  work  in  Macoupin,  Jersey  and  Greene  Coun- 
ties live  years,  and  demonstrated  his  ability  to  im- 
part instruction,  his  power  to  guide  and  control 
the  young  and  his  interest  in  the  growth  of  civil- 
ization. 

After  the  period  mentioned  Mr.  Clark  entered 
upon  mercantile  life,  clerking  six  months  for  C.  li. 
Wilson  and  then  buying  out  the  business.  He  has 
increased  the  stock  and  added  lines  of  trade  until 
he  now  has  nearly  every  branch  of  merchandise  re- 
presented in  his  store.  He  has  been  in  business 
ten  years  and  has  no  reason  to  be  dissatisfied  with 
the  results  he  has  achieved,  although  as  he  is  enter- 
prising and  ambitious  he  is  constantly  aiming  at  a 
larger  trade  and  more  extended  opportunity.  He 
was  appointed  Postmaster  during  the  administra-1 
tion  of  President  Arthur. 


IflSRART 

Of  THE 

WVEWmr  OFILUWr 


-71/Mi 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


607 


In  October,  1879,  Mr.  Clark  was  married  lo  Miss 
Jennie  Price,  daughter  of  Evan  and  Ann  (Lewis) 
Price.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Price  were  natives  of  Wales 
and  after  their  marriage  came  tu  the  United  States 
and  located  in  Alton,  this  State.  There  Mrs.  Clark 
was  born  December  24,  1857.  She  is  the  fourth 
of  five  children,  the  others  being  Mary,  wire  of  John 
Blotne,  Rebecca,  who  married  William  Armstrong; 
Anna,  wife  of  William  Powers;  and  Henry,  who 
was  adopted  into  the  family  of  Henry  Hankliouse 
and  has  taken  the  name  of  his  adopted  father.  Mr. 
Price  was  a  miner  and  worked  in  the  mines  at  Alt- 
on. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark  have  two  sons — Charles 
and  Victor — whose  habits  are  being  carefully 
molded  by  their  parents  and  who  are  being  given 
opportunities  suited  to  their  age  for  cultivating 
their  mind  and  fitting  them  for  the  duties  of  cit- 
izenship. 

In  exercising  the  right  of  suffrage  Mr.  Clark  al- 
ways deposits  a  Republican  ticket  as  he  has  firm 
faith  in  the  principles  of  the  parly.  He  has  served 
as  Township  Clerk  and  Collector  and  has  done  well 
in  office.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Hon- 
or. Me  and  his  estimable  wife  move  in  the  best 
circles  in  Piasa,  take  much  interest  in  that  which  is 
for  the  best  good  of  her  people  and  are  looked  up- 
on as  honoring  the  place  by  their  residence. 


iJjL^  ENRY  PRANGE,  a  wealthy  German-Amer- 

|i  ican  citizen  and  a  large  land  owner  of  Ma- 
coupin County,  residing  on  section  2,  Mt. 
Olive  Township,  near  the  village  of  that 
name,  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  November 
14,  1821.  His  people  were  industrious  and  ener- 
getic Germans.  His  father,  Frank  II.  Prange,  was 
a  native  of  Prussia  and  a  hard  working  man  but 
was  not  in  very  affluent  circumstances.  lie  mar- 
ried a  Prussian  lady,  Anna  Leimkuller,  who  was 
born,  reared  and  died  in  her  native  province,  de- 
parting this  life  at  the  age  of  fifty-three.  In  relig- 
ious faith  she  was  a  Lutheran. 

After  her  death  the  father  and    his   family    took 
passage  upon  a  sailing-vessel  which  left  Bremen  on 


the  24th  of  September,  1853,  and  arrived  at  New 
Orleans  on  the  15th  of  November.  They  made 
their  way  up  the  Mississippi  River,  landing  at  St. 
Louis,  and  then  continued  their  journey  to  Mt. 
Olive.  Macoupin  County.  111.  The  father  was  not 
long  permitted  lo  enjoy  his  new  home,  for  his  death 
occurred  on  June  26,  1854.  and  his  remains  were 
laid  to  rest  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  our  subject. 
lie  was  t'aen  sixty-eight  years  of  age.  He  too  was 
a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  a  man  whom 
all  respected  for  his  sterling  worth. 

The  early  life  of  our  subject  was  spent  at  hard 
work  upon  a  farm  in  his  native  land,  few  advan- 
tages and  privileges  being  afforded  him.  He  was 
married  in  Prussia  to  Miss  Wilhelmina  Poppenweit, 
a  native  of  that  province,  born  December  10,  1825. 
She  has  proved  a  true  helpmate  to  her  husband  and 
a  faithful  wife  and  mother.  Their  union  has  been 
blessed  with  nine  children,  and  only  one  is  now  de- 
ceased— Louis,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty  four 
years.  Frank  H.,  who  wedded  Anna  Keiser,  is  liv- 
ing on  a  farm  in  Montgomery  County;  Henry  wed- 
ded Minnie  Eikme3'er  and  is  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  in  Cahokia  Tovvnship;  Minnie  is  at  home; 
William  married  Ida  Ghenter  and  is  a  miller  of 
New  Douglas  Township,  Madison  County;  John  F. 
married  Minnie  Niehaus  and  they  resided  on  a  farm 
iu  Montgomery  County;  August,  who  was  joined 
in  wedlock  with  Emma  Budde,  is  engaged  in  mill- 
ing at  New  Douglas;  Charles  H.  wedded  Minnie 
Nollman  and  operates  a  farm  in  Christian  County; 
Edward,  who  completes  the  family,  is  at  home. 

Mr.  Prange  has  resided  upon  his  present  farm 
since  185 1.  having  there  located  when  it  was  all 
wild  prairie,  entirely  destitute  of  improvements. 
The  county  too  was  new  and  the  village  of  Mt. 
Olive  had  not  yet  sprung  into  existence.  Although 
whin  Mr.  Prange  came  here  he  was  a  poor  man  he 
has  worked  hard  and  by  his  industry,  perseverance 
and  good  management  has  made  a  fortune.  In 
addition  to  the  large  and  valuable  farm  on  which 
he  resides  he  also  owns  considerable  landed  prop- 
erty in  Madison  and  Montgomery  Counties.  He 
is  a  man  of  strong  determination  who  accomplishes 
whatever  he  undertakes  and  thus  when  he  resolved 
to  make  of  his  life  a  success,  adversity  and  difficul- 
ties could  not  deter  him.     He   made   much   of    his 


608 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


money  during  the  time  when  the  war  had  inflated 
all  prices,  and  with  a  remarkable  fore-sight  and 
sagacity  he  invested  his  surplus  earnings  in  lands, 
which,  as  the  country  has  become  more  thickly  set- 
tled, have  rapidly  arisen  in  value  and  made  him  a 
wealthy  man.  He  feels  a  just  pride  in  his  success 
and  certainly  is  entitled  to  much  credit. 

In  connection  with  general  farming,  Mr.  Prange 
was  largely  interested  in  opening  up  the  mines  at 
Mt.  Olive  and  was  once  one  of  the  most  extensive 
stock  holders  in  the  Mt.  Olive  Coal  Company.  In 
politics,  Mr.  Prange  is  a  Republican  and  has  held  a 
number  of  local  offices.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are 
active  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  he 
gives  liberally  of  his  means  to  its  support.  The 
handsome  property  which  he  has  acquired  now  en- 
ables him  to  live  a  retired  life  and  he  is  resting  in 
the  enjoyment  of  the  fruits  of  his  former  toil. 

Accompanying  this  brief  biographical  notice,  the 
reader  will  find  a  lithographic  portrait  of  Mr. 
Prange. 


^r 


*^>&&&fZ>*^- 


EV.  STEPHEN  FRENCH  RICE,  a  min- 
ister of  the  Gospel  who  is  well-known 
throughout  Macoupin  County  as  the  org- 
^)  anizer  of  a  number  of  flourishing  young 
churches  and  who  resides  in  Medora,  was  born  in 
Shipman  Township,  this  county,  January  10,  1812. 
His  father,  Judge  Thomas  Brown  Rice,  was  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  the  county  who  did  grand  yoeman 
service  in  the  early  days.  He  was  born  in  Fred- 
erick County,  Va.,  August  17,  1806,  and  was  of 
English  descent.  His  father  came  from  England 
to  America  and  died  in  Frederick  County,  Va. 

Thomas  Rice  was  reared  in  his  native  county 
and  learned  the  trade  of  a  saddler  which  he  fol- 
lowed there  until  1855  when  his  establishment  was 
burned  out  and  he  came  with  his  family  consisting 
of  his  wife  and  foui  children  to  Illinois.  They  made 
the  entire  journey  overland  with  two  teams,  and 
brought  with  them  in  their  prairie  schooners  most 
of  their  household  goods.  They  rested  as  was 
necessary  on  the  way,  camping  out  and  taking 
their  time  so  that  they  made  a  very  comfortable 
journey.     At  first  they  rented  a  vacant  log  cabin 


in  Medora  Township,  but  soon  located   themselves 
permanently. 

Thomas  Rice  entered  a  tract  of  Government 
land  upon  section  6,  of  what  is  now  Shipman  Town- 
ship, and  at  once  erected  a  log  house  which  is  still 
standing  and  occupied.  The  family  celebrated 
Christmas  Day  by  moving  into  this  new  domicile, 
and  as  soon  as  winter  broke  up  the  father  began 
work  upon  the  farm,  which  he  continued  to  make 
his  home  until  claimed  by  death.  He  had  in  the 
meantime  been  very  successful  and  accumulated  a 
handsome  property. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  whose  maiden  name 
was  Mahala  Farrow,  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Thomas  Rice,  April  17,  1828.  She  was  a  native 
of  Culpeper  County,  Va.,  her  natal  day  being 
December  22,  1807,  and  she  was  of  German  an- 
cestry. Through  all  the  poverty  of  her  early 
married  life  and  the  struggles  of  pioneer  existence 
she  was  a  faithful  and  devoted  wife  and  mother, 
and  reared  carefully  and  to  an  honorable  manhood 
and  womanhood  ten  children,  who  are  named  as 
follows:  Susan  Catherine,  Elizabeth  Strather, 
James  Washington,  John  Williams,  Thomas  Brown, 
Mary  Virginia,  Stephen  French,  Amanda  Mahala, 
Emma  Ann  and  Charles  Arthur. 

While  she  was  bringing  up  these  children, 
her  cares  were  great  and  he-  conveniences 
limited.  She  cooked,  washed  and  ironed  by 
the  open  fireplace  and  clad  her  children  in  home- 
spun, which  was  made  by  her  own  hands  as  she 
carded,  spun  and  wove  the  cloth  which  she  cut 
into  garments  and  made  with  the  needle,  for  sew- 
ing machines  were  not  then  introduced.  There 
were  then  no  railroads  within  many  miles  of  them, 
and  Alton  and  St.  Louis  were  their  nearest  market 
towns.  Hundreds  of  deer,  wolves  and  other  kinds 
of  wild  game  loamed  at  will  through  the  region 
and  were  often  to  be  seen  from  the  cabin  door. 
Both  she  and  her  worthy  husband  were  faithful 
and  conscientious  members  of  the  Baptist  Church, 
as  they  united  with  the  Mt.  Pleasant  Baptist 
Church,  August  6,  1826,  and  he  was  elected  Dea- 
con the  following  year.  In  his  political  views  he 
was  a  Democrat  and  a  leading  man  in  that  party 
and  indeed  among  all  thoughtful  citizens.  He 
served  as  Postmaster  at    Rhodes  Point  (as  Medora 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


609 


was  formerly  called).  He  was  collector  for  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy  Railroad  for  two 
years  and  served  two  terms  as  Associate  Judge  of 
Macoupin  County. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  upon  the 
home  farm,  a  part  of  which  is  now  included  in 
the  village  of  Medora,  so  that  we  may  say  that  he 
has  been  a  life-long  resident  of  that  place.  In  his 
early  years  he  attended  school  and  resided  upon 
the  farm,  assisting  his  parent,  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  twenty  two  years.  He  became  a  decided 
Christian  in  1864  and  during  the  same  year  joined 
the  Mt.  Pleasant  Baptist  Church  and  in  1869  was 
ordained  a  preacher  and  joined  the  Apple  Creek 
Association,  in  which  connection  he  has  been  ever 
since  administering  the  rites  of  religion.  He  or- 
ganized the  church  which  is  known  as  Little  Flock 
and  assisted  in  organizing  others. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  August  8,  1863, 
was  an  event  of  great  importance  in  his  life,  as  he 
was  then  united  with  Luetta  Keele  who  has  proved 
to  him  a  noble  and  self-sacrificing  helpmate.  She 
was  born  in  Shipman  Township  and  was  also  of 
pioneer  parentage,  her  father  being  Enoch  and  her 
mother,  Margaret  Taper  Keele.  Three  children 
only  have  crowned  this  union,  Alonzo,  Maggie 
and  Charlie.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Rice  was  in  his  early 
years  an  adherent  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  but  of  late  years  he  has  become  a  Pro- 
hibitionist in  his  convictions  and  vote. 


ffi  AMES  W.LUMPKIN  is  the  senior  member  of 
the  6rm  of  J.  W.  Lumpkin  &  Son,  propri- 
etors of  the  Macoupin  County  Inquirer,  an 
ably  conducted  journal,  that  is  classed 
among  the  leading  newspapers  of  this  part  of  the 
State.  Our  subject  is  a  representative  of  one  of 
the  pioneer  families  of  this  county,  and  is  one  of 
its  native-born  citizens,  his  birth  taking  place  in 
Bird  Township,  November  15,  1836,  he  being  the 
only  son  of  John  and  Emily  A.  (Rafferty)  Lump- 
kin. His  father  was  a  A'irginian  by  birth,  as  was 
also  the  grandfather  of  subject,  whose  name  was 
William   Lumpkin.     The    latter  moved   from    his 


native  State  in  1818,  after   his   marriage,   in  Ken- 
tucky, and  resided  for  two  or  three  years  in  Jeffer- 
son County.     He  Mien  went  to  Davis  County,  that 
State,  where  he  bought  a  tract  of  timber  land,  built 
on  it,  and  commenced  to  clear  a  farm,  upon  which 
he  lived  the  remainder  of  his  life.      The     maternal 
grandfather  of  subject,    James   Rafferty,  is    sup- 
posed   to  have  been  a  native  of  Kentucky.     He 
married  Mary  Booth  of  the  same  State.     By  occu- 
pation he  was  a  farmer,  and   in    1835   he   came   to 
Macoupin  County,  where  in  time  he  improved    a 
farm  in  Polk  Township,  upon  which  he   continued 
to  reside  until  his  decease.     John  Lumpkin    was   a 
lad  of  ten  years  when  he  went  to   Kentucky   with 
his  parents.     In  his  youth  he  learned  the    trade  of 
brick-layer,  which  he  pursued  in    the  afore  men- 
tioned State  until  1835,  when  he  came  to   Illinois. 
He  was  accompanied  thither  by  his  wife,  and  came 
by  the  way  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi   Rivers  to 
St.  Louis,  from  whence  he   journeyed  to  his  des- 
tination in  this  county  with  an  ox-team.     He    ar- 
rived here  with  but  fifty  cents  in   his    pocket,   but 
he  had  a  sturdy,  self-reliant  Spirit  and  a  good  trade 
for  capital,  and    was  well-fitted   to  cope   with   the 
trials  of  pioneer  life.       He    purchased    a  tract  of 
wild  prairie  laud  on  lime,  located    in    Bird   Town- 
ship, and  his  first  work  was   to  erect  a  log  house 
for  shelter,  riving  the   boards  to  cover  the   roof, 
which  was  held  in  place  by  weight  poles,-  and  mak- 
ing   the    door  and  floor  of  split  puncheons.     As 
soon  as  his  dwelling  was  completed  he  commenced 
to  improve  his  land,  doing  all  his  farm    work  and 
marketing  for  some  time  with  oxen.     He  worked  a 
great  deal  of  the  time  at  his   trade,  except    in   the 
winter  seasons,  and  he  assisted  in  building  the  first 
brick  courthouse  at  Carlinville,  besides  other  brick 
buildings  erected  here.     He    continued    to    make 
his  home  on  his  farm  until  his  life   was  dosed    by 
death  in  1871.     His  wife  had  passed  away  before, 
her  death  occurring  on  the  old  homestead  in  1865. 
The  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch   is   the 
only  child  born  to  his  parents,    and    the   primitive 
dwelling  erected  by  his  father  when  he   first  came 
to  this  county  was  the  scene  of  his  birth.     He   was 
reared  amid  pioneer  influences;  his  early  education 
was  obtained  in  the  schools  of   his  native  county, 
and  was  supplemented  by  an  excellent   course  of 


610 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


study  at  Shurtleff  College.  After  leaving  college 
he  taught  school  one  term,  and  then  gave  his  at- 
tention to  farming  and  dealing  in  livestoik,  which 
he  continued  until  1880,  when  he  removed  to  Carl- 
inville  and  for  One  year  engaged  in  the  sale  of 
farm  implements.  In  1882  he  was  appointed 
Deputy  Sheriff,  and  remained  in  the  Sheriffs  otlice 
four  years.  In  June,  1886,  Mr.  Lumpkin  formed 
a  partnership  witn  his  son,  Clement  .1..  and  pur- 
chased the  Enquirer  printing  office,  since  which 
time  he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  the  manage- 
ment of  the  paper  and  to  the  general  business  con- 
nected with  the  printing  depaitment. 

In  1857,  Mr.  Lumpkin  and  Miss  Eizina  Bates 
were  united  in  marriage,  and  theirs  lias  been  a 
pleasant  union,  that  has  brought  them  two  child- 
ren, Clement  J.  and  Mattie  E.  Mrs  Lumpkin  is 
also  a  native  of  Macoupin,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Martha  Bates. 

Our  subject  was  a  man  of  high  character  and 
standing  in  his  native  county  professionally,  and 
also  as  a  private  citizen  and  a  civic  official.  He  has 
occupied  various  offices  of  trust,  and  is  at  present 
serving  his  third  term  as  a  member  of  the  City 
Council. 

While  a  resident  of  Bird  Township  he  was  Town- 
ship Collector,  and  has  also  held  the  office  of  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace.  Politically,  his  sympathies  are 
with  the  Democrats,  and  he  gives  his  party  earnest 
support  through  the  columns  of  his  paper,  though 
he  is  by  no  means  violently  partisan.  Socially,  lie 
belongs  to  Mt.  Nebo  Lodge,  No.  76,  A.  E.  &  A.  M.: 
is  a  member  of  Macoupin  Chapter,  No.  187,  R.  A. 
M.;  and  of  St.  Omar  Commandery,  No.  30.  K.  T.. 
of  Litchfield,  111. 


* 


HARLES  T.  HANSHAW,  President  of  the 
Bank  of  Palmyra  and  one  of  the  prominent 
'  business  men  of  Macoupin  County,  was 
born  in  Botetourt  County,  Ya  ,  January  31,  1847. 
His  father,  Elisha  Hanshaw,  was  born  in  the  same 
county  and  his  grandfather  Benjamin  was,  it  is  be- 
lieved, born  in  Maryland  and  went  to  Virginia 
with    his    parents  when    very    young.     He  was  a 


farmer  and  followed  agricultural  pursuits  through 
life.  He  came  from  Botetourt  County  to  Illinois 
in  his  old  age  to  spend  bis  last  days  with  his 
children. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  in  his  nat- 
ive State  and  there  learned  the  trade  of  a  miller, 
which  he  followed  until  1847  when  he  came  to  Ill- 
inois, accompanied  by  his  wife  and  four  children. 
They  traveled  by  what  was  then  the  most  conveni- 
ent ami  expeditious  route,  overland  to  the  Ohio 
River,  thence  on  that  beautiful  stream  by  boat  to 
the  Mississippi,  and  up  that  river  to  St.  Louis. 
There  they  took  a  team  and  journeyed  in  a  prairie 
schooner  to  Auburn,  Sangamon  County,  this 
Mate.  He  engaged  in  farming  in  that  vicinity  for 
a  year  or  two,  and  then  went  to  Hart's  Prairie, 
Morgan  County,  where  he  bought  an  interest  in  a 
mill  and  operated  it  for  two  years,  after  which  iie 
resumed  farming.  A  little  later  he  took  charge  of 
Crow's  Mill,  east  of  Auburn  until  1856,  when  he 
came  to  Palmyra,  and  in  company  with  his  brother 
Hezekiah  and  A.  C.  Farmer,  erected  a  flouring  mill 
at  this  place.  He  operated  this  until  1865  and 
then  went  to  Chesterfield,  and  managed  a  mill 
there  for  one  year,  after  which  he  retired  from 
active  business,  making  his  home  at  Palmyra  until 
1877,  when  he  moved  <o  Auburn,  where  he  died 
two   years    later. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Mary  S.  Yandegrift.  She,  like  her  husband, 
was  born  in  Botetourt  County,  Va.,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Barbara  (Wineman)  Yande- 
grift. She  reared  four  of  her  five  children.  Sus- 
an, the  eldest  married  J.  T.  King,  and  resides  in 
Wichita,  Kan.;  John  H.  is  represented  by  a  sketch 
in  this  volume;  Charles  T.,  is  the  second  son  and 
the  youngest  child  Minna,  resides  with  her  mother 
in   Auburn. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  but  an  infant 
when  he  was  brought  to  Illinois  by  his  parents  and 
was  nine  years  old  when  he  came  to  Palmyra, 
when  he  was  reared  and  educated.  When  twenty 
years  old  he  commenced  clerking  in  a  general 
store  and  had  clerked  but  a  short  time  when  he 
became  a  partner  in  the  business,  continuing  there- 
in until  1871.  For  ten  years  after  that  date  he 
was  not  regularly  engaged   in  any  active  business, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


611 


but  in  1881  lie  formed  a  partnership  with  D.N. 
Solomon,  S.  L.  Boyd,  and  II.  C.  Hamilton  and  then 
organized  the  Bank  of  Palmyra.  Of  this  institu- 
tion Mr.  Hanshaw  was  Cashier  until  1885,  when 
Mr.  Hamilton  withdrew,  and  Mr.  Hanshaw  was 
eleeted  president  which  position  he  has  since  held. 
•The  lady  who  presides  witli  so  much  grace  and  di- 
gnity over  the  household  of  our  subject  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Etta  Nichols  and  was  born  in  Ind- 
iana and  reared  and  educated  in  Auburn,  Sanga- 
mon County.  She  became  Mrs.  Hanshaw  in  June, 
1888.  Mr.  Hanshaw  was  one  of  the  organizers  of 
the  Palmyra  Loan  Building  and  Savings  Associa- 
tion and  has  been  president  since  its  formation. 
He  is  a  member  of  Palmyra  Lodge  No.  348, 1.  O.  O. 
F.  In  his  political  views  and  vote  he  affiliates  with 
the  Republican  party,  of  which  he  is  an  intelligent 
adherent.  He  is  a  man  of  public  spirit  and  an  act- 
ive promoter  of  all  movements  which  tend  to  en- 
hance the  prosperity  of  Palmyra  and  increase  the 
advantages  of  its  citizens. 


,.i  LBERT    E.    MORRIS    is  one  of  the  repre- 

iJll    sentative  and  leading  men  in  Polk  Town- 


Is  ship,  where  he  resides.  He  is  a  live  wide- 
awake citizen,  and  enjoys  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  those  with  whom  he  mingles.  He  is 
probably  one  of  the  youngest  Justices  of  the  Peace 
in  Macoupin  County.  His  father  was  the  late 
Richard  Morris,  a  man  of  British  origin  being  born 
in  Somersetshire,  England,  June  21,  1818.  His 
mother  was  Martha  A.  Rusher,  an  American,  born 
in  Sullivan  County,  Ind.,  January  2u,  1828.  The 
grandfather,  John  Morris,  died  at  the  old  home- 
stead in  Somersetshire,  England,  and  the  grand- 
mother, Mary  (Wilton)  Morris,  spent  her  last  days 
in  Wales. 

The  father  of  Mrs.  Martha  Morris  was  Henry 
Rusher  who  died  in  Montgomery  County.  111..  April 
14,  1828.  His  wife,  Catherine  (Newton)  Rusher, 
dying  March  29,  1875.  They  came  to  Macoupin 
County  in  1840,  and  after  living  hen'  about  eight- 
een years  returned  to  Montgomery  County,  where 
they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  days,     I'pon  the 


marriage  of  Richard  and  Martha  Morris,  December 
26,  1854,  they  settled  in  l'olk  Township,  and  here 
made  their  home  through  life.  Richard  Morris 
passed  away  August  19,  1884,  leaving  his  bereaved 
widow  to  make  her  home  with  our  subject  at  the 
old  homestead.  Their  four  children  are:  Albert  E., 
who  is  the  subject  of  this  brief  sketch;  Mary  J., 
who  became  the  wife  of  J.  W.  Kissel  and  was  the 
mother  of  Samuel  R.,  and  Florence  M.  SJie  died 
on  her  twenty-fourth  birthday,  June  6,  1884,  in 
Madison  County,  III.;  Willie  O.  died  in  infancy  as 
did  also  Li  Hie  M.  thus  leaving  our  subject  now  the 
only  surviving  child  of  his  bereaved  mother. 

Albert  E.  Morris  was  born  in  Polk  Township, 
May  24,  1  858,  and  here  was  reared  to  manhood  and 
has  found  at  the  old  homestead  a  congenial  home 
and  a  suitable  place  for  carrying  on  the  business 
which  he  has  chosen.  He  received  a  good  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  the  county,  and  has  be- 
come an  intelligent  and  prosperous  farmer.  The 
old  homestead  which  he  carries  on  consists  of  one 
hundred  and  eighteen  acres  upon  which  are  situa- 
ted excellent  farm  buildings  and  every  appliance 
necessary  to  the  successful  prosecution  of  farm 
work. 

February  15,  1881.  was  the  wedding  day  of 
Albert  Morris  and  Mary  Brown,  and  this  union 
was  solemnized  in  Shipman  Township,  at  the  home 
of  the  bride's  parents,  John  H.  and  Ellen  L.  (Good- 
ell)  Brown.  This  lady  was  born  in  Polk  Township 
and  Mr.  Brown  in  Tennessee,  and  of  their  goodly 
sized  faoiily  of  two  sons  and  four  daughters,  Mrs. 
Morris  is  the  eldest  daughter.  She  was  born  in 
Shipman  Township,  October  11,  1860.  Four  lovely 
children  came  to  s!:are  the  paternal  affection  and 
solicitude,  namely :  Bertha  A.,  Robbie,  Ada,  and 
Cassie  M.     The  son  Robbie  died  in  infancy. 

The  ftllow-eitizen.s  of  Mr.  Morris  hold  him  in 
high  esteem  and  have  placed  him  in  the  office  of 
School  Director.  He  has  also  filled  since  the  spring 
of  1889  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  which 
his  knowledge  of  the  law  and  his  good  sense  and 
well  known  reputation  for  just  rulings  have  made 
his  services  in  that  position  highly  prized  and  of 
great  benefit  to  his  neighbors.  He  is  a  man  who  is 
well  read  in  political  matters  anil  casts  his  vote 
with  the  Democratic  party. 


612 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mrs.  Morris'  paternal  grandfather  was  Peter 
Brown,  who  died  in  Shipman  Township.  His  faith- 
ful companion,  Catherine  (Baker)  Brown,  survives 
him  at  the  very  advanced  age  of  ninety. two  years, 
being  born  in  the  summer  of  1790.  Mrs.  Morris' 
maternal  grandparents,  Joshua  E.  and  Laura 
(Morse)  Goodell,  were  people  of  intelligence  and 
culture  who  passed  away  some  years  ago,  Mrs. 
Goodell  dying  in  Polk  Township,  and  her  husband 
in  Iowa.  The  standing  of  every  branch  of  this 
family  connection  is  such  as  to  give  influence  to 
each  member  of  it,  and  every  one  in  the  community 
rejoices  in  the  prosperity  which  has  crowned  Mr. 
Morris'  efforts  in  life. 

Since  the  above  was  written  the  subject  has  been 
deprived  by  death  of  one  of  his  children. 


...#••;:■• 


R.  ROBERT  E.  BLEY,  residing  in  Bunker 
,i)  Dill,  was  born  on  the  2d  of  December, 
1855,  in  Scott  County,  Iowa,  and  comes 
from  a  family  of  physicians,  having  two 
brothers  and  a  brother-in-law  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine,  while  his  father,  George  Blcy, 
Sr.,  was  also  a  prominent  Doctor  of  this  county. 
The  latter  was  born  in  \Vurtembuig,Germaiiy,  Jan- 
uary 12,  1821,  and  was  a  son  of  George  and  Sophia 
(Muller)  Bley.  The  family  emigrated  to  America 
in  1832,  settling  in  Berks  County,  Pa.,  where 
George  Bley,  Sr.  died.  The  father  of  our  subject 
left  home  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  to  begin  lire's 
battle  for  himself  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  began 
serving  an  apprenticeship  in  a  drug  store  in  Phila- 
delphia, where  he  remained  until  he  had  attained 
his  majority,  when  he  began  business  in  that  line 
for  himself.  Soon  after  this  he  determined  to  be- 
come a  physician  and  attended  lectures  at  the 
Jefferson  Medical  College  in  1845.  From  1848 
until  1850  he  was  a  student  in  the  Philadelphia 
College  of  Medicine,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
and  then  began  practice  in  that  city,  where  he  re- 
mained until  his  removal  to  Scott  County,  Iowa, 
in  1855.  Three  years  later  he  located  in  Rock 
Island,  111.,  and    after    a    year    went    to    Monroe 


County,  whence  he  removed  to  Staunton,  Macoupin 
County,  in  October,  1861.  He  at  once  opened  an 
office  in  that  place  and  soon  built  up  a  large  and 
lucrative  practice.  In  connection  with  his  profes- 
sion he  carried  on  a  line  drug  store,  which  is  known 
as  the  Palace  Drug  Store  and  also  did  a  successful 
business  in  that  line,  becoming  one  of  the  substan- 
tial citizens  of  the  community. 

Dr.  George  Bley  married  Elizabeth  W.  Davis, 
of  Philadelphia,  who  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  of  English  descent.  Their  marriage  was  cele- 
brated October  1,  1845,  and  the  lady  is  still  living 
at  a  ripe  old  age  in  Staunton.  Their  family  num- 
bered six  children — Nellie,  wife  of  D.  C.  Wurtz  of 
Jerseyviile,  111.:  Lizzie  W.,  wife  of  Thomas  Blair, 
Postmaster  of  Staunton:  David,  a  physician  and 
surgeon  of  Staunton;  George  who  is  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  medicine  in  Beardstown;  Robert  E. 
of  this  sketch;  and  Mary  L.,  wife  of  Dr.  C.  T. 
Dripps,  a  successful  physician  of  Staunton.  The 
father  of  this  family  was  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  as  is  also  his  wife. 

Dr.  Robert  Bley  was  only  three  years  of  age 
when  he  came  to  Illinois  and  since  he  was  a  lad  of 
six  summers  has  resided  in  Macoupin  County. 
His  education  was  acquired  in  the  public  schools 
and  when  a  youth  he  entered  the  Palace  Drug 
Store,  owned  by  his  father,  where  he  continued  to 
act  as  one  of  its  managers  until  1882  when  the 
store  was  purchased  by  Buchheit  <fe  Westemeyer. 
The  love  of  the  medical  profession  seemed  inbred 
into  him  and  after  studying  with  his  father  he  en- 
tered Jefferson  Medical  College  of  Philadelphia, 
from  which  be  was  graduated  in  the  Class  of  '77. 
He  at  once  embarked  upon  the  practice  of  his 
chosen  profession  and  in  order  to  keep  abreast  of 
the  times  has  since  returned  to  Philadelphia,  where 
for  about  a  year  he  made  a  specialty  of  the  study 
of  those  diseases  which  do  not  come  within  the 
range  of  general  practice.  His  practice  is  a  large 
and  lucrative  one.  He  makes  his  work  a  life  study 
and  his  reputation  is  justly  deserved. 

While  residing  in  Staunton,  Dr.  Bley  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Mamie  L.  Hall  of  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  who  was  born  in  Pike  County,  that  State, 
March  11,  1859.  Their  union  has  been  blessed 
with  one  child — Robert  E.,  a  bright  child  of  three 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


G13 


years.  The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  Bunker  Hill 
Lodge,  No.  151,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he  is  now 
junior  warden  and  also  belongs  to  Charter  Oak 
Lodge,  No.  258,  I.  O.  O.  F.  of  Bunker  Hill.  An 
enterprising  and  progressive  citizen,  he  takes  an 
active  part  in  everything  pertaining  to  the  ad- 
vancement and  welfare  of  the  community  and  is 
esteemed  b}'  all  who  know  him  as  a  man  of  sterling 
worth  and  integrity. 


— >v 


->&£&Z&r&<^ 


AHLON  ROSS,  of  the  firm  of  Ross  &  Ross 
attorneys- at-law,  Virden,  is  not  only  one 
of  the  leading  members  of  the  bar  in  this 
section  of  the  State,  but  he  is  prominent  as 
a  public-spirited  citizen  and  an  able  business'  man, 
whose  name  is  associated  with  various  enterprises 
that  have  furthered  the  best  interests  of  the  county. 
Mr.  Ross  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Sandy  (reek  Town- 
ship, Mercer  County,  Pa.,  November  12,  1821. 
His  father,  Edward  C.  Ross,  was  a  native  of  New 
Jersey  and  he  was  a  son  of  Edward  Ross,  who  was 
also  born  in  that  State.  He  was  there  reared  and 
married,  and  subsequently  went  to  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  became  an  early  settler  of  Washington 
County.  He  lived  there  for  a  number  of  years,  but 
the  latter  part  of  his  life  was  passed  in  Mercer 
County  with  his  son. 

The  father  of  our  subject  grew  to  manhood  in 
Washington  County  and  was  there  married  at  the 
age  of  twenty-eight  years.  After  that  important 
event  in  his  life  he  removed  to  Mercer  County  and 
was  a  pioneer  of  Sandy  Creek  Township,  where  he 
purchased  two  hundred  acres  of  forest  land.  He 
erected  a  log  house  and  in  that  primitive  dwelling 
his  son,  of  whom  we  write,  was  born.  The  father 
labored  incessantly  to  clear  his  land  and  in  due 
time  had  improved  a  good-sized  farm.  He  planted 
an  orchard  and  erected  a  cider-mill,  which,  so  far 
as  known,  is  standing  yet,  a  relic  of  the  past. 
While  a  resident  there  he  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
War  of  1812.  In  1835  he  sold  his  property  in  that 
locality  and  crossing  the  boundary  line  into  Ohio 
with  teams,  he  cast  his  lot  with  the  pioneers  of 
Delaware    County,    buying   land   near   Delaware. 


He  built  an  addition  to  the  log  cabin  that  stood  on 
the  place,  erected  a  log  barn  and  was  engaged  in 
making  further  improvements,  when  his  busy  life 
was  cut  short  in  June,  1836,  by  his  untimely  death 
at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years,  when  scarcely  past  his 
prime. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Mary  Axtel,  and  she  was  a  native  of  Washing- 
ton County,  Pa.,  a  daughter  of  Luther  and  Hannah 
(Conduit)  Axtel.  By  the  sad  death  of  the  father 
the  mother  was  left  with  a  large  family  to  care  for 
and  nobly  did  she  perform  her  task.  She  reared 
nine  of  her  ten  children  to  maturity  and  to  honor- 
able lives.  The  family  remained  on  the  home 
farm  in  Delaware  County  until  1839,  when  they 
sold  the  place  and  removed  to  the  Territory  of 
Iowa,  making  the  removal  with  teams.  At  that 
time  Illinois  was  still  mostly  owned  by  the  Gov- 
ernment and  its  fertile  land  was  for  sale  at  a  low 
price.  But  the  Rosses  would  not  settle  here  on  ac- 
count of  the  excessive  lax  incurred  by  the  build- 
ing of  the  canal.  The  mother  made  a  claim  to  a 
tract  of  Government  land  in  Linn  County,  Iowa,  a 
mile  and  a  half  from  Marion,  and  when  the  land 
came  into  the  market  entered  it  at  the  land  office. 
The  surrounding  country  was  in  a  wild,  sparsely- 
settled  condition;  there  were  no  railways  for  some 
years  and  Muscatine,  sixty-five  miles  away,  was  the 
nearest  town  to  which  the  pioneers  could  go  to  mar- 
ket their  produce  or  procure  supplies.  Mrs.  Ross 
in  due  lime  had  a  comfortable  home,  her  children 
attended  diligently  to  improving  the  farm  and 
there  her  life  was  closed  in  death  in  1846. 

Mahlon  Ross  was  in  his  eighteenth  year  when 
the  family  went  to  Iowa.  At  that  time  Lino 
County  was  on  the  Western  frontier  and  deer,  ante- 
lopes and  buffaloes  roamed  over  the  prairies  in  the 
western  part  of  the  State.  Our  subject  witnessed 
much  of  the  growth  of  the  country  from  its  prime- 
val wildness  and  he  can  well  remember  shucking 
corn  on  the  present  site  of  the  most  densely-settled 
part  of  Cedar  Rapids.  He  carried  the  chain  in  the 
survey  of  the  Territorial  road  that  led  through 
Marion  from  Davenport  to  Iowa  City,  the  survey 
being  made  in  1840.  There  was  then  but  one 
building  where  Cedar  Rapids  now  is  and  that  was 
a  log  cabin  owned  by  a  man  named  Shepard,  who 


614 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


was  holding  the  land  as  a  claim.  Three  men  of  the 
names  of  Green,  Roach  and  Brown,  bought  the 
claim  of  Mr.  Shepard  and  laid  out  the  town  of  Ce- 
dar Rapids,  which  is  now  a  flourishing  city. 

Mr.  Ross  laid  the  foundations  of  a  sound  educa- 
tion in  the  pioneer  schools  of  Pennsylvania  and 
Ohio,  which  were  conducted  on  the  subscription 
plan  in  log  houses  that  were  furnished  with  slab 
benches  and  had  greased  paper  windows.  In  1842 
lie  went  to  Quincy  to  enter  Mission  Institute,  a 
Presbyterian  school,  and  was  a  student  therein  four 
years.  After  leaving  school  he  utilized  his  educa- 
tion for  a  while  by  teaching,  making  that  vocation 
a  stepping  stone  to  the  legal  profession,  as  so  ninny 
of  our  famous  lawyers  and  statesmen  have  done. 
He  taught  one  summer  in  Missouri,  and  then  com- 
ing to  Illinois,  had  charge  of  a  school  at  Bluff  dale, 
Green  County,  one  winter.  In  the  meantime  he 
had  studied  law  and  in  1850  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  He  opened  an  office  in  Hardin,  Calhoun 
County,  whence  he  went  to  Carrollton,  where  In- 
engaged  at  his  calling  one  year.  In  1854  he  came 
to  Virden  and  has  ever  since  been  in  active  prac- 
tice in  this  city.  He  has  risen  to  prominence  in  his 
profession  by  the  exercise  of  his  talents  and  by  pur- 
suing only  the  most  honorable  methods,  and  his 
numerous  clients  place  the  most  implicit  confidence 
in  him.  feeling  that  their  affairs  are  safe  in  his  hands. 

Mr.  Ross  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Harriet 
E.  M.  Roberts,  in  1857,  and  their  home  is  among 
the  most  attractive  in  Virden.  Mrs.  Ross  is  a  na- 
tive of  Kirtland,  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio,  born 
June  27,  1825,  a  daughter  of  Joel  and  Tabitha 
(Fellows)  Roberts.  Her  father  was  a  native  of 
New  York.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ross  have  two  children, 
Alva  and  Ellie.  Alva  received  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Virden.  He  became  a  stu- 
dent at  Jacksonville  Business  College,  where  he 
pursued  an  excellent  course,  and  after  that  he  en- 
tered the  Law  Department  of  the  Northwestern 
University  at  Chicago,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1890.  In  June  of  that  year  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  and  commenced  practice  with  his 
father.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Phi  Delti  Phi, 
and  he  has  a  bright  and  promising  future  before 
him  in  his  profession. 

A  man  of  ripe  intellect,  of  a  clear  and  vigorous 


mind  and  broad  outlook,  with  a  keen  understanding 
of  all  subjects  of  public  import,  Mr.  Ross  wields  an 
unmistakable  influence  on  the  social  and  civic  life 
of  his  community.  He  ranks  high  as  a  lawyer  of 
stainless  character,  who  possesses  the  courage  of  his 
convictions  and  is  fearless  in  their  expression,  both 
with  tongue  and  pen.  He  is  very  liberal  in  his 
religious  views  a^id  is  the  author  of  a  thoughtful 
and  well- writ  ten  work  entitled,  "The  Substantial 
Theology,"  which  is  a  valuable  contribution  to  the 
literature  of  modem  Christianity  and  has  received 
favorable  comment  from  the  leaders  of  the  liberal 
movement  in   religion. 

Our  subject  is  honored  and  trusted  by  his  fellow- 
citizens,  who  know  him  as  a  wise  and  able  counsel- 
lor, who  is  pure,  honest  and  perfectly  upright  in  his 
life  and  they  have  often  elected  him  to  responsible 
positions.  While  a  resident  of  Carrollton  he  was 
elected  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  he  has  held  the 
same  office  at  Virden  three  terms.  He  has  served 
one  term  as  Police  Magistrate  of  the  city  and  six 
terms  as  City  Attorney  and  he  has  also  been  Presi- 
dent of  the  Village  Board. 


F.NRY  LEMONS.  The  honest  and  industri- 
ix  ous  class  of  agriculturists  form  the  bone  and 
sinew  from  which  the  body  politic  is  made. 
This  is  the  element  upon  which  we  must 
depend  not  only  for  a  healthful  growth  in  country 
communities  but  also  for  the  best  material  of  which 
our  great  financiers  are  to  be  made.  A  city  which 
depends  upon  a  prosperous  and  virtuous  farming 
community  has  before  it  years  of  prosperity,  while 
it  would  sink  into  hopeless  disaster  without  that 
r  source  from  which  to  draw.  We  therefore  take 
great  pleasure  in  describing  the  homes  and  lives  of 
the  sturdy  agriculturists  who  make  up  the  bulk  of 
the  community  in  the  country. 

Our  subject,  a  well-known  farmer  and  a  stock- 
raiser  of  Girard,  was  born  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  February  1,  1852.  At  the  age  of  seven  years 
he  went  to  reside  with  the  family  of  Mrs.  W.  C. 
RoaclL,  who  was  then  residing  on  a  farm  near  Carl- 
inville,  and  here  the  boy  grew   to   manhood,  gain- 


UBHAvr 
uwvpfcm  5? 


JAMES     P.     PEARSON- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


C17 


in«  his  education  at  the  district  schools  and  learn- 
ing the  minutia  and  drill  of  farm  life,  lie  lived 
with  Mrs.  Roach  until  he  reached  the  age  of  fifteen 
years  and  then  worked  by  the  month  on  a  farm  for 
Mr.  Tliacker,  of  Nilwood  Township,  continuing 
working;  for  him  until  he  obtained  a  home  of  his 
own. 

The  marriage  of  Henry  Lemons  and  Mary  Etta 
Roach  was  solemnized  in  1877.  She  lived  in  Girard 
and  was  a  daughter  of  John  F.  and  Martha  H. 
(Cherry)  Roach.  After  marriage  the  young  couple 
went  to  housekeeping  upon  a  farm  belonging  to 
Mrs.  Lemons'  father,  and  there  they  made  a  happy 
home  until  1881, carrying  on  the  farm  and  devoting 
their  attention  also  to  the  raising  of  good  grades  of 
stock.  When  they  removed  fiom  that  farm  they  set- 
tled upon  one  hundred  and  seven  acres. two  and  one- 
half  miles  northwest  of  Girard  which  still  consti- 
tutes the  home  farm.  To  this  worthy  couple  five 
children  were  granted,  namely:  Ethel,  John  R., 
Henry  McCoy,  Calvin  C.  and  Roscoe  Harrison. 

Mr.  Lemons  lakes  a  lively  interest  in  political 
movements  and  his  convictions  have  led  him  to 
ally  himself  with  the  Republican  party.  He  is  well- 
read  and  intelligent  in  regard  to  the  history  of  the 
party  and  honors  its  leaders,  as  is  shown  by  his 
bestowing  the  names  of  the  two  most  prominent 
leaders  of  that  party  upon  his  youngest  son.  He 
is  an  earnest  and  active  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  in  which  he  finds  a  broad  field  of  influence 
and  effort.  His  wife  is  connected  with  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  and  unites  her  labors  with  those 
of  her  fellow. members  to  forward  its  interests,  and 
do  worthy  work  for  the  Master. 


— s-t-g«^£&4H~5— 


AMES  P.  PEARSON.  Among  the  honor- 
ed pioneers  of  Macoupin  County,  where  he 
located  iu  1835,  was  the  gentleman  whose 
|K|j//  portrait  accompanies  this  sketch.  He  was 
accounted  one  of  the  best  citizens  of  the  commu- 
nity and  his  death  was  deeply  mourned  by  many 
friends.  The  record  of  his  life  is  as  follows:  He 
was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  March  29,  1816, 
and  was  still  a  young  lad  at  the  time  of  his  father's 


death.  With  his  mother  and  stepfather  he  crossed 
the  Atlantic  to  America,  the  family  settling  in 
Ohio,  where  our  subject  was  reared  to  manhood. 
On  coming  to  Illinois  he  settled  in  Macoupin 
County,  in  1835,  where  he  secured  a  wild  and  un- 
broken tract  of  land  upon  which  not  a  furrow  had 
been  turned  and  began  the  development  and  im- 
provement of  a  farm. 

Not  long  after  this  Mr.  Pearson  led  to  the  mar- 
riage altar  Tab  it  ha  Gwin,  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
born  near  Nashville.  Her  parents,  Elias  and  Tabi- 
tha  ( Weathcrford)  Gwin,  were  natives  of  South 
Carolina  and  Kentucky  respectively  and  were 
married  in  Middle  Tennessee,  where  they  began 
life  upon  a  farm.  The  wife  and  mother  died  in 
that  locality,  after  which  Mr.  Gwin  with  his  family 
of  ten  sons  and  daughters  left  Tennessee  in  1830 
and  emigrated  westward  to  Macoupin  County,  III., 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was 
born  September  11,  1783,  and  died  April  5,  1853. 
In  politics  he  was  a  life-long  Democrat  and  in  rel- 
igious belief  was  a  Methodist. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pearson  were  married  in  1837, 
and  after  a  happy  wedded  life  of  eleven  years  the 
wife  was  called  to  her  final  rest.  At  her  death  she 
left  six  children,  two  of  whom  have  since  died, 
namely:  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Franklin  Johnson  and 
Elias  who  died  in  boyhood.  Rebecca  is  now  the 
wife  of  Edward  Iluddlestun,  a  resilient  of  Kansas 
City,  Mo.;  Martha  A.  is  the  widow  of  Nelson  Pope 
and  also  makes  her  home  in  Kansas  City;  Mary  is 
the  wife  of  Robert  Drury,  who  is  living  on  a  farm 
in  Brushy  Mound  Township;  .Tomes  M.,  who  mar- 
ried Susie  Rose,  is  the  youngest  of  the  family  and 
occupies  the  old  Pearson  homestead, 

The  mother  of  tnis  family  was  a  noble  woman 
and  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church.  For  a 
second  wife  Mr.  Pearson  wedded  Mrs  Rebecca 
(Gwin)  Little,  their  union  being  celebrated  in 
1859.  She  was  born  near  Nashville,  Tenn.,  Janu- 
ary 15,  1808.  and  is  a  sister  of  the  first  wife.  Soon 
after  her  father  came  to  this  State  she  was  married 
November  23,  1831,  to  William  Little,  the  mar- 
riage taking  place  in  Mt.  Vernon.  He  survived 
less  than  four  years,  dying  March  15,  1835,  in  this 
county,  in  the  prime  of  life.  Two  children  were 
born  of  that  marriage,  but  .Margaret,  wife  of  IIus- 


618 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ton  Mayberry,  is  now  deceased.  James,  the  son, 
follows  farming  in  Orgeon.  He  wedded  Hannah 
Fay,  who  is  now  deceased.  I'nto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pearson  was  born  a  daughter,  Tabitha,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  seven  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  followed  farming  on 
the  first  land  which  he  purchased  for  some  years, 
but  in  1850  removed  to  what  is  known  as  the  Pear- 
son homestead  on  section  3,  Gillespie  Township. 
His  land  he  soon  placed  under  the  plow  and  as  the 
result  of  his  industry  and  enterprise  his  farm  soon 
became  one  of  the  best  in  that  locality,  three  hund- 
red acres  of  highly  improved  land  paying  a  golden 
tribute  to  his  care  and  cultivation.  He  died  at 
the  old  home  on  March  27,  1890,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-four  years;  in  his  death  the  county  lost 
one  of  its  best  citizens,  his  neighbors  a  kind  friend 
and  his  family  a  loving  and  faithful  husband  and 
father.  Mrs.  Pearson  still  survives  her  husband 
and  is  one  of  those  old  ladies  whom  every  one 
loves  for  her  kindness,  charity  and  many  excel- 
lencies of  character.  She  is  a  sincere  Christian 
woman  and  a  faithful  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church. 


vi)  ONATIIAN  L.  WOOD.  The  late  Jonathan 
L.  Wood  had  many  acquaintances  in  this 
and  the  adjoining  counties,  as  he  had  lived 
here  for  many  years  and  was  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  Bunker  Hill  Township.  He  was  born  in 
Washington  County,  Tenn.,  January  18,  1803,  and 
was  past  two  years  old  when  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Kentucky.  Our  subject  was  a  son  of 
Thomas  and  Mary  (Bayless)  Wood  who  were  na- 
tives respectively  of  Virginia  and  probably  Ten- 
nessee or  North  Carolina.  He  grew  to  manhood 
there  and  learned  what  is  necessary  to  promote  the 
interests  of  an  agriculturist,  together  with  the 
principles  on  which  to  base  his  conduct.  He  also 
learned  the  trade  of  a  wagon-maker,  and  thus 
gained  a  thorough  equipment  for  tLe  battle  of  life. 
In  1829  he  came  to  this  State  with  a  cousin,  Thomas 
Wood,  and  in  March  of  that  year  located  in  Madi- 
son County,  and  in  a  short  time  was  engaged  as   a 


journeyman  in  Edwardsville.  He  followed  his  trade 
for  eight  years  and  later  learned  that  of  a  mill- 
wright under  "Boss"  Lincoln,  a  prominent  worker 
in  that  line.  He  was  in  the  employ  of  that  gentle- 
man eight  years,  during  which  period  they  put  up 
large  flouring  mills  at  Hillsboro,  Naples,  Beards- 
town,  Alton  and  other  places. 

As  early  as  1830  Mr.  Wood  entered  some  Gov- 
ernment land  in  Macoupin  County  and  he  finally 
turned  his  attention  to  farming  here.  The  house 
that  he  built  on  the  farm  and  his  first  habitation  is 
still  in  good  shape,  but  it  is  preserved  only  as  a 
land- mark  of  former  days.  Mr.  Wood  acquired  a 
good  property,  consisting  of  about  three  hundred 
acres,  most  of  which  he  himself  placed  under  im- 
provement. He  lived  here  honored  and  respected 
until  November  20,  1887,  when  he  was  called  from 
time  to  eternity.  When  the  Republican  party  was 
organized  he  was  in  sympathy  with  the  movement 
and  he  helped  to  organize  it  in  this  section,  going 
as  a  delegate  to  the  first  convention.  He  was 
always  opposed  to  any  form  of  human  slavery  and 
was  a  sincere  believei  in  the  rights  of  all  men  to 
"life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness."  He 
was  one  of  the  first  three  School  Trustees  in  Bunker 
Hill  Township  and  in  fact  was  one  who  organized 
this  d;vision  of  the  county.  His  religious  home 
was  in  the  Baptist  Church. 

In  Madison  County,  this  State,  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  Wood  and  Miss  Aurora  B.  Foster,  was  solemn- 
ized. The  bride  was  born  in  Maine,  September  5, 
181 1,  and  was  descended  from  an  old  Massachusetts 
family.  Her  parents  Oliver  and  Hannah  (Eldred) 
Foster  left  their  native  State  in  1818,  and  started 
west,  stopping  for  a  time  in  Pennsylvania  and 
thence  coming  down  the  Ohio  River  to  Shawnee- 
town,  where  the}*  landed  about  January  1,  1819. 
February  22  they  passed  Edwardsville  for  Alton 
and  in  1826  they  removed  out  on  a  farm  in  Madison 
County.  There  was  an  immense  amount  of  wild 
game  in  the  section,  in  which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Foster 
were  among  the  earliest  settlers.  They  lived  to  be 
very  aged  and  were  widely  known  as  the  oldest 
pioneers  of  Southern  Illinois,  having  outlived  all 
others  who  had  come  hither  as  early  as  they. 

Mrs.  Wood  was  carefully  reared,  and  having 
naturally  fine  trails  of  mind  and  character,  she  be- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


619 


came  a  noble  woman  and  for  well  nigh  half  a  cen- 
tury was  a  true  wife  to  lier  husband.  She  has  been 
devoted  to  her  children,  of  whom  she  has  two  liv- 
ing and  has  lost  three.  Oliver  P.  died  in  infancy, 
Hannah  M.  when  eight  years  old,  and  Fred  F.  was 
cut  down  in  early  manhood,  when  twenty-two 
years  old.  The  surviving  members  of  the  family 
are  Reuben  ().  and  Thomas  G.  They  are  partners 
in  business  and  occupy  the  undivided  homestead  in 
which  they  have  an  equal  interest.  Reuben  0. 
married  Jenny  Howell  of  Bunker  Hill  Township, 
but  has  no  children;  Thomas  G.  married  Margaret 
Rinker  of  Madison  County  and  they  have  four 
children — Hannah  M.  L.,  Fred  R.,  Edna  and  Inez. 
Mis.  Wood,  widow  of  our  subject,  is  living  in 
Wood  bum.  She  is  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church  and  has  many  warm  friends. 


BR  AH  AM  FREY,  who  is  now  acting  in 
the  capacity  of  County  Treasurer,  has  been 
variously  occupied  since  he  set  up  his 
home  in  this  part  of  America.  He  was 
born  in  the  village  of  Oggersheim  in  Bavaria, 
Germany,  August  8,  1833.  His  father,  Jacob 
Wilhelm  Frey.  was  born  in  Donnast  and  learned 
the  trade  of  a  bulcher,  which  he  followed  a  part  of 
each  year,  devoting  the  rest  of  his  time  to  farming. 
In  April,  1847,  he  took  passage  at  Manheim  on  a 
steamer  for  Havre  and  then  embarked  on  a  sail 
vessel,  landing  at  New  Orleans  after  an  ocean  voy- 
age of  sixty-two  ihxys.  He  was  accompanied  by 
his  wife  and  five  children,  the  eldest  being  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  From  New  Orleans  they  came 
up  to  St.  Louis,  where  the  mother  died  ten  days 
later.  The  father  came  to  Staunton,  this  count}-, 
and  leaving  his  children  in  care  of  their  maternal 
uncles,  Jacob  and  John  Hausam,  went  to  look  for 
work.  It  was  not  long  ere  he  fell  ill  and  died, 
leaving  his  children  orphaned  in  a  strange  land. 
Abraham  Frey  at  once  set  about  earning  his 
own  living  and  first  found  employment  on  a  farm 
at  $4  per  month.  He  spent  two  years  at  this  work 
and  then  began  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  harness- 
maker  and  served  an  apprenticeship  of  two   years 


and  a  half  in  Alton.  He  then  returned  to  farm- 
ing, at  which  he  worked  industriously  until  the 
war  began,  when  he  resumed  his  trade  in  Staunton. 
He  did  journey  work  two  years,  then  engaged  in 
business  for  himself  at  Gillespie,  which  was  his 
home  until  the  fall  of  1890.  Since  that  lime  he 
has  been  living  in  Carlinville,  to  which  place  his 
reputation  had  preceded  him. 

The  wife  of  Mr.  Frey  was  known  in  her  girlhood 
as  Armindy  Grant.  She  was  born  in  Madison 
County,  this  State,  in  1813,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  Grant,  who  is  numbered  among  the  pion- 
eers of  that  county.  She  entered  upon  the  duties 
of  wifehood  in  1864  and  has  been  faithful  to  the 
obligations  which  she  then  assumed.  Her  home 
has  been  brightened  by  the  presence  of  five  child- 
ren, whose  respective  names  are  Emma,  Edward, 
Charlie,  Lewis  and  David.  Mr.  Frey  belongs  to 
the  Democratic  party.  He  is  identified  with  Gill- 
espie Lodge,  No.  214,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  and  with 
Lodge,  No.  220,  I.  O.  O.  F.  His  thorough  honesty 
and  interest  in  the  financial  condition  of  the 
county  led  to  his  candidacy  for  County  Treasurer 
and  to  his  election  to  that  responsible  office. 


# 


ENRV  SNELL  is  one  of  the  sagacious, 
^  skillful  farmers  who  are  actively  helping  to 
carry  on  the  agricultural  interests  of  this 
county,  and  he  is  the  fortunate  proprietor 
of  a  fine  prairie  farm,  comprising  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  28,  Girard  Township.  In  Bethel 
Township,  Miami  County,  Ohio,  he  first  opened  his 
eyes  to  the  light  of  the  world  June  18,  1836,  in 
the  pioneer  log  house  that  was  the  home  of  his  par- 
ents, Jacob  and  Barbara  ( Harsh barger)  Snell.  His 
father,  who  was  born  in  Rockingham  County,  Va., 
in  1806,  was  reared  in  his  native  county,  and  there 
carried  on  his  trade  as  a  carpenter  in  connection 
with  farming  until  his  removal  in  1831  to  Ohio,  the 
journey  being  made  with  teams.  He  bought  a  tract 
of  land  in  Bethel  Township,  on  which  stood  a  log 
house,  in  which  he  and  his  family  took  up  their 
abode.  In  the  intervals  of  pursuing  his  trade  he 
gave    his    attention   to  improving  a  farm,  and  in- 


620 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


creased  its  size  by  the  purchase  of  land  adjoining. 
He  lived  there  in  peace  and  comfort,  respected  by 
all  who  knew  him,  until  death  called  him  hence  in 
1855  when  he  was  scarcely  past  the  meridian  of  life. 
His  wife,  who  was  a  native  of  the  same  county  as 
himself,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Eliza- 
beth Marshbarger,  also  died  on  the  home  farm,  her 
death  occurring  in  December,  1860.  The}'  reared  a 
family  of  five  children,  named  as  follows:  John, 
Elizabeth,  Henry  and  Susan  (twins)  and  Annie. 

Our  subject  began  to  assist  his  father  on  the  farm 
as  soon  as  he  could  make  himself  useful.  His  edu- 
cation was  conducted  in  the  local  public  schools. 
He  remained  with  his  parents  until  their  death,  and 
after  that  purchased  the  old  homestead,  which  he 
occupied  until  1804;  be  sold  it  then  and  bought  a 
mill  in  the  same  township,  which  he  operated  until 
1867.  In  that  year,  wishing  to  resume  fanning. 
and  feeling  satisfied  that  this  county  offered  him 
better  chances  of  profit  than  the  more  worn  soil  of 
his  native  State,  he  took  up  his  residence  in  North 
Otter  Township  on  a  farm  that  he  bought.  Eigh- 
teen months  later  he  sold  that  and  bought  the  place 
upon  which  he  has  since  lived  in  Girard  Township. 
Its  fields  and  pastures  are  very  fertile  and  are  un- 
der careful  cultivation,  while  substanial  buildings 
adorn  the  place,  which  bears  every  indication  of  a 
thrifty,  energetic  and  capable  manager  at  the  head 
of  affairs. 

December  it,  1858  Mr.  Snell  took  unto  himself  a 
wife  in  the  person  of  Miss  Amanda  Mayer,  a  na- 
tive of  Fairfield,  Greene  County,  Ohio,  born  No- 
vember 7,  184(1.  Her  father  was  David  Mayer, 
and  he  was  born  in  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  a  son  of 
Christian  Mayer,  who  was  a  life- long  resident  of 
Lancaster  County,  where  he  was  engaged  both  as  a 
blacksmith  and  a  farmer. 

David  Mayer  learned  the  trade  of  a  miller,  and 
in  the  early  settlement  of  Greene  County,  Ohio,  he 
went  there  to  carry  on  his  calling.  After  marriage 
he  rented  a  mill  at  Fairfield,  and  he  subsequently 
erected  a  brick  building,  in  which  he  conducted  the 
mercantile  business,  while  at  the  same  time  he 
operated  the  mill.  Thence  he  removed  to  Huffers- 
ville,  where  he  bought  a  mill,  in  which  he  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  for  years.  Finally 
he  sold  that  property  and  took  up  his  residence  in 


Miami  County,  and  bought  and  operated  a  mill 
there  the  ensuing  twelve  years.  In  1864  he  sold  all 
his  possessions  in  Ohio,  and  coming  to  Macoupin 
County,  invested  in  a  farm  in  North  Otter  Town- 
ship. There  his  attention  was  given  to  agricul- 
tural pursuits  until  death  closed  his  busy  life  April 
31,  1890. 

Mrs.  Snell's  mother's  maiden  name  was  Eliza 
Huffer,  and  she  was  a  native  of  Lancaster  County, 
Pa.  Her  father,  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Snell,  was  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  Greene  County,  Ohio,  the  local- 
ity where  he  settled  being  named  Huffersvillc  in 
his  honor.  He  purchased  an  extensive  tract  of  land 
there  and  improved  a  water  power  by  building  a 
woolen  mill,  a  saw  and  "list  mill  and  a  distillery. 
In  addition  to  carrying  on  these  varied  interests 
he  superintended  the  improvement  of  a  farm.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Elizabeth  Stoner,  and 
she  was  a  native  of  Lancaster  County,  Pa.  Both 
she  and  be?  husband  spent  their  last  years  in  Huf- 
fersvillc. Mrs.  Snell's  mother,  who  has  attained  a 
venerable  age,  occupies  the  home  farm  with  her  son 
John. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snell  have  five  children  living, 
whose  names  are  Anna  Mary,  Emma  L.,  John  F., 
Eliza  C.  and  Charles  H.  Our  subject  and  his  wife 
are  people  who  bear  themselves  sensihly  and  up- 
rightly in  their  intercourse  with  others,  and  arc 
always  ready  with  sympathy  and  practical  help  to 
aid  any  who  are  in  trouble,  and  are  valued  as 
neighbors  and  friends  in  their  community.  The 
German  Baptist  Brethren  Church  finds  in  them  de- 
voted members  and  true  disciples  of  its  faith. 


■  :-#•■::■•#-?■ — •*- 


j,  EMPSEY  N.  SOLOMON,  one  of  the  old- 
est settlers  of  the  county  now  living  in 
the  village  of  Palmyra,  was  born  in 
Muhlenberg  County,  Ky.,  January  11, 
His  father  Lewis  Solomon,  was  born  in 
Franklin  County,  N.  C,  in  1778,  and  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  who  also  bore  the  name 
of  Lewis,  was  a  revolutionary  soldier  in  North 
Carolina.     The  father    of  our  subject  was  reared 


1821. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


(5-21 


and  educated  in  his  native  county,  and  had  but 
scant  opportunities  for  an  education,  but  being  an 
excellent  scholar  with  a  special  aptitude  for 
mathematics,  made  unusual  progress  in  his  studies. 
He  resided  in  his  native  State  until  1813,  and  then 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  children,  emigrated 
to  Kentucky.  He  bought  a  tract  of  timber  Land 
upon  which  he  paid  part  cash,  but  on  account 
of  the  depreciation  of  currency,  he  lost  largely 
and  giving  up  his  property,  he  emigrated  to 
Illinois  in  1825,  making  the  entire  distance  of  land 
with  one  horse  attached  to  a  cart,  and  two  pack 
horses  (one  of  them  blind),  on  the  backs  of  which 
a  portion  of  the  household  goods  were  packed.  In 
this  way  they  made  the  entire  journey.  The  male 
members  of  the  family  who  were  old  enough, 
walked  the  entire  distance,  and  they  camped  by  the 
way. 

The  Solomon  family  arrived  at  Jacksonville, 
November  2,  and  found  it  a  village  of  one  frame 
house,  and  three  or  four  log  cabins.  Fifty  cents 
constituted  the  contents  of  the  family  exchequer. 
They  moved  into  a  vacant,  log  cabin  located  near 
where  the  Dunlap  House  now  stands.  It  had 
neither  floor  nor  door,  and  the  father  split  clap- 
boards and  made  them  a  door  which  he  hung  upon 
wooden  hinges,  and  also  hewed  out  puncheons  for 
the  floor.  The  land  surrounding  Jacksonville  was 
owned  by  the  Government  and  was  for  sale  at  $1.25 
per  acre;  but  as  Lewis  Solomon  did  not  have  the 
money,  he  could  not  buy.  In  the  spring  of  1826 
he  rented  a  tract  of  land  south  of  Jacksonville, 
and  lived  thereuntil  1827,  when  he  settled  in  what 
is  now  Macoupin  County,  North  Palmyra  Township. 
He  built  a  log  cabin  which  was  chinked  with  chips, 
daubed  with  mud  and  had  a  chimney  built  of  earth 
and  sticks.  No  sawed  lumber  was  used  in  the  con- 
struction  of  this  building.  The  floor  was  of  punch- 
eon, and  Mr.  Solomon  rived  the  boards  of  which 
the  door  was  made,  and  it  was  hung  on  wooden 
hinges.  The  clap-board  roof  was  held  in  place  by 
weight  poles. 

At  that  time  deer,  wolves,  bears  and  panthers 
were  to  be  found  here  the  former  being  abundant. 
For  years  there  was  no  railroad  and  the  people 
lived  on  the  products  of  their  farms.  Coffee  was 
a   luxury  which  could  be  partaken  of  only  on  Sun- 


day mornings.  The  mother  of  our  subject  used 
to  card  and  spin  and  his  sisters  worked  at  the 
loom,  and  thus  the  entire  family  was  clothed.  In 
the  course  of  time  Alton  became  quite  a  market, 
and  the  settlers  took  their  grain  there.  Hogs  were 
taken  to  St.  Louis  where  they  would  sell  at  11.50 
to  $3.00,  dressed  weight. 

As  improvements  came,  the  father  erected  a 
dwelling  house  which  was  weather-boarded,  and  in 
it  they  resided  until  his  death  in  1849.  He  was  a 
man  of  rare  good  judgment  and  common  sense, 
am!  at  that  period  in  the  history  of  the  county,  few 
men  possessed  more  business  ability  than  he.  His 
integrity  and  honesty  of  purpose  was  never  ques- 
tioned. He  was  an  active  and  useful  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church,  which  he  joined  under  the 
mistration  of  that  noble  man  and  eminent  pioneer 
divine.  Elder  Peck.  In  February  1849,  he  was 
called  to  part  with  his  wife  and  he  survived  bet- 
only  a  few  months,  when,  on  the  28th  of  July,  he 
passed  from  life  to  the  realms  of  eternal  rest.  The 
maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject  was 
Sarah  Bowden,  and  she  was  born  in  Franklin 
County,  N.  C,  being  the  daughter  of  John  Bow- 
den. Lewis  Solomon  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
Justice  of  the  Peace  soon  after  the  organization  of 
the  county  and  many  of  its  legal  documents  are 
signed  with  his  name. 

We  will  now  turn  to  the  more  direct  personal 
history  of  our  subject.  He  was  in  his  fifth  year 
when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Illinois,  and 
remembers  well  the  incidents  of  pioneer  life  here, 
especially  his  early  school  life,  which  was  in  one  of 
the  first  schools  ever  taught  in  this  part  of  the 
county.  It  was  taught  in  a  log  house  which  had 
no  window,  but  a  part  of  a  log  was  taken  out  on 
one  side  of  the  house  and  a  piece  of  board  was 
hung  over  the  opening  on  a  leather  hinge,  so  that 
it  could  be  raised  to  admit  light  whenever  the 
weather  was  favorable.  The  seats  were  made  of 
puncheons  and  had  no  desks  in  front. 

The  boy  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm  and  also 
learned  of  him  the  shoemaker's  trade.  After 
doing  a  days'  work  on  the  farm,  he  would  spend 
his  evenings  on  the  bench,  and  by  making  shoes  he 
earned  the  money  to  enter  the  first  tract  of  land 
he   ever   owned.     It  was   in  the  year  1839  that  he 


622 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


entered  this  land  which  was  located  on  section  20, 
North  Palmyra  Township.  Here  he  commenced 
to  work  when  lie  reached  his  majority  and  here  he 
settled  at  the  time  of  his  marriage.  After  a  year 
spent  upon  the  new  farm,  the  young  couple  re- 
turned to  the  old  home  to  care  for  the  parents. 
In  the  spring  of  1850  they  returned  to  their  own 
farm,  but  in  1854,  Mr.  Solomon  placed  it  in  the 
hands  of  a  tenant  and  moved  to  Cummington, 
now  a  part  of  Palmyra,  and  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business,  which  he  had  carried  on,  with  the 
exception  of  one  year,  up  to  the  present  day. 

In  the  spring  of  1855,  Mr.  Solomon  laid  out 
the  southern  part  of  the  village  of  Palmyra,  and 
during  the  same  year  opened  a  store,  the  first  one 
ever  started  in  Palmyra.  He  took  as  his  partner, 
.1.  F.  Nifong.  He  has  been  extensively  engaged  in 
farming  all  the  while  and  has  nearly  one  thousand 
acres  of  farming  and  pasture  land,  besides  his  town 
property.  On  the  4th  of  June,  184G,  he  was 
married  to  Elizabeth  C.  Newell,  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Ann  Newell.  This  lady  was  born  near 
Franklin,  Ky.,  and  has  the  following  children: 
Mary  J.,  wife  of  Z.  C.  Ridgway,  of  Palmyra; 
Sarah  A.,  wife  of  William  C.  Martin,  who  is  a 
partner  with  Mr.  Solomon  in  merchandising; 
George  W.,  Salome  F.,  who  married  Dr.  R.  M. 
Wilson,  of  Lincoln;  Charles  D. ;  Minnie  F.  wife 
of  Dr.  Marvell  Thomas  of  Gillespie,  and  Carrie 
Josephine  who  resides  at  home. 

The  political  record  of  Mr.  Solomon  begins  with 
his  vote  for  Martin  Van  Buren,  and  he  is  and 
always  has  been  a  Democrat.  During  the  late 
Civil  War,  he  was  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
Government,  and  assisted  in  raising  a  company  for 
the  suppression  of  the  Rebellion.  He  was  appoint- 
ed Assessor  for  the  county  in  1843,  and  soon  after 
was  elected  School  Director,  and  served  as  Super- 
visor several  terms  until  in  1878,  he  declined 
further  service  in  this  line.  He  served  as  School 
of  South  Palmyra  Township  for  twenty-two  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  Palmyra  Lodge  No.  463  F.  & 
A.  M.  and  joined  the  Masons  in  1849,  he  was  made 
a  Mason  at  the  Mount  Nebo  Lodge  No.  70.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Solomon  are  members  of  the  Christian 
Church  with  which  they  united  themselves  in  1867, 
and    their   oldest   daughter   belong    to   the    same 


church.  Our  subject  was  the  first  Postmaster  of 
Palmyra  and  served  in  this  capacity  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war.  The  social  success  of 
Mr  Solomon  is  the  natural  sequence  of  his  genial 
nature  and  the  prosperity  which  has  attended  his 
efforts  is  the  result  of  integrity  and  honesty  rather 
than  a  love  of  worldly  gain. 


^Y?OHN  C.  GIBBS,  an  active  and  progressive 
farmer  residing  on  section  23,  North  Pal- 
myra Township,  is  the  son  of  a  sturdy  and 
honorable  Englishman,  John  C.  Gibbs,  who 
was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  was  Mary  Ward,  who  was  born  in 
Yorkshire  and  married  in  her  native  count}'.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Gibbs  emigrated  to  Canada,  many  years 
ago  and  in  1835  settled  in  what  is  now  Scott 
County,  III.,  but  their  home  in  the  new  country  was 
not  to  be  long  undisturbed  as  the  father  was 
snatched  away  from  the  household,  leaving  his 
widow  with  four  children  to  rear  and  educate.  She 
was  a  faithful  and  judicious  mother  and  brought 
them  up  in  habits  of  industry,  economy  and  thrift, 
and  dying  in  Winchester,  this  State,  in  1872,  left 
them  the  inheritance  of  her  worthy  example. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  youngest  of 
this  household  and  was  born  in  Toronto,  Canada. 
January  28,  1835.  He  passed  the  early  years  of 
his  life  on  a  farm  until  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  • 
when  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  wagon  and  carriage 
maker,  at  which  he  served  for  three  years.  After 
completing  his  apprenticeship  he  worked  at  his 
trade  for  others  for  a  number  of  years,  and  then 
opened  a  shop  in  Milton,  Pike  County,  this  State. 
At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  this  young  man, 
not  enjoying  the  privilege  of  being  born  in  this 
land  of  freedom,  felt  that  he  must  fly  to  the  defense 
of  his  adopted  country ,and  enlisted  August  12,1862, 
in  Company  I,  Ninety-ninth  Illinois  Infantry, 
spending  about  three  years  in  the  service.  He  took 
part  in  the  battles  of  Hartsville,  Vicksburg,  Cham- 
pion Hill  and  other  important  engagements.  He 
was  slightly  wounded  at  Vicksburg  in  the  neck 
and  at  another  time  was  seriously  wounded  in   the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


623 


left  foot.  Upon  being  discharged  from  the  army  he 
returned  to  Winchester  and  for  a  short  time  fol- 
owed  his  trade, but  he  had  decided  to  take  an  interest 
in  agricultural  affairs  and  engaged  a  farm  in  Scott 
Count}-  upon  which  he  resided  until  186'.». 

Since  that  time  Mr.  Gibbs  has  been  a  resident  cf 
North  Palmyra  Township,  and  has  followed  farm- 
ing, making  himself  a  successful  and  thorough  agri- 
culturist. He  owns  about  two  hundred  acres, 
upon  which  he  has  made  improvements.  He  was 
married  in  North  Palmyra  Township,  March  12i 
1871,  his  wife  being  Mary  M.  O'Neal,  a  daughter  of 
Lewis  L.  and  Elizabeth  (Crum)  O'Neal.  Mr. 
O'Neal  was  born  in  Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  and  his 
wife  was  a  native  of  Clark  County,  InL  After 
their  marriage  in  Morgan  County,  III.,  they  resided 
there  for  a  few  months  only  and  then  settled  in 
North  Palmyra  Township,  where  they  lived  until 
his  death,  March  23,  1854.  They  had  six  children, 
of  whom  Mrs.  Gibbs  is  the  third  in  order  of  age. 
She  was  born  in  North  Palmyra  Township,  Decem- 
ber 20,  1842. 

Two  children  only  came  to  bless  the  home  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Gibbs:  James  M.  and  a  little  one  who  died 
in  infancy.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  an  active 
and  useful  member  of  society  and  he  has  efficiently 
filled  the  office  of  School  Director.  He  and  his 
valuable  wife  are  both  earnest  and  active  Christ- 
ians, he  being  connected  with  the  Christian  Church 
and  his  wife  with  the  Presbyterian  body.  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  O'Neal  who  is  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Gibbs, 
will  be  written  of  more  fully  elsewhere  in  this 
volume. 


dps^  AMUEL  J.  HAYS.     The  owner  and  resi- 
^jj£     dent  of  the  farm   located  on   section   34, 
\/Ji)  North  Otter  Township,  is  he  whose  name  is 
above.     His   father  was  Samuel  Hays,  who 
was  born   in   Martin   County,  Ind.,  July   5,  1812. 
He  continued  to  live  in  his  native  State  and  county 
until  he  arrived  at  nineteen   years  of  age,  when  he 
removed  to  Macoupin    County,    being   one  of  the 
early  settlers  in  the  State.     At   that  time  the  peo- 
ple in  Illinois  were  scattered  and   the  present  me- 
tropolis of  the  State   was  only  an  airy  figment  in 


the  brains  of  traders  who  passed  through  the  coun- 
try along  the  lake. 

While  yet  a  young  man  Samuel  Hays  look  to 
himself  a  wife  from  among  the  maidens  in  his 
adopted  State.  His  wife's  name  was  Rebecca  (Mo- 
len)  Bond.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Aquiila  Molen, 
of  Kentucky,  and  the  widow  of  .Joel  Bond.  Mrs. 
Hays  was  born  in  Virginia,  March  11,  1807.  Af- 
ter their  marriage  they  settled  in  South  Otter 
Township,  but  removed  to  No'-th  Otter  Township 
in  the  fall  of  1848,  where  they  have  since  resided. 
Mrs.  Hays  died  early  in  October,  1887.  They 
had  four  children,  three  sons  and  one  daughter. 
Our  subject  was  the  third  child.  His  birthplace  was 
South  Otter  Township,  and  his  natal  day,  Novem- 
ber 10,  1845.  The  years  that  intervened  between 
his  coming  into  the  world  and  the  time  he  reached 
his  majority  were  passed  as  were  the  days  of  the 
average  pioneer  settler.  He  lived  with  his  parents 
until  he  was  married. 

Our  subject  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade,  but 
farming  has  been  his  chief  occupation  and  his  at- 
tention has  been  almost  exclusively  devoted  to  the 
improvement  and  culture  of  the  one  hundred  and 
fifty -eight  acres  that  his  farm  on  section  34  includes. 
He  was  married  in  Carlinville,  March  24,  1864,  to 
Miss  Ellen  F.  Shores.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Jon- 
athan and  Marinda  (Jennings)  Shores.  Her  pa- 
rents came  from  Tennessee  and  settled  in  Macoupin 
County  about  1859,  selecting  North  Otter  Town- 
ship as  the  place  of  their  abode.  There  the  mother 
died;  the  father  passed  away  in  Marion  County, 
this  State. 

Mrs.  Ellen  F.  Hays  was  born  in  Wilson 
County,  Tenn.,  January  4,  1847.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hays  are  the  parents  of  ten  children.  The  eldest 
died  in  infancy;  Mary  E.,  is  the  wife  of  James 
Swift;  Eli  married  Miss  N.  Seymour;  the  fourth 
Child  died  in  infancy;  Thomas  J.  died  at  the  age 
of  nineteen;  Charles  E.  and  William  E.,  were  twins, 
the  former  dying  in  infancy;  the  next  child  also 
died  in  infancy;  the  two  youngest  are  George  E. 
and  Her  by  H.  Mrs.  Ellen  F.  Hays  died  in  North 
Otter  Township  April  18,  1888,  having  filled  the 
sacred  office  of  wife  and  mother  most  graciously 
and  having  been  an  example  of  patience  and  un- 
selfishness to  her  friends. 


624 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mr.  Hays  was  again  married*  January  G,  1889. 
His  second  wife  was  Miss  Marinda  M.  Lowdermilk, 
a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Sarah  (Bentley)  Lowder- 
milk. Mrs.  Marinda  M.  Hays  was  born  in  Ten- 
nessee, May  3,  1847.  One  child  has  been  the  out- 
come of  this  union— Albert  Ray.  The  present 
Mrs.  Hays  has  conscientiously  and  lovingly  taken 
the  place  of  mother  to  the  children  that  were  lie- 
reft  of  their  maternal  parent 

Mr.  Hays  lakes  an  active  interest  in  political 
affairs  and  is  a  follower  of  the  Democratic  party, 
finding  its  platform  consonant  with  his  own  ideas 
of  equity  and  justice.  Under  iiis  party  he  has  held 
several  minor  offices,  having  been  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  fourteen  consecutive  years,  lie  also  has 
been  Highway  Commissioner  for  six  years  and  has 
satisfactorily  discharged  the  duties  of  School  Trus- 
tee and  Director.  Our  subject  with  his  wife1  is  a 
member  of  the  Missionary  Baptist  Church.  He 
was  the  first  ordained  Deacon  of  the  Union  Baptist 
Church  in  North  Otter  Township  and  has  been 
Clerk  of  that  body  ever  since  its  organization. 


^E 


EN 


f,^  INVENT  SMITH,  who  for  many  years  fol- 
lowed general  farming,  but  is  now  living  a 
retired  life,  is  the  owner  of  a  pleasant  home 
and  valuable  property  situated  on  section  14,  Bun- 
ker Hill  Township.  He  was  born  in  the  city  of 
London,  England.  June  7,  1808,  and  is  the  only 
child  of  Vincent  and  Hannah  (Ridgley)  Smith. 
The  family  is  only  three  generations  removed  from 
the  crown,  and  upon  their  coat  of  arms  is  inscribed 
the  stag  and  seven  stars.  An  uncle  of  our  subject 
was  Lord  Mayor  of  London  for  some  years,  and 
other  prominent  positions  have  been  filled  by  his 
relatives.  The  father  of  our  subject  died  when 
the  latter  was  only  three  years  of  age,  after  which 
the  mother  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America  in 
1816,  sailing  from  Bristol  to  Boston,  Mass.,  whence 
she  afterward  removed  to  Baltimore,  Md.,  where 
her  death  occurred  in  the  prime  of  life  about  two 
years  later.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Episcopal  Church. 

After  the  death  of  his  mother,  Mr.  Smith  lived 


with  an  uncle  in  Maryland  for  some  years,  during 
which  time  he  arrived  at  man's  estate.  Shortly  af- 
terward he  started  out  to  seek  his  fortune,  and 
went  to  Yellow  Springs,  Ohio,  where  he  spent  a 
few  years.  He  then  came  to  Illinois,  locating  in 
Warren  County',  and  a  short  distance  from  Mon- 
mouth, developed  a  good  farm.  It  was  during  his 
residence  in  that  county  that  on  the  25th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1840,  Mr.  Smith  led  to  the  marriage  altar 
Miss  Rhoda  Bird,  who  was  born  December  19,  1824, 
in  Massachusetts,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Lemuel  and 
Rhoda  (Ridgley)  Bird.  Her  father  was  a  native  of 
Dorchester,  Mass.,  but  her  mother  was  born  in  Will- 
shire,  England,  and  when  sixteen  years  of  age  came 
to  America  with  her  parents,  Thomas  and  (Cross) 
Ridgley.  who  were  also  natives  of  Wiltshire.  They 
embarked  from  Bristol  upon  a  sailing-vessel,  and 
after  eight  weeks  reached  Boston.  They  settled  in 
Medford,  where  later  Miss  Ridgley  gave  her  hand 
in  marriage  to  Mr.  Bird.  With  her  husband  and 
ber  parents  she  came  West.  Her  father  died  in  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years,  and 
Mrs.  Ridgley  spent  her  last  days  in  Warren  County, 
dying  when  well  advanced  in  years,  being  seventy- 
four  years  old.  This  worthy  couple  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  were  highly 
respected  people.  From  Warren  County,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bird  came  to  Macoupin  County,  where  the 
former  died  at  the  home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Smith,  in  1870,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years. 
His  wife  also  dying  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  Smith, 
aged  ninety-two  years,  three  months  and  three  days. 
She  was  wonderfully  preserved  for  a  person  of  her 
a^e,  being  as  bright  and  active  as  she  was  when  in 
the  prime  of  life.  Her  eyesight  had  never  failed 
her  in  the  least,  and  she  yet  had  perfect  use  of  all 
her  faculties.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church,  to  which  Mr.  Bird  also  belonged. 
Her  father  was  an  Episcopalian  in  religion,  but  at 
the  time  of  the  persecution  of  the  Wesleyans  in 
England,  he  became  a  Methodist,  and  erected  a 
church  upon  his  farm,  which  church  is  still  stand- 
ing. He  had  eleven  children,  as  follows:  George, 
John,  Thomas,  Rhoda,  William  Stephen,  Robert, 
Eliza  and  Richard,  and  three  died  in  infancy. 

Our  subject  and  his  wife   began   their  domestic 
life  in  Warren  County,  whence  they  came  to  Ma- 


IfBRARY 
Of  THE 
WW*" 


:> 


(PwUn  J^jjUU^t 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


G27 


coupin  County,  and  upon  their  present  farm  they 
have  now  resided  for  forty  years.  Unto  them  have 
been  born  twelve  children,  but  six  of  that  number 
arc  now  deceased  :  Ella  M.,  Lucy  and  Anna,  died 
in  childhood;  Cluilus,  Hattie  and  Mary,  all  died 
after  they  bad  attained  to  mature  years;  Mary 
E.  became  the  wife  of  Henry  Parker,  and  died  live 
months  after  her  marriage;  Stephen,  the  eldest  of 
the  surviving  children,  is  extensively  engaged  in 
farming  in  Franklin,  Iowa;  Haney  V,  is  at  home; 
Hannah  is  the  wife  of  John  Boswell,  a  farmer  of 
Sliipman,  III.;  Katie  E.  is  living  with  an  uncle  in 
St.  Louis,  Mo.;  Lemuel  B.  is  now  in  Monmouth; 
and  Edward  L.,  who  completes  the  family  is  at 
home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  and  their  children  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  take  a 
prominent  part  in  the  work  and  in  its  upbuilding. 
He  has  served  as  Steward,  Trustee  and  Class- Leader. 
A  warm  friend  of  temperance,  lie  supports  the 
party  which  has  taken  a  pronounced  stand  in  its 
favor,  and  votes  with  the  Prohibitionists.  True  to 
his  convictions  of  right  and  wrong,  he  has  lived  so 
that  the  confidence  of  the  community  is  accorded 
him  and  he  has  won  the  good  will  and  good  wishes 
of  his  many  acquaintances  and  friends. 

ETER  KEPLINGER.  Among  the  old  resi- 
dents and  worthy  citizens  of  Honey  Point 
Township  is  Peter  Keplinger,  who  was  born 
in  Washington  Count}-,  Tenn.,  August  7, 
His  grandfather,  Jacob,  removed  to  that 
county  from  Pennsylvania,  and  buying  timber  land 
for  a  farm  became  a  pioneer  and  resided  in  Tenne- 
ssee until  his  death.  lie  had  a  son  John  who  came 
to  Illinois  with  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Rubel,  to  whom 
he  was  united  in  marriage  December  18,  180(5,  and 
with  them  they  brought  their  nine  children.  They 
came  overland  with  five  horses  attached  to  one 
wagon  and  four  horses  to  another,  and  in  addition 
had  a  one-horse  gig.  They  journeyed  slowly, 
camping  out  on  the  way  and  after  several  weeks 
arrived  in  Morgan  County. 

John  and  Elizabeth  Keplinger   were  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  of  whom  our  subject  was  fifth  in 


1815. 


the  order  of  birth.  He  was  fifteen  years  old  when 
he  came  to  Illinois,  and  he  bad  enjoyed  but  scant 
opportunities  for  obtaining  an  education  and  school 
advantages  were  still  poorer  in  the  new  home.  The 
family  spent  some  time  in  Morgan  County  and  then 
came  to  a  point  near  Jacksonville.  The  settlers 
gathered  around  the  edges  of  the  timber,  reserving 
the  prairie  for  grazing  purposes,  as  it  was  not  then 
known  that  the  prairie  land  was  good  for  farming. 
Peter  Keplinger  remained  at  home  and  worked  for 
his  father  until  he  was  twenty-one  and  then  began 
life  on  his  own  account. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  to  Miss  Sarah  E. 
Harris  was  celebrated  February  28,  1889.  She  was 
also  a  native  of  East  Tennessee,  being  born  in  Eliza- 
bethtown,  Carter  County,  May  10,  1820.  Her 
father,  Benjamin  Harris,  was  a  native  of  Maryland 
and  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812.  Her  mother, 
Mary  Ragan,  was  a  Virginian,  whose  father,  Jere- 
miah Ragan,  had  been  one  of  the  Revolutionary 
heroes.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keplinger  bad  brothers 
who  served  in  the  Black  Hawk  War.  Primitive 
housekeeping  was  "all  the  rage"  in  those  days  and 
homemade  furniture  was  most  popular.  By  indus- 
try and  economy  the  young  couple  gathered  to- 
gether enough  money  to  purchase  some  land.  Upon 
it  they  moved  in  the  fall  of  1843,  put  up  a  little 
log  house  and  began  breaking  the  land 

The  nearest  market  in  those  days  was  Alton,  and 
to  this  place  Mr.  Keplinger  hauled  bis  wheal  and 
oats,  selling  the  former  for  forty  cents,  and  the  lat- 
ter for  ten  cents  a  bushel.  Flouring  mills  were 
scarce,  the  nearest,  one  being  at  Edwardsville. 
There  was  a  rude  kind  of  borre  mill  which  was 
nearer  but  it  turned  out  a  black  looking  substance 
which  no  housewife  uow-a-days  would  think  of 
making  into  bread.  Our  subject  has  braved  the 
hardships  of  a  pioneer  life,  and  has  lived  to  seethe 
country  dotted  over  with  farm  houses  of  architect- 
ural beauty,  to  see  first-class  [louring  mills  in  every 
town  in  the  county,  and  to  find  a  good  home  mar- 
ket for  every  kind  of  farm  produce.  His  first  log 
house  was  of  crude  material  and  structure  and  he 
rived  boards  to  cover  its  roof. 

Money  was  very  scarce  then  anil  almost  every- 
thing had  to  be  obtained  by  barter.  Just  before 
coming  to  the    new    home  he    had    sold  a    pair  of 


028 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


three-year- old  steers  for  $7.50  each,  and  when  a  man 
offered  to  go  to  a  sawmill  to  get  boards  which  Mr. 
Keplinger  needed  he  pulled  out  his  pocket  book 
and  the  neighbors  were  astonished  at  the  sight 
of  $15.00.  Such  a  large  amount  of  ready  cash 
was  notable  indeed,  and  he  was  called  the  moneyed 
man  of  the  neighborhood.  At  one  time  a  brother- 
in-law  was  hard  beset  to  raise  the  money  to  pay  his 
taxes.  He  had  grain  but  there  was  no  sale  for  that 
in  the  neighborhood.  He  finally  traded  some  oats 
for  pigs  which  he  was  able  to  dispose  of  to  Mr. 
Keplinger  for  cash  and  thus  obtained  the  where- 
withal to  pay  his  taxes.  For  many  years  the  peo- 
ple lived  almost  entirely  upon  the  products  of 
their  farms  and  the  women  spun  and  wove  and 
made  all  the  cloth  that  was  used  in   the    family. 

Mr.  Keplinger  lost  by  death  the  wife  of  his  youth 
August  30,  1887.  His  second  marriage  took  place 
March  1,  1888,  when  he  was  united  witli  Mrs.  Par- 
thena  (Clark)  Crowder.  She  was  born  in  Randolph 
County.  N.  C,  June  3,  1826,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Johnson)  Clark.  Mrs. 
Keplinger's  paternal  grandfather,  Robert  John- 
son, was  a  farmer  and  carpenter  who  removed 
from  North  Carolina  to  Tennessee  anil  there  pur- 
chased a  farm  upon  which  he  spent  his  last  years. 
Mr.  Clark  died  in  1827,  leaving  his  widow  with  a 
family  of  small  children.  She  removed  to  Knox 
County,  Tenn.,  and  died  there  in  1839.  These 
doubly  orphaned  children  bravely  kept  together 
until  all  were  grown,  when  they  secured  for  them- 
selves homes  of  their  own  and  entered  successf  ully 
upon  life's  duties.  Mrs.  Keplinger  early  learned 
to  spin  and  weave  flax,  cotton  tow  and  wool,  and 
for  many  years  all  the  cloth  used  in  the  famil}-  was 
made  by  herself  and  her  sisters.  In  1850  the  fam- 
ily removed  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Macoupin 
County,  where  she  resided  with  her  brothers  until 
her  marriage  in  1854  to  Mr.  Mark  Crowder. 

That  gentleman  was  one  of  the  thoroughly  self- 
made  men  of  Carlinville,  who  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen started  out  in  life  for  himself,  determined  to 
have  a  thorough  education.  After  attending  the 
common  schools  lie  entered  Shurtleff  College  at 
Upper  Alton.  He  attended  here  for  four  years, 
maintaining  himself  by  working  at  the  coopers' 
trade  during  vacations.     For  years  he  followed  the 


profession  of  teaching  and  was  afterward  Assessor 
of  Macoupin  County.  He  was  a  private  in  Com- 
pany A,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-second  Illi- 
nois Regiment.  He  was  wounded  in  the  thigh 
at  the  battle  of  Parker's  Cross  Road,  and 
being  disabled  from  further  duty,  was  discharged 
February  3,  1864.  After  returning  home  he  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  business  and  was  then  elected 
City  Marshal.  Parthena  C.  Clark  was  his  second 
wife  and  she  bore  him  four  children,  all  of  whom 
have  passed  away. 

Peter  Keplinger  has  two  children  living:  James 
T.  and  Sarah  Ellen.  The  son  married  Sarah  Entri- 
can  and  has  seven  children :  Etfie,  William,  Peter, 
Luther,  Clara,  Mabel  and  Millie.  The  daughter  is 
the  wife  of  Luther  J.  Wilder,  and  has  five  children  : 
Meldrum,  Newton,  Ethel,  Earl,  and  Pearl,  the  last 
two  being  twins.  James  T.  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Thirtieth  Illinois  Infantry  and  was  with  Sherman 
in  his  celebrated  march  "from  Atlanta  to  the  Sea". 
Another  son,  John,  served  in  the  First  Marine 
Brigade  of  Illinois  Volunteers.  After  one  year's 
service  he  was  taken  down  with  the  consumption. 
His  father  brought  him  home  from  the  hospital  and 
sent  him  to  Minnesota  hoping  that  this  would  re- 
store his  health,  but  all  was  in  vain.  While  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Keplinger  were  living  in  Morgan  County 
they  became  connected  with  the  Methodist  Church 
and  now  belong  to  the  church  in  Carlinville.  The 
main  elements  that  have  entered  into  Mr.  Keplin- 
ger's success  are  untiring  energy  and  industry. 
His  character  has  never  been  tarnished  by  any  acts 
of  dishonesty  and  he  bears  a  reputation  of  strict  in- 
tegrity. He  has  contributed  largely  to  the  progress 
and  growth  of  the  county,  and  as  such  a  man  we 
are  pleased  to  record  his  name  and  present  his  por- 
trait to  our  readers. 


*   .>jf^<.   <■ 


iRGE  KLAUS.  The  name  that  heads 
sketch  is  that  of  an  estimable,  German- 

merican  townsman  who,  though  deceased, 
still  lives  in  the  deeds  that  redound  to  his  honor 
and  credit.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the 
proprietor  of  a  farm  located  in  Nilwood  Township. 


^p^EOR< 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


G29 


Since  his  decease  his  son  and  namesake,  George 
Klaus,  has  operated  the  farm  in  the  interest  of  the 
widow,  and  so  well  has  the  young  man  sustained 
the  methods  employed  by  his  father  in  the  manage- 
ment and  arrangement  of  their  agricultural  inter- 
ests that  there  is  no  perceptible  difference  in  the 
productions  thereof. 

Our  subject  was  a  native  of  Alsace,  Germany, 
He  came  to  America  about  1853  and  lirst  located 
in  Louisville,  Ky.,  where  he  remained  about  two 
years  and  then  came  to  Springfield,  111.,  where  he 
followed  his  trade,  which  was  that  of  a  shoemaker. 
This  trade  he  had  learned  in  the  old  country  and 
until  the  time  of  his  emigration  hither  had  em- 
ployed it  there  to  gain  his  daily  bread.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Springfield  to  Theresa  Netz,  in  1855.  The 
lady  is  a  native  of  Baden,  Germany.  After  their 
marriage  they  settled  in  Auburn,  this  State,  where 
our  subject  worked  at  his  trade  two  years  and  then 
came  to  Nilwood  again  following  his  trade  for  five 
years.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to  farming, 
which  calling  he  pursued  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  Nilwood  Township  in 
1884. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Klaus  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children  whose  names  are  as  follows:  Charles; 
George  was  married  February  22,  1891,  to  Miss 
Lena  Bheme  and  lives  in  Nilwood  Township; 
Emma,  Kate,  Mary,  Frank,  William,  Walter  and 
Albert.  The  father  with  characteristic  German 
thrift,  built  a  comfortable  and  cozj'  home  upon  his 
farm,  which  comprised  at  the  time  of  his  death 
two  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  Most  of  the  children 
have  arrived  at  years  of  maturity  and  have  gone 
out  into  the  world  to  battle  for  themselves.  Charles 
took  to  wife  Miss  Emma  Keune  and  is  a  resident 
of  Nilwood  Township;  Emma  is  the  wife  of  Fer- 
nando Winter,  a  son  of  Fernando  Winter,  of  Car- 
linville  Township  and  is  a  resident  of  South  Otter 
Township;  Mary  is  the  wife  of  William  S.  Talley, 
and  is  also  a  resilient  of  Nilwood  Township. 

The  widow  of  our  subject  was  the  loving  help- 
mate and  co-worker  of  her  husband,  gifted  with  a 
strong  physical  constitution  and  having  clear  and 
bright  perceptions.  Her  opinions  and  estimates 
were  seldom  in  error,  and  she  has  been  by  her 
economy  and  prudence  one  of  the  main  sources  of 


Mr.  Klaus' success  in  life.  She  is,  as  she  should  be. 
still  the  head  of  the  family,  and  her  sons  and 
daughters,  who  have  a  sincere  affection  and  pride 
in  their  mother,  may  well  look  back  upon  the  paren- 
tal care  that  she  has  bestowed  upon  them  and 
call  her  blessed. 

- g-njH-S-- — 


KY.    LEBIN     L.   HARLAN    is    one    of    the 

pioneers  of  1840,  at  which  date  he  emi- 
M\\  grated  from  the  Blue  Grass  State  and  lo- 
cated at  Carlinville.  He  was  born  in  Barron 
County,  Ky.,  now  Monroe,  March  19,  1812,  being 
a  son  of  the  Rev.  George  B.  and  Mary  Ann 
(Kelly)  Harlan.  The  parents  were  unlives  of  Vir- 
ginia. The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject 
was  John  Harlan,  whose  early  life  was  spent  in 
Maryland,  and  who,  after  some  years'  residence 
in  Virginia,  became  one  of  the  early  settlers  in 
Kentucky. 

The  subject  of  these  paragraphs  was  reared  on 
a  farm  and  obtained  such  an  education  as  the 
schools  of  the  neighborhood  afforded  opportunity 
for.  In  1830  he  married  Elizabeth  Smith,  a  na- 
tive of  Kentucky,  who  shared  his  fortunes  until 
1866,  when  she  bade  adieu  to  the  scenes  of  time 
and  sense  and  entered  into  rest.  She  had  had  ten 
children,  three  born  in  Kentucky  and  the  others  in 
this  State.  Eight  of  the  sons  and  daughters  lived 
to  years  of  maturity,  and  of  them  we  note  the 
following:  George  died  in  Chesterfield;  Margaret 
Huldah  married  Samuel  Cramer  and  now  resides 
at  Taylorville;  William  died  near  Chesterfield; 
Mary,  who  was  a  teacher  for  many  years,  breathed 
her  last  in  this  neighborhood;  Sarah  married  Jo- 
siah  Harlin  and  died  in  this  county  ;  Harriet,  who 
became  the  wife  of  -lames  Marshall,  died  in  Ohio; 
John  F.  lives  on  a  farm  in  Chesterfield  Town- 
ship; Alice  married  .lames  H.  Christopher  and 
lives  near  Morrisville.  Mr.  Harlan  was  a  second 
time  married  in  1869,  his  bride  being  Mrs.  Sarah 
Nix,  nee  Smith,  who  died  ten  years  after  their 
union. 

When    Mr.  Harlan  came    to    this   county    he   lo- 
cated in  Carlinville  and  for  a   time  sold  goods,  but 


G30 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Inter  engaged  in  farming.  At  a  still  later  period 
he  was  engaged  in  the  sale  of  merchandise  at  Ches- 
terfield, but  for  a  short  time  only.  He  bought  a 
farm  in  Chesterfield  Township  and  made  all  the 
improvements.  It  consisted  of  two  hundred  acres, 
and  Mr.  Harlan  still  owns  one  hundred  and  twenty, 
on  which  his  son  John  resides.  Ho  also  has  prop- 
erty in  the  village  of  Chesterfield,  ami,  having  re- 
tired from  active  life,  he  makes  his  home  in  the 
village. 

Like  his  father  before  him,  the  Rev.  L.  L.  Har- 
lan is  an  earnest  Methodist,  and  since  1810  he  has 
preached  the  Gospel.  His  labors  have  chiefly 
been  as  a  local  preacher,  but  for  a  few  years  he 
was  an  itinerant  in  Christian  County.  All  the 
members  of  the  family  belong  lo  the  same  church 
as  himself.  He  is  a  faithful  publisher  of  Qospel 
Tidings  and  by  his  example  as  well  as  his  pre- 
cepts he  inculcates  a  faith  in  Christianity  that 
has  an  important  bearing  on  society.  He  was 
reared  to  believe  in  the  principles  of  the  Whig 
party  and  cast  his  first  ballot  for  Henry  Clay. 
When  there  seemed  no  further  use  for  the  old 
element,  new  issues  having  arisen,  he  was  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  Republican  party  in  that  sec- 
tion of  the  country  in  which  he  lived.  He  is  a 
friend  of  prohibition  and  a  strong  advocate  of 
temperance  principles.  His  upright  and  active 
life  entitles  him  to  respect,  and  his  usefulness  dur- 
ing half  a  century  in  this  county  is  unquestioned 
by   its   people. 


-♦-■3»v*- 


ENRY  D.    O'NEIL,    Sheriff    of    Macoupin 
County,  is  an  able  and  trustworthy  official , 


veil-adapted  in  every  respect  for  his  pres- 
ent position.  He  is  a  native  of  Carlinville, 
born  April  6,  1856,  and  is  the  son  of  the  late  John 
O'Neil.  a  former  respected  citizen  of  this  county. 
The  father  is  a  native  of  the  Southern  part  of  Ire- 
land, and  was  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Rose  O'Neil 
who  were  both  born  in  the  same  county  as  himself, 
and  spent  their  entire  lives  there. 

When  a  young  man  John  O'Neil  came  to  Amer- 
ica in   search    of    fortune's    favors    denied   him  at 


home.  The  father  of  our  subject  located  in  Penn- 
sylvania after  his  arrival  in  this  country,  and  was 
employed  in  the  construction  of  the  Reading  Rail- 
road. At  Catawissa  he  met  and  married  Miss  Nancy 
Klingeman,  a  native  of  Columbia  County,  Pa.,  and 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Lucy  Klingeman,  who 
were  born  in  the  Keystone  State,  and  wrere  of  Ger- 
man antecedents.  In  1852  he  came  to  Carlinville, 
and  was  the  first  section  foreman  here  on  the  Chi- 
cago &  Alton  Railway.  He  was  a  man  of  very  in- 
dustrious habits,  and  as  he  was  ambitious  to  secure 
a  home,  he  carefully  saved  his  money,  and  in  1861 
had  enough  to  buy  a  tract  of  wild  land  near  Ship- 
man,  upon  which  he  built,  and  he  developed  a 
good  farm  in  the  busy  years  that  ensued.  He  re- 
sided there  until  death  closed  his  useful  life  June 
30,  1879.  His  good  wife  survived  him  until  July 
2,  1881,  when  she  too  passed  away.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  named  as  follows:  Mary, 
Jobn,  James,  Annie,  Hugh,  Owen,  Henry  1).  and 
Stephen  A.  I).  The  family  was  well  represented  in 
the  late  war  by  John  and  James,  the  former  serv- 
ing in  the  Fourteenth  Illinois  Infantry  and  the 
latter  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-fourth  Ill- 
inois Infantry. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  remained  an  inmate  of 
the  parental  home  until  he  was  twenty-one  years 
old,  and  then  took  up  his  residence  at  Shipman 
where  he  remained  until  the  fall  of  1890.  During 
the  last  ten  years  that  he  lived  there  he  was  pros- 
perously engaged  in  the  livery  business.  In  his 
official  position  he  has  shown  himself  eminently 
worthy  of  the  trust  imposed  upon  him  by  his  fel- 
low-citizens when  they  selected  him  for  this  impor- 
tant place,  as  he  discharges  its  duties  promptly, 
without  fear  or  favor,  and  is  potent  in  preserving 
law  and  order  within  his  jurisdiction. 

To  the  Jady  who  presides  over  his  hospitable 
home  Mr.  O'Neil  was  married  February  24,  1879. 
Mrs.  O'Neil  was  formerly  Miss  Mary  A.  Garvey. 
She  is  a  native  of  Dubuque,  Iowa,  and  a  daughter 
of  Patrick  and  Bridget  Garvey,  natives  of  Ireland. 
Her  pleasant  wedded  life  with  our  subject  has  been 
hlessed  to  them  by  the  birth  of  these  three  chil- 
dren— Maggie,  John  and  Edward.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
O'Neil  are  members  in  high  standing  of  the  Catho- 
lic Church  at  Shipman.     They  stand  well  in  social 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


631 


tiieles,  ami  have  many  warm  friends,  as  they  pos- 
sess in  a  full  degree  those  traits  of  character  that 
indicate  true  natures  ami  com  maud  regard  and  con- 
fidence. 


'JE^fr 


i— -j  RANK  K.  WEIDNER,  a  successful  and  gen- 
|— to   eral    farmer  on    section    30,  of    Gillespie 

/l[  Township,  owns  one  hundred  acres  and 
operates  an  additional  one  hundred.  He  has  lived 
on  this  farm  since  the  spring  of  1884  and  has  in  it 
one  of  the  most  substantial  places  in  this  section  of 
the  country.  He  has  lived  in  this  county  since 
1872,  coming  here  at  that  time  from  Jersey 
County,  where  he  was  born  August  12,  18."p7. 

John  G.  Weidner,  the  father  of  our  subject,  came 
as  a  single  man  from  his  Fatherland,  Germany,  to 
the  United  Slates  in  1852.  He  settled  in  Jersey 
County,  this  Stale,  and  there  married  Miss  Cliris- 
mothy  Lippoldt,  who  came  from  Germany  when 
she  was  a  young  woman.  After  John  G.  Weidner 
and  his  wife  had  improved  a  large  farm  in  Jersey 
County,  they  removed  to  this  county  and  here 
purchased  a  large  tract  of  improved  land,  where 
they  now  live.  For  further  particulars  in  regard 
to  the  family  history  the  reader  will  please  consult 
the  sketch  of  John  <r.  Weidner  which  appears  upon 
another  page.  Our  subject  grew  up  on  a  farm  and 
has  always  been  successful  in  this  line  of  work  be- 
ing thoroughly  alive  and  energetic,  and  devoting 
himself  largely  to  the  breeding  of  thoroughbred 
swine. 

Anna  C.  Keiser  is  the  maiden  name  of  the  lady 
who  became  united  with  our  subject  in  marriage  in 
Montgomery  County,  this  State,  in  February,  1884. 
She  was  born  in  that  county  August  10',  1264,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Mary  Keiser.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Keiser  are  now  bviny  in  Montgomery  County, 
which  has  been  their  home  for  013113-  years.  They 
have  been  and  still  are.  successful  in  agricultural 
pursuits  and  are  now  in  middle  life. 

Mrs.  Weidner  is  a  lady  of  more  than  ordinary 
capabilities  and  her  reputation  as  a  genial  and  true- 
hearted  neighbor  has  gained  for  her  the  good  will 
of  every  neighbor.      She  was    reared  and  well  edu- 


cated in  her  native  county  and  has  brought  to  her 
vocation  as  a  wife  and  mother,  well  trained  facul- 
ties and  a  thoroughly  good  and  sound  judgment. 
Her  three  children,  Mary  C,  Clara  H.  L.  and 
Henry  II.,  are  being  brought  up  to  understand  and 
apply  thorough  and  common  sense  plans  of  domes- 
tic and  farm  life.  They  are  also  reared  and  nur- 
tured in  the  Christian  faith  their  parents  being 
devout  and  earnest  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Weidner  takes  an  intelli- 
gent interest  in  public  affairs  and  his  political 
views  are  in  accordance  with  the  doctrines  of  the 
Republican  party. 


^^ 


|7^\1CIIARD  R.  RAG  AN,  a  prominent  resident 
L^  of  Palmyra  Township,  (irst  saw  the  light 
di*  in  Sevier  County,  Tenn.,  September  3, 
]\^\  1828.  His  father,  Joshua  Ragan,  was  a 
native  of  the  Old  Dominion,  but  went  to  Tennes- 
see when  still  a  young  man,  and  was  there  married. 
He  was  by  trade  a  gunsmith  and  wood  turner,  and 
found  occupation  in  this  calling.  He  resided  in 
Sevier  County  until  1831,  when  he  removed  to 
Missouri,  and  made  his  home  there  until  the  winter 
of  1835-36,  when  he  removed  to  Illinois.  He  re- 
mained a  few  months  in  St.  Clair  County,  and  in 
June  of  1830  he  came  to  Macoupin  County  and 
bought  a  claim  in  what  is  now  Bird  Township. 

At  that  lime  Macoupin  County  was  very  sparsely 
settled  and  deer  were  plentiful.  The  settleis  were 
familiar  with  this  animal,  who  oiten  browsed  on 
the  hazel  brush  near  the  door  of  the  cabin.  There 
was  no  railroad  in  that  part  of  the  countiy,  and  Al- 
ton was  the  nearest  market  for  some  years.  It  was 
difficult  to  obtain  first-class  agricultural  imple- 
ments and  they  used  shovel  and  wooden  moldboard 
plows.  Only  a  few  acres  of  his  land  was  under 
cultivation,  and  there  were  no  buildings  upon  it. 
He  hastily  constructed  a  small  cabin  which  served 
to  shelter  them  from  the  weather,  and  the  next 
year  built  another  adjoining  it,  thus  furnishing 
comfortable  accommodations  for  the  household. 

Five  years  later  Mr.  Ragan  sold  the  farm  which 
he  first  took,  and  went  to    what  is  now   North  Pal- 


632 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


myra  and  rented  land  for  three  years,  and  in  1844 
bought  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Barr  Township. 
l'|i(iii  this  was  a  log  cabin,  and  a  few  acres  "l  it 
were  improved  and  he  resided  Lb  ere  until  1856, 
when  he  made  his  home  in  Missouri,  settling  in 
Phelps  County.  There  he  remained  until  after  the 
death  of  Ins  wife,  after  which  Bad  i  venl  he  made 
his  home  with  his  children  for  the  remainder  of  his 
earthly  career.  The  maiden  name  of  the  wift  <if 
Mr.  Ragan  was  .lane  Huskey;  Bhe  was  the  daughter 
of  .lames  ami  Jane  Huskey  who  were  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia and  Tennessee.  Mrs.  Ragan  is  supposed  by  her 
children,  t<>  have  been  horn  in  Virginia,  and  she 
died  en  the  home  farm  in  Phelps  County.  Mo.    Ten 

children  constituted  her  family,  nine  of  w! she 

reared  with  careful  and  watchful  solicitude  to  years 
cif  maturity. 

The  subject  of    this  skeleh     WaS    bul     three    years 

obi  when  Ins  parents  removed  to  Missouri,  and  was 
in  his  eighth  yeai  when  they  came  to  Macoupin 
County.     He  remembers  with  lively  interest  many 

incidents  of  pioneer  life  in  Illinois,  ami  tells  how 
in  those  days  before  reapers  were  known  the  grain 

Was  cut  with  a  cradle,  and  loves  to  recount  the 
good  day's  work  which  his  lathe.'  could  do  with  this 
primitive  reaping  machine,     lb-  resided    with  his 

parents  until  he  reached  the  age  of  Iwenty-two.  al- 
ter which  he  undertook  the  profession  of  a  teacher, 
and  presided  al  the  desk  foi  some  eight  years.  Af- 
ter marriage  he  bought  his  father's  farm  in  Barr 
Township,  where  he  carried  on  farming  until  I860. 

The  military  career  of  Mr.  Ragan  began  in  1865, 
when  he  enli  led  February  8,  in  Coin  panj  B,  Sixty- 
second  Illinois  Infantry,  joining  the  regiment  at 
Pine  Bluff,  Ark.,  and  serving  for  one  year  ill  that 
State  and  the  Indian  Territory.  Willi  the  other 
members  ol  Ids  regiment  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged in  February,  1866.  After  returning  home 
he  sold  bis  farm  in  Barr  Township,  and  purchased 
another  in  South  Palmyra  Township,  and  there 
farmed  until  1877. 

About  that  time  this  gentleman  decided  to  re- 
move to  the  village  of  Palmyra,  and  in  1878  he 
opened  up  the  hardware  business  in  which  he  is 
now  engaged.  His  marriage  in  1853,  united  him 
with  Sarah  E.  Patterson,  who  was  horn  in  Morgan 
County,  111.,  and  died  in    1857.      Ilis  second    mar- 


riage in  1858  was  with  Margaret  (Simpson)  Patter- 
son, a  native  of  Sangamon  County,  111.  By  his  first 
marriage  Mr.  Ragan  lias  one  child,  John,  who  mar- 
ried Emily  Story,  and  is  the  father  of  four  chil- 
dren, namely:  Ollic.  William  R.,  Reuben  and  Mar- 
garet. Ilis  second  marriage  gave  him  one  daughter, 
l.'osa  Bell,  now  the  wife  of  ('.  1'.  Angelo,  ami  the 
mother  of  four  children — Florence  J.,  Bird  Ella, 
Margaret  and  Una.  The  political  convictions  of 
Mr,  Ragan  are  in  accordance  with  the  tenets  of  the 
Democratic  parly,  and  his  religious  belief  has 
brought  him  in  connection  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  while  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church.  In  their  church  relations 
they  are  earnest  and  active  helpers  in  every  good 
work,  ami  are  most  valuable  citizens. 


HARLES  HOFFMANN.  Our  subject  is 
one  of  the  successful  men  of  Dorchester; 
his  business  is  that  of  a  practical  blacksmith 
and  a  breeder  of  horses  and  mules.  He  came  to 
this  village  October  I,  18G0,  establishing  here  a 
business  as  a  blacksmith  to  which  he  lias  devoted 
most  of  his  time  and  attention, 'only  varying  it  with 
that  of  a  breeder  of  horses  and  mules,  which  he  has 
engaged  in  for  the  past  four  years.  In  this  last 
mentioned  occupation  Mr.  Hoffmann  has  brought 
lo  bear  a  knowledge  of  the  physical  needs  and  con- 
stitution of  the  noble  animals  that  have  led  to  an 
improvement  of  the  slock  which  has  been  bred 
under  his  char-.'. 

Mr.  Hoffman  came  to  the  county  in  18.58  and  lo- 
cated first  at  Staunton  where  be  learned  the  trade 
of  a  blacksmith.  Soon  after  this  the  first  call  was 
made  for  three  hundred  thousand  volunteers  to 
light  for  their  country's  lla-  and  freedom.  Our  sub- 
ject soon  enlisted  in  the  Fifth  Illinois  Cavalry  of 
Company  I.,  whose  captain  was  I-;.  R.  Sparks.  The 
regiment  was  mustered  into  the  service  at  Spring- 
field and  our  subject  who  had  enlisted  August  2, 
1861,  was  with  the  regiment  at  their  first  meeting 
of  the  enemy  in  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  Ark.  He 
was  a  participant  in    many  skirmishes  and   engage- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


688 


merits  that  continued  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
During  bis  service  his  regiment  was  confined  to  the 
Western  Division  of  the  army.  For  a  time  Mr. 
Hoffmann  served  as  ;i  detailed  blacksmith  and  later 
ns  brigade  blacksmith,  having  at  the  same  time 
fought  at  the  Yazoo  River,  where  the  Union  forces 
were  defeated,  hut  later  whipped  the  enemy  at  Ar- 
kansas Post.  Our  subject  escaped  unhurt  from  this 
battle  and,  except  from  the  exposure  incidental  to 
army  life,  he  carried  away  no  evil  effects  of  Ids  ex- 
perience, although  his  mind  was  full  of  incidents  of 
military  life.  He  received  an  honorable  discharge 
at  Springfield,  111., September  5,  1864.  lie  returned 
to  Staunton,  Macoupin  County,  and  engaged  at.  his 
trade  as  a  blacksmith.  Later  he  went  to  Mont- 
gomery County. 

.Inly  3,  1865,  Mr.  Hoffmann  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Houseman.  The  lady  was  horn  in  Staun- 
ton, August  2,  1849,  She  is  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Mary  (Leonard)  Houseman,  both  natives  of 
Byron,  Germany,  where  they  were  reared  and  edu- 
cated and  after  their  marriage  and  the  birth  of  one 
child,  they  came,  early  in  the  '40s,  to  the  United 
states,  settling  at  Staunton,  where  Mr.  Houseman 
opened  up  a  smithy,  which  was  the  first  of  its  kind 
in  the  community.  He  also  has  the  distinction  of 
having  been  the  first  German  settler  in  the  place. 
Mrs.  Houseman  there  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-live. 
Her  husband  passed  away  in  Madison  County,  live 
miles  south  of  Staunton,  in  18f)7.  lie  was  horn  in 
INK)  ami  with  Ids  wife  had  been  a  member  many 
years  before  Ids  death  of  the  German  Evangelical 
Church. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Ilesse-Cassel,  Germany, 
in  1842,  His  natal  day  being  September  26.  He  is 
of  pure  German  blood  and  is  the  son  of  Christian 
and  Mary  Hoffmann,  who  were  born  and  reared 
and  ended  their  days  in  Ilesse-Cassel.  The  father's 
death  occurred  before  the  birth  of  our  subject  and 
the  widow  was  left  with  live  small  children  to  care 
for.  She  was  a  second  time  married,  her  husband 
having  the  same  name  as  that  of  her  first  husband. 
Charles  Hoffmann  and  our  subject's  mother  both 
lived  and  died  in  their  native  land. 

The  original  of  this  sketch  did  not  leave  home 
until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age  when  he  set  out 
for  the   United    Stales  to  make  his    fame  and  for- 


tune. He  took  passage  at  Bremen  on  a  sailing 
vessel,  the  "Wareotta,"  and  after  a  long  voyage  of 
seyon  weeks  and  two  days  he  landed  in  New  York 
city,  coming  thence  to  Staunton  and  afterward  re- 
moved to  this  county  where  he  h;is  ever  since  re- 
sided  with  the  exception  of  one  year. 

Mr.  Hoffmann  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of 
six  children,  they  are:  William  II.,  Charles  A., 
Mamie  M.,  Theodore  D.,  Minnie  .1.  and  George  E, 

The  eldest  son  has  learned  his  father's  trade  and  is 
of  great  assistance  !o  him  in  his  business.  Charles 
A.  also  assists  his  father  in  his  smithy.  The  other 
Children  are  at  home  anil  an'  respected  as  estima- 
ble members  of  society. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoffmann  are  amiable,  warm- 
hearted people  who  have  made  many   friends  in  the 

county.     By  their  energy  and  ambition  they  have 

acquired  a  competency  and  have  made  t hemsel  ves 
a  recognized     position    in    the   .social    lite    of    their 

community.  Mr.  Hoffmann  is  a  member  of  the 
odd  Fellows,  Travelers'  Rest  Lodge  No.  220,  of 
Litchfield,  lie  is  a  member  also  of  the  .lames  Rob- 
inson Post  No.  C>2  I,  <i.  A.  R.,  of  Gillespie  Town- 
ship, also  a  member  of  I  he  Modem  Wuoilmcn.  For 
the  past  two  years  he  has  been  Township  Collector 
and  is  Mayor  of  this  place.  For  one  year-  he  has 
held  a  position  in  the  Town  Council.  In  political 
life  Mr.  Hoffmann  has  a  preference  for  the  Demo- 
cratic  parly. 


OIIN  HUBER.  The  name  above  is  that  of 
the  father  of  one  of  the  industrious,  ener- 
getic   and    intelligent   young    men    of    the 

county  who  operates  I  he  farm  which  the 
father  originally  owned  on  .section  7,  N'ilvvood 
Township.  The  parental  history  is  here  chronicled 
because  it  lives  in  the  heart  of  the  son  who  thinks 
of  his  father  most  dutifully  as  the  author  of  his 
being,  and  the  kind  friend  and  counselor  of  his 
young  life.  F.  B.  lluber  who  rents  the  farm  that 
his  father  originally  owned,  of  his  mother, has  the 
same  admirable  characteristics  thai,  distinguished 
his  father  as  one  of  the  most  generous,  open  hearted 
I    townsmen  in  the  township  in  which  he  lived. 


634 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Jolin  Huber  was  born  in  Pa..  September  9, 
1833.  Wben  but  a  mere  [ad  his  parents  removed 
to  Clark  County,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until  he 
had  arrived  at  the  years  of  manhood.  He  was 
reared  on  a  farm  and  was  untainted  by  influences 
that  unhappily  are  so  often  found  in  the  village 
life.  He  received  a  common  school  education  tli.it 
litted  him  for  the  practical  duties  of  life. 

January  11,  1850,  Mr.  Huber  entered  into  the 
marital  relations,  taking  to  wife  for  better  or 
worse,  Miss  Anna  Snell  of  Clarke  County,  Ohio. 
Her  natal  day  was  December  23,  1841.  After  mar- 
riage the  young  couple  settled  in  Clarke  County, 
where    they   remained     until    the  spring  of    Ibi.i 

when   they   removed   to  Mac pin  County,  settling 

in  Nilwood  Township.  There  our  subject  passed 
out  of  this  life  duly  23.  1883.  He  was  a  man  of 
exemplary  habits,  strong  personal  attractions,  and 
was  greatly  mourned  not  only  in  his  own  family 
but  by  the  friends  and  acquaintance^  that  he  had 
formed  in  business  life. 

A  family  of  six  children  mourn  their  father'; 
loss.  They  are:  respectively:  frank  1!.,  Henry  S* 
Amanda  A.,  Anna  M.,  Jacob  and  Carrie  E.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  the  subject  of  this  sketch  wis 


residence  is  attractive  and  well  arranged.  The 
farming  implements  are  of  the  latest  improvements 
and  everything  about  the  place  indicates  a  thought- 
ful oversight  that  has  insured  success  in  the  line 
which  he  has  chosen. 


1 


w 


ibj( 
the   proprietor  of  two  hundred    and   twenty  acrl 
which    has  since  been  operated  by  Mrs.  Huber  and   ,    youngest  son,  , 
her    sons.     The   widow    has    always    been    a    rijbst*'    County,  III.,  w 
exemplary  wife  and    mother.      While  her  maternal 
instincts  have  been  in  the  ascendant,  since  her  hus- 
band's  death  she  has  shown  a  capacity  for  business 
that   is    unusual   among   her   sex.     She   is  the  wise 
counselor  to  whom   her  sons  refer  on  all  i.nca is. 

The   father    of    our    subject   was    Henry    Ily^Vr 
He  was    a    native    of    Pennsylvania    and    di 
Clarke  County,  Ohio.     His  mother  was  KlizabeJ 
(Shank)  Huber,  also  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
like   her   husband    passed   away  in   Clark.'   Cci'n 
Ohio.     Mrs.  Huber's  parent's  were  Jacob  Snell,  t 
Barbara    (Harchberger)   Snell.      The    former    wb 
born   in  Virginia  as  was  also  the  latter.     They  set- 
tled near  the  line  of  Clarke  and  Montgomery  Coun- 
ties at  an   early  day  and    after  a  life  spent   in  use- 
fulness and  industry  they  died  at  that  place. 

Mr.  F.  B.  Huber  the  son  of  our  subject  no\£  Madrid  County,  Mo.  A  few  years  later  Mr.  and 
operates  the  farm  and  keeps  it  in  most  excellc  J  Mrs.  Masters  died  there  at  a  ripe  old  age.  It  was  in 
order.     The  buildings  are  in   good  repair.      11  ~^ew  Madrid  County  that  Miss  Sarah  Masters  grew 


ILLIAM  BAIRD  is  the  owner  of  a  line  and 
well-improved  farm  of  eighty  acres  sit- 
uated on  sections  21  and  22,  Bunker  Hill 
township,  where  he  has  resided  since  1864.  He 
has  made  his  home  in  the  county  since  1846,  com- 
ing here  from  Crittenden  County,  Ky.,  where  he 
was  born  on  the  22d  of  July,  1823.  His  father 
Simon  Baird,  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina  and 
his  parents,  Hugh  and  Mary  (Gibson)  Baird, 
were  born  on  the  Green  Isle  of  Erin.  When 
young  they  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America  and 
were  married  in  South  Carolina,  where  for  many 
years  they  made  their  home.  In  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  Hugh  Baird  served  as  a  faithful  mem- 
ber of  the  Colonial  Army  and  participated  in  many 
hard  fought  engagements.  His  death  occurred  in 
South  Carolina,  after  which  his  widow  with  her 
James  Baird,  emigrated  to  Randolph 
lerc  she  died  when  past  the  age  of 
eighty  years.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Covenan- 
ters' Church,  as  was  also  her  husband. 

Simon  Baird,  father  of  our  subject,  was  the  eld- 
est of  three  sons,  and  he  and  his  brothers,  John  and 
James,  are  all  now  deceased.  In  the  usual  manner 
of  farmer  lads  he  was  reared  to  manhood  and  when 
he  had  attained  to  mature  years  he  was  married  in 
South  Carolina,  where  his  first  wife  died.  Subse- 
quently he  emigrated  to  Kentucky,  where  he  was 
united  in  the  holy  bonds  of  matrimony  with  Mrs. 
Sarah  (Masters)  B racy,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  a  daughter  of  Jesse  Masters.  Her  father  was  a 
Frenchman,  her  mother  horn  in  New  Jersey;  some 
years  after  the  marriage,  they,  with  their  children, 
joined  a  colony  of  about  sixty  people  who  in  a  very 
early  day  emigrated  Westward  and  settled  in  New 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


635 


to  womanhood  and  married  Solomon  Bracy,  with 
whom  she  afterward  removed  to  Kentucky,  settl- 
ing in  Crittenden  County.  Her  husband  died  leav- 
ing four  children  and  in  a  subsequent  year  she  be- 
came the  wife  of  Simon  Baird,  by  whom  she  had 
three  children  :  James,  who  resides  in  Tahnadge, 
Mo.,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years;  William,  of  this 
sketch;  and  Samuel  who  resides  on  a  farm  near 
Plamview.  He  is  married  and  has  two  children 
The  year  1846  witnessed  the  arrival  of  Simon  Baird 
and  his  family  in  Woodburn,  Macoupin  County 
111.,  where  the  husband  and  father  spfnt  the  re- 
mainder of  bis  days.  He  died  at  the  home  of  •  ur 
subject  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  yearsifMi'S- 
Baird  survived  her  husband  some  time  and  wMnCto 
live  with  her  son  James  in  Madison  County|v  '%c 
she  died  when  passed  the  age  of  three  score  jrs 
and  ten.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burd  were  mem  •■  of 
the  Methodist  Church  and  were  highly  respei  tod" 
people  whose  death  was  sincerely  mourned  hy^juiy'" 
friends. 

Not  unlike  the  manner  in  which  farmer   lai'vjiis- 
uilly  pass  their  time,  William  Baird  spent  hisfjpv- 
hood  days.     He  was  a  3-011  ng   man   of  twentj^ro 
years  when  he  came  to  Macoupin  County,  am     in 
der  the  parental  roof  he  remained  until  his  marriage, 
which  was  celebrated   November    14.    1850,    when 
Miss  Abigail  Jones   became  his  wife.     She   is  a  na- 
tive of  Bunker  Hill  Township,  and  was  born   April 
13,  1831,on  a  farm  which  she  now  owns.      Her  par- 
ents, Simon   and    Dorothy    (Starkey)   Join's,    were 
both  born  in  Madison  County   where  they   res;  led 
until  after  their   marriage,   when  they   removed  to 
Macoupin  County,  here  making  their  home   ui    '! 
called  to  the  home  beyond.     Mr.  Jones,  who  w  1 
born  in  1811,  and  was  of  Welsh  descent,   passed  j^ 
way  in  I80O.     His  wife  who  was  born  in  1812,  d'.-^ 
at  the  home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Baud,  on  the  1< 
of    September,    1889,  in  the   faith   of  the    Baplfcu 
Church  to  which  her  husband  also  belongs.      Th  y 
were  parents  often  children,  six  of  whom  are  y^V 
living  and  are  married  and  have  families. 

Mrs.  Baird  is  the  eldest  of  the  family  and  in  thi)j 
county  has  spent  her  entire  life.     Eight  children 
graced  the  union  of  our  subject  and  his   worthy^ 
wife,  but  they  lost  four.     The  living  are  Elizabeth 
F.,  wife  of  Charles  Wayne,  who  resides  on  a  farm 


in  Morgan  County,  III.;  Joseph  G.  who  married 
Miss  Cornelia  A.  Adams  and  is  living  in  Dorsey 
Station,  Madison  County,  where  he  follows  farming; 
Emily  A.  at  home ;  and  Charles  A.  who  wedded 
Miss  Minnie  L,  Adams,  who  died  eleven 
months  after  her  marriage.  Edward  C.  died 
at  the  age  of  throe  years;  Amanda  J.  at  the  age  of 
three  years;  Ada  F.  at  the  age  of  thirteen  ;  and  Jesse 
F.  was  killed  by  a  boll  of  lightning  when  a  lad  of 
fifteen  years. 

Mr.  Baird,  his  wife  and  children  are  all  members 
of  the  Missionary  Baptist  Church  of  Bunker  Dill, 
and  are  worthy  and  respected  citizens  of  this  com- 
munity, having  many  warm  friends  throughout 
the  surrounding  county.  He  and  all  of  his  sons 
are  Democrats.  His  life  work  has  been  farming 
which  he  has  followed  with  good  success.  Until  re- 
cently he  was  owner  of  two  hundred  acres  of  tine 
land  but  a  short  time  since  disposed  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres. 

He  has  a  pleasant  home,  good  barn,  the  largest 
improved  machinery  and  all  other  conveniences  of 
the  model  farm  and  his  well  tilled  fields  give  evi- 
dence of  the  care  and  management  of  a  thrifty  and 
industrious  owner. 


^  APT.  J  F.  GUI 
,11     _  ment  business 
%JJ/    Bunker    Hill. 


APT.  J.  F.  CUMMINGS  is  one  of  the  prom- 
men  and  leading  citizens  of 
He  is  the  present  Notary 
Public  and  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  has  a  large 
business  as  an  insurance  agent,  being  connected 
with  a  number  of  the  old  and  tried  lines  of  life 
and  fire  insurance.  With  the  business  interests  of 
this  place  he  has  been  connected  since  1855, and  is 
one  of  the  most  widely  known  residents  of  this 
community. 

The  Captain  was  born  in  Hillsborough  County, 
N.  II.,  January  16,  1835,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel 
and  Hannah  (Giddings)  Cummings,  who  when  our 
subject  was  a  lad  of  ten  years  removed  from  the 
Granite  State  to  Lawrence,  Mass.,  where  the  father 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  His  wife 
is  still  living  and  is  yet,  a  resident  of  Lawrence. 
She  has  been  a  life-long  member  of  the  Congrega- 


G36 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tional  Church  and  is  a  consistent  Christian  woman 
who  has  won  the  love  of  all  who  know  her.  In  the 
family  were  five  children  two  of  whom  are  now 
living.  Our  subject  was  educated  in  the  city 
schools  of  Lawrence  and  on  attaining  his  majority 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Harriet  Silver,  a  na- 
tive of  the  Green  Mountain  Slate,  and  a  member 
of  one  of  the  old  Vermont  families.  Her  parents 
spent  their  entire  lives  in  Vermont  and  she  was 
there  reared  and  educated,  going  to  Massachusetts 
only  a  few  years  prior  to  her  marriage.  By  their 
union  have  been  born  five  children,  but  three  are 
now  deceased — Frank  W.  and  Fred  W.,  twins,  who 
died  in  childhood;  and  Mattie,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  two  years.  The  living  are  George  \Y.,  who 
married  Harriet  Bishop  and  resides  in  Bunker  Hill, 
but  is  a  commercial  traveler  for  a  wholesale  hard- 
ware house  of  St.  Louis.  Mo  ;  and  Allison  L.,  who 
is  employed  as  a  salesman  in  the  leading  drug  store 
of  Bunker  Hill. 

Mr.  Cummings  was  one  of  the  boys  in  blue  of 
the  late  war.  In  response  of  the  first  call  of  Pres- 
ident Lincoln  for  seventy-five  thousand  troops  to 
serve  three  months,  he  with  others  who  had  been 
organized  as  a  local  State  militia  company  voted 
to  enter  the  service  and  were  assigned  to  Company 
F,  Seventh  Illinois  Infantry.  Mr.  Cummings  was 
Captain  of  the  militia  and  held  the  same  relation 
with  Company  F.  This  was  really  the  first  regi- 
ment organized  in  Illinois,  for  the  first  six  regi- 
ments were  formed  of  regular  troops  who  had 
served  in  the  Mexican  War.  The  Seventh  Illinois 
Infantry  were  first  sent  to  Alton,  four  weeks  later 
to  Cairo  and  afterward  to  Mound  City  but  en- 
gaged in  no  battles  until  after  the  expiration  of 
the  three  months'  term.  Mr.  Cummings  again  en- 
listed at  the  second  call  for  three  years'  men  and 
was  once  more  made  captain  of  his  old  company. 
With  his  command  he  was  sent  to  the  Army  of  the 
West,  serving  under  Gen.  Prentice  and  later  under 
Gen.  Grant.  He  participated  in  many  hard  fought 
battles,  including  those  of  Ft.  Donelson,  Ft.  Henry 
and  Shiloh.  Just  after  the  battle  of  Sbiloh  his 
resignation  was  received  on  account  of  sickness. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  faithful  of  the  Union  sol- 
diers, beloved  alike  by  his  superior  officers  and  the 
men  whom  he   commanded.     He  made  for  himself 


a  war  record  of  which  lie  may  well  be  proud  and 
is  now  an  honored  member  of  Dan  Messick  Post, 
No.  339,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Carlinville,  and  is  a  member 
and  Secretary  of  the  Union  Veteran  Union. 

In  addition  to  his  business  interests  already  men- 
tioned Capt.  Cummings  is  also  connected  with  va- 
rious other  industries  and  enterprises.  He  is  Sec- 
retary of  the  Hunker  Hill  Nail  Company,  which 
was  recently  organized  and  is  also  one  of  the  stock- 
holders. He  is  Secretary  of  the  Building,  Loan  and 
Homestead  Association  and  is  Secretary  and  Treas- 
urer of  the  Bunker  Hill  Cemetery  Association.  He 
occupies  the  position  of  President  of  the  Library 
Association,  which  was  organized  in  1867,  and  has 
tilled  a  number  of  official  positions.  Bunker  Hill 
had  him  for  her  first  Mayor  after  the  first  city 
charter  was  granted  and  he  was  re-elected  to  the 
same  office  but  declined  to  serve  longer.  He  was 
for  a  number  of  years  Clerk  of  Bunker  Hill  Town- 
ship, during  which  time  he  resided  just  outside  of 
the  city  limits,  where  he  made  his  home  for  thir- 
teen years.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  politics 
and  has  frequently  served  as  a  delegate  to  the 
county  and  State  conventions.  He  is  also  num- 
bered among  the  members  of  the  Masonic  Lodge 
of  Bunker  Hill  and  no  enterprise  calculated  to  up- 
build the  community  01  promote  the  general  wel- 
fare has  failed  to  receive  his  hearty  support  and 
co-operation.  He  ranks  among  the  most  promi- 
nent citizens  of  this  community  and  his  genial 
manner  and  accommodating  ways  have  won  him 
many  friends  who  hold  him  in  high  regard. 


"■€-*-»■ 


'  ()HN  A.  LEE.  This  prosperous  and  enter- 
prising farmer  came  to  Macoupin  County 
in  his  youth,  where  be  has  since  lived.  He 
was  born  January  15,  1846.  His  parents 
were  George  and  Mary  (Audas)  Lee,  both  natives 
of  Yorkshire,  England.  They  were  married  in 
Morgan  County,  III.,  February  24,  1835.  To  them 
were  born  three  daughters  and  four  sons.  Mr. 
Lee,  the  father,  died  April  20,  1882.  after  a  resi- 
dence of  twenty  one  years  in  Carlinville  Township, 
to  which  place  he  removed  after   the  death  of  his 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


637 


wife,  which  occurred  near  Jacksonville,  January 
8,  1855.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee  worshiped  at  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Our  subject  received  a  good  education,  was  earn- 
estly devoted  to  his  studies  and  was  an  exemplary 
young  man.  Immediately  upon  leaving  school  be 
took  up  the  pursuit  of  agriculture  and  at  the  pics 
cut  time  owns,  in  company  with  Ids  sister,  one 
hundred  acres  of  valuable  land  in  Carlinville 
Township. 

The  birthplace  of  John  A.  Lee  is  identical  with 
that  of  his  brothers  and  sisters,  all  having  been 
born  in  Morgan  County,  III. — Sarah  A.,  born  July 
12.  183G,  died  April  10,  1891  ;  Thomas,  bom  July 
4,  1838;  Elizabeth  II.,  who  is  the  widow  of  Alfred 
Killam.  was  born  August  8,  1810;  George,  Novem- 
ber 3,  18-13;  Mary  J.,  December  25,  1849 ;  and  Will 
iam  H.,  March  19,  1854.  Of  the  last  two,  Mary 
died  August  17,  1850,  and  William  II.,  August 
27,  1854.  The  father  of  our  subject  after  the 
death  of  his  first  wife  was  married  to  Mis.  Sarah 
(Leach)  Killam.  After  her  death  he  was  married 
to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Plason)  Bristow,  also  deceased. 


ILLIAM  CHISHOLM  is  one  of  the  sturdy 
Scotch-American  citizens,  who.  having 
made  his  home  in  the  New  World,  brought 
hither  with  him  the  habits  of  industry  and  frugal- 
ity and  the  iron  constitution  which  is  the  heritage 
of  the  Scotch.  His  father  was  Robert  Chisholm, 
and  his  mother,  Isabella  Patterson.  The  father  was 
a  shepherd  by  occupation,  and  lived  to  complete 
his  ninety-third  year.  His  worthy  wife  died  in  her 
eighty-fourth  year. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Scotland. 
September  26,  1820.  Here  he  was  reared  toman- 
hood.  Through  his  boyhood  he  served  as  a  shep- 
herd boy  and  herded  his  sheep.  Later  he  was 
employed  on  the  public  works,  and  afterward  en- 
gaged in  fishing  on  the  coast  of  Scotland.  He  re- 
mained in  the  Northland  until  1848,  when  became 
to  America.  He  landed  in  New  Orleans  upon  In- 
dependence Day,  and  made  his  way  to  Alton,   111., 


where  he  was  employed  in  assisting  the  civil  engi- 
neers on  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad.  He  fol- 
lowed this  line  of  work  for  a  few  months,  and  then 
went  to  Morgan  and  Sangamon  Counties.  Here  he 
fill  much  at  home  for  he  found  beautiful  flocks  of 
sheep  awaiting  the  service  of  a  shearer.  At  this 
work  he  was  an  expert,  and  he  entered  the  employ 
of  a  sheep  farmer  for  several  weeks,  clipping  some 
days  over  one  hundred  head  of  sheep.  He  was 
also  employed  upon  the  farm. 

This  young  man  now  took  to  himself  a  wife  in 
the  person  of  Sarah  Killam.  The  marriage  was  sol- 
emnized in  Macoupin  County,  October  24,  1850. 
The  lady  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  Decem- 
ber 5.  1825.  lie-  father  was  Samuel  and  her 
mother  Mary  (Morris)  Killam.  They  emigrated  to 
Macoupin  County,  and  there  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  days.  Their  daughter  was  about  three 
years  old  when  they  came  from  the  old  country. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  settled  near  Chesterfield, 
this  county,  and  there  he  lived  for  about  three 
years.  They  then  made  their  home  on  section  7, 
Carlinville  Township,  where  they  have  since  been 
residents.  The  greater  part  of  his  life  has  been  oc- 
cupied in  agricultural  pursuits, 

Mr.  Chisholm  has  a  beautiful  farm  of  ninety- 
four  acres,  upon  which  he  has  made  good  improve- 
ments, lie  is  a  thorough  and  progressive  farmer, 
and  is  ever  awake  to  the  interests  of  the  farming 
community.  To  him  and  his  intelligent  and  worthy 
companion  have  been  given  four  children,  whom 
they  have  reared  to  maturity  and  launched  upon 
the  world.  These  children  have  all  established 
homes  of  their  own,  and  are  living  lives  which  are 
a  credit  to  their  parents  and  a  benefit  to  the  com- 
munity in  which  they  reside.  None  of  them  are 
far  removed  from  their  childhood  home:  Mary  A. 
is  the  wife  of  John  W.  Carson;  Isabella  is  the  wife 
of  Henry  Foltz;  Robert  A.  married  Margaret  A. 
Killam;  and  Sarah  E.  is  Mrs.  Charles  I).   Solomon. 

The  political  views  of  this  sturdy  Scotchman  are 
expressed  in  the  platform  of  the  Republican  party. 
He  takes  a  quiet  but  intelligent  interest  in  local 
and  national  affairs,  and  is  ever  ready  to  cast  his 
ballot  for  the  principles  which  he  endorses,  al- 
though quiet  in  his  defense  of  them.  lb'  has  oc- 
cupied a   position    upon  the  School   Board,   and   is 


638 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


earnest  and  aggressive  in  promoting  the  educational 
interests  of  the  community.  The  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  is  the  church  of  his  choice  in  which 
both  he  and  Mrs.  Chisholm  are  active  and  efficient 
members. 

— *&m- 


/p^EORGE  OSTERKAMP,  a  worthy  citizen  of 
■|[  (—.  Honey  Point  Township,  who  is  prosper- 
V^JJj  ously  pursuing  agriculture  within  its  pre- 
cincts, was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  September 
16.  1852.  He  is  a  son  of  Harmon  Osterkamp,  who 
was  a  native  of  the  same  place  and  was  born  in  the 
same  house  that  was  the  birthplace  of  li is  father. 
John  Osterkamp.  The  latter  was  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation, and  with  the  exception  of  serving  in  the 
French  army  in  1817,  he  spent  his  entire  life  in  the 
land  of  his  nativity. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Germany  and  was  there  married.  In  ac- 
cordance with  the  laws  of  the  country  he  joined 
the  army  when  he  was  twenty -one  years  old  and 
was  honorably  discharged  at  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  service.  In  1864  he  came  to  America, 
bringing  his  wife  and  four  sons  with  him,  sailing 
from  Bremer  Haven  and  landing  at  New  York. 
From  that  city  the  family  made  their  way  to  Al- 
ton, 111.,  where  the  father  found  employment  on  a 
farm.  From  there  he  went  to  Bond  County,  where 
his  death  took  place  at  a  ripe  age,  in  October.  1875, 
four  years  after  that  of  his  wife. 

The  parental  family  included  five  children — 
John,  George,  Harman,  Fred  and  Rachel.  George 
Osterkamp  attended  school  quite  constantly  before 
coming  to  this  country.  He  was  then  a  sturdy, 
self-reliant  lad  of  twelve  years,  quite  capable  of 
supporting  himself.  He  worked  out  by  the  month, 
receiving  810  a  month  for  his  wages,  and  thus  con- 
tinued until  his  marriage.  By  that  time,  as  he  had 
been  industrious  and  had  wisely  saved  his  earnings, 
he  had  the  wherewithal  to  buy  a  farm  and  became 
the  proprietor  of  his  present  homestead  which 
comprises  eight}-  acres  of  land  in  Hone)'  Point 
Township,  on  which  he  resides,  and  another  eighty- 
acre  tract  across  the  road  in  Cahokia  Township. 
He    bas  erected  a  good  set  of  buildings  and  made 


other  improvements,  and  from  his  well-tilled  fields 
makes  a  good  profit. 

In  the  upbuilding  of  this  comfortable  home  Mr. 
Osterkamp  has  had  the  assistance  of  a  faithful  wife, 
to  whom  he  was  married  September  15,  1878. 
The}'  have  four  children,  of  whom  the  following  is 
the  record:  Weye  was  born  August  7,  1879; 
Gra tie,  April  20,  1882;  Mala,  July  12,  1884;  and 
Herman,  March  18,  1887.  Religiously  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Osterkamp  are  connected  with  the  Lutheran 
Church,  of  which  they  are  exemplary  members, 
and  they  are  in  every  respect  good  neighbors  and 
thoroughly  Christian  people. 

Mrs.  Osterkamp's  maiden  name  was  Mary  Weyen. 
She  is  a  native  of  this  State,  born  in  Madison 
County.  December  10,  1855.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Weye  and  Mata  (Johnson)  Weyen.  Her  father 
was  born  in  Germany  and  was  a  son  of  Heie 
Weyen.  He  passed  his  early  life  in  the  Fatherland 
and  when  a  young  man  came  to  this  country. 
He  was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits  and  contin- 
ued to  follow  farming  while  he  lived.  For  a  few 
years  he  resided  in  Madison  County,  111.,  and  then 
came  to  Macoupin  County,  and  settled  in  Cahokia 
Township.  He  was  very  successful  in  his  business, 
acquired  a  large  amount  of  land  and  assisted  his 
children  to  homes.  His  last  years  were  spent  in 
Cahokia  Township.  His  wife  survives  him  and  is 
still  living  on  the  home  farm.  She  is  also  German 
by  birth  and  is  a  daughter  of  John  Johnson. 


<*  1VILLIAM  <;.  ROSSis  a  son  of  one  of  the 
\/\J//  early  pioneers  of  this  county,  which  has 
W$i/  been  his  home  since  his  earliest  recollec- 
tions, and  for  many  years  has  been  actively  identi-  ' 
Red  with  the  farming  community  as  a  practical, 
wide-awake  agriculturist,  owning  and  oocupying  a 
desirable  farm  on  section  18,  South  Palmyra 
Township.  Mr  Ross  was  born  in  Sumner  County, 
Tenn.,  December  26,  1827.  His  father,  whose 
given  name  was  Robert,  was  a  native  of  North 
Carolina.  He  was  a  son  of  Reuben  Ross,  who  is 
thought  to  have  been  born  in  Maryland,  and  was 
of  Scotch  antecedents.     He  went   from   his  native 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


639 


Stale  to  North  Carolina,  from  there  to  Tennessee, 
whence  he  came  to  Illinois  in  1829,  and  was  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  Morgan  County,  where  he  im- 
proved a  farm,  which  was  his  home  the  rest  of  his 
life. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  young  when  his 
parents  sought  the  wilds  of  Tennessee,  where  he 
grew  to  a  strong  and  vigorous  manhood.  He  mar- 
ried and  resided  there  until  1829,  when  he  too 
became  a  pioneer,  coming  to  this  State  with  his 
wife  and  three  children,  making  the  removal  with 
teams,  and  camping  oy  the  wayside  at  noon  and 
night.  He  first  located  in  Morgan  County,  and 
raised  a  crop.  He  then  came  to  this  county  and 
bought  a  squatter's  claim  to  a  tract  of  Government 
land  in  South  Palmyra  Township.  At  that  time 
there  were  but  few  white  settlers  within  the  county, 
and  the  land,  which  was  owned  by  the  Govenn- 
ment,  and  has  since  been  sole!  at  prices  varying 
from  twelve  and  a  half  cents  an  acre  to  $1.25  an 
acre,  was  chiefly  in  its  primitive  condition,  while 
deer,  wild  turkeys  and  other  kind  of  game  were 
plentiful  and  helped  to  furnish  the  table  of  the 
pioneers  with  many  a  good  meal,  at  a  time  when 
their  fare  would  otherwise  have  been  scant,  as  they 
had  to  live  mostly  on  what  they  could  raise  on 
their  farms.  The  women  spun  and  wove  wool  and 
flax,  and  made  all  the  cloth  in  use  in  their  fam- 
ilies. 

Mr.  Ross  resided  on  his  claim  three  years,  and 
then  sold  it,  and  bought  the  farm  on  sections  8  and 
9,  now  owned  and  occupied  l>y  his  son  in-law,  E. 
W.  Richie.  He  improved  the  place  and  resided 
thereon  until  he  closed  his  eyes  in  the  dreamless 
sleep  of  death.  His  first  wife,  the  mother  of  our 
subject,  wdiose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  How- 
erton,  was  born  and  reared  in  Tennessee,  and  died 
on  the  home  farm  in  South  Palmyra.  His  second 
wife  was  Mary  San  field,  prior  to  her  marriage. 

He  of  whom  these  lines  arc  chiefly  written  was 
but  an  infant  when  he  was  brought  to  Illinois  by 
his  parents,  and  he  has  no  remembrance  of  other 
than  his  pioneer  home  here.  He  attended  the 
primitive  schools  of  those  days  whenever  oppor- 
tunity offered.  The  schools  were  taught  on  the 
subscription  plan  in  a  log  house,  furnished  with 
seats    made    by    splitting    legs,    hewing    one    side 


smooth  and  using  wooden  pins  for  legs.  Our  sub- 
ject was  early  taught  to  make  himself  useful  on 
the  farm,  and  in  time  became  of  great  assistance  to 
his  father.  He  continued  to  make  his  home  with 
his  father  the  most  of  the  time  until  he  married. 
In  1848  he  engaged  with  a  man  to  drive  a  team  to 
Texas,  a  distance  of  about  nine  hundred  miles.  He 
passed  through  the  wilds  of  Missouri  and  Arkan- 
sas, and  made  the  journey  and  return  trip  in  three 
months. 

After  he  had  taken  unto  himself  a  wife,  in  1802, 
he  settled  on  a  farm  in  South  Palmyra  Township, 
that  he  had  previously  bought.  He  resided  there- 
on one  year,  and  then  sold  it  and  returned  to  the 
old  homestead  of  his  father.  Two  years  later  he 
bought  and  removed  to  the  place  he  now  occupies 
on  section  18.  South  Palmyra  Township.  He  has 
added  to  his  original  purchase  at  different  times, 
and  now  has  two  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  val- 
uable land,  the  greater  part  of  it  tillage  and  pas- 
ture land.  Here  he  has  a  well-ordered  farm, 
amply  provided  with  buildings,  and  the  income 
that  he  derives  from  his  well  cultivated  fields 
shows  that  he  understands  well  how  to  carry  on 
agriculture  to  a  good  advantage  so  as  to  garner  in 
good  harvests. 

Our  subject  is  blessed  with  a  wife  who  is  a  true 
helpmate,  and  does  her  share  in  maintaining  the 
prosperity  of  the  family.  She  was  formerly  Mary 
C.  Prorfitt,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  a  daughter 
of  Daniel  and  Sarah  Proffltt.  Her  marriage  with 
our  subject  has  brought  them  eleven  children, 
namely — Sarah  P.,  Robert  T.,  John  A.,  Mary  E., 
James  W.,  Joseph  E.,  Charles  A.,  Abigail  J.,  Julia 
A.,  Albeit  and  Morrison  R. 


AMES  A.  McCLURE.  The  name  which 
heads  this  sketch  is  well  known  among  the 
citizens  of  this  county  as  being  synonymous 
with  honesty,  integrity  and  industry,  that 
of  a  man  who  has  done  his  share  cowards  develop- 
ing the  agricultural  resources  of  this  section. 
Though  he  is  living  retired  from  active  business 
in  his  pleasant   home  on   College  Avenue,  Carlin- 


640 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ville,  he  still  owns  the  fine  farm  of  two  hundred 
acres  a  short  distance  from  the  city,  which  origin- 
ally belonged  to  his  father. 

Mr.  McClure  is  a  native  of  Shelbyville,  Bedford 
County,  Term.,  where  his  birth  took  place  April 
12,  1820.  His  father,  who  bore  the  same  name  as 
himself,  was  born  in  Augusta  County.  Va.,  and 
was  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Allen  McClure  who,  so  far 
as  is  known,  was  also  a  Virginian  by  birth.  He  re- 
moved from  there  to  Kentucky  and  was  a  pioneer 
of  Bourbon  County.  He  was  a  Presbyterian  min- 
ister and  preached  in  several  places,  including 
Paris.     His  last  years  were  spent  in  that  State. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  very  young  when 
his  parents  took  him  to  Kentucky.  He  was  edu- 
cated for  the  ministry,  but  as  he  had  no  taste  for 
the  profession  did  not  pursue  it.  His  mania-.' 
took  place  in  Jessamine  County,  Ky.,and  after  that 
event  he  removed  to  Tennessee  and  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  at  Shelbyville,  with  branch 
stoies  at  other  places.  About  1828  he  returned  to 
Kentucky  and  resided  in  Jessamine  County  until 
1834,  when  he  came  to  Illinois  with  him  his  wife 
and  twelve  children.  They  started  by  boat  and 
floated  down  the  Kentucky  River  to  Louisville  and 
thence  went  by  steamer  to  Columbiana,  111. 

For  a  period  of  one  year  Mr.  McClure  resided  at 
Carrollton,  and  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  came 
to  Macoupin  County.  Here  he  entered  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  land  from  the  Govern- 
ment in  Carlinville  Township  and  became  one  of 
its  active  pioneers.  He  erected  a  double  hewn  log 
house  on  his  place,  and  made  his  home  there,  his 
children  improving  the  farm  until  after  the  death 
of  his  wife,  which  occurred  in  1844.  He  then  went 
to  Washington,  D.  C,  having  received  an  appoint- 
ment from  President  Polk  as  clerk  of  the  land 
office.  He  was  reappointed  to  that  position  by 
President  Taylor,  and  ably  discharged  its  duties 
until  his  death  in  1849.  He  was  a  man  of  marked 
ability  and  early  became  prominent  in  the  affairs  of 
Macoupin  County.  He  was  Assessor  for  the  county 
in  an  early  day,  and  visited  every  house  within  its 
bounds.  He  also  took  the  census  in  1840.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Frances  Dickcrson, 
and  she  was  born  in  Jessamine  County,  Ky..  a 
daughter  of  Martin  and   Rebecca  Dickcrson.     She 


reared   a  family  of  twelve   children,  six  boys  aud 
six  girls. 

Our  subject  was  fourteen  years  old  when  he  ac- 
companied his  parents  to  Illinois,  and  remembers 
well  the  incidents  of  that  memorable  journey  and 
of  pioneer  life  here.  At  that  time  deer,  wild  tur- 
keys and  other  game  were  plentiful,  and  roamed 
at  will  over  the  prairies.  There  were  no  railways 
for  years,  and  Alton  and  St.  Louis  were  the  nearest 
markets.  The  settlers  lived  off  the  products  of  the 
farm  and  the  mother  of  our  subject  used  to  clothe 
her  children  in  cloth  spun  and  woven  by  her  own 
hands.  For  some  time  Carrollton.  Hillsboro  and 
Alton  were  the  nearest  milling  points. 

Our  subject  assisted  in  the  improvement  of  his 
father's  farm,  and  after  he  attained  manhood  took 
charge  of  it  and  finally  purchased  it.  He  resided 
there  the  greater  part  of  the  time  until  1883  and 
so  prospered  was  he  in  his  agricultural  operations 
he  was  then  enabled  to  retire  from  active  business, 
and  has  ever  since  made  his  home  at  Carlinville, 
where  he  is  still  living  surrounded  by  every  com- 
fort that  one  could  desire. 

In  18r>f>  Mr.  McClure  was  united  in  marriage 
with  llellcn  Collins,  and  these  five  children  have 
blessed  their  happy  union — Charles  and  Frank 
(twins).  Milton,  James  E.  and  Edmonia.  Charles 
is  a  graduate  of  West  Point  and  is  now  Judge  Ad- 
vocate in  the  Western  army;  his  wife  was  formerly 
Miss  Mae  Walker.  Frank  is  a  hardware  merchant 
and  resides  in  Kane,  Greene  County;  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Adella  King;  Milton  is  an  attorney  at 
Beardstown;  he  was  a  candidate  of  the  Republican 
party  for  Congress  in  1890.  He  married  Miss  Rose 
Orwig;  James  is  a  law  student  and  Edmonia  is  a 
teacher. 

Mr.  McClure  is  a  man  of  strong  mental  calibre 
who  has  always  used  his  influence  in  the  right  di- 
rection to  promote  the  welfare  of  his  community. 
He  is  pleasant  in  his  intercourse  with  others,  is 
upright  and  manly  in  his  dealings,  and  is  held  in 
high  esteem  by  all  as  a  citizen  and  neighbor.  He 
has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  educational 
matters,  and  when  the  free  school  system  was  or- 
ganized he  was  one  of  the  first  directors  elected. 
In  the  education  of  his  children  he  took  special 
care,  giving  them  every  advantage,  and  has  a  fam- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


641 


ily  of  which  he  may  well  be  proud.  Coming  here 
when  the  county  was  little  more  than  a  wilderness 
he  has  not  only  witnessed  the  great  changes  that 
have  taken  place  but  has  had  a  hand  in  its  devel- 
opment into  a  rich  and  prosperous  agricultural 
center. 


-*- 


-3fc- 


ERBERT  H.  DE  BUHR,  a  successful  dealer 
in  wines  and  liquors,  claims  Germany  as 
the  land  of  his  birth.  He  was  born  in  the 
(j§J)  Kingdom  of  Hanover,  on  the  25th  of  July, 
1850,  and  is  a  son  of  Heie  and  Anna  (Slaughter) 
De  Buhr,  who  spent  their  entire  lives  in  Hanover. 
The  father  came  of  an  old  family  who  had  lived 
there  for  many  generations  and  its  members  mostly 
followed  farming  as  a  means  of  securing  a  liveli- 
hood. The  parents  of  our  subject  became  quite 
well  off  and  owned  a  farm  valued  at  more  than 
*1  0,000.  Mr.  De  Buhr,  who  was  born  May  8,  1813, 
died  on  the  8th  of  December,  1890,  having  sur- 
vived his  wife  about  five  years.  She  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty-five  in  the  faith  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  to  which  he  also  belonged.  Their  family 
numbered  ten  children,  five  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters, all  of  whom  grew  to  manhood  and  woman- 
hood and  were  married,  while  nine  still  abide. 
Seven  of  the  number  came  to  this  country  and  six 
of  those  are  residents  of  Illinois.  One  of  the  soils 
served  for  three  years  in  the  late  war  and  is  now 
located  in  Christian  County,  III. 

Herbert  De  Buhr,  our  subject,  who  is  the  sixth 
in  order  of  birth,  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood 
and  youth  in  his  native  province  and  acquired  a 
good  education  in  the  public  schools,  being  thereby 
fitted  for  the  practical  duties  of  life.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  18C7,  he  secured  his  passage  upon  a  sailing 
vessel  which  reached  New  York  City  after  a  voyage 
of  five  weeks  from  Bremen.  He  was  then  seventeen 
years  of  age  and  hence  his  entire  business  career 
has  been  enacted  in  this  county.  He  came  at  once 
to  Illinois,  having  since  resided  in  Mt.  Olive  and 
vicinity.  For  seven  years  he  worked  as  a  farm 
hand  and  by  industry  and  economy  saved  the 
money  necessary  to  begin  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count.    He  now  owns  one  of  the   finest  bars  in  the 


city  and  his  saloon,  situated  on  the  corner  of  Main 
and  Poplar  Streets,  id  a  favorite  with  the  public. 
He  has  carried  on  business  in  this  line  since  1878, 
and  thereby  has  acquired  all  the  property  which  he 
now  possesses. 

Mr.  De  Buhr  has  been  twice  married.  In  this 
county  he  wedded  Miss  Anteje  Arkebauer, who  was 
born  and  reared  near  Mt.  Olive  and  died  at  her 
home  in  this  villiage  in  the  autumn  of  1882,  when 
only  twenty-five  years  of  age.  At  her  death  she 
left  two  children,  Mary  and  Henry.  Mr.  De  Buhr 
was  again  married  in  this  locality,  his  second  union 
being  with  Anna  Thimes,  who  was  born  near  her 
husband's  childhood  home  in  181)4,  and  when  a 
young  lady  came  to  this  country.  Their  union 
has  been  blessed  with  four  children — William, 
John,  Anna  Amanda  and  Julia. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  De  Buhr  are  identified  with  the 
Lutheran  Church  and  to  its  support  contributes 
liberally.  He  has  also  been  a  generous  contribu- 
te r  to  all  enterprises  calculated  to  upbuild  or  bene- 
P.t  the  community  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
leading  German  citizens  of  Jit.  Olive.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Democrat  but  has  never  sought  or  desired 
public  office. 


J^ 


ylLLIAM  HOUNSLET.  The  fame  of  the 
Prairie  State  as  a  desirable  home  for  Brit- 
ish subjects  who  were  desiring  to  better 
their  condition  and  transfer  their  families  to  the 
New  World  was  early  spread  abroad  in  England. 
This  led  many  valuable  emigrants  of  the  better 
sort  to  leave  their  homes  in  the  British  Isles  and 
to  seek  the  prairies  of  Illinois.  Among  these  in- 
telligent and  frugal  emigrants  we  find  the  name  of 
William  Hounsley,  our  subject,  who  was  born  in 
Yorkshire.  England,  His  father,  William  Houns- 
ley, Sr.,  and  1  i Is  mother,  Ann  Simpson,  were  worth}' 
and  intelligent  natives  of  Yorkshire,  where  they 
lived  and  died.  They  had  six  children  in  their 
home,  of  whom  our  subject   was  the  fourth. 

The  one  of  whom  we  write  was  born  May  10, 
1827,  and  grew  to  manhood  in  his  father's  home. 
He  was  mainly  occupied    with    work  upon   a  farm, 


642 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


but  during  the  last  few  years  of  his  stay  in  Eng- 
land be  was  employed  in  some  of  the  seaport  towns 
as  a  corn  porter.  In  March,  1867,  be  came  to  the 
New  World  with  his  wife  and  one  child,  and  made 
his  way  directly  to  the  Eastern  States  and  to  this 
garden  of  the  West.  He  found  a  home  in  Polk 
Township,  this  county,  and  here  he  lived  for  six 
years  and  industriously  managed  and  worked  a 
rented  farm.  After  that  be  removed  to  South 
Palmyra  Township  and  took  a  rented  farm  for 
seven  years.  By  frugality  and  industry  he  had 
carefully  husbanded  his  resources  and  was  now 
able  to  purchase  a  home  of  his  own.  In  March, 
1881,  he  bought  the  farm  where  be  now  lives  on 
section  1,  of  Bird  Township. 

This  fine  farm,  which  is  now  in  a  splendid 
state  of  cultivation  and  upon  which  Mr.  Hounsley 
has  erected  an  excellent  set  of  farm  buildings,  con- 
sists of  nearly  one  hundred  acres.  Here  he  devotes 
himself  intelligently  and  perseveringly  to  the  in- 
terests of  his  farm,  carrying  on  general  fanning 
and  stoek-rnising.  The  great  event  of  bis  life — 
even  more  important  and  influential  for  good  than 
his  coming  to  America — was  his  marriage  in  Hull. 
England,  to  Miss  Charlotte  Proctor,  a  daughter 
of  Thomas  and  Ann  Proctor,  both  of  Yorkshire, 
England.  This  lady  was  born  in  our  subject's 
native  town  abut  the  year  1839. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hounsley  have  been  given  two 
sons,  who  have  lived  to  cheer  and  bless  their  par- 
ents, and  who  are  a  credit  to  them  and  a  benefit 
to  the  community  in  which  they  live.  William 
H.  was  born  in  England,  November  15,  1866,  and 
came  with  bis  parents  to  this  country.  He  is  now 
a  teacher.  Thomas  P.  was  born  in  Polk  Township, 
this  county,  May  25,  1868.  Mr.  Hounsley  is  one 
of  the  Highway  Commissioners  of  the  township, 
and  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the  local  affairs  of 
the  town  in  which  he  lives,  and  also  an  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  the  county.  In  religious  matters 
they  have  ever  been  alive  and  active  and  have 
worked  in  connection  with  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  of  which  they  are  members,  and 
where  be  is  a  Class-Leader  and  Trustee.  The 
maternal  grandmother  of  our  subject  was  Amelia 
Simpson,  who  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  nine- 
ty-seven years,  and  who  enjoyed  the  use  of  all  her 


faculties  up  to  her  latest  days.     She  was  much  re 
vered  and  respected  and  was  affectionately  known 
as  Millie  Simpson. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  man  of  great 
devotion  to  his  religious  duties.  His  death  was 
caused  by  a  shock  he  received  while  leading  a 
horse  which  he  had  been  driving.  The  horse  took 
fright  and  he  was  thrown  under  the  wheels  of  the 
cart,  which  passed  over  him.  He  was  carried  to 
Goole  Hospital,  in  Yorkshire.  He  had  been  fore- 
man many  years  in  Whitgift  Hall,  but  had  resigned 
bis  position  previous  to  his  accident.  The  respect 
and  esteem  with  which  this  family  and  especially 
Mrs.  Hounsley  is  regarded  as  worthily  bestowed. 


«1  fifelLLIAM  M.  CHILES,  one  of  the  prosper- 
\f\/l/  ous  anf'  thorough  going  farmers  of  Bird 
Jj/vy  Township,  makes  his  home  on  section  12. 
1 1  is  father  was  the  late  John  G.  Chiles,  a  native  of 
Virginia,  in  which  State  his  mother  was  also  born. 
Her  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  F.  Wills.  The 
family  removed  from  Kentuck}'  to  this  county  in 
1833  and  settled  on  the  line  bet  veen  North  and 
South  Palmyra.  Here  they  resided  until  1845, 
and  then  removed  to  this  township.  They  bad  ten 
children  of  whom  our  subject  was  the  eighth  in 
number.  The  father  died  in  1853,  the  mother  in 
1875.  The  father  was  a  soldier  of  t:  e  War  of  1812, 
and  his  father,  James  Chiles,  was  a  Revolutionary 
soldier. 

William  Chiles  was  born  in  this  aunty  June  2, 
1834,  and  be  has  always  resided  near  the  old  home- 
stead. He  has  been  engaged  largely  in  farming 
and  stock-raising.  In  1857  he  began  dealing  ex- 
tensively in  stock  and  is  now  one  of  the  oldest 
shipper  to  the  Chicago  market,  whilst  at  the  same 
time  be  has  carried  on  his  general  farming  opera- 
tions. The  buildings  on  his  property  aae  complete 
and  commodious  and  are  a  credit  to  the  township. 
He  owns  three  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres  of 
land,  which  he  has  in  a  splendid  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. 

Mr.  Chiles'  first  marriage  took  place  January  6, 
1859,  in  Greene  County,  with  Miss  Mary  M.  Brad- 


Of   THE 


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PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


645 


ley,  a  native  of  that  count}'.  She  became  the 
mother  of  six  children.  George,  who  married  .Mat- 
lie  Aulabough,  and  died  in  Nil  wood  Township  in 
August,1884  ;Robert  E.,who  married  Miss  Ida  Bird  j 
Lillie  E.,  the  wife  of  George  W.  Denby;  William 
M.,  Jr.,  who  married  Miss  Ella  Wade;  Thomas  W., 
who  married  Miss  Eva  Adams,  and  Charles  E.  The 
mother  of  these  children  was  an  earnest  and  con- 
scientious member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.     She  died  September  1 1,  1871. 

The  second  marriage  of  our  subject  was  solemn- 
ized in  Carlinville.  The  bride  was  Miss  Christina 
D.  Morse,  a  native  of  the  State  of  Missouri.  Five 
children  have  blessed  this  happy  union,  namely: 
Flora  M.,  Walter,  Frank  S.,  Grace  D.,  and  one  who 
died  in  infancy.  In  politics  Mr.  Chiles  has  ever 
been  identified  with  the  Republican  party,  but  he 
has  never  been  an  office-seeker,  although  he  has 
served  his  township  in  the  office  of  Assessor.  Both 
he  and  his  excellent  wife  are  faithful  and  efficient 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  the  family  is 
one  which  is  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  know 
them.  Our  subject's  brother  James  was  First 
Lieutenant  of  Company  F,  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-second  Regiment  and  was  in  the  last  en- 
gagement of  the  Rebellion  ;  his  youngest  brother, 
G.  W.  L.  Chiles,  died  at  Camp  Butler;  the  eldest 
brother  died  at  Palmyra,  this  county. 

1  AMES  M.  MILLS.  This  gentleman  is  among 
the  most  public-spirited  and  enterprising 
citizens  of  North  Palmyra  Township  and 
has  a  splendid  farm  witli  a  fine  set  of  build- 
ings upon  section  10.  His  father.  James  Mills,  was 
born  in  New  York,  and  las  mother,  Sarah  Coon  rod, 
a  native  of  Virginia,  came  when  a  young  woman 
to  Morgan  County,  Hi.,  while  the  State  was  yet  a 
Territory.  Here  she  met  James  Mills  and  they 
were  united  in  the  bonds  of  matrimony.  They 
died  in  what  is  now  known  as  Scott  County,  Mr. 
Mills  passing  away  in  1835,  and  his  widow  surviv- 
ing him  until  March  18,  188:3.  Six  children  re- 
sulted from  this  marriage,  of  whom  our  subject 
was  the  second. 


m 


James  Mills  wa's  born  in  what  is  now  Scott 
County,  this  State,  October  18,  1827,  and  there  he 
grew  to  manhood  and  chose  a  partner  for  life's 
joys  and  sorrows.  He  was  married  November  21, 
1850,  to  Miss  Julia  A.  Pierce, a  daughter  of  Stephen 
and  Edith  (Lowe)  Pierce.  He  was  a  native  of 
New  York  and  Mrs.  Pierce  was  a  Missounan.  Their 
daughter  Julia  was  born  in  Morgan  County,  this 
Suite,  July  25,  1832.  Of  her  family  of  seventeen 
children,  six  died  in  infancy.  Those  who  lived  to 
years  of  maturity  are:  James  M.  Jr.,  Stephen  R., 
George  W.,  Fannie,  Eliza,  Julia  M.,  Charles  A., 
Abram,  John  W.,  Sarah  E.,  and  Lewis  C.  Their 
mother  died  in  North  Palmyra  Township,  October 
18,  L882. 

In  North  Palmyra Township,November  27,  1884, 
Mr.  Mills  was  a  second  time  married.  His  wife 
was  Mrs.  Louisa  (Solomon)  Yowell,  a  daughter  of 
Lewis  and  Nancy  (Fink)  Solomon,  and  a  widow  of 
Henry  IT.  Yowell.  Mr.  Vowell  died  June  15,  1864, 
leaving  one  child  by  this  marriage,  George  M. 
Yowell.  Mrs.  Louisa  Mills  was  born  in  North 
Palmyra  Township,  May  3,  1837.  Her  father, 
Lewis  Solomon,  was  born  April  1,  1812,  in  Ken- 
tucky, and  died  in  North  Palmyra  Township,  April 
1,  1886,  expiring  upon  his  birthday.  His  wife 
Nancy  Fink  was  born  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  February 
22,  1818,  and  died  September  18,  1863. 

Mr.  Mills  was  reared  upon  a  farm,  and  agricul- 
ture and  stock-raising  have  constituted  the  chief 
business  of  his  life.  1'pon  his  farm  he  has  erected 
a  nice  set  of  buildings  and  his  land  is  well  im- 
proved. He  and  his  wife  together  are  the  owners 
of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  as  good  soil  as 
can  be  found  in  Macoupin  County.  He  is  liberal 
in  his  religious  views  and  in  politics  he  adheres  to 
the  doctrines  of  the  Republican  party.  His  son, 
James  M.  Jr.,  married  Sarah  E.  Crayne;  Stephen  R. 
married  Minnie  Rose;  George  W.  took  to  wife 
Mary  H.  Waters;  Fannie  died  August  31,  1880, 
when  a  young  woman  of  twenty-four  years;  Eliza 
is  the  wife  of  Edmund  Coots;  Julia  M.  married 
Palmer  Waters,  and  died  March  28,  1884,  when 
about  twenty-five  years  old.  Charlie  A.,  married 
for  his  first  wife  Miss  Effie  Waters,  who  died  July 
6, 1883.  His  present  wife  was  before  her  marriage 
with  him  Mrs.  Mary  (Willis)  Arnett.     Abrara  is 


646 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


married  and  resides  in  P.oise  City,  Idaho.  That  this 
family  has  resided  for  so  long  a  time  in  Macoupin 
County  has  proved  an  advantage  in  every  way  to 
their  neighbors  and  to  the  prosperity  of  that  sec- 
tion of  country. 

In  connection  with  this  biographical  notice  a 
lithographic  portrait  of  Mr.  Mills  appears  on  an- 
other page. 


BENJAMIN  F.  SILSBY,  a  retired  farmer  re- 
siding at  Carlinville,  is  a  native  of  this 
State,  coming  of  sturdy  pioneer  slock, 
his  parents  settling  in  Illinois  in  early 
times.  He  was  horn  in  Greene  County  September 
5,  1830,  the  fifth  child  in  the  family  of  six  children 
of  Enos  and  Fannie  (Baker)  Silsby.  They  weir 
natives  of  Vermont.  In  1828  they  came  Westward 
and  located  in  the  wilds  of  Greene  County.  When 
our  subject  was  about  eight  years  old  they  removed 
to  Jersey  County,  where  the  father  carried  on  his 
occupation  as  a  farmer  and  there  the  remainder  of 
his  life  was  passed,  his  death  occurring  January  21, 
1842.  The  mother 'spent  her  closing  years  in 
Macoupin  County,  dying  August  27,  1877. 

The  subject  of  this  biographical  review  grew  to 
manhood  amid  the  pioneer  scenes  of  Jersey  County 
and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools.  He 
early  gained  a  sound  practical  knowledge  of  farm- 
ing and  chose  that  calling  as  his  life  work,  making 
it  his  chief  vocation  until  retirement  from  active 
business.  In  1860  he  took  up  his  residence  in  this 
county,  locating  in  the  western  part  of  Chesterfield 
Township,  near  Summerville.  lie  lived  there  until 
after  his  marriage  in  1864,  then  he  and  his  wife  be- 
gan their  wedded  life  on  a  farm  in  Bird  Township, 
pleasantly  situated  four  miles  west  of  Carlinville. 
Mr.  Silsby  devoted  his  energies  to  the  cultivation 
and  improvement  of  his  land,  and  in  due  time 
made  of  it  a  good  farm.  It  is  still  in  his  posses- 
sion and  from  its  rental  he  derives  a  good  income. 
It  comprises  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of 
choice  land,  and  is  amply  provided  with  all  the 
necessary  buildings.  So  successful  was  our  subject 
in  the  management  of  his  affairs  he  was  enabled  to 
retire  from  agricultural  pursuits  with  a  comfortable 


competence  when  yet  scarcely  past  the  meridian  of 
life,  removing  from  his  farm  to  Carlinville,  in  the 
spring  of  1881,  where  he  has  since  resided. 

To  the  wife  who  has  been  so  important  a  factor 
in  bringing  about  his  prosperity  Mr.  Silsby  was 
married  June  8,  1864.  Mrs.  Silsby,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Rebecca  Palmer,  is  of  New  England 
birth  and  antecedents.  Vermont  is  her  native  State 
anil  she  was  born  September  28,  1834.  Her  marriage 
with  our  subject  has  brought  them  three  children, 
of  whom  Fannie  O.  is  the  only  survivor.  Edward 
E.  died  when  three  years  of  age,  and  Thirza  died  in 
infancy. 

Our  subject's  character  and  life-record  are  such 
as  to  commend  him  to  the  respect  and  confidence 
of  his  fellow-citizens.  He  is  a  sincere  Christian, 
carrying  his  religion  into  his  every-day  life,  and 
an  active  member  of  the  church,  and  of  all  things 
that  will  in  any  way  tend  to  elevate  the  status  of  the 
community.  ISoth  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church, which  he  has  served  faith- 
fully as  an  Elder.  In  politics  Mr.  Silsby  is  a  sound 
Republican.  He  has  been  Highway  Commissioner 
and  School  Director,  and  in  both  capacities  he 
worked  zealously  tor  the  good  of  the  township. 


■^fl®-*"* 


NDREW  ALLEN.  The  English  settlers 
^J|  in  this  country  are  apt  to  have  a  clannish 
A  tendency,  and  where  you  find  one  family 
you  generally  have  not  to  look  far  for 
several  others.  There  are  many  English  farmers  in 
Shipman  Township,  some  of  whom  have  retired 
from  active  or  agricultural  pursuits  and  are  living 
in  the  enjoyment  of  village  life.  Our  subject, 
Andrew  Allen,  is  one  of  these. 

Mr.  Allen's  father  was  William  Allen  who  was 
born  in  Lancastershire,  England.  His  mother  was  ■ 
Mary  Goodyear,  also  of  England.  They  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1819  and  in  1821,  they  set- 
tled in  Wilmington,  Del.,  at  which  place  the  parents 
passed  away  from  this  life.  Our  subject  was  one 
of  Dve  children,  he  being  the  second  in  order  of 
birth.  His  advent  into  this  life  of  turmoil  and 
labor  was  made  in  Lancastershire,  England,  March 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


647 


11,  1815.  He  was  only  six  years  of  age  when  his 
parents  settled  in  Delaware.  He  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Wilmington,  or  in  its  immediate  vicinity. 
While  a  boy  he  was  employed  in  a  cotton  factory 
some  three  or  four  years  and  after  that  time  he  was 
reared  on  a  farm. 

Our  subject's  father  purchased  a  cotton  factory 
and  Andrew  soon  learned  to  manage  it  so  well  that 
the  entire  charge  of  the  institution  was  placed  in  his 
hand.  It  was  located  near  Wilmington.  He  after 
look  charge  of  the  weaving  department  in  the 
Franklin  Mills.  These  mills  were  also  located  in 
Wilmington.  lie  held  that  position  for  about  five 
years  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  resigned,  after 
which  he  went  to  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  same  business  for  about  five  years. 
He  then  returned  to  Wilmington  acting  in  the 
same  capacity  for  several  years  until  he  came  West 
in  1858,  induced  by  the  flattering  promises  in 
stock-raising  and  agriculture.  In  the  spring  of  the 
year  above  named  he  came  to  Illinois  and  was  em- 
ployed for  two  j'ears  as  a  farm  laborer.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  purchased  the  farm  in  Shipman 
Township,  where  he  settled  and  made  his  home  for 
three  years. 

So  thoroughly  had  Mr.  Allen  adopted  the  ideas 
and  principles  of  his  foster  land  that  he  was  ready 
to  fight  for  unjr  of  the  principles  that  it  held  dear 
and  on  August  12,  1862.  on  the  second  call  for 
volunteers  for  the  Federal  Army  of  the  Rebellion 
he  enlisted  in  Company  II,  of  the  Eighty-eighth 
Illinois  Infantry  and  served  for  three  years,  lie 
participated  in  that  time  of  trial  with  the  brsve 
Americans  that  held  freedom  dearer  than  life  in 
the  battles  of  Perry  ville.  Stone  River,  and  that  of 
Nashville.  In  the  battle  of  Stone  River  he  was 
wounded  in  the  spine  and  was  never  after  able  to  do 
active  service.  He  was  transferred  to  the  Second 
Battalion  of  the  Veteran  Reserve  Corps  and  stood 
ready  in  time  of  emergency  to  give  a  blow  for  the 
right. 

When  the  war  was  over  Mr.  Allen  returned  to 
Shipman  Township,  where  with  the  exception  of 
about  two  j'ears  when  he  lived  in  Missouri  he  has 
been  a  resident.  Mr.  Allen  was  married  in  Delaware 
to  Mary  Walker  who  was  a  native  of  that  State. 
She  bore  him  five  children,  only  one  of  whom  sur- 


vives This  is  a  daughter.  Louisa  who  was  the  wife 
of  Joseph  R.  Tulle  v.  Mrs.  Mary  Allen  died  in 
Wilmington.  Del.,  and  after  coming  West  our  sub- 
ject again  married.  This  time  his  union  was  with 
Elizabeth  (J.  Justison,  who  was  born  in  Delaware 
March  29,  1825. 

The  original  of  this  sketch  naturally  takes  an 
interest  in  the  politics  of  the  country  for  which  he 
fought.  He  is  a  Republican,  casting  his  vote  with 
that  party.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  active  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Socially 
he  is  a  member  of  X.  B.  Buford  Post  No.  156,  of 
the  G.  A.  R.  lie  also  belongs  to  the  Masonic 
fraternity. 

Mr.  Allen  secured  three  patents  on  gingham 
weaving  looms  that  were  at  once  universally 
adopted.  He  also  has  patented  one  of  the  handiest 
farm  gates  now  in  use. 

—*> «|]"Cf> V— 


UILLIAM  STEWARD,  a  retired  farmer, 
living  at  Shipman,  is  a  man  whose  honor- 
ty%!  able  life  career  is  well  worthy  of  record  on 
these  pages.  He  was  born  in  Maniton  Town- 
ship, Salem  County,  N.  J.,  December  5,  1820. 
His  father  was  Joseph  Steward,  and  he  was  also 
a  native  of  that  State.  He  in  turn  was  a  son  of 
Nathan  Steward,  who,  so  far  as  known,  was  born 
in  New  Jersey,  and  was  a  descendant  of  some  of 
the  early  Scotch  settlers  of  that  State.  The  first 
ancestor  of  the  family  to  come  to  America  from 
his  native  Scotland  was  Joseph  Steward.  He  first 
located  in  Berks  County,  Pa.,  whence  he  removed 
to  New  Jersey  prior  to  1794,  and  theie  died.  He 
married  Alice  Wright,  a  daughter  of  Joshua 
Wright.  The  next  in  line  was  their  son  Joseph, 
who  married  Bridget  Middleton.  Their  son  Joseph 
married  Ann  Rollins,  and  their  son  Nathan 
Steward  was  the  grandfather  of  our  subject.  He 
spent  his  entire  life  in  New  Jersey,  his  occupation 
being  that  of  a  farmer.  He  married  Rachel  Mor- 
gan, who  was  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Bath- 
sheba  Morgan.      He  died  April    11,  1811. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  in  his  native 
Stale.     He  learned  the  trade  of  a  tailor  and  follow. 


648 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ed  it  until  he  was  twenty  years  old,  when  he  aban- 
doned it  for  farming,  buying  a  farm  in  Salem 
County.  He  pursued  agriculture  until  a  few  years 
before  his  death,  which  occurred  in  that  county 
January  31,  1870,  at  a  ripe  age.  In  early  manhood 
he  married  Sarah  Rogers,  a  native  of  Burlington 
County,  N.  J.,  and  a  daughter  of  Abner  and  Lydia 
(Tilton)  Rogers,  and  a  granddaughter  of  William 
Rogers.  She  survived  her  husband  until  October 
30,  1874,  and  then  she  too  passed  from  the  scenes 
of  earth  to  that  home  not  made  with  hands.  Those 
worthy  people  reared  twelve  children  to  useful 
lives. 

Their  son  of  whom  we  write  parsed  his  early  life 
on  the  New  Jersey  farm  that  was  his  birthplace, 
remaining  an  inmate  of  the  parental  home  until  he 
attained  his  majority.  He  then  rented  land,  and 
carried  on  agriculture  on  his  own  account.  In 
1855  he  resolved  to  take  advantage  of  the  superior 
facilities  offered  by  the  rich  virgin  soil  of  Illinois 
to  all  who  were  willing  to  undergo  the  hardships 
and  privations  incident  to  life  in  a  country  that 
still  retained  much  of  its  primitive  condition.  He 
traveled  by  rail  to  Pittsburg,  thence  by  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  rivers  to  Alton,  and  from  that 
point  by  rail  to  Brighton.  For  two  years  he  rent- 
ed land,  and  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  he 
bought  land  near  the  village  of  Shipman,  for  which 
he  paid  $30  an  acre.  While  he  resided  on  his 
farm  he  placed  it  under  excellent  cultivation, 
and  greatly  increased  its  value  by  many  substan- 
tial improvements.  He  made  money  by  his  farm- 
ing operations,  and  in  1876  he  bought  a  cozy  home 
in  the  village  of  Shipman,  and  here  he  and  his 
good  wife  are  living  retired  from  active  labor. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  with  Miss  Rebecca 
Abbott  was  celebrated  January  5,  1843,  and  for 
nearly  half  a  century  they  had  lived  happily  to- 
gether, furnishing  their  friends  an  example  of  a 
true  wedded  life.  To  them  eight  children  have 
been  born,  four  of  whom  are  living — William  H., 
an  attorney  at  Carlinville;  Milton  R.  and  Ben- 
jamin F.,  merchants  at  Columbus,  Kan.;  and 
Fannie,  their  only  daughter,  who  married  Henry 
Huskinson,  of  Shipman. 

Mrs.  Steward  is,  like  her  husband,  a  native  of 
Salem   County,   N.   J.,    born  May  2,    1819.     Her 


father,  Joseph  Abbott,  was  a  native  of  the  same 
county,  and  was  a  son  of  Joel  Abbott,  who  was 
born  in  England  of  English  parents,  he  being  a  son 
of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Graysburg)  Abbott.  lie  mar- 
ried Mary  Graysburg,  and  died  in  Salem  County. 
Mrs.  Steward's  father  was  a  farmer,  and  his  entire 
life  was  spent  in  his  native  county.  He  married 
Sarah  Torton,  who  was  also  a  life-long  resident  of 
that  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Steward  are  both  devoted  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  They 
are  people  of  kindly  natures,  whose  warm  hearts 
prompt  them  to  extend  sympathy  and  substantial 
help  to  all  who  are  in  trouble  or  in  want,  and  they 
are  held  in  affection  and  reverence  by  the  entire 
neighborhood.  Mr.  Steward  is  a  strong  temper- 
ance advocate,  but  he  is  no  third  party  man,  he 
being  a  true  Republican  in  his  political  views. 


.ILLIAM  II.  II.  IIOU1NE,  Ex-Mayor  of 
pJII  Carlinville,  has  been  carrying  on  business 
!Jff  in  this  city  for  a  number  of  years,  and  has 
a  sound  reputation  as  a  good  financier  and  public- 
sprinted  citizen.  These  qualifications  for  the  high- 
est position  in  the  gift  of  the  people  of  the  city, 
were  strengthened  by  his  agreeable  manners  and 
integrity  of  character,  and  his  friends  have  had  no 
reason  to  regret  having  placed  him  at  the  head  of 
the  municipal  government.  He  is  an  old  soldier, 
who  fought  the  enemy  on  man}'  a  famous  battle- 
field and  cheerfully  bore  the  hardships  of  a  soldier's 
life  during  the  memorable  Civil  War. 

Mr.  Ilorine  was  born  in  Williamsport.  Washing- 
ton Count)-,  Md.,  August  20,  1840,  and  his  ances- 
tors for  at  least  two  generations  were  natives  of 
the  same  State  as  himself.  His  father,  Henry 
Alexander  Ilorine,  was  born  in  Washington 
County,  Md.,  and  was  left  an  orphan  at  an  early 
age.  He  then  went  to  make  his  home  with  an  un- 
cle on  a  farm,  and  remained  there  until  after  he 
had  entered  his  'teens,  when  he  learned  the  trade 
of  a  carpenter.  This  he  followed  until  1850,  then 
bought  a  tract  of  land  in   his   native   county,  and 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


649 


gave  his  attention  to  fanning  during  the  remain- 
der of  his  life.  His  death  occurred  in  1869.  His 
wife,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Maria  Krebs ;  she  died  in  1847,  when  Will- 
iam was  but  seven  years  old. 

After  the  decease  of  his  mother  he  of  whom  we 
write  remained  with  his  father,  attending  the  pub- 
lic schools,  and  assisting  on  the  farm  until  he  was 
twenty  years  of  age.  He  then  went  to  Hagers- 
town  and  for  a  time  worked  at  the  machinists' 
trade.  August  8,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  A, 
Seventh  Maryland  Infantry,  in  which  he  seivcd 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  fought  at  the  Wil- 
derness, Laurel  Hill,  Todd's  Tavern,  Spoltsylvania, 
Harris  Farm,  Jericho  Mills,  Tatopotomy  Church, 
Magnolia  Swamp,  Bethesda  Church,  Gobi  Harbor, 
Weldon  Railroad,  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  Chapel 
House,  Hatchie's  Run,  Dobney  Mills,  and  in  the 
battles  around  Petersburg  from  June  13  to  July 
30,  and  those  of  Warren's  raid.  He  was  present 
at  the  capture  of  Petersburg  and  at  the  surrender 
of  Lee.  Mr.  Horine  rose  from  the  ranks  to  the 
position  of  first  Corporal,  and  in  1861  was  made 
Second  Lieutenant,  and  as  the  Captain  and  First 
Lieutenant  were  sent  on  detached  service,  he  had 
command  of  the  company  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  was  honorably  discharged  at  Arlington 
Heights,  May  18,  1865. 

Mr.  Horine  next  engaged  in  the  photographic 
business  at  Cumberland,  Md.,  but  in  1866  removed 
to  Chicago,  where  he  operated  in  that  art  some  three 
years.  He  then  came  to  Carlinville  and  opened  a 
studio,  which  he  carried  on  until  1872.  In  August 
of  that  year  he  bought  a  jewelry  establishment,  and 
since  that  time  has  conducted  the  business,  and  hns 
come  to  be  known  as  one  of  the  reliable  dealers  of 
the  city.  He  has  a  good  home,  which  is  made 
cozy  and  attractive  by  the  housewifely  skill  and 
pleasing  qualities  of  the  lady  who  became  his  wife 
in  1874.  Her  maiden  name  was  Anna  B.  Bell,  and 
she  is  a  native  of  Alabama.  The  happy  union  has 
been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  two  children — a  son 
and  a  daughter,  whose  names  arc  William  H.  and 
Anna  Mary. 

As  would  naturally  be  supposed,  Mayor  Horine 
is  connected  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic, and  he  is  a  comrade  in  Dan  Messick  Post,  No, 


339.  He  is  also  identified  with  Ml.  Nebo  Lodge. 
No.  76.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Macoupin  Chapter,  No.  187; 
and  Orient  Lodge,  No.  95,  K.  P.  Mr.  Horine  is  a 
stanch  member  of  the  Republican  party,  and  on 
that  ticket  was  elected  Mayor  in  April,  1889. 


^gh*"^ 


¥  OHN  HAGGARD,  who  owns  and  occupies 
a  fine  farm  in  North  Otter  Township,  is 
known  throughout  this  county  as  a  prosper- 
ous farmer  and  as  an  enterprising  auction- 
eer. His  business  has  brought  him  an  extensive 
acquaintance  and  he  is  universally  respected  for 
those  traits  of  character  that  have  made  him  suc- 
cessful and  have  won  him  a  place  among  our  most 
useful  citizens.  He  is  a  native  of  this  State,  a  son 
of  one  of  its  early  pioneer  families,  his  birthplace 
being  two  and  one-half  miles  northwest  of  Waverly, 
Morgan  County,  where  he  first  opened  his  eyes  to 
the  light  of  day,  April  23,1836. 

Samuel  Haggard,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
a  native  of  Tennessee  and  a  son  of  Edmund  Hag- 
gard, who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  The  parents 
of  the  latter  went  to  Tennessee  in  the  early  days  of 
its  settlement  and  were  pioneers  of  that  State. 
They  were  massacred  by  the  Indians.  The  grand- 
father of  our  subject  was  married  in  Tennessee  and 
lived  theie  until  1829,  when  he  came  to  the  wilds 
of  Illinois,  bringing  with  him  his  family  and  all  his 
earthly  possessions  with  teams.  He  entered  a  tract 
of  land  at  Long  Point,  Morgan  County,  and  was 
one  of  the  first  to  settle  in  that  region,  which  was 
then  in  its  primitive  condition,  with  but  few  white 
inhabitants,  and  deer,  wolves  and  other  wild  ani- 
mals were  very  numerous.  In  1850  Grandfather 
Haggard  sold  his  place  there  and  took  up  his  resi- 
dence in  this  county,  biding  wild  land  four  miles 
northwest  of  Virden,  which  be  improved  into  a 
good  farm.  He  resided  upon  it  some  years  and 
then  removed  to  Virden,  where  he  lived  retired 
until  death  closed  his  mortal  career.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Andrews,  also 
died  at  Virden, 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  young  man  when 
he  came   to  Illinois  with  his  parents.     He  married 


650 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  Morgan  County,  taking  as  his  wife  Maranda 
Grant, and  for  three  or  four  years  thereafter  he  was 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  three  miles  west 
of  Waverly.  He  subsequently  turned  his  attention 
to  agriculture,  buying  a  farm  on  the  south  line  of 
the  county.  He  lived  there  seven  years  and  l lien 
went  to  Long  Point,  where  he  rented  land  which 
he  farmed  for  three  years.  He  next  bought  a  place 
in  North  Otter  Township,  which  he  retained  in  his 
possession  a  few  years.  He  then  took  advantage 
of  a  good  offer  to  sell  it,  and  going  to  Yirden,  re- 
sided there  until  1864.  From  that  time  until  Ids 
death,  in  1875,  he  made  his  home  with  nis  son,  of 
whom  we  write,  where  he  was  tenderly  cared  for  in 
his  old  age.  His  wife  preceded  him  in  death,  liv- 
ing in  1860  at  Yirden. 

John  Haggard  passed  his  early  life  on  a  farm, 
gaining  a  clear  insight  into  practical  methods  of 
carrying  on  agriculture,  and  during  his  boyhood  he 
attended  the  public  schools  whenever  opportunity 
offered.  He  commenced  fanning  on  his  own  ac- 
count in  1860  and  has  been  interested  in  it  ever 
since,  although  he  has  not  given  it  his  entire  atten  • 
tion,  as  he  is  a  man  of  much  enterprise  and  has 
branched  out  into  other  business.  For  a  time  he 
had  a  grocery  at  Yirden  and  for  upwards  of  twelve 
years  he  has  been  the  auctioneer  of  this  section. 
He  possesses  in  a  good  degree  the  keen  judgment, 
quick  discernment  and  promptness  necessary  to 
make  one  succeed  in  that  calling  and  he  gives  gen- 
eral satisfaction  to  ell  who  employ  him  in  that  ca- 
pacity. His  farm,  which  is  in  a  desirable  locality, 
is  well  managed,  its  fields  are  under  good  tillage 
and  its  buildings  are  in  good  order. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Haggard  entered  upon  their  mar- 
ried life  January  29,  1863,  and  it  has  been  blessed 
to  them  by  two  children,  Samuel  and  Mary.  Sum 
uel,  who  lives  at  Virden,  married  Ida  Loving  and 
they  have  one  child,  Oscar  Claud ;  Mary  married 
David  A.  Richardson,  of  North  Otter  Township, 
and  they  have  one  child,  Ethel  Mabel. 

Prior  to  her  marriage  Mrs.  Haggard's  name  was 
Sarah  A.  Clack.  She  is  a  native  of  North  Otter 
Township,  her  present  home,  and  she  was  born 
February  17,  1846.  Her  father,  James  B.  Clack, 
was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  his  father;  William 
Clapk,  is  a|so  thought  to  have   been.     The    latter 


came  from  that  Slate  to  Illinois  in  a  very  early  day 
of  its  settlement  and  was  one  of  the  first  to  locate 
at  North  Otter  Township,  where  he  died  in  1856. 
His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Sarah  Bell, 
died  at  the  home  of  her  son-in-law,  John  Haggard. 
Mrs.  Haggard's  father  was  young  when  he  came 
wit  his  parents  to  their  home  in  this  State.  He  was 
married  in  Auburn  Township,  Sangamon  County, 
to  Alary  A.  Walters,  a  native  of  Indiana  and 
a  daughter  of  James  and  Lydia  Walters,  who  were 
natives  respectively  of  Virginia  and  North  Caro- 
lina. He  entered  a  tract  of  Government  land  on 
sections  2  and  3,  North  Otter  Township,  and  bus- 
ily engaged  in  its  improvement,  until  death  closed 
his  career  of  usefulness  in  1855.  Mrs.  Haggard's 
mother  spent  her  last  years  at  Virden. 

Our  subject  and  his  wife  hold  a  warm  place  in 
the  hearts  of  those  about  them,  as  they  are  always 
kind,  charitable  and  helpful  in  their  intercourse 
with  others.  Mr.  Haggard  is  interested  in  all  that 
concerns  the  welfare  of  his  county  and  in  his  poli- 
tical views  he  is  a  decided  Democrat.  Socially  he 
is  a  member  in  good  standing  of  Virden  Lodge, 
No.  J  61,  A.  F.  &A  M.  Mrs.  Haggard  is  a  con- 
sistent member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
which  finds  in  her  one  of  its  most  earnest  workers. 


'SC 


=se^ 


^ps-^ft  AMUEL  R.  STE1DLEY,  of  Palmyra,  is  a 
\>fe#  native  of  this  county,  who  was  one  of  the 
ill/^j)  brave  citizen-soldiers  that  it  sent  to  the 
front  during  the  late  war,  and  who  has 
also  borne  an  honorable  part  in  promoting  its  ag- 
riculture, and  has  been  prominent  in  its  public  life. 
He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  South  Palmyra  Town- 
ship March  25,  1838.  His  father,  Josepn  B.  Steid- 
ley,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  resided  near 
Fredrieksburg  many  years.  After  marriage  he  re- 
moved to  Ohio  in  1830,  and  spent  the  ensuing  six 
years  amid  the  wilds  of  that  State.  In  1836  with 
his  wife  and  six  children  he  came  to  Illinois,  mak- 
ing the  entire  journey  by  land,  and  bringing  their 
household  goods  with  them.  Mr.  Sleidley  bought 
a  tract  of  land  located  four  miles  from  the  present 
site  of  the  village  of  Palmyra,  and  in  the  log  house 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


651 


that  stood  thereon  our  subject  first  saw  the  light  of 
day.  A  few  acres  of  land  were  cleared  and  fenced, 
and  the  father  busied  himself  constantly  in  making 
improvements  until  his  death  in  January,  1861. 
The  maiden  name  of  his  first  wife,  mother  of 
subject,  was  Elvira  Rowland,  and  she  was  born  in 
the  Shenandoah  Valley,  Va.,  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
Rowland.  She  died  on  the  home  farm  in  184'.). 
Eleven  of  the  children  born  of  her  marriage  were 
reared  to  manhood  and  womanhood,  namely;  Dan- 
iel G-.,  Mary  Elizabeth;  Solomon  J.,  Sarah  Ellen, 
Lucy  Ann,  Elvira  V.,  Samuel,  Joseph  S.,  James 
William,  Luzetta  Jane  and  Thomas  J.  Mr.  Steid- 
ley's  second  wife  was  Elizabeth  Cherry,  and  she 
bore  these  four  children, — Henry  M.,  La  Eayette, 
Harriet  J.,  Wilmer  L. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  was  reared  to 
man's  estate  in  his  native  township,  which  at  the 
time  of  his  birth  was  sparsely  settled,  and  the  sur- 
rounding country  was  in  a  wild  condition.  For 
some  years  Alton  was  the  nearest  market,  where 
the  farmers  sold  their  produce  and  obtained  their 
supplies.  Deer,  wild  turkeys  and  other  game 
helped  to  eke  out  the  scanty  fare  of  the  pioneers, 
as  the  people  had  to  live  on  what  they  could  raise 
on  their  farms,  and  many  things  now  considered 
indispensable  were  then  unknown  luxuries.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  used  to  cook  befoie  the  fire  in 
the  open  fireplace  of  old  times,  and  her  bus}'  hand 
spun  and  wove  the  cloth  with  which  she  clad  her 
children. 

Mr.  Steidly  obtained  his  education  in  the  prim- 
itive pioneer  schools  of  that  day  that  were  con- 
ducted on  the  subscription  plan,  the  first  that  he 
attended  being  held  in  a  log  house.  As  soon  as 
large  enough  he  became  useful  on  the  farm,  and 
continued  to  assist  bis  father  until  he  had  attained 
his  majority.  His  faiher  gave  him  his  time  when 
he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  and  he  continued  to 
help  him  a  few  months,  and  then  worked  for  others 
a  few  months.  After  that  he  worked  land  on 
shares  until  the  war  broke  out. 

In  the  month  of  September  of  the  opening 
year  of  the  rebellion,  when  he  had  settled  up  his 
affairs  preparatory  to  joining  the  army,  our  sub- 
ject threw  aside  all  personal  aims  and  ambitions  to 
aid  his  Government  as  a  soldier,  enlisting  in  Co.  A, 


Thirty-second  Illinois  Infantry  and  he  served  nine- 
teen months  with  credit,, retiring  from  the  ranks  only 
because  he  was  no  longer  able  to  do  military  duty 
on  acount  of  injuries  received  in  battle.  He  helped 
capture  Ft.  Donelson  anil  was  present  at  Shiloh. 
He  was  twice  wounded  in  the  first  day's  battle  by 
a  bullet  striking  the  right  breast  and  coming  out 
under  the  right  shoulder  blade,  and  while  lying 
en  the  field  after  that  he  was  nit  in  the  shoulder 
by  a  piece  of  shell,  and  while  suffering  mortal 
agony  he  was  captured  by  the  enemy.  The  next 
day  he  was  rescued  by  the  Union  soldiers  and 
was  taken  to  the  hospital  at  Mound  City,  where 
lie  was  honorably  discharged  from  the  army  March 
25,  1863  on  account  of  disability  from  his  wounds. 
His  brother,  James  \V..  was  in  the  same  company 
as  himself,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle   of  Shiloh. 

As  soon  as  he  was  able  after  his  bitter  experience 
of  military  life,  our  subject  resumed  farming,  biry- 
ing  a  farm  in  Barr  Township,  which  he  retained  in 
his  possession  until  1869,  when  he  sold  it  at  a  good 
price  and  bought  another  in  Bois  D'Arc  Township, 
Montgomery  County.  He  actively  engaged  in 
agriculture  in  that  locality  for  several  years,  but 
in  1887  he  retired  to  Palmyra,  where  he  has  a 
pleasant  home,  replete  with  comfort  and  abound- 
ing in  contentment  and  happiness. 

Mr.  Steidley  and  Miss  Susan  E.  Range  were 
united  in  marriage  April  7,  1864.  Mrs.  Steidley 
was  born  in  Washington  County,  Tenn.,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Jefferson  and  Elizabeth  (Hall)  Range. 

Our  subject's  patriotism  and  the  value  of  his 
citizenship  has  been  proven  no  less  since  the  war 
by  his  conduct  as  a  civic  official  and  in  all  the  re- 
lations of  life,  than  when  he  helped  to  defend 
and  preserve  the  Union.  He  is  an  influence  for 
good  in  the  public  life  of  his  community  and  in 
promoting  its  special  and  moral  status.  He  was 
formerly  a  Democrat,  but  since  the  war,  the  Re- 
publican party  has  found  in  him  a  strong  advocate. 
He  served  three  terms  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  in 
Bois  D'Arc  Township,  but  resigned  that  position 
when  he  removed  to  Palmyra.  In  1890  he  was 
the  choice  of  his  fellow  citizens  for  the  important 
office  of  Mayor  and  he  gave  the  city  a  good  ad- 
ministration. He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  since  he  was  eighteen 


652 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


years  old,  and  his  name  is  associated  with  its  very 
good  work.  lie  served  as  Class-Leader  eighteen 
years,  and  he  has  also  been  Trustee,  Steward,  and 
teacher  in  the  Sunday-school.  His  wife  has  been 
been  a  life-member  of  the  American  Bible  Society 
since   1875. 


y^ILLIAM  WHEELER,  of  Bird  Township, 
is  a  son  of  John  Wheeler,  whose  biograph- 
ionl  sketch  is  found  elsewhere  in  this  Rec- 
ord. This  son  was  born  in  Hush  County,  Ind., 
April  15,  1833,  and  he  was  an  infant  of  six  months 
only  when  his  father  removed  to  Greene  County, 
and  one  year  later  when  he  came  to  Macoupin 
County,  and  made  his  home  in  Bird  Township. 
Here  he  grew  to  manhood  and  here  be  has  always 
made  his  borne. 

His  marriage  took  place  in  Western  Mound  Town 
ship,  in  February,  185G.  His  bride  was  Mary  J. 
Lee.  Her  parents  were  Obediah  W.  and  Rebecca 
T.  (Sullivan)  Lee.  Mr.  Lee  was  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  and  Mrs.  Lee  was  born  in  Tennessee. 
There  they  spent  their  early  married  life  and  came 
thence  to  Illinois  in  the  winter  of  1830-31  and 
made  their  first  home  in  Jefferson  County,  this 
State.  Thence  they  removed  to  Greene  County, 
and  afterward  to  Macoupin  County,  where  the 
father  died  in  Western  Mound  Township.  Mrs. 
Wheeler  is  the  fourth  in  a  family  of  twelve  chil- 
dren. She  was  born  in  Greene  County,  this  State, 
September  21,  1834. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wheeler  are  the  happy  parents  of 
six  living  children,  namely:  Jasper  W.,  who  mar- 
ried Emma  Loveless;  Arthur  C,  who  married  Miss 
Dora  F.  Jackson;  John,  Mary  E.,  the  wife  of  Allen 
Bar,  Alvin  L.,  and  Ollie  L.  E.  Two  of  their  children 
have  passed  before  them  to  the  better  world: 
Lydia  M.,  who  died  when  a  beautiful  young  lady 
of  nineteen  years  and  Edgar  E.,  who  was  snatched 
from  their  arms  at  the  tender  age  of  five  years. 

Mr.  Wheeler's  interest  in  educational  affairs,  has 
been  shown  in  his  efficient  service  as  School  Di- 
rector and  School  Trustee.  His  political  belief  is 
embodied  in  the  platform  of  the  Democratic  party, 


and  he  takes  an  active  part  in  local  politics.  Both 
iie  and  his  good  wife  are  earnest  and  zealous  mem- 
bers of  the  Shiloh  Baptist  Church.  Here  he  has 
filled  the  office  of  Trustee  and  also  that  of  Deacon, 
lie  is  a  member  of  the  Chesterfield  Farmers  Mu- 
tual Fire  Insurance  Company  and  is  ever  awake  to 
the  interests  of  the  farming  community  as  he  has 
followed  agricultural  pursuits  all  his  life.  His 
home  farm  consists  of  seven  hundred  and  twenty- 
four  acres  of  rich  and  productive  soil,  two  hundred 
and  sixty-two  of  which  lie  in  Bird  Township.  Upon 
these  he  has  erected  a  handsome  residence  and  excel- 
lent farm  buildings,  and  the  whole  property  shows 
by  its  neat  appearance  that  it  belongs  to  an  enter- 
prising and  thorough  farmer. 


\  A.  NIGH  BERT,  a  prominent  and  influential 
citizen  of  Barr  Township,  has  his  pleasant 
home  on  section  10.  He  is  of  Southern 
parentage:  his  father,  George,  having  been  born  in 
Botetourt  County,  Vn.,  October  27,  1789,  and  his 
mother,  Nancy  Albrigbt  by  name,  being  born  in 
Virginia  in  May,  1795.  She  died  in  Botetourt 
County,  June  9,  1831.  Mr.  Nighbert  emigrated 
from  the  Old  Dominion  to  Easter.]  Tennessee  and 
after  a  residence  of  six  years  there  came  to  Illinois 
in  the  fall  of  1840  and  settled  in  Scottville  town- 
ship, where  he  died  October,  1865.  They  had  a 
large  family  of  children,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the 
youngest,  being  born  in  Botetourt  County,  Va., 
September  29,  1827. 

Young  Nighbert  was  but  seven  years  old  when 
he  journeyed  on  foot  with  his  father  from  Virginia 
to  Eastern  Tennessee.  The  family  carried  with 
them  their  household  utensils,  and  this  little  fellow's 
share  of  the  burden  was  the  family  coffee  pot.  It 
was  in  1840  when  he  came  to  Macoupin  County, 
and  since  then  he  has  been  a  resident  here  with  the 
exception  of  one  year  which  he  spent  in  California, 
in  the  mines  at  the  time  of  the  gold-mining  fever. 

The  marriage  of  this  young  man,  September  11, 
1851,  took  place  in  Scottville  Township  to  Miss 
Margaret  Ann  Crura,  daughter  of  the  late  Gordon 
Crtim  who  was  born  in   Clark  County,  Ind.     Her 


liBRARV 
OF    THE 

urnvr**- 


> 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


G55 


mother  was  Sedonia  Rucker,  a  native  of  Wood fonl 
County.  Ky.  They  were  married  in  Morgan  County. 
III.,  and  from  there  came  to  Macoupin  County  early 
in  the  '30s  and  settled  in  Barr  Township,  where 
they  lived  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Of  a  fam- 
ily of  nine  children,  Mrs.  Nigbbert  was  the  eldest, 
being  bom  in  Morgan  County,  111.,  March  26,  1 834. 
Since  their  marriage  our  subject  and  his  wife  have 
always  resided  in  Scottvtllc  and  Barr  Townships. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nighbert  were  blessed  by  the  birth 
of  seven  children,  all  but  one  of  whom  have  lived 
to  prove  a  comfort  and  joy  to  their  parents.  The}' 
are:  George  G.;  James  D.,  who  married  Miss  Lillie 
Malone;  Joseph  W.,who  married  Miss  Flora  Cline; 
Louie  S.;  Ella  L.,  who  died  in  infancy;  Adah  15., 
and  Erasmus  Man  ford.  Our  subject  has  filled  the 
office  of  Highway  Commissioner  in  Scottvillc 
Township  for  three  years,  and  being  a  Republican 
in  politics  and  a  public-spirited  man  of  decided 
opinions,  takes  a  lively  interest,  in  political  move- 
ments. He  is  an  active  and  earnest  member 
of  the  Universalist  Church.  He  has  a  fine  farm, 
well  improved,  comprising  five  hundred  and  forty- 
eight  acres  and  he  has  devoted  himself  largely  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  his  judgment  and  experience 
making  him  more  than  ordinarily  successful  in  his 
life  work. 


DD1SON  H.  ELDRED,  who  lives  in  rctire- 
?§py|i     ment  from  active  business  after  a  life  spent 


in  agricultural  labor,  resides  at    his  home 
■QJ  on  Johnson    Street,    Carlinville,  where    he 

enjoys  the  results  of  his  early  labors.  Mr.  Eld  red 
is  descended  from  worthy  ancestors  and  his  life  lias 
been  such  as  to  add  lustre  to  an  honored  name. 
The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  Moses 
Eldred  who  came  at  an  early  day  from  Connecti- 
cut to  New  York,  and  settled  in  Herkimer  County, 
where  he  died.  The  father  of  our  subject,  Moses 
S.  Eldred,  was  born  of  New  England  parents  about 
1801,  and  after  a  brief  life  spent  in  usefulness  his 
decease  took  place  about  the  year  1833.  The 
mother  of  our  subject,  Clarissa  (Brace)  Eldred  was 


born  in  New  York,  and  she  still  survives.  Our 
subject  is  one  of  a  family  of  four  children, as  follows: 
Moses  S.,  Addison  II.,  Julius  A.  and  James  L. 

Mr.  Eldred  first  saw  the  light  of  day  in  Greene 
County,  111.,  the  date  of  his  birth  being  December  1, 
1828.  He  remained  in  the  county  in  which  he  was 
born  until  he  had  arrived  at  years  of  manhood. 
This  period  was  occupied  as  are  the  lives  of  farmer 
lads,  with  incidents  of  school  life  and  farm  work. 
Ilis  attention  has  been  given  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits during  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  and  lie 
has  acquired  a  thorough,  practical  knowledge  of 
the  best  methods  of    farming. 

Mr.  Eldred  was  married  in  Greene  County,  111., 
March  3,  1851.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Laura  Woolley,  a  native  of  Greene  County,  this 
State,  her  birthday  being  September  27,  182!».  Her 
parents  were  David  an  1  Laura  (Hodge)  Woolley, 
both  natives  of  Washington  County,  N.  Y.  After 
their  marriage  the  young  couple  resided  in  Greene 
Ccounty  for  five  years  then  removed  to  Polk  Town- 
ship. Macoupin  County,  and  settled  on  a  farm 
which  continued  to  be  their  home  for  a  long  time. 
In  company  with  his  brother,  Moses  S.,  the  origi- 
nal of  our  sketch,  erected  a  fine  series  of  buildings 
on  the  farm  which  comprised  three  hundred  and 
sixty  acres. 

By  strict  economy  and  industry  on  the  part  of 
Mr.  Eldred  and  Jiis  wife,  they  have  been  able  to 
accumulate  more  than  a  competency,  and  their 
labors,  directed  by  intelligence,  have  been  crowned 
with  success  in  every  direction.  From  the  time 
our  subject  was  a  young  man  he  labored  in  com- 
pany with  his  brother,  Moses  S.,  who  in  company 
with  him  owned  the  farm  mentioned  above. 

Mr.  Eldred  and  his  estimable  wife  became  the 
parents  of  two  children:  Myron  II.,  who  died  when 
thirteen  years  old;  and  Milton  K.,  who  passed 
away  in  infancy.  Politically  Mr.  Eldred  inclines 
to  the  Republican  platform,  of  which  he  is  an  ar- 
dent adherent.  He  is  liberal  in  his  religious  views, 
his  belief  being  rather  in  the  religion  of  humanity. 
Since  removing  to  Carlinville  he  has  erected  a  fine 
brick  reside. ice,  and  here,  retired  from  the  active 
duties  of  life,  he  with  his  family  is  spending  the 
afternoon  of  life  in  enjoyment  of  the  more  agree- 
able features  of  life.     Mrs.  Eldred  is  a  Hue  type  of 


656 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


womanhood  and  presides  with  grace  and  dignity 
over  their  hospitable  home  which  is  full  of  evi- 
dences of  culture. 

In  connection  with  his  sketch  a  lithographic  por- 
trait of  Mr.  Eld  red  is  presented  to  our  readers. 

jNy*  AJ.  FLETCHER  II.  CHAPMAN,  of  Car- 

/  I  linville.  is  a  fine  representative  of  the 
III  Is  native-born  citizens  of  this  county  who 
*  have  exercised  a  marked    influence   on    its 

affairs,  and  have  in  various  ways  contributed  to  its 
social,  educational  and  material  advancement.  He 
was  an  officer  in  the  Union  Army  during  the  late 
war  whose  military  record  added  lustre  to  the  fame 
of  the  brave  and  efficient  soldiery  of  his  Stale,  and 
he  has  since  won  honors  at  the  bar  that  entitle  him 
to  a  leading  place  as  a  lawyer. 

Maj.  Chapman  was  born  in  Staunton  Township, 
Macoupin  County,  April  15,  1828.  and  is  a  son  of 
one  of  the  oldest  pioneer  families  of  this  section  of 
Illinois.  His  father, Richard  Chapman,  was  born  in 
North  Carolina,  and  was  a  son  of  Joseph  Chapman, 
who  is  believed  to  have  been  a  native  of  the  same 
State.  The  father  of  the  latter  was  a  Virginian  by 
birth,  and  removed  from  the  Old  Dominion  to 
North  Carolina  prior  to  the  Revolution,  settling  in 
Tyrrell  County,  of  which  he  was  a  pioneer,  and 
where  he  pursued  his  occupation  as  a  farmer,  and 
there  died  in  the  fulness  of  time. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject  served  in  the 
Revolution,  and  was  in  Gen.  Greene's  command  at 
the  battle  of  Guilford  Court  House.  He  passed 
his  last  years  quietly  working  at  his  calling  as  a 
farmer  in  Tyrell  County,  N.  C.  He  married  Betsy 
Caswell,  who  is  thought  to  have  been  a  native  of 
Tyrell  County,  whither  her  father  had  removed 
from  his  native  Virginia  in  Colonial  times.  Both 
of  the  great-grandfathers  of  our  subject  served  in 
the  war  against  the  Indians,  and  received  land  from 
the  colony  of  Carolina  for  their  services. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  in  his  na- 
tive State.  He  was  a  natural  mechanic,  and  was 
equally  skillful  as  a  carpenter,  wagon-maker, 
cooper,  tanner  and  shoemaker,  all  of  which   trades 


he  pursued  at  different  times.  In  1818  he  removed 
from  North  Carolina  to  this  State,  accompanied  by 
his  wife  and  five  children,  making  the  journey 
overland,  bridging  with  him  his  household  goods, 
lie  had  a  horse  and  cart  and  a  part  of  his  posses- 
sions were  packed  on  another  horse  that  he  owned 
besides.  He  started  in  May,  and  in  August  landed 
in  St.  Clair  County.  He  rented  a  tract  of  land, 
raised  a  crop,  and  in  December,  1819,  sought  an- 
other location,  coming  to  this  county,  that  then 
formed  a  part  of  Madison  County,  and  settling  in 
what  is  now  Dorchester  Township.  He  thus  be- 
came one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  this  section  of 
the  State,  which  was  then  practically  uninhabited, 
and  was  in  its  primitive  condition,  with  numerous 
deer,  bears,  wolves  and  panthers  that  often  were 
troublesome  to  the  few  settlers  that  had  ventured 
within  their  haunts.  There  were  no  railways  for 
years,  and  St.  Louis,  about  forty  miles  distant,  was 
the  principal  market,  though  it  was  then  but  a 
small  city  of  a  few  thousand  people.  At  the  same 
time  that  the  Chapman  family  settled  in  the  county 
the  families  of  Telemachus  Camp,  Richard  Wil- 
helm,  Whitmill  Herrington  and  Richard  and  John 
Chapman  came  also. 

Mr.  Chapman  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  from  the 
Government  lying  in  section  24,  built  a  log  cabin 
for  the  shelter  of  his  family,  and  at  once  actively 
entered  upon  the  hard  pioneer  task  of  clearing  and 
developing  a  farm  from  the  wilderness.  He  re- 
sided on  it  five  or  six  years,  and  then  traded  his 
claim  with  a  Mrs.  Piper  for  a  claim  to  a  tract  of 
prairie  land  on  section  29,  Staunton  Township,  and 
later  borrowed  money  at  twenty-five  per  cent,  in- 
terest to  enter  Government  land.  About  1837  he 
sold  his  land  and  entered  another  tract  in  the  same 
township  on  sections  4,  10  and  15,  and  built  on 
section  10.  He  improved  a  part  of  the  land,  and 
resided  on  it  some  years.  After  his  wife  died  he 
lived  with  a  daughter  in  Montgomery  County,  and 
there  his  death  occurred  in  February,  1872,  in  his 
ninetieth  year.  Celia  Davenport  was  the  name  of 
his  wife,  and  she  was  born  in  Tyrell  County,  N.  C, 
a  daughter  of  Isaac  Davenport,  a  native  and  life- 
long resident  of  that  State.  She  died  in  July,  1852. 
She  was  the  mother  of  seven  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters, all  of  whom  grew  to  maturity   and    manied, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


657 


Tbe  parents  of  our  subject  were  both  true  Chris- 
tians and  ardent  Methodists.  Tbe  tirst  meetings 
of  that  denomination  in  this  county  were  held  at 
their  house,  and  for  many  years  divine  services 
were  conducted  in  their  home,  which  was  always  a 
welcome  abiding  place  for  tbe  traveling  preachers 
on  their  rounds. 

Maj.  Chapman  was  the  youngest  of  tbe  sons  in 
the  family,  and  be  has  passed  bis  life  entirely  in 
this  the  county  of  his  nativity  with  tbe  exception 
of  the  years  devoted  to  bis  country  as  a  loyal  and 
patriotic  soldier.  He  gained  tbe  preliminaries  of 
his  education  in  the  pioneer  schools  of  his  early 
years.  The  first  school  in  the  neighborhood  in 
which  he  was  born  was  taught  in  a  log  house 
with  no  floor,  said  building  having  been  erected  Ivy 
Abram  Wyatt  for  a  smoke  bouse,  and  it  was  located 
on  section  30,  Staunton  Township.  As  soon  as  he 
was  large  enough  he  began  to  assist  in  carrying  on 
the  farm.  At  tbe  age  of  twenty  he  commenced 
teaching  in  Cahokia  Township,  and  after  teaching 
two  years  went  to  school  at  Hillsboro,  as  be  was 
ambitious  to  extend  his  education.  In  1853  be  was 
elected  County  Surveyor,  and  served  in  that  office 
the  ensuing  six  years.  In  1858  he  began  tbe  study 
of  law. 

The  breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion  found  our 
subject  well-equipped  for  the  profession  that  be 
was  about  to  enter,  but  he  cheerfully  laid  aside  his 
plans  to  help  fight  his  country's  battles.  In  May, 
1861  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Fourteenth  Illinois 
Infantry,  but  was  transferred  in  September  of  the 
same  year  to  light  artillery.  He  bad  the  honor  of 
being  commissioned  Captain  of  his  company,  and 
commanded  it  until  February,  186  2,  when  it  was 
consolidated  with  Company  I),  First  Regiment 
Light  Artillery.  The  company  then  became  Com- 
pany B,  of  tbe  Second  Illinois  Light  Artillery,  our 
subject  being  commissioned  as  Senior  First  Lieu- 
tenant, which  position  be  held  until  March,  1863, 
when  be  was  promoted  to  be  Captain,  his  commis- 
sion dating  back  to  December,  1862.  He  retained 
that  rank  until  the  end  of  service.  In  the  month 
of  June  1864  he  was  appointed  Provost  Marshal, 
and  stationed  at  Columbus,  Ky.  He  acted  in  that 
capacity  until  July  1865,  and  was  then  honorably 
discharged  with  his  company, 


After  his  return  to  Carlinville  from  the  South 
Maj.  Chapman  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  has 
practiced  law  here  continuously  since.  His  pro- 
fessional life  has  been  varied  by  the  cares  of  public 
office,  as  he  has  been  called  from  time  to  time  to 
time  to  fill  responsible  positions.  He  was  Police 
Magistrate  from  1866  to  1869,  County  Superinten- 
dent of  Schools  four  years,  and  he  has  also  been 
City  Attorney.  He  was  in  early  life  a  Democrat, 
but  he  left  the  army  a  confirmed  Republican.  In 
1890  he  was  tbe  candidate  of  his  party  for  Con- 
gress. Socially,  he  is  a  valued  member  of  tbe  Dan 
Messick  Post,  No.  339,  G.  A.  R.  A  man  strong  in 
character,  of  unblemished  reputation,  a  wise  and 
safe  counselor,  and  liberal  and  progressive  in  his 
views,  he  has  ever  been  an  honor  to  the  citizenship 
of  his  native  county,  and  to  such  as  be  it  owes  its 
present  high  standing  among  its  sister  counties. 

Our  subject  has  been  twice  married.  In  1854 
he  was  wedded  to  Miss  Sarah  McCreery,  a  native 
of  Orange  County,  N.  V.  Their  marriage  was  but 
of  brief  duration,  as  the  young  wife  departed  this 
life  in  April,  1857,  leaving  two  children,  Ida  F. 
and  Emily  M.  In  1862  Maj.  Chapman  was  mar- 
ried to  bis  present  estimable  wife,  formerly  Miss 
Cecilia  Burns,  a  native  of  Dublin,  Ireland.  Their 
wedded  life  has  been  blessed  to  them  by  the  birth 
of  a  daughter,  Charlotte  E. 


ftt-^  ENRY  T.  NAIL,  of  Honey  Point  Town- 
)V  ship,  is  conducting  a  fine  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  on  sections  13  and  24. 
A  native  of  Illinois,  and  a  son  of  one  of  the 
pioneer  families,  Mr.  Nail  was  born  at  Jerseyville, 
February  1,  1846.  His  father,  whose  given  name 
was  Daniel,  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  born 
in  that  State  January  15,  1803.  He  in  turn  was  a 
son  of  one  Henry  Nail,  who  was  a  German  by 
birth,  and  came  to  America  when  a  young  man, 
settling  in  Rowan  County,  N.  C.  '  About  1824  he 
removed  from  there  to  the  wilds  of  Indiana,  going 
thither  with  teams  and  locating  in  Shelby  County, 
where  his  last  years  were  spent. 

Daniel  Nail  was  reared  in  his  native  State,  and 


658 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


accompanied  his  parents  to  their  pioneer  home  in 
Indiana,  where  he  resided  until  1830,  when  he  too 
became  a  pioneer,  coming  witli  his  wife  to  Illinois, 
with  a  pair  of  horses  and  a  wagon,  and  casting  in 
his  lot  with  the  early  settlers  of  Greene  County. 
He  located  near  Carrolton,  after  living  there  six 
years,  crossed  the  Illinois  River  into  Calhoun 
County,  where  lie  was  a  pioneer.  He  purchased  a 
tract  of  land  at  Gilead,  and  busily  engaged  in  the 
hard  labor  of  developing  it  into  a  farm.  At  that 
time  the  country  roundabout  was  but  sparsely  set- 
tled, and  deer  and  other  wild  game  still  abounded 
and  often  furnished  food  for  the  families  of  the 
early  settlers.  Mr.  Nail  resided  in  that  place  for 
a  period  of  six  years  and  then  coming  to  Jersey 
County,  lie  bought  property  in  the  village  of  Jer- 
seyville.  Later  he  came  to  Macoupin  County  and 
made  his  home  with  his  son,  where  he  quietly 
passed  away,  July  15,  1 80 1 ,  aged  eighty  eight 
years  and  six  months,  surrounded  by  every  com- 
fort that  one  could  desire.  Although  old  and  firm 
he  was  cheerful  and  good  company,  and  his  mental 
faculties  were  good.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife 
was  Cynthia  Watts,  and  she  was  born  in  Indiana,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Eleanor  Watts.  Her  death 
took  place  in  Jersey  ville  in  July.  1878. 

Our  subject  is  the  only  survivor  of  the  children 
born  to  bis  parents.  His  home  was  in  his  native 
county  until  1S80,  and  there  he  was  married  to  the 
lady  who  has  since  been  his  faithful  and  effi- 
cient helpmate  in  1871.  She  was  formerly  Miss 
Isabella  Leigh,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
E.  and  Elizabeth  (Wharton)  Leigh.  The  former 
was  born  in  Lancashire,  Eng.,  in  1816,  of  which 
shire  his  father  was  also  a  native,  and  his  name  was 
Thomas  Leigh.  He  came  to  America  in  1828. 
After  residing  for  a  while  in  Pennsylvania,  he  re- 
moved to  Trenton,  N.  J.,  and  there  passed  away 
full  of  years.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Nail  settled  in 
Jerseyville,  this  State,  in  1840,  and  for  some  years 
followed  his  trade  of  baker  there.  He  took  parr, 
in  the  late  war,  serving  in  Company  F,  Fourteenth 
Illinois  Infantry,  and  later  in  the  regiment  known 
as  the  ''Graybeard,  and  he  showed  himself  to  be  a 
brave  and  capable  soldier.  The  old  veteran  died 
January  15,  1888,  at  the  Soldiers'  Home  at  Day- 
ton, Ohio,     His  wife  departed  this  life  before   he 


did,  dying  at  Jerseyville  in  1868.  The  union  of 
our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife  has  been  blessed 
to  them  by  the  birth  of  four  children,  named  Kate 
Maude,  Daniel  Henry,  William  A.  and  Mary  J. 

In  1880  Mr.  Nail  took  up  his  residence  in  Honey 
Point  Township  on  the  farm  that  he  now  occupies. 
This  choice,  highly  productive  prairie  land,  and  is 
well  cultivated  so  as  to  produce  the  best  results,  as 
our  subject  is  an  intelligent  and  expert  farmer.  He 
is  also  accounted  a  good  citizen,  and  his  neighbors 
and  associates  look  upon  him  with  due  respect  for 
the  genuine  worth  of  his  character.  He  is  a  stanch 
Republican  in  his  political  sentiments,  and  stays  by 
his  party  whatever  betides. 


..-l.=  ~=sg*^! 


A  IVILLIAM  L.  MOUNTS,  a  member  of  the 
\/\l/l  Macoupin  County  Bar,  and  proprietor  of 
yfy  the  Carlinville  Gas  Works  and  the  Electric 
Plant  of  this  city,  in  C.  II.  C.  Anderson's  Bank 
and  who  has  charge  of  his  wife's  interests,  is  a 
fine  representative  of  the  prosperous  young  busi- 
ness men  of  this  section  of  the  State  whose  energy 
and  ability  have  put  new  life  into  its  varied  inter- 
ests, and  who  are  in  various  ways  contributing  to 
the  material  prosperity  of  city  and  county.  He 
is  a  native  of  Carlinville,  born  August  31,  1862. 
He  is  descended  from  an  old  French  family  that 
came  to  America  in  early  Colonial  times,  and  num- 
bers among  his  ancestors  pioneers  of  the  historical 
Northwestern  Territory  and  neighboring  States. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  Leander  W.  Mounts, 
was  born  in  Warren  County.  Ohio,  in  November. 
1829.  He  in  turn  was  a  son  of  Watson  Mounts, 
who  was  a  native  of  the  same  county,  born  about 
1799.  The  father  of  the  latter,  William  Mounts, 
great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Richmond,  Va.,  and  was  a  son  of  Providence 
Mounts,  who  was  a  native  of  the  city  of  Nancy, 
France.  He  was  there  reared,  and  came  from  there 
to  this  country  on  account  of  religious  persecution 
in  early  Colonial  times.  He  was  accompanied  by 
his  brother  Joseph  and  sister  Sini.  The  latter  mar- 
ried James  Freeman,  of  Richmond,  Ya.  Provi- 
dence Mounts  resided  at  Richmond  for  a  time,  and 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


659 


then  removed  to  that  part  of  Virginia  now  included 
in  Ohio  County,  W.  Ya.,  of  which  he  was  a  pio- 
neer. He  with  others  laid  out  the  village  of  West 
Liberty,  and  he  was  prominent  in  the  councils  of 
his  fellow-pioneers.  He  finally  went  from  that  lo- 
cality to  Pennsylvania,  and  was  one  of  the  first  to 
settle  near  Uniontown,  that  State,  he  being  the 
first  to  cross  the  mountains  after  Braddock's  de- 
feat.    He  died  in  the  home  that  he  founded  there. 

William  Mounts,  the  great-grandfather  of  our 
subject,  went  from  Pennsylvania  to  Kentucky,  and 
after  a  short  residence  in  the  wilds  of  that  State, 
he  crossed  the  Ohio  into  the  Northwestern  Terri- 
tory and  located  in  the  primeval  forests  in  that 
part  of  Ohio  now  included  in  Warren  County, 
whither  but  few  had  ventured  before  him.  He 
hewed  a  farm  from  the  wilderness,  on  which  he  re- 
sided until  his  life  was  rounded  out  in  death.  The 
grandfather  of  our  subject  was  reared  and  spent 
his  entire  life  in  his  native  county,  dying  in  May, 
1875.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  mar- 
ried Nancy  Lindsey.  a  native  of  Bourbon  County, 
Ky.,  who  was  born  in  1799  and  died  in  August, 
1878. 

The  father  of  our  subject  lived  in  his  native 
county  dming  his  boyhood,  and  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen, learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter.  After  serv- 
ing his  apprenticeship  he  went  to  Mississippi  and 
engaged  in  carpentering  there  for  a  time.  He  then 
returned  northward  and  pursued  his  calling  at  Cin- 
cinnati and  other  places,  and  in  1854  located  at 
Louisville,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  until 
185G,  when  he  came  to  Greene  County,  111.,  and 
was  similarly  engaged  at  Fayette  one  year.  In 
1857  he  came  to  Carlinville,  and  was  a  carpenter 
here  until  1871,  when  he  entered  the  lumber  busi- 
ness, which  lie  conducted  two  years.  Since  that 
time  he  has  lived  retired.  He  was  married  at 
Louisville.  Ky.,  to  Elizabeth  Phillips  Davis,  a  na- 
tive of  Grayson  County,  Ky.,  and  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Davis.  Their  marriage  has 
brought  to  them  three  children:  Flora  G.,  wife  of 
Alexander  Bell,  who  is  represented  elsewhere  in 
this  volume;  our  subject:  and  Walter  S. 

He  of  whom  we  write  obtained  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  city  schools  of  Carlinville.  and  subse- 
quently entered  Blackburn  University,  from  which 


he  was  graduated  in  the  Class  of  '81.  After  that 
he  taught  school  a  part  of  each  year,  and  devoted 
the  rest  of  the  time  to  the  study  of  law  in  the 
office  of  Anderson  .V  Bell.  In  1885  he  was  well 
prepared  to  enter  upon  the  practical  work  of  his 
profession  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  The  same 
year  he  opened  an  office  in  his  native  city,  and  has 
been  in  active  practice  since,  obtaining  his  full 
share  of  clientage. 

Not  only  has  our  subject  shown  much  ability  as 
an  attorney,  but  he  has  also  displayed  marked  talent 
as  a  business  man,  as  through  his  superior  man- 
agement the  gas  works,  of  which  he  is  now  proprie- 
tor, have  become  a  paying  institution,  and  the 
electric  light  plant,  of  which  he  is  the  owner,  is  in 
a  flourishing  condition.  June  1.  1889,  he  took 
charge  of  the  gas  works,  which  then  belonged  to 
his  father-in-law,  and  had  been  managed  by  a  su- 
perintendent, and  owing  to  neglect  had  depreciated 
in  value  and  usefulness.  In  the  same  fall  our  sub- 
ject came  into  possession  of  the  works,  which  had 
already  begun  to  show  new  signs  of  life  under  his 
vigorous  regime.  He  had  set  to  work  in  earnest 
to  resuscitate  the  works  and  to  build  up  the  busi- 
ness with  the  result  that  in  a  few  months  he  had 
practically  driven  the  electric  light  company  out 
of  the  field.  He  finally  bought  the  electric  plant, 
and  now  operates  both  with  good  profit,  and  the 
inhabitants  of  Carlinville  rejoice  in  a  well  lighted 
city. 

Mr.  Mounts  was  wedded  to  Miss  Effie  M.  Ander- 
son, June  18,  1885.  Mrs.  Mounts  is  also  a  native 
of  Carlinville,  bore.  June  18,  1865,  to  Crittenden 
II.  C.  and  Mary  J.  (Stratton)  Anderson.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mounts  have  a  charming  home  that  is  the 
center  of  a  genial  hospitality,  courteous  host  and 
gracious  hostess  vying  with  each  other  in  extending 
a  pleasant  welcome  to  their  friends,  of  whom  they 
have  many,  whenever  they  cross  their  threshold. 
Two  children  complete  their  household,  Bruce  II 
and  Marion  E. 

Our  subject  is  well  known  in  social  circles  as  a 
member  of  Mt.  Nebo  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.j  and 
of  Orient  Lodge,  No.  95,  K.  of  P.  He  cast  his 
first  Presidential  vote  for  G  rover  Cleveland  in 
1884,  and  has  remained  true  to  the  Democratic 
party  ever  since.     In  the  fall  of  1886  Mr.  Mounts 


660 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


was  appointeil  to  the  important  office  of  City 
Treasurer,  served  until  the  end  of  the  term,  and 
was  then  elected  to  the  position  of  City  Attorney 
for  one  year  and  in  the  spring  of  1891  was  elected 
Mayor.  He  carried  the  same  earnestness  and  busi- 
ness-like methods  into  his  management  of  the 
municipal  finances  that  had  characterized  his  care 
of  his  own  private  affairs,  and  left  the  office  with 
a  fine  record  as  a  civic  official. 


— l-+f=^<^4-»-J- 


RS.  ELIZA  SMITH.  The  respected  and 
revered  mother  of  the  two  prosperous 
young  farmers  located  on  section  i),  West- 
ern Mound  Township,  is  a  lady  whose 
German  parentage  and  varied  experiences  in  the 
different  localities  in  which  she  has  lived,  tits  her 
for  the  high  position  among  those  who  are  regarded 
with  esteem  and  consideration.  She  is  the  widow 
of  Solomon  T.  Smith,  who  was  born  in  the  early 
part  of  this  century  in  Virginia  and  there  received 
the  advantages  of  boys  common  to  his  district. 

Mrs.  Smith's  parents  were  Garret  and  Elizabeth 
Brown,  both  natives  of  Germany,  who  emigrated 
to  this  country  in  1837,  locating  first  on  the 
James  River  in  Virginia.  There  they  lived  and 
died,  finding  the  genial  climate  and  warm  Southern 
manners  very  pleasing  to  their  social  German 
natures.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
of  whom  our  subject  was  the  eldest.  She  was  born 
in  Germany,  November  1,  1826,  and  was  married 
after  her  arrival  in  this  country,  in  Bedford 
County,  Va.,  December  3,  1840.  Her  husband, 
Solomon  T.  Smith,  was  born  in  Accomack  County, 
Va.,  August  10,  1840. 

Immediately  after  their  marriage  the  young 
couple  settled  in  Bedford  County,  Va.  They  soon 
removed,  however,  to  Rockbridge  Count3',  and 
there  resided  until  the  fall  of  1857,  when  they  emi- 
grated to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Western  Mound 
Township,  where  Mr.  Smith  died  October  i),  1872. 

Our  subject's  husband  was  a  public  spirited  man 
and  took  delight  in  maintaining  his  part  in  every 
measure  that  affected  the  public  good.  At  the 
time  of  his  deatli  he  was  a  member  of  the  Christian 


Church  in  whicli  he  was  in  good  standing.  Mrs. 
Smith  is  the  mother  of  five,  children — James  H., 
Thomas  E.,  George  W.,  Ezekiel  Y.  and  John  W. 
The  eldest  son  is  a  merchant  in  Greenfield,  111., 
where  he  carries  on  a  successful  and  lucrative  bus- 
iness; George  W.  died  in  Texas;  Ezekiel  Y.  was 
taken  away  from  earth  when  about  twelve  years  of 
age. 

After  the  death  of  their  father,  Thomas  and  John 
Smith  assumed  thecare  of  the  farm.  It  aggregates 
two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  and  under  the  ener- 
getic care  of  the  two  young  men  affords  a  good 
income  to  both  proprietors  and  their  respected 
parent.  They  have  erected  a  comfortable  home  on 
the  place  and  put  thereon  many  valuable  improve- 
ments. Mrs.  Smith,  who  has  reached  a  good  old 
age,  lives  happy  in  the  consciousness  of  the  affec- 
tion and  dutiful  care  that  her  sons  are  happy  in 
giving  her.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church.  Thomas  and  John  Smith  are  adherents 
of  the  Democratic  party. 


|  ESSE  B.  HETTICK.  Prominent  among 
the  farmer  residents  of  Scottville  Town- 
ship, we  find  the  gentleman  who  is  repre- 
sented in  this  biographical  sketch.  His 
enterprise  and  industry  have  given  to  him  pros- 
perity and  his  sterling  character  and  integrity  have 
bestowed  upon  him  the  well-merited  confidence  of 
his  neighbors  and  the  business  men  of  his  part  of 
the  country.  He  has  grown  up  in  this  community 
from  infancy  to  manhood  and  his  career  through- 
out has  been  consistent  and  worthy  of  admiration. 
He  was  born  on  the  Hetlick  homestead  in  Scott- 
ville Township,  March  27,  1853.  His  mother 
Delilah  and  his  father  Stephen  are  spoken  of  more 
at  length  in  the  biography  of  J.  W.  Hettick. 

He  of  whom  we  write  received  his  fundamental 
education  in  the  public  schools  and  during  vaca- 
tions assisted  his  father  upon  the  farm,  thus  learn- 
ing the  practical  arts  of  agriculture  and  receiving 
a  drill  which  has  been  of  incalculable  value  to  him 
through  life.  He  resided  with  his  parents  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-one,  and   at   that   time 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


6G1 


began  farming  for  himself  on  the  old  homestead, 
remaining  there  until  1883,  when  he  transferred 
his  home  to  the  farm  which  he  now  occupies. 

While  still  managing  the  old  homestead  and  in 
the  year  1877  Jesse  Hettick  was  united  in  the 
happy  bonds  of  wedlock,  his  bride  being  Martha 
J.  Turner,  daughter  of  James  and  Mary  Turner 
natives  of  Illinois,  now  deceased.  This  lad}-  was 
born  in  Greene  County.  III.,  and  she  became  the 
happy  mother  of  seven  children:  Albert  W., 
William  E.,  Jesse  B..  George  R.,  Mary  S.,  James 
Allen  and  Hattie  R. 

The  political  belief  of  him  of  whom  we  write 
this  life  history  has  led  him  to  ally  himself  with  the 
Democratic  party,  in  the  prosperity  and  progress 
of  which  he  feels  a  lively  interest.  Both  he  and 
his  excellent  wife  are  earnest  and  active  members 
of  the  United  Brethren  Church.  This  gentleman 
belongs  to  three  of  the  prominent  social  orders, 
being  a  member  of  the  Oak  Hill  Lodge  No.  82, 
of  the  Farmers'  Alliance,  and  of  the  Scoltville 
Lodge  No.  226, 1.  O.  O.  F. 


<xrx> 


*    ooo 


UILLIAM  T.  MITCHELL,  a  resident-farm- 
er of  Honey  Point  Township,  is  well- 
WW  known  as  a  representative  of  one  of  the 
early  pioneer  families  of  this  count}*,  of  which  he 
is  a  native,  his  birth  taking  place  in  what  is  now 
Brushy  Mound  Township  August  25,  1838.  His 
father,  Elijah  MitchelljWas  born  in  North  Carolina 
in  January,  1800,  and  was  a  son  of  Archibald 
Mitchell,  who  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  native  of 
the  same  State.  From  the  best  information  at 
hand  we  learn  that  the  great-grandfather  of  our 
subject  was  born  either  in  Scotland  or  in  Ireland 
of  Scotch  antcedents,  and  came  to  America  in  Col- 
onial times,  settling  in  North  Carolina,  where  he 
made  his  home  the  rest  of  his  life. 

Archibald  Mitchell  was  reared  and  married  in 
North  Carolina.  In  1805  he  penetrated  the  wilds 
of  Kentucky  and  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  pioneers 
of  Warren  County,  that  State,  where  he  carried  on 
farming  until  his  career  was  brought  to  a  close. 


The  father  of  the  subject  of  this  notice  was  five 
years  old  when  his  parents  took  him  to  their  pio- 
neer home  in  the  Kentucky  wilderness,  and  there  he 
grew  to  a  stalwart  manhood.  Indue  time  he  mar- 
ried, and  in  182!)  came  to  Illinois  with  his  family, 
bringing  ti is  household  goods  with  him,  and  mak- 
ing the  removal  with  ox-teams,  cooking  and  camp- 
ing by  the  way.  After  a  residence  of  one  year  in 
Marion  County,  he  went  to  Morgau  County,  where 
he  rented  a  house  and  lived  until  the  spring  of 
1831,  when  he  came  to  this  county,  and  was  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  what  is  now  Brushy  Mound 
Township.  At  that  time  this  section  was  but  thinly 
inhabited,  and  Carlinville  was  but  a  hamlet  of  a 
few  log  houses  and  one  store.  The  home  of  Mr. 
Mitchell's  nearest  neighbor  was  five  miles  distant, 
lie  entered  eighty  acres  of  Government  laud  on 
section  24.  A  cabin  stood  thereon  which  some 
squatter  had  abandoned  and  after  he  had  taken  his 
goods  from  the  wagon  the  father  of  our  subject  pro- 
ceeded to  tear  the  cabin  down,  and  then  replaced 
it  by  a  better  one.  Later  he  built  another  log  house, 
which  was  covered  with  shakes  that  were  rived  by 
hand  and  held  in  place  by  poles,  the  floor  was  of 
[luncheon,  and  the  chimney  of  earth  and  sticks. 
He  subsequently  erected  a  log  house,  and  later  a 
frame  and  here  he  resided  until  death  called  him 
from  the  scenes  of  his  many  years  of  labor  and  he 
entered  upon  eternal  rest  August  17,  1877.  During 
his  long  residence  here  of  nearly  half  a  century  he 
had  accumulated  a  goodly  amount  of  property,  and 
at  one  time  had  over  a  thousand  acres  of  land  in  this 
county  and  fourteen  hundred' acres  in  Kansas.  His 
name  will  ever  occupy  an  honorable  place  among 
those  of  the  pioneers  who  were  the  most  active  and 
enterprising  in  the  upbuilding  of  this  part  of  the 
State  and  were  potent  in  advancing  its  agricultural 
interests. 

Elijah  Mitchell  was  twice  married,  and  was  the 
father  of  twenty-one  children,  eighteen  of  whom 
were  reared.  His  first  wife,  mother  of  our  subject, 
was  Jane  Moore.  She  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and 
died  in  1  .S43  on  the  home  farm.  She  bore  her  husband 
twelve  children,  eleven  of  whom  attained  to  matu- 
rity, namely,  Millie,  Levi,  Martha  A.,  Elizabeth, 
Travis,  Lucy  and  Sally  (twins),  Jane,  William  T., 
Phiube   anil    Elijah.     Mr.   Mitchell's  second   wife, 


662 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


whom  he  married  in  1849.  was  Hannah  Hollings- 
worth.  A  review  of  her  life  appears  elsewhere  in 
this  work. 

William  T.  Mitchell  was  reared  in  his  native 
township,  and  received  his  early  education  in  the 
pioneer  schools,  which  were  taught  in  a  rude  log 
house  that  was  heated  by  a  fireplace,  and  a  log  was 
cut  out  of  the  wall  nearly  the  entire  length  of  the 
building  to  admit  light.  There  was  no  floor,  and 
poles  were  split  to  make  benches,  which  were  sup- 
ported by  wooden  pegs.  These  primitive  seats 
were  entirely  destitute  of  backs.  At  that  early 
day  game  was  plentiful,  deer  being  numerous  for 
some  years  after  the  Mitchell  family  settled  here. 
There  was  no  railway,  and  the  markets  and  delicts 
for  supplies  wen.'  Alton  and  St.  Louis. 

Our  subject  resided  with  his  parents  until  lie  be- 
came of  age,  and  then  started  for  himself,  working 
by  the  month  for  two  months,  and  during  the 
winter  season  chopping  wood,  for  which  he  received 
seventy-five  cents  a  cord,  his  board  costing  him 
$2  per  week.  He  was  very  industrious,  and 
prudently  saved  his  earnings,  and  finally  rented 
land  for  two  years.  His  father  then  gave  him  a 
tract  of  seventy  acres  of  wild  prairie,  on  which  he 
settled  in  the  spring  of  186:!.  and  where  he  has 
since  resided.  He  now  has  one  hundred  and  nine- 
ty acres  of  very  productive  land,  which  is  in  a  fine 
condition  as  to  cultivation  and  improvements,  and 
he  has  thirty-five  acres  of  valuable  timber  land. 
lie  has  erected  an  excellent  set  of  frame  buildings, 
and  his  place  has  an  air  of  neatness  and  thrift  that 
betokens  good  care  and  fine  management  on  the 
part  of  the  owner. 

Mr.  Mitchell  and  Miss  Mary  N.  A.  Williams  were 
married  February  28,1861.and  their  wedded  life  has 
been  mutually  beneficial,  and  has  given  them  four 
children,  whom  they  have  named  Jesse  C  Paul, 
Travis,  and  Nannie.  Jesse  married  Rosa  Perrine, 
and  they  have  one  child,  Nona.  Travis  married 
Alice  Barnstable  and  they  had  one  child,  deceased. 
Mrs.  Mitchell  is  a  native  of  Knox  County,  Tenn., 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Sarah  Williams. 
Both  she  and  her  husband  are  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  in  all  things  in  which  it  is  con- 
cerned for  the  moral  and  social  advancement  of  the 
community  we  find   them  active  co-operators  with 


their  pastor  and  fellow-members.  They  are  highly 
regarded  by  all  who  have  the  pleasure  of  knowing 
them  for  their  many  sterling  characteristics.  Poli- 
tically, Mr.  Mitchell  is  a  warm  supporter  of  the 
Democratic  part}'. 


OBERT  R.  COOPER.  Prominent  among 
the  farmers  of  Barr Township,  is  the  citizen 
of  whom  we  now  write.  His  excellent 
buildings  and  thoroughly  cultivated  farm 
are  an  ornament  to  this  section  and  are  both 
attractive  and  profitable.  His  tract  of  four  hun- 
dred and  forty-five  acres  is  one  of  the  most  pro- 
ductive in  the  township  and  in  every  way  shows 
the  hands  of  a  thorough-going  farmer,  who  has  de- 
voted his  life  to  agricultural  pursuits  and  who 
carries  on  his  work  according  to  business-like 
methods. 

Edmund  L.  Cooper,  the  father  of  our  subject 
was  born  in  Virginia,  as  was  also  the  mother,  who 
burr  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  M.  Perry.  When 
young  people  they  came  to  Kentucky  from  their 
native  state,  and  there  became  acquainted  and 
were  joined  in  marriage.  Their  second  emigration 
was  from  Christian  County.  Ky.,  to  Greene  County, 
III.,  which  place  they  reached  in  the  spring  of 
1836.  Here  they  lived  until  the  death  of  the 
mother  in  March,  1886,  having  reached  the  very 
advanced  age  of  ninetj-three  and  one-half  years. 
Her  aged  husband  who  survives  her  was  ninety-two 
3'ears  old  in  September,  1890. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fourth  in  a 
family  of  eight  children,  being  born  in  Christian 
County,  Ky.,  January  22,  1828,  and  came  when  a 
little  lad  of  eight  years  to  Greene  County,  this 
State  in  the  spring  of  1836.  He  was  reared  by  his 
parents  and  given  a  good  district  school  education 
and  a  thorough  training  on  the  farm.  He  remained 
with  his  parents  until  he  was  married  and  then 
settled  in  Barr  Township. 

Mr.  Cooper  was  married  in  Greene  County,  this 
State,  to  Nancy  A.  Parks,  who  was  born  in  Tennes- 
see, October  1,  1829.  Their  wedding  day  was 
December  9,  1850.     Three  of  her  seven  children 


Of  THE 
UNIVF""- 


#^^o 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


665 


died  in  infancy  and  those  who  grew  to  maturity 
are:  Henry  E.,  who  is  a  farmer  in  Greene  County, 
this  State;  Adrian  E.,  who  farms  in  Barr  Town- 
ship; Mary  E  ,  who  died  when  nineteen  years  old; 
Lucy  Belle,  who  became  the  wife  of  John  W. 
Olhert  and  died  when  about  twenty  years  old. 
The  mother  of  these  children  passed  from  earth  in 
Barr  Township,  June  22,  1868. 

The  second  wife  of  Mr.  Cooper  was  Elizabeth 
Ridings,  a  native  of  North  Carolina;  she  became 
the  mother  of  two  children,  Frank  aiul  Edna,  the 
latter  dying  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Cooper 
died  in  Barr  Township,  February  3,  1871. 

The  present  Mrs.  Cooper  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Mary  J.  Bacon  and  she  was  a  Tennesseean 
by  birth.  Six  children  have  been  granted  to  her, 
namely:  Ella  D.,  Fred,  Edgar,  Charlie.  Hattie  M., 
Jennie  P.  Mr.  Cooper  has  not  been  an  oflice- 
seeker  but  at  the  request  of  his  fellow-citizens  has 
acted  as  School  Director.  He  takes  an  active  part 
in  local  politics  and  is  a  Republican  in  his  views 
and  vote.  He  is  also  interested  in  religious  move- 
ments and  witli  his  excellent  wife  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  where  for  a  number 
of  years  he  has  served  as  Deacon.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Patrons  of  Industry  and  is  wide- 
awake in  regard  to  all  movements  which  look  to 
the  improvement,  socially,  financially  and  indus- 
trially, of  the  farming  community. 

-"g-»'Ii'S - 


^T^EOEGE  S.  BROWN.  One  totally  unac- 
l| I  <W/  1uainte<^  witl1  tlic  details  of  farm  life,  the 
* — A;  value  of  different  soils  or  the  modifying 
influence  of  forests,  hills  and  prairies,  can  still  judge 
of  the  worth  of  an  estate  and  the  capability  of  its 
manager  at  a  glance.  Fields  wherein  weeds  fill 
every  fence  corner  and  lift  their  heads  between  the 
rows  of  grain,  inadequate  shelter  for  stock  and 
crops,  tumbled  down  fences  and  a  general  air  of 
disorder  give  conclusive  proof  that  the  land  is 
poorly  managed.  On  the  other  hand  the  appear 
ance  ot  neatness  and  order  prevailing  throughout 
every  part  of  the  estate  is  an  equally  conclusive 
evidence  of  good  management,  industry,  and    fer- 


tility of  the  soil.  The  farm  of  the  gentleman  above 
named  belongs  to  the  latter  class,  the  buildings 
being  most  excellent  and  every  improvement  kept 
up  in  good  shape.  It  is  located  on  section  15, 
North  Palmyra  Township.  We  are  pleased  to  pre- 
sent a  brief  review  of  the  life  of  the  owner  to  our 
readers,  and  invite  their  attention  to  his  portrait 
on  the  opposite  page. 

The  immediate  progenitors  of  our  subject  were 
Bedford  and  Caroline  (Springer)  Brown,  both  na- 
tives of  Kentucky.  They  came  to  Morgan  County 
in  the  fall  of  1828  and  there  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  dajs,  Mr.  Brown  dying  about  1873  and  his 
wife  passing  away  about  1879.  ( >f  their  eight  chil- 
dren our  subject  is  the  eldest  and  was  born  in 
Franklin  County.  Ky.,  December  11,  1823.  He 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Morgan  County  in  1828 
and  grew  to  manhood  upon  a  farm  there,  assisting 
his  father  until  his  marriage.  When  the  war  with 
Mexico  broke  out  he  enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  de- 
fense of  our  country,  lie  was  a  member  of  Com- 
pany D,  First  Illinois  Regiment,  and  was  present  at 
the  battle  of  Buena  Vista.  With  three  other  men 
he  was  taken  prisoner.  They  were  shot  down  while 
Mr.  Brown  made  an  almost  miraculous  escape. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  in  Morgan  County 
October  23,  1848  united  him  with  Mary  S.  Wood, 
a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Lucrelia  (Fry)  Wood, 
both  natives  of  the  Blue  Grass  State.  They  re- 
moved to  Morgan  County  in  1829  and  lived  there 
and  in  other  parts  of  the  State,  dying  finally  in  that 
county,  he  about  1845  and  his  wife  about  1883.  Of 
of  a  family  of  seven  children,  Mrs.  Brown  was  the 
eldest,  she  being  born  in  Bourbon  County.  Ky., 
July  7,  1829. 

After  their  marriage  this  young  couple  settled 
down  to  make  their  new  home  in  Morgan  County 
and  engaged  in  farming  there  until  about  the  year 
1881,  when  they  removed  to  Sangamon  County 
and  made  i*  their  home  for  four  years.  After  thai 
they  came  to  Macoupin  County  and  made  their 
home  on  section  15,  North  Palmyra  Township.  At, 
one  time  Mr.  Brown  owned  fully  one  thousand 
acres  of  land.  Six  children  came  to  cheer  their 
hearts  and  three  they  have  seen  grow  to  years  of 
maturity  two  of  them  having  established  homes  of 
their  own.    William  T.  married  Miss  Anna  Thomp- 


666 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


son  and  makes  his  home  in  Jacksonville;  Cordelia 
C,  is  the  wife  of  Henry  .1.  Myers;  Leonard  G.  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Business  College  at  Jacksonville. 
The  children  whom  they  lost  were  taken  from  them 
in  infancy.  The  surviving  members  of  the  family 
belong  to  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

In  political  movements  our  subject  ever  takes  an 
active  interest  and  is  a  worker  for  the  Republican 
party  in  whose  principles  and  success  he  has  great 
faith.  He  has  held  school  oflices  but  prefers  the 
quiet  life  of  a  farmer.  Both  he  and  his  excellent 
wife  are  earnest  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  he  has  contributed  liberally  to  the 
support  of  religious  objects,  and  also  for  the  build- 
ing of  churches,  not  confining  his  donations  to  his 
own  denominations.  In  1889,  with  two  brothers, 
he  donated  *7,500  to  the  Illinois  College  at  Jack- 
sonville and  this  is  known  as  the  Brown  Endow- 
ment Fund. 

As  a  man  of  wealth  Mr.  Brown  has  gladly  used 
his  possessions  both  for  the  good  of  others  and  the 
comfort  of  his  family.  His  beautiful  residence 
embodies  many  valuable  and  modern  improve- 
ments and  is  furnished  with  exquisite  taste.  His 
brothers,  Reuben  and  Charles  Brown,  are  residents 
of  Pawnee  Township,  Sangamon  County,  and  are 
men  of  influence  in  that  section  of  the  State.  Mr. 
Brown  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  bank  of 
Modesto,  Brown,  Nevins  &  Co.,  constituting  the 
firm.  Together  with  the  other  members  of  the 
family,  Mr.  Brown  is  highly  esteemed  in  the  com- 
munity and  his  influence  is  always  given  toward  a 
true  manner  of  life  and  the  uplifting  of  humanity. 


.,  LBERT  II.  McALISTER.  Prominent  in 
the  farming  community  of  Macoupin 
County  is  this  gentleman,  who  is  known  as 
the  owner  and  operator  of  a  fine  farm  of 
three  hundred  acres  on  section  18,  Shaw's  Point. 
Township.  Although  not  one  of  the  oldest  settlers 
of  this  county  he  has  for  many  years  been  identified 
with  its  progress  and  has  contributed  his  quota  to 
its  development.  He  enjoys  an  enviable  reputa- 
tion not  only  as  a  capable,  energetic  farmer  but  has 


made  a  good  record  as  one  who  works  well  for  the 
public.  In  various  offices  he  has  demonstrated  his 
ability  and  judgment  and  in  business  and  political 
ciseles  is  spoken  of  as  a  man  of  honor  and  tact.  He 
is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  Supervisor  of  the 
township,  and  has  been  School  Director,  Trustee 
and  Township  Clerk,  besides  holding  several  minor 
offices.  Believing  the  interests  of  the  people  are 
best  subserved  through  the  principles  of  the  Dem- 
orcratic  party,  he  gives  his  influence  and  casts  his 
ballot  for  those  candidates  who  are  pledged  to  its 
support.  An  active  worker  in  the  ranks  of  his 
chosen  party,  he  is  well  informed  and  takes  an  I « i — 
tercst  in  the  progress  of  affairs,  not  only  near  at 
hand  but  in  the  remoter  regions  of  the  earth. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  McAlister  were  natives  of 
Ontario,  Canada.  The  father,  Wellington  by  na.ne, 
still  resides  in  Brant  County,  that  province,  but  the 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Samanlha  Brown, 
has  been  dead  for  many  years.  The  family  was  small 
comprising  only  two  children  and  of  these  our  sud- 
ject  is  the  younger.  He  was  born  in  Brant  County, 
Ontario,  March  4,  1840,  and  passed  the  first  eigh- 
teen years  of  his  life  on  his  father's  farm,  where  he 
aided  in  preparing  the  Ian  1  for  cultivation  and  ac- 
quired a  thorough  knowledge  of  agricultural  affairs. 
He  had  few  of  the  educational  advantages  enjoyed 
by  the  youth  of  to-day,  but  being  an  intelligent  ob- 
server and  thoughtful  reader,  he  is  well  informed 
on  all  important  topics  and  current  events. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  \ears  Mr.  McAlister  ac- 
companied his  uncle,  Capt.  Owen  McAlister,  to  Ill- 
inois and  located  in  Macoupin  County.  Here  for 
a  time  he  worked  at  different  occupations,  farming, 
carpentry  and  also  taught  school  for  three  terms. 
Since  he  first  came  here  he  has  been  a  continuous 
resident  of  this  county,  with  the  exception  of  six 
years  passed  in  Montgomery  and  Christian  Counties. 
He  has  devoted  his  attention  principally  to  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock-raising,  from  which  he  de- 
rives a  satisfactory  income.  He  was  married  in 
Bunker  Hill  Township,  this  count}',  to  Miss  Char- 
lotte Brown,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Sarah  Brown, 
This  lady  died  in  Carlinville,  111.,  October  12,  1879. 
She  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church. 

Mr.  McAlister  was  again  married  April  26,  1880, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


667 


choosing  as  his  wife  Miss  Sarah  Chapin,  who  was 
born  in  Brant  County,  Ontario,  December  16,  1842. 
Mrs.  McAlister  is  the  daughter  of  Lyman  and  Ma- 
tilda (Fairehild)  Chapin,  both  of  whom  died  in 
Brant  County,  Ontario.  She  is  a  devoted  member 
of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  an  active  member 
in  that  organization.  Her  fine  character,  intelli- 
gence and  hospitality  win  for  her  many  warm  friends 
and  with  her  husband  she  is  held  in  the  highest  es- 
teem wherever  known. 


-€r**- 


i  vATIIAN  R.  SMITH,  a  thrifty  farmer  and 
stock-raiser  residing  on  section  26,  Dor- 
chester Township,  where  he  owns  and  oper- 
ates a  good  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-three 
acres,  is  numbered  among  the  honored  pioneers  of 
the  county  of  1841,  and  lias  therefore  been  a  wit- 
ness of  almost  its  entire  growth  and  development. 
A  native  of  Illinois,  he  was  born  in  Greene  County, 
December  5,  1838,  and  is  the  eldest  son  of  Thomas 
and  Mary  (Chatain)  Smith.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Nathan  Smith,  was  horn  and  reared  in 
North  Carolina  in  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads 
and  for  many  years  resided  near  Raleigh.  He 
served  his  country  ns  a  private  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary War  and  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-three 
years.  He  had  been  twice  married,  both  times  in 
North  Carolina  to  ladies  of  that  State.  His  second 
wife  survived  him  and  died  at  a  very  advanced 
age.  Thomas  Smith,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  on  the  old  homestead  near  Raleigh,  N.  C,  in 
1813,  and  was  the  eldest  of  quite  a  large  family, 
seven  of  whom  came  to  Illinois,  while  one  is  yet 
living,  being  a  resident  of  Irving,  III.  At  about 
the  time  when  Thomas  attained  his  majority  his 
mother  died  and  soon  afterward  with  other  mem- 
bers of  the  family  he  emigrated  to  the  West  and 
made  a  settlement  in  Staunton  Township.  Macou- 
pin County,  111.  A  short  time  afterward  he  re- 
moved to  Alton  where  he  wedded  Miss  Mary 
Chatam,  a  native  of  Virginia.  Her  father  died 
when  she  was  nine  years  old  and  subsequently  she 
accompanied  her  mother  to  Tennessee,  where  the 
latter  died  some  years  afterward.     Miss    Chatam 


came  on  to  Illinois  and  located  in  Alton,  where 
she  met  and  married  Mr.  Smith.  They  settled  on 
a  farm  in  Greene  County,  and  after  the  birth  of 
their  first  child  removed  to  Madison  County, 
whence,  after  some  years,  they  came  to  Macoupin 
County.  In  Staunton  Township  Mr.  Smith  made 
his  first  purchase  of  land,  the  tract  being  now  situat- 
ed within  the  corporation  limits  of  the  city,  which, 
however,  was  then  a  mere  hamlet.  Upon  that 
farm  the  father  resided  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred May  29,  1852.  In  politics  he  was  a  Whig 
and  was  a  worthy  citizen.  His  widow  afterward 
became  the  wife  of  a  Mr.  West,  and  unto  them 
was  born  a  son,  with  whom  she  is  now  living. 
For  her  third  husband  she  married  a  Mr.  Knight, 
who  died  some  years  ago.  The  lady  has  now 
reached  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-one  years. 

Our  subject  is  the  eldest  of  six  children,  all  of 
whom  are  now  married  and  reside  within  the  bor- 
ders of  this  State.  The  greater  part  of  his  life  has 
been  passed  in  Macoupin  County  and  he  was  early 
inured  to  hard  work.  As  his  father  died  when  he 
was  young  much  of  the  labor  of  the  household  de- 
volved upon  Nathan  Smith  and  he  had  to  assist  in 
providing  a  maintenance  for  the  family.  Thus  he 
was  deprived  of  many  advantages  which  most 
youths  share,  but  he  has  become  a  man  of  good 
judgment  and  by  reading  anil  observation  has  ac- 
quired an  excellent  knowledge  of  matters  of  gen- 
eral interest.  He  was  married  in  Staunton  to  Miss 
Serrelda  Walker,  who  was  born  and  reared  on  a 
farm  near  the  city  in  which  their  union  was  cele- 
brated. She  died  in  their  home  in  Dorchester 
Township,  May  13,  1874,  leaving  four  children, 
one  of  whom,  Carrie  E.,  has  died  since  the  mother 
passed  away.  The  living  are:  Charles  W.,  who 
married  Elizabeth  Hutchinson  and  resides  on  a 
farm  in  Dorchester  Township;  Thomas  II.,  who 
wedded  Mat',  ie  Jones  and  is  also  a  farmer  of  the 
same  township;  and  James  A.,  who  is  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  in  Dorchester  Township  and 
married  May  Alexander.  Mr.  Smith  has  again 
been  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Miss 
Elizabeth  Cornelius,  and  the  ceremony  was  per- 
formed by  the  Rev.  Asa  Snell  in  Staunton.  The 
lady  was  born  in  Bond  County.  111.,  February  14, 
1843,   and    is   a   daughter  of  L.   M.   and    Matilda 


668 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


(Askew)  Cornelius,  natives  of  Maryland  and  Illi- 
nois respectively.  They  were  married  in  Jersey 
County,  this  State,  where  Mrs.  Cornelius  was  born, 
and  upon  a  farm  in  Bond  County  began  their  do- 
mestic life,  removing  thence  to  Dorchester  Town- 
ship, Macoupin  County,  where  they  spent,  the 
remainder  of  their  days.  Mr.  Cornelius  died  in 
1 865  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years  and  his  wife,  who 
had  passed  away  seven  years  previous,  was  thirty - 
Hve  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  By  the 
union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  been  born  three 
children:  Nathan  C,  Dollie  V.  and  Cornelius  11. 

For  the  past  fifteen  years  Mr.  Smith  has  resided 
on  his  present  farm,  which  he  has  placed  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation  and  to  which  he  has  added 
many  improvements.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are 
held  in  high  esteem  throughout  the  community. 
Their  home  is  the  abode  of  hospitality  and  they 
are  pleasant,  sociable  people  who  easily  win  friends 
and  as  easil}'  retain  them.  In  politics  Mr.  Smith  is 
a  Democrat  and  is  a  member  of  the  National  Lodge, 
No.  4105,  F.  M.  B.  A.  He  has  held  several  of  the 
offices  in  the  gift  of  the  people  of  the  Township, 
was  for  fourteen  years  Commissioner  of  Highways, 
is  the  present  Supervisor  of  Dorchester  Township 
and  served  as  Township  Clerk  one  year.  Every 
trust  reposed  in  him  is  faithfully  discharged  and 
he  has  proved  an  efficient  officer. 


JfeN^ 


D  HI  LIP  FLOOD,  a  lumber  merchant  and 
I  dealer  in  hardware,  agricultural  implements, 
etc.,  is  a  well-known  and  respected  resident 
of  Girard.  He  was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland, 
December  29,  1832.  His  father,  who  bore  the 
same  name  as  himself,  was  also  a  native  of  that 
city.  He,  in  turn,  was  a  son  of  another  Philip 
Flood,  who  was  born  in  England,  where  he  was 
reared,  and  in  his  youth  learned  the  trade  of  a 
silversmith.  He  went  to  Dublin  when  a  young 
man,  followed  his  trade  and  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life  there.  He  married  in  Ireland  a  Miss 
Kate  Doyle,  who  was  a  native  of  Donnybrook, 
that  country.  Her  father,  James  Doyle,  was  also 
born  there.      He  was  a  contractor  and  builder  and 


passed  his  entire  life  in  the  place  of  his  birth. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  came  to  America  in 
1848,  and  her  last  years  were  passed  in  Cincin- 
nati. A  daughter,  Kate,  married  William  Worth  - 
ington,  and  always  lived  in  Ireland.  James  was 
also  a  life-long  resident  of  his  native  country,  his 
family  still  living  there.  Edward  came  to  this 
country  in  1848,  and  later  settled  at  St.  Louis, 
where  he  spent  his  remaining  days.  He  left  a 
family  of  turee  daughters.  George  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1855,  and  landed  at  Philadelphia.  From 
that  time  all  trace  of  him  is  lost. 

The  father  of  our  subject  learned  the  trade  of 
an  upholsterer  and  decorator,  which  he  always 
followed  during  his  active  life,  continuing  to  live 
in  his  native  city  until  death.  He  was  in  limited 
circumstances  and  his  son  Philip,  of  whom  we 
write,  had  to  begin  to  assist  in  the  support  of  tiie 
family  at  the  age  of  twelve  years.  October  2, 
1848,  ambitious  to  better  his  condition,  Philip  de- 
termined to  emigrate  to  America.  Accordingly, 
he  set  sail  from  Liverpool  in  the  ship  "Sir  Charles 
Lapeer,"  and  after  a  voyage  of  thirteen  weeks 
landed  at  New  Orleans.  He  went  directly  to  Cin- 
cinnati, and  there  began  an  apprenticeship  to  the 
firm  of  Mitchell  <k  Rammelsberg,  furniture  manu- 
facturers, binding  himself  for  three  years,  at  $3  a 
week  for  wages.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
began  journey  work  with  the  same  firm,  and  in 
1855  his  employers,  establishing  a  branch  factory 
at  St.  Louis,  he  was  sent  thither.  He  was  finally 
promoted  to  the  position  of  foreman,  and  later  to 
be  Superintendent  of  the  entire  business.  The 
fact  that  he  continued  in  the  employ  of  that  same 
firm  thirty-one  years  speaks  well  for  his  ability  and 
fidelity,  and  shows  that  his  employers  held  him  in 
the  highest  esteem  and  confidence.  During  that 
long  period  of  years  he  rose  from  an  apprentice- 
ship at  $3  a  week  to  be  Superintendent,  with  a 
salary  of  #3,500  a  year,  and  a  $10,000  interest  in 
the  firm  and  one  of  its  directors. 

In  1875  Mr.  Flood  became  interested  in  the 
lumber  business  at  Girard,  and  in  1880  removed 
here  to  take  charge  of  the  business,  of  which  he 
is  sole  proprietor.  Besides  canying  an  extensive 
stock  of  lumber  and  builders'  materials,  he  deals 
in  hardware  and  agricultural  implements.     He  docs 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


669 


a  large  and  flourishing  business,  and  is  deservedly 
prosperous,  as  lie  is  always  strictly  honorable  and 
upright  in  all  his  business  transactions. 

January  1,  1853,  Mr.  Flood  and  Mrs.  Christina 
Bobbins  (nee  Case)  were  united  in  marriage  and 
have  since  lived  happily  together,  establishing  a 
pleasant  home  that  is  the  center  of  true  hospi- 
tality. Mrs.  Flood  is  a  native  of  Butler  County, 
Ohio. 

Our  subject  was  reared  in  the  Episcopal  Church, 
but  he  and  his  wife  are  now  valued  members  of 
the  Christian  Church,  and  are  liberal  in  their  con- 
tributions to  its  support,  as  well  as  toward  all 
worthy  objects  that  will  in  any  way  enhance  the 
welfare  of  the  community.  Mr.  Flood  is  promi- 
nent in  social  circles  as  a  member  of  various  or- 
ganizations. In  1853  he  joined  the  Cincinnati 
Lodge,  No.  3,  I.  O.  O.  F.  At  the  present  time  he 
is  a  member  of  Wildey  Lodge,  No.  2,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
at  St.  Louis.  In  1873  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Pride  of  the  West  Lodge,  No.  163,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 
He  is  also  identified  with  Girard  Lodge,  No.  171, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  is  a  member  of  Girard  Chapter, 
No.  132,  R.  A.  M.;  belongs  to  St.  Onier  Com- 
mr-.ndery,  No.  30,  K.  T. ;  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Council  at  Springfield,  R.  &  S.  M. 


3H" 


_geg» 


AMES  D.  PADEN.  The  agricultural  com- 
munity is  the  foundation  for  true  prosperity 
in  the  State,  and  in  the  homes  of  the  farm- 
Ill  ers  we  may  read  the  future  of  the  country. 
The  family  which  is  represented  by  the  gentleman 
whose  name  appears  at  the  head  of  this  sketch, 
constitutes  one  of  those  industrious  and  enter- 
prising households  whose  intelligence  and  integrity, 
common  sense  and  true  heigh borliness  influence  all 
about  them,  and  conduce  to  the  prosperity  of  the 
section  in  which  they  live.  Their  excellent  farm, 
upon  which  are  situated  a  pleasant  home  and  good 
farm  buildings,  is  located  upon  section  20,  Nilwood 
Township. 

Leroy  M.  Paden,  the  father  of  our  subject,  had 
his  native  home  in  South  Carolina,  and  was  born 
August    28,    1808.     He    look    to    wife     Maria    .1. 


Fletcher,  who  was  born  in  Todd  County.  Ivy.,  July 
23,  1818.  In  their  early  married  life  they  settled 
near  Hillsboro  in  Montgomery  County,  which  re- 
mained their  home  until  February,  1852,  when 
they  removed  to  Macoupin  County,  aijd  .settled  in 
Nilwood  Township,  making  their  home  there  for 
the  remainder  of  their  lives,  with  the  exception  of 
about  a  year  and  a  half,  when  they  lived  in  Yirden. 
The  father  was  called  from  earth  October  26, 
1883,  and  his  wife  survived  him  until  March  17, 
1 890. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leroy  M.  Paden  were  active 
workers  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  to  which  they 
were  attached  and  where  the}'  took  a  prominent 
part  in  religious  affairs.  Their  work  and  influence 
were  highly  prized  in  the  community,  as  they  were 
ever  ready  to  lend  a  hand  toward  every  movement 
for  the  moral,  intellectual  and  material  progress  of 
the  people  among  whom  they  lived.  Agriculture 
was  the  life  work  of  Mr.  Paden,  and  he  was  active 
in  it  until  about  six  years  prior  to  his  demise,  when 
he  retired  from  the  business  of  carrying  on  the 
farm,  and  lived  a  quiet  life.  He  had  erected  good 
buildings  on  his  farm,  and  at  the  time  of  bis  death 
owned  some  three  hundred  acres  of  rich  and  well- 
cultivated  soil. 

Four  children  had  blessed  the  home  of  this  ex- 
cellent couple,  namely:  Rebecca  ,1.,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Harvey  Madison;  John  P.,  who  is  carry- 
ing on  a  farm  in  Nilwood  Township;  James  D., 
who  is  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch;  and 
William  II..  who  died  when  about  two  and  one-half 
years  old.  James  was  born  in  Nilwood  Township, 
February  16,  1854.  In  this  pleasant  and  prosper- 
ous portion  of  Macoupin  County,  the  boy  took  his 
training  in  the  active  duties  of  farm  life  and  at- 
tended the  district  schools,  which  gave  him  an  ex- 
cellent foundation  for  an  intelligent  and  progressive 
life.  Mere  he  grew  to  mauhood  and  has  made  his 
home  continuously. 

The  happy  marriage  of  our  subject  with  Miss 
Lunetta  A.  Gales  was  solemnized  January  1 1,  1882, 
at  the  home  of  the  bride  in  Nilwood  Township. 
Her  father,  the  late  Albert  K.  Gates,  was  a  Ken- 
tuckian  by  birth,  and  her  mother,  Mary  E.  (Stam- 
per) Gates,  was  born  in  Tennessee.  Their  early 
married  home  was  in  Sangamon   County,  III.,  and 


070 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


from  there  they  removed  to  Macoupin  County, 
where  they  resided  in  Shaw's  Point  and  Nilwood 
Townships.  Mr.  Gates  passed  away  from  life 
March  2,  1882.  In  a  family  of  thirteen  children 
Mrs.  Paden  was  the  second,  and  she  early  under- 
took the  rep'onsibililies  of  an  elder  sister,  and  was 
of  great  value  to  her  parents  in  the  home  duties 
which  thus  devolved  upon  her.  Her  natal  day  was 
April  1,  1862,  and  her  birth  look  place  in  Sanga- 
mon County,  III. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paden  are  the  happy  parents  of 
one  child — Freddie  L.,  who  was  horn  in  Nilwood 
Township,  November  13,  1883.  This  child  they 
are  rearing  with  faithful  attention  to  his  needs  and 
to  his  physical,  moral  and  intellectual  existence, 
and  he  will  no  doubt  become  such  a  citizen  as  will 
do  them  honor.  The  old  Paden  homestead  is  the 
residence  of  this  family,  and  with  it  there  is  a  line 
farm  of  some  eighty  acres,  well  improved  and 
supplied  with  convenient  and  commodious  build- 
ings. 


Vi  AMF.s  (J.  RUMBOLZ, Supervisor  of  Bunker 
Hill  Township,  and  Chairman  of  the  County 
Board  of  Supervisors,  is  one  of  the  promi- 
nent citizens  of  Woodburn.  He  at  present 
represents  a  business  of  insurance,  real  estate  ana 
loans.  He  was  born  in  Bunker  Hill  Township, 
January  23,  18  IT),  and  was  reared  and  educated 
here,  attending  the  public  schools  of  the  county 
until  he  was  nearly  seventeen  years  old,  when  he 
enlisted,  July  21,  1861,  in  the  First  Missouri  Cav- 
alry. He  belonged  to  Company  B,  Capt.  Clinton 
commanding,  and  his  Colonel  was  C.  A.  Ellis.  His 
legiment  was  placed  in  the  Seventh  Corps  and  was 
assigned  to  the  Western  Army.  It  left  St.  Louis 
in  September,  and  went  directly  into  the  field  of 
war.  Our  young  hero  fought  at  the  battles  of 
Black  River,  Mo.,  Sugar  Creek,  Ark.,  and  Pea 
Ridsje,  Ky.,  where  his  regiment  was  placed  in  the 
forefront  and  sustained  heavy  losses.  Later  he 
was  in  the  conflict  of  Prairie  Grove  and  in  the  cap- 
ture of  Little  Rock,  and  assisted  all  through  the 
campaigns  west  of  the  Mississippi  River,  up  to  the 


close  of  the  war.  He  served  in  all  four  years  and 
three  months,  and  his  discharge  dates  from  Little 
Rock,  Ark.,  September  20,  1865.  Strange  to  say, 
he  escaped  without  a  wound,  and  was  never  cap- 
tured by  the  enemy.  He  was  most  of  the  time  on 
special  detail  duty,  and  for  a  large  portion  of  the 
time  served  as  Clerk  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  De- 
partment. 

On  being  discharged  at  Little  Rock,  the  young 
soldier  returned  to  Woodburn,  this  county,  and  has 
since  resided  here.  He  has  engaged  in  various 
kinds  of  business,  but  during  the  last  six  years  has 
been  doing  a  loan  and  real  estate  business,  com- 
bined with  insurance,  lie  is  the  son  of  Gollloh 
Rumbolz,  a  native  of  Stuttgart,  Germany,  and  of 
pure  German  blood.  The  father  was  yet  a  young 
man  when  he  came  to  the  United  States  with  an 
older  brother.  They  settled  in  the  mining  regions 
of  Virginia,  anil  engaged  in  mining  in  the  Lewis 
gold  mines  until  1838.  Gottlieb,  a  brother  of  our 
subject's  father,  crossed  the  plains  to  California, 
and  as  far  as  known  carried  on  mining  operations 
until  his  death.  It  was  not  long  before  the  family- 
learned  that  he  had  died  there  in  comfortable  cir- 
cumstances. The  father  of  our  subject  came  to 
this  county  in  1838  and  entered  land,  and  alter  it 
was  proved  up  he  engaged  in  blacksmithing. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  known  in  her 
maidenhood  days  as  Susan  Tompkins,  a  native  of 
Virginia.  She  came  of  Southern  and  Scottish 
blood,  and  was  a  young  woman  when  she  emigrated 
to  Illinois.  She  married  the  father  of  our  subject  in 
Virginia,  and  shortly  after  came  to  this  county. 
After  his  death  she  became  the  wife  of  Thomas  Ilay- 
ton,whom  she  has  survived.  She  is  still  living  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty,  five  years,  and  makes  her 
home  with  our  subject.  She  is  bright  and  active 
in  her  church  membership  and  belongs  to  the  Con- 
gregational Church,  which  was  also  the  religious 
home  of  her  last  husband. 

Mr.  Rumbjlz  is  one  of  the  three  surviving  chil- 
dren of  his  parents.  His  brother  William  resides 
with  him,  and  his  sister  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Frank 
Andrews,  resides  in  Lincoln,  Neb.  Both  of  the 
brothers  fought  through  the  war  on  the  Union  side, 
and  are  both  Democrats  in  their  political  views. 
William   joined   the  army   in   April,  1861,  in   the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


671 


same  regiment  with  .lames,  and  was  not  discharged 
till  February,  1866.  He  saw  many  engagements, 
and  much  hard  fighting  and  narrow  escapes.  Our 
subject  is  considered  as  a  young  man  of  ability  and 
character.  He  has  intellectual  keenness  and  bal- 
ance. He  is  looked  upon  by  the  men  of  his  party 
as  one  of  the  most  sagacious  leaders  among  the 
younger  men,  and  he  will  no  doubt  be  pushed  to 
the  front  in  coming  campaigns.  On  the  17th  of 
June,  1891,  Mr.  Rumbolz  wedded  one  of  Ken- 
tucky's fair  daughters,  known  as  Fannie  W.  Tomp- 
kins, a  daughter  of  Robert  R.  Tompkins,  one  of 
the  prominent  families  of  Kentucky. 


\¥/ACOB  P.  KLEIN.  This  well-known  resi- 
I  dent  of  Carlinville,  who  is  one  of  the  ex. 
tensive  landowners  of  the  county,  is  a  native 
of  Bavaria,  where  his  birth  took  place  No- 
vember 7,  1  830.  His  father  was  George  Michael 
Klein,  and  he  was  born  in  the  same  country,  as 
were  also  his  parents,  who  spent  their  entire  lives 
there. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  on  a  farm, 
and  resided  in  his  Bavarian  home  until  183!),  when, 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  their  nine  children, 
he  came  to  America.  They  set  sail  from  Havre, 
and  after  a  voyage  of  about  six  weeks  landed  at 
New  Orleans,  from  there  going  directly  to  St. 
Louis,  where  thej'  resided  a  few  months,  and  then 
settled  in  Monroe  County,  where  they  were  pio- 
neers. Mr.  Klein  bought  Government  land  three 
miles  from  Waterloo,  and  also  purchased  an  eighty- 
acre  tract.  On  the  latter  there  was  a  log  cabin,  the 
roof  of  which  was  covered  by  boards  rived  bv 
hand,  and  held  in  place  by  weight  poles.  The 
floor  and  door  were  also  of  boards  split  by  hand, 
and  the  latter  was  supplied  with  wooden  hinges. 
Not  a  nail  was  used  in  the  building.  At  that  time 
there  were  no  railways,  and  but  few  wagon  roads. 
The  country  was  very  thinly  inhabited,  and  the 
people  took  the  nearest  route  when  they  traveled, 
regardless  of  roads.  .St.  Louis,  twenty- fi-ve  miles 
distant,  was  the  nearest  market  for  grain,  stock  and 
general  produce,  and  for  some  time  the  father  of 


our  subject  did  all  his  farm  work  and  marketing 
with  oxen,  lie  improved  his  land,  and  resided  on 
his  homestead  for  many  years.  A  short  time  be- 
fore his  death  he  came  to  Carlinville  to  live  with 
Ill's  son  Jacob,  and  died  in  his  home  in  1870,  full 
of  years.  His  wife  had  died  on  the  home  farm 
many  years  before,  her  death  occurring  in  1854, 
They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  namely: 
Peter,  Wilhelmina,  Louis,  Sibilla,  Christina,  Mar- 
garette,  Barbara,  Jacob  P.,  George  J.  and  Christina 
Barbara.  One  died  in  infancy.  Peter  served  in 
the  Mexican  War,  and  also  in  the  Civil  War,  as 
did  George. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  in  his  ninth  year 
when  his  parents  brought  him  to  America.  The 
rest  of  his  boyhood  was  passed  in  Monroe  County, 
this  State,  and  when  quite  young  he  had  to  assist 
in  the  duties  of  the  farm.  In  the  meantime  he  im- 
proved every  opportunity  to  obtain  an  education, 
the  first  school  that  he  attended  being  the  district 
school  that  was  taught  in  his  father's  house.  He 
resided  wiih  his  parents  until  he  attained  his  ma- 
jority, and  then  married  and  established  a  home  of 
his  own,  settling  on  a  tract  of  timber  land  which 
his  father  iiad  previously  given  him.  He  built  a 
log  house,  riving  the  boards  for  the  roof  by  hand, 
and  in  that  rude  structure  he  and  his  wife  com- 
menced housekeeping.  They  lived  there  three 
years,  and  then  Mr.  Klein  sold  that  place  and 
bought  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  close 
to  Waterloo.  That  was  his  home  until  1865,  when 
he  again  sold,  and  coming  to  Carlinville,  purchased 
a  house  on  West  Main  Street,  and  kept  a  hotel  for 
two  years.  During  that  time  he  bought  the  place 
where  he  now  resides,  and  also  three  hundred  acres 
in  Brushy  Mound  Township,  which  he  still  owns. 
He  has  besides  eighty  five  acres  of  limber  land  in 
Gillespie  and  Brushy  Mound  Townships,  and  four 
hundred  acres  consisting  mostly  of  bottom  land  in 
those  townships. 

Mr.  Klein  married  in  Monroe  County,  July  20, 
1851,  Miss  Elizabeth  Rick.  Mrs.  Klein  was  born 
in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica with  her  parents.  Of  this  union  three  children 
have  been  born,  of  whom  two  survive:  Mary,  the 
wife  of  W.  O.  Steinmeyer,  of  Carlinville;  and 
Henry,  who  married    Mary   Steinmeyer,  and    lives 


672 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


at  Ft.  Madison,  Iowa.     Catherine   the  first  child, 
died  at  the  age  of  two  years. 

Botli  Mr.  Klein  and  his  estimable  wife  arc  con- 
nected with  the  Evangelical  Church.  Politically 
he  was  for  many  years  identilied  with  the  Republi- 
can party,  but  since  1S72  has  affiliated  with  the 
Democrats  in  national  elections,  while  in  local  poli- 
tics he  is  independent,  aiming  to  support  the  best 
man.  irrespective  of  parly. 


1 


AMES  K.  FURBER.     As  manager  of  the  C. 

11.  C.  Anderson  Bank,  of  Carlinville,  with 
which  institution  be  has  been  connected  for 
a  period  of  more  than  twenty  years.  Mr. 
Furber  has  displayed  marked  ability  as  a  financier, 
and  he  has  been  a  potent  agent  in  establishing  this 
county  on  a  firm  momentary  basis.  He  is  of  New 
England  birth  and  ancestry,  born  in  the  town  of 
Rochester,  N.  II.,  January  31.  is:!  I.  The  Furhers 
originated  in  England,  and  the  first  members  of  the 
family  to  come  to  America  were  three  brothers, who 
landed  on  these  shores  in  Colonial  times,  and  set- 
tled in  Newington,  N.  H. 

William  Furber,  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was 
born  at  Newington,  April  20,  1778.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  wife  was  Alice  Furber.  She  was  a 
native  of  Newington,  N.  H. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  on  a  farm, 
but  as  he  had  a  taste  for  mechanics  he  learned  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter  in  his  youth.  He  removed 
from  Rochester  to  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  in  1S36,  and 
resided  there  until  1846,  when  lie  went  to  Pem- 
broke,in  which  place  he  dwelt  until  November. 1848, 
and  he  then  left  his  native  Sr.ate  for  Illinois,  as  he 
rightly  thought  that  in  a  young  and  growing  Stale 
men  of  his  calling  would  be  in  demand.  His  wife 
and  children  accompanied  him  to  the  new  home, 
and  the}-  came  by  the  most  expeditious  route  at 
that  time,  which  was  by  rail  from  Portsmouth  to 
Buffalo,  thence  by  Lake  Erie  to  Cleveland,  from 
there  by  rail  to  Cincinnati,  from  that  city  by  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers  to  Alton,  ajid  thence 
by  team  to  Bunker  Hill,  in  this  county,  having  been 
fourteen  days  on  the  way    from    Worcester,   Mass. 


At  that  time  Bunker  Hill  was  a  small  but  flourish- 
ing village,  with  one  church  and  two  or  three  stores. 
The  prairies  of  Macoupin  County  were  but  sparsely 
settled,  and  deer  and  other  kinds  of  game  still 
abounded. 

Mr.  Furber  bought  a  tract  of  wild  land  one  mile 
northeast  of  the  village  at  #10  an  acre,  and  he 
erected  suitable  buildings  anil  located  on  the  place. 
He  carried  on  his  trade  as  .1  carpenter  the  greater 
part  of  the  time,  while  his  sons  improved  the  land. 
He  resided  on  his  homestead  until  1880,  when  he 
sold  it.  and  coming  to  Carlinville,  made  his  home 
with  his  son  of  whom  we  write,  until  death  closed 
his  life  at  a  ripe  age  in  October,  1884.  His  wife. 
whose  maiden  name  was  Tryphcna  Downing,  pre- 
eeeded  him  in  death,  dying  in  1868.  They  reared 
seven  children,  namely:  Charles  W.,  James  K.,  John 
L..  George  D.,  Simeon  S  ,  Mary  S.  and  Tryphena. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  a  native  of  Roches- 
ter, N.  II.,  and  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Try- 
phena (Knowlcs)  Downing. 

.lames  K.  Furber  laid  the  foundations  of  liberal 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Portsmouth,  N. 
II.,  and  he  subsequently  became  a  student  at  Pem- 
broke Academy,  which  he  attended  two  years.  He 
was  fourteen  years  old  when  the  family  came  to 
Illinois,  and  he  remained  an  inmate  of  the  parental 
home  until  1860,  assisting  his  father  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  farm.  In  that  year  he  entered  the 
mercantile  business  at  Gillespie,  remaining  there 
two  years.  In  1862  he  came  to  Carlinville  as  Dep- 
uty Sheriff,  which  position  he  held  two  years,  lie 
then  became  Clerk  in  the  office  of  the  County  Clerk, 
and  acted  in  that  capacity  until  December,  186',), 
when  he  entered  the  bank  of  C.  II.  C.  Anderson, 
with  which  institution  he  has  been  prominently 
identified  ever  since.  He  rapidly  rose  in  the  con- 
fidence of  his  employer,  who  early  recognized  his 
talents,  and  came  to  place  great  reliance  in  his  un- 
erring judgment  in  regard  to  money  matters,  and 
to  refer  to  him  in  important  monetary  transactions. 
Under  his  watchful  care  in  the  responsible  position 
of  Manager  of  the  Bank  it  has  increased  in  useful- 
ness and  popularity,  and  its  business  has  been  ex- 
tended. 

Our  subject  and  his  amiable  wife  have  been 
happy  in  their  married  life,  upon   which  they  en- 


UBRART 
OF  THE 


A.ADAMS, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


f.75 


fcered  in  June,  1864.  Mrs.  Furber  was  formerly 
Mary  E.  Allard,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Allard.  aud 
she  is  a  native  of  Woodburn,  this  county.  Of  the 
nine  childreu  born  to  her  and  our  subject,  these 
four  are  living: — lames  IX,  William  A.,  Ella  and 
Carrie  B. 

A  gentleman  of  honor,  always  courteous  and  con- 
siderate in  his  intercourse  with  others,  Mr.  Furber 
enjoys  in  a  rare  degree  the  regard  and  trust  of  an 
extensive  acquaintance  ainong  whom  he  lias  many 
warm,  personal  friends.  Since  his  residence  in  this 
city  lie  lias  lent  his  influence  to  all  things  (ending 
to  its  elevation,  whether  in  a  material,  moral,  edu- 
cational or  political  sense.  He  has  been  a  conspic- 
uous figure  in  its  public  life  in  the  highest  civic 
offices  within  the  gift  of  his  fellow-citizens,  being 
at  one  time  Mayor  of  Carlinville,  ami  for  four 
years  he  was  President  of  the  School  Board.  His 
social  relations  are  with  Mt.  Nebo  Lodge,  No.  76, 
A.  F.  A  A.  M.  In  his  political  sentiments,  he  is 
a  sound  Democrat.  In  his  religious  views  he  is  a 
believer  in  the  faith  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.of  which  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members. 


USTIN  ADAMS.  This  gentleman  who  was 
I  an  important  factor  in  the  development  and 
improvement  of  Bird  Township,  and 
whose  portrait  is  shown  on  the  opposite 
page  passed  from  the  busy  scenes  of  earth  June  4, 
1891.  At  one  time  he  was  numbered  among  the 
largest  landowners  in  the  county  but  before  his 
demise  he  disposed  of  the  greater  part  of  his  large 
estate  to  his  children.  In  this  he  has  shown  the 
wisdom  of  the  keen  men  of  to-day  who  are  learn- 
ing to  be  their  own  executors  and  no  longer  trust 
to  the  uncertain  processes  of  the  Probate  Courts. 
The  father  of  our  subject,  Horatio  Adams,  was 
born  in  Kentucky  in  1799,  and  his  wife.  Siotha 
Meuar  was  also  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  there 
in  1802.  The  father  of  Horatio  was  Andrew  Ad- 
ams, who  was  born  in  Germany,  and  emigrated  to 
America  when  a  small  child.  He  engaged  exten- 
sively in  farming  and  died  in  Henry  County,  Ky., 


at  the  extreme  age  of  one  hundred  and  two  years. 
Horatio  Adams  was  reared  to  manhood   in   Henry 

County,  Ky.  lie  was  an  active  anil  enterprising 
man  of  broad  views  and  keen  intelligence,  and 
was  artive  up  to  the  time  of  his  deal!:  which  was 
caused  by  a  paralytic  stroke  when  lie  was  seventy- 
four  year-  old.  The  father  of  his  wife,  Siotba 
Meuar,  was  Jeremiah  Meuar.  who  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia, of  Scotch  parentage.  His  father  was  a  far- 
mer in  the  land  of  Burns  and  emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica at  a  very  early  day.  He  made  his  first  home 
in  Virginia  and  afterward  removed  to  Kentucky 
where  he  died  at  the  venerable  age  of  almost  one 
hundred  years.  lie  was  highly  honored  by  all 
who  knew  him  for  his  character  and  patriotism, 
and  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary   War. 

Horatio  Adams  emigrated  from  Kentucky  to 
Illinois  in  September,  1828.  and  made  bis  home  in 
Clay  County  and  afterward  in  Green  County  of 
this  State.  After  a  residence  in  the  latter  place 
of  some  live  or  six  years,  he  came  to  Macoupin 
County  and  made  his  final  home  in  Bird  Town- 
ship, where  he  continued  to  reside  till  his  death 
in  August,  1874,  He  had  been  bereaved  of  his 
wife  about  six  months  previous  to  his  own  death. 
Both  are  buried  in  Bird  Township.  Their  memory 
is  blessed  and  cherished  not  only  by  their  children 
and  grandchildren  but  by  the  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  with  whom  they  were 
in  the  bonds  of  fellowship,  and  by  all  who  enjoyed 
the  pleasure  of  their  acquaintance. 

An  interesting  family  of  five  sons  and  live  daugh- 
ters gathered  about  this  worthy  and  venerable 
couple.  The  oldest  daughter,  Phoebe,  was  the 
wife  of  Brookings  Chatman,  and  died  in  Bird 
Township,  August  14,  1849.  Next  came  the  sons. 
Jefferson  and  Austin.  Tin-  second  daughter,  Eliza, 
was  the  wife  of  John  Kessinger  and  died  Novem- 
ber 20,  1878.  The  next  two  children  were  sons, 
Andrew  and  William.  The  daughter  Martha,  bc- 
•anie  the  wife  of  William  Rice,  and  died  in  18.51. 
Nancy,  who  was  the  wife  of  Rev.  Adam  Wag- 
goner, died  in  Carlinville.  III.,  in  1860.—  Agnes, 
Mrs.  George  Bates,  died  in  1868.  The  youngest 
child  was  John   <L>. 

Austin  Adams  was  the  third  child  in  his  father's 
family  and  was    born    March    7.    1826,     in     Henry 


G7G 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


County,  Ky.  He  was  a  child  of  only  three  years 
when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  this  Stat'',  and 
was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  trained  in 
the  practical  details  of  farm  life.  He  remained 
with  his  parents  until  he  was  about  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  when  he  took  to  himself  a  wife  at 
Anderson's  Point  in  Carlinville  Township,  Decem- 
ber 29,1847. 

The  lady  who  thus  became  Mrs.  Adams  was 
M  iss  Maria  C.  Anderson,  a  sister  of  the  late  C.  II. 
C.  Anderson  whose  biography  will  be  found 
elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and  a  daughter  of  the 
late  .lames  C.  and  Ann  R.  (Harris)  Anderson.  She 
was  born  in  Christian  County,  Ky.,  dune  4,  1821, 
and  died  January  6,  1890,  in  Bird  Township.  She 
was  the  happy  mother  of  seven  children.  The 
eldest,  a  son,  died  in  early  infancy.  The  second 
is  James  II;  Leonora  and  Lodusca  both  died  in 
infancy;  Rejena  M.  is  the  wife  of  E.  F.  Wood- 
man ;  Leonora  S.  is  the  wife  of  W.  V.  McCann; 
Austin    E.  took   to  wife   Miss  Eva  A.   Robinson. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  followed  the  occupa- 
tions of  farming  and  stock-raising.  When  he  was 
first  married  iie  rented  land  for  one  year  in  Carlin- 
ville and  after  that  purchased  a  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  in  Bird  Township,  where 
he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  increased 
his  possessions  until  he  was  the  prosperous  owner 
of  about  one  thousand  acres.  He  erected  excellent 
buildings  upon  his  land  and  made  extensive  and 
permanent  improvements.  As  before  stated  he  gave 
to  his  children  most  of  the  land  which  he  had  ac- 
cumulated, thus  acting  the  wise  part  of  executing 
the  provisions  of  his  will  while  alive. 

In  his  early  days  Mr.  Adams  was  of  the  Whig 
persuasion  politically,  but  after  the  organization  of 
the  Republican  party  he  espoused  its  principles  and 
casts  his  vote  for  its  candidates.  For  forty  years 
his  first  wife  was  an  earnest  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  for  some  forty-five  years 
Mr.  Adams  was  a  devoted  member  of  that  church 
and  contributed  liberally  of  his  means  toward  the 
erection,  of  churches  and  the  support  of  the  Gospel. 

( In  March  10,  1891,  Mr.  Adams  was  married  a 
second  time,  choosing  as  his  wife  Miss  Mattie  L. 
Black,  the  daughter  of  Peter  and  Rebecca  (Chiles) 
Black,  natives  respectively  of  Kentucky    and   Illi- 


nois. The  wedded  life  of  our  subject  and  his  es 
timable  wife  was  of  brief  duration  and  was  termin- 
ated by  the  death  of  Mr.  Adams  a  few  months 
later.  1 1  is  loss  is  sadly  fell,  by  his  sorrowing  wife, 
his  bereaved  children  and  his  many  friends.  A 
public-spirited  citizen,  he  richly  deserved  tht 
honor  and  esteem  freely  granted  him  by  his  neigh- 
bors, and  his  memory  will  be  held  in  loving  re- 
membrance for  many  years  yet  to  come. 

"We* mourn  for  him  whose  life  has  down 
Out  from  its  fragile  shell  of  clay 
Into   tin'  nighlless  perfect  day. 

To  reap  the  fruit  that  hero  was  sown." 


— $m*i- — 

OHN  WESLEY  THACKER.  We  are  pleased 
to  present  here  a  brief  biographical  sketch 
of  one   of    the   well-known   ami     highly    re- 

j  spected  agriculturists  of  Girard  Township. 
whose  social  standing  is  such  as  to  give  him  promi- 
nence in  the  community.  He  was  born  on  his 
father's  home  farm  in  Nil  wood  Township,  this 
county,  July  24,  1854.  His  father,  Zachariah  and 
his  mother.  Nancy  (  Walker)  Tliacker.  were  the  par- 
ents of  seven  children,  and  he  was  the  third  son. 
An  extended  sketch  of  Zachariah  Thacker  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and  we  are  gratified  to 
to  have  a  double  opportunity  of  calling  attention 
to  this  interesting  family. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  upon  the 
home  farm  and  soon  as  he  was  old  enough  attended 
school  he  began  going  to  the  district  school,  while 
at  the  same  time  making  himself  useful  upon  the 
farm.  He  grew  up  into  a  sturdy  and  healthy  far- 
mer's boy  and  became  of  great  assistance  to  his 
father.  He  remained  with  his  parents  until  his 
marriage  which  occurred  just  before  he  reached  his 
majority. 

The  domestic  life  of  Mr.  Thackcr  has  been  a  hap- 
py and  prosperous  one.  He  was  married  March  24, 
1875  to  Miss  Christiana  Garst,  who  has  proved 
indeed  a  helpmate  and  a  genial  companion.  To 
this  excellent  couple  have  been  born  five  children, 
Delia  Ann;  Cora  May ;  Vernie  Ellen ;  Mary  John; 
and  Albert  Harvey.     These   are   all   being   trained 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


677 


in  domestic  duties  as  well  as  being  given  a  good 
school  education.  They  are  also  brought  up  in 
the  Christian  faith,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tbacker  arc 
conscientious  and  devoted  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church.  They  arc  leaders  in  thought  in  the  farm- 
ing community,  being  active  members  of  the  Un- 
ion Grange.  The  Republican  party  embodies  the 
political  principles  with  which  Mr.  Thacker  finds 
himself  in  harmony  and  while  not  in  any  sense  an 
office  seeker  he  is  rejoiced  to  see  the  prosperity  of 
his  party. 


i  UAM  FKLTER,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Girard,  is  of  German  birth,  lie  was  born 
Ifi  in  Hesse-Darmstadt.  .June  1,  1813,  and  is  a 
son  of  Peter  and  Mary  (Schneider)  Felter, 
who  were  also  natives  of  the  same  place  as  their 
son.  There  they  passed  their  married  life  and 
ended  their  days  in  peace  at  the  old  homestead. 
The  son  secured  an  opportunity  to  learn  the  trade 
of  a  nail- maker,  and  having  done  so  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years  he  left  the  parental  roof. 

This  joung  man  now  set  sail  for  America,  leav- 
ing Bremen  in  May  and  landing  in  New  York  after 


which  he  began,  ,nd  all  well-improved,  lie  erec- 
ted good  frame  buildings  upon  his  farm  and  resided 
there  for  seven  years. 

Mr.  I'Vltcr  decided  to  sell  his  farm  and  go  a  little 
farther  West,  and  did  so,  making  his  new  home  for 

re  than    two    years    in    Lafayette    County,    Mo. 

But  after  all  Illinois  was  more  homelike  to  him  and 
he  disposed  of  this  property  and  relumed  to  Virden 
and  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-seven 
acres.  After  residing  then-  sumo  years,  he  rented 
out  this  farm  and  went  to  live  on  a  new  property 
which  he  purchased  in  Girard  Township.  He  re- 
sided on  this  tract  of  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
seven  acres  until  1886,  and  then  purchased  property 
where  he  now  resides.  He  still  owns  the  two  farms 
above  spoken  of  and  another  tract  of  eighty  acres 
in  North  Otter  Township. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Felter  in  1844  united  him 
with  Cornelia  McDaniel,  whose  father,  John 
McDaniel,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Morgan 
County.  He  made  his  home  there  when  Jackson- 
ville was  but  a  hamlet.  His  daughter  was  born 
upon  this  pioneer  farm  in  1820, and  was  veryyoun" 
when  her  parents  died.  She  was  kindly  cared  for 
and  was  taken  into  the  household  of  Alexander 
Bell. 

Seven  children  have  been  given   to    this  worthy 


a  voyage  of  sixty-four  days.  He  went  at  once  to  coup'e,  all  of  whom  have  been  spared  to  the  pres- 
ent time  and  each  one  has  established  a  home  and  a 
household.  They  arc  named,  Sarah.  George, 
Hannah,  Ellen,  Albert,  John  and  David.  All  who 
know  Mr.  Felter  unite  in  saying  that  he  brought 
with  him  from  the  old  country  those  sterling  qual- 
ities which  make  the  best  class  of  German  citizens, 
and  his  industry,  frugality  and  steadfastness,  have 
combined  to  give  to  him  a  degree  of  prosperity 
which  he  could  never  have  known    across  the  seas. 


Mercer,  Ohio,  where  his  brother  William  lived.  He 
landed  in  the  new  home  with  only  fifty  cents  in 
his  pocket.  His  first  work  was  on  the  National 
road  and  after  thirteen  days'  labor  there  he  took 
the  ax  in  hand  and  began  clearing  land  for  his 
brother.  He  spent  a  few  months  in  Mercer,  and 
then  went  to  St.  Louis  County,  Mo.,  and  engaged 
in  farming.  He  resided  for  a  time  in  Adams 
County,  and  then  came  to  Macoupin  County  and 
rented  land  for  a  lime. 

At  the  time  when  our  subject  first  came  to  this 
county,  there  was  not  a  house  standing  where  now 
the  prosperous  villages  of  Girard  and  Virden  are 
located  and  most  ol  tin:  land  was  in  possession  of 
the  Government.  Deer  and  wolves  abounded,  and 
all  was  like  a  wilderness.  He  took  up  one  bundled 
and  twenty  acres  of  land  and  after  a  few  years  had 
it  in  a  fine  state  of  cultivation.  Later  he  bought 
Other  land  until  he    had    twice    the    amount   with 


~=I= 


\  AVID  II.  JOHNSTON  is  proprietor  of  one 

J)  of  the  largest  and  oldest  established  busi- 
ness houses  of  Bunker  Hill.  At  the  age 
of  fifteen  he  entered  the  store  as  a  clerk, 
continuing  to  serve  in  that  capacity  for  some  time 
and  dining  that  interval  by  industry  and  economy 


678 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


acquired  sufficient  capital  to  establish  himself  in 
business.  In  consequence  the  firm  of  Davis,  John- 
ston ife  Co.  was  organized  and  became  owner  of  the 
store  wherein  our  subject  had  received  his  business 
training.  After  that  several  changes  occurred  in 
the  firm.  On  the  death  of  Mr.  Davis,  Edward  liar- 
ton  became  a  partner  of  Mr.  Johnston,  and  their 
connection  continued  tor  seven  years  or  until  the 
death  of  the  former  in  September,  1N83,  when 
David  II.  admitted  diaries  J.  Johnston  as  a  part- 
ner under  the  style  of  Johnston  Bros.  They  did 
business  together  for  a  few  years,  and  then  the  con- 
nection was  discontinued,  since  which  time  David 
II.  lias  been  alone  in  business.  The  establishment 
of  which  he  is  now  proprietor,  is  one  of  the  finest 
and  largest  in  Bunker  Hill.  It  is  located  on  Wash- 
ington Street,  and  his  slock  of  goods,  comprising 
dry  goods,  clothing,  carpets,  boots  and  shoes,  occu- 
pies rooms  covering  two  thousand  feet  on  the 
ground  floor  and  two  thousand  square  feet  in  the 
second  story.  Hardly  an  enterprise  of  any  import- 
ance has  been  established  in  Bunker  Hill  that  Mr. 
Johnston  is  not  numbered  among  the  prime  leaders 
in  the  movement  or  among  the  stockholders. 

Of  Scotch  birth,  Mr.  Johnston  possesses  many 
of  the  best  characteristics  of  that  race.  He  was 
born  on  the  5th  of  Apiil,  1846,  in  Ayershire,  Scot- 
land, and  is  a  sou  of  Robert  and  Jane  (Hamilton) 
Johnston,  both  of  whom  were  also  natives  of  the 
Lowlands,  born  in  Ayershire.  After  the  birth  of 
three  children,  they  came  to  America.  Bidding 
good  by  to  their  old  home  they  sailed  from  Glas- 
gow in  1854,  landing  at  New  Orleans,  and  made 
their  way  up  the  Mississippi  River  to  St.  Louis, 
whence  they  came  to  Macoupin  County.  111.  Rob- 
ert Johnson  lived  near  Bunker  Hill,  where  he  re- 
sided until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1870.  lie 
reached  the  allotted  age  of  three  score  years.  He 
was  a  prominent  man  in  the  township  and  county, 
and  in  his  death  the  community  lost  one  of  its  best 
citizens.  His  wife  long  survived  him,  passing  away 
in  1889,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy  years. 

Our  subject  was  a  lad  of  only  six  summers,  when 
upon  the  broad  Atlantic  he  sailed  for  America. 
His  educational  advantages  were  such  as  the  com- 
mon schools  afforded,  and  as  before  stated,  he  en- 
tered upon  his  business  career  at  the  age   of  fifteen 


as  a  merchant's  e'erk.  Mr.  Johnston  was  married 
in  Bunker  Hill  to  Miss  Julia  Hopper,  one  of  Illi- 
nois' daughters.  Her  father  is  the  Rev.  J.  V.  Hop- 
per, a  retired  minister  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Mrs. 
Johnston  is  an  intelligent  and  cultured  lady,  who 
occupies  a  prominent  position  in  the  social  circles 
of  Bunker  Hill.  Her  marriage  has  been  blessed 
with  three  children:  Arthur  and  Frank,  the  eldest 
and  youngest  are  living,  while  Laura,  the  second 
child,  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Johnston  holds  mem- 
bership with  Bunker  Hill  Lodge,  No.  151,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.  At  the  ballot  box  he  supports  the  Repub- 
lican party.  One  of  the  progressive  and  puhlic- 
spirited  citizens  of  the  community  he  identifies 
himself  with  all  that  pertains  to  the  upbuilding  of 
the  county's  interests  and  welfare,  and  gives  liber- 
ally to  all  worthy  enterprises  and  charities.  Such 
a  man  is  worthy  of  the  esteem  and  confidence  of 
all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact,  and  the  people 
have  learned  to  trust  him  whom  they  so  highly  re- 
gard. 


^ 


-J- 


^=^EORGE  BAKER,  a  retired  blacksmith  of 
l(  <s--  Bunker  Hill  where  for  many  years  he 
^^iJ  worked  at  his  trade,  is  a  native  of  Dorset- 
shire. England,  and  was  reared  as  a  shepherd  boy, 
serving  in  that  capacity  until  about  fifteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  began  learning  the  trade  which  he 
made  his  life  work.  He  served  as  an  apprentice 
until  he  had  attained  his  majority,  working  under 
the  direction  of  a  Mr.  Wright  and  John  Abbots  of 
Wiltshire,  England.  He  then  for  a  time  worked  as 
a  journeyman  until  March  2,  1854,  when  he  sev- 
ered all  business  connection  with  his  native  land 
and  sailed  for  America  on  the  vessel,  "Euroclydon," 
which  left  Liverpool  and  after  five  weeks  dropped 
anchor  in  the  harbor  of  New  York.  He  spent  about 
a  week  in  that  Eastern  metropolis  and  then  came 
on  to  Hunker  Hill,  where  he  has  since  made  li is 
home.  His  parents  never  crossed  the  Atlantic. 
John  Baker,  the  father,  was  a  native  of  Dorsetshire, 
and  there  they  lived  and  died.  He  worked  as  a 
coachman  for  an  English  gentleman  and  married 
Miss  Ann  Gluler,  who  died  in  Dorsetshire  at  the 
age  of  sixty  seven  years.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baker 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


were  members   of  the  Cburcb  of  England.     The 

members  of  the  family  living  in  Macoupin  County 
are  Geoige.  Charles  and  a  sister,  Mrs.  Martha  Dike, 
all  of  whom  reside  in  Bunker  Hill  Township. 

Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  Bunker  Hill,  our  sub- 
ject, George  Baker,  began  working  as  a  journey- 
man hut  a  few  years  later,  he  built  a  smithy  and 
carried  on  a  successful  business  until  18*6.  He  is 
an  efficient  workman  and  received  the  patronage  of 
those  who  resided  for  miles  around.  His  efforts 
were  crowned  with  prosperity  and  from  a  humble 
position  he  worked  his  way  upward  until  he  is  now 
numbered  among  the  substantial  citizens  of  the 
community,  having  a  handsome  competence  which 
will  enable  him  to  spend  his  declining  years  in  re- 
tirement from  all  labor. 

Mr.  Baker  has  been  twice  married.  In  Bunker 
Hill,  he  was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Elizabeth  .1. 
Kitcbell,  who  was  born  near  Blauford,  England, 
December  11,  1839.  Her  death  occurred  June  9, 
1882,  and  was  mourned  not  only  by  her  immediate 
family  but  by  her  many  friends.  With  her  parents 
she  started  for  America  in  1851,  but  on  the  way 
the  vessel  was  wrecked  at  Nassau  and  from  the 
effects  of  the  exposure  the  mother  died.  The  father 
and  daughter  continued  their  journey  to  Illinois 
and  settled  in  Woodburn,  this  county,  where  Mr. 
Kitcbell  passed  away  some  years  later.  He  died  at 
the  home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Baker,  in  Bunker 
Hill,  June  8,  1871,  when  about  seventy-six  years 
of  age.  Mrs.  Baker  was  for  a  number  of  years  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Church  and 
was  a  noble  Christian  woman,  held  in  universal 
esteem.  By  her  marriage  she  became  the  mother 
of  six  children,  three  of  whom  are  now  deceased — 
Jane  and  George  W.,  who  died  in  youth;  and 
Emily,  the  deceased  wife  of  August  Buch,  a  drug- 
gist. Edward  is  now  engaged  in  blacksmithing  in 
Bunker  Hill;  Mary  A.  is  the  wife  of  J.  W.  Pierce, 
a  druggist  of  Ballenger,  Tex.;  and  Thomas  A., 
who  is  employed  in  the  hardware  and  implement 
store  of  Mr.  McPherson. 

For  bis  second  wife,  Mr.  Baker  married  Eliza 
Meyers,  nee  Miles,  who  was  born  in  Norfolkshire. 
England,  in  1848.  In  her  native  land  she  became 
the  wife  of  James  Meyers  and  together  they  crossed 
the  Atlantic,  settling    in    Macoupin    County,   III., 


G79 


where  the  death  of  the  husband  occurred.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Baker  attend  the  Methodist  Church    and    in 

the    social    world    they    hold  an  enviable  positi 

having  many  warm  friends  throughout  the  com- 
munity. He  is  at  present  a  member  of  the  City 
Council,  to  which  he  was  elected  on  the  Republican 
ticket  and  has  held  several  offices  of  honor  and 
trust,  the  duties  of  which  he  ever  faithfully  and 
promptly  discharged.  His  genial  nature  makes 
him  a  favorite  with  all  who  know  him  and  his  ac- 
quaintance throughout  the  county  is  extensive. 


ft/OHN  WILLIAMSON,  deceased,  was  born 
in  Monmouth  County,  N".  .1..  February  22, 
1810,  and  was  descended  from  one  of  the 
old  New  English  families,  which  in  early 
Colonial  days  was  founded  in  America  by  emigrants 
from  Holland.  For  several  generations  the3r 
had  resided  in  New  Jersey.  The  grandfather 
Of  our  subject,  Hendrick  Williamson,  was  born  and 
reared  in  that  State,  and  when  the  Revolutionary 
War  broke  out  enlisted  in  the  Colonial  Army.  He 
served  throughout  the  entire  struggle  and  partici- 
pated in  many  important  battles.  In  the  possession 
of  his  descendants  are  an  old  musket  and  a  Hask, 
the  latter  now  the  property  of  Mrs.  Williamson  of 
this  notice,  which  are  valued  heirlooms.  Hendrick 
Williamson  married  Miss  Ellen  Conover,  a  New 
Jersey  lady,  and  they  lived  and  labored  together 
for  many  years.  His  death  occurred  in  Monmouth 
County  at  an  advanced  age,  after  which  his  widow- 
went  to  Butler  County,  Ohio,  where  she  died  at  the 
home  of  one  of  her  children  in  1812.  Tbey  were 
both  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and 
were  respected  people. 

David  Williamson,  father  of  our  subject,  spent 
the  days  of  bis  boyhood  and  youth  in  Monmouth 
County,  and  chose  as  a  helpmate  on  life's  journey 
Miss  Margaret  Lefferson,  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  Monmouth  County,  where  three  children  came 
to  bless  their  union.  Afterward  they  emigrated 
to  Ohio,  settling  in  Butler  County  which  was  then 
a  wilderness  and  in  true  pioneer  style  began  life  in 
the  WTest.      It  was  there  that  David  Williamson  and 


fi80 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


I< is  wife  died,  both  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  yen-. 

They  were  hard  working  people,  yet  h< rable  ami 

upright  and  they  won  the  respect  of  all  who  knew 
them.  In  religious  belie t"  they  were  Presbyterians. 
The  husband  had  been  drafted  as  a  soldier  in  the 
War  of  1812,  but  owing  to  sickness  in  his  family 
his  place    had  been  supplied  by  his"brother-in-law. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  John  Williamson, 
was  the  third  in  order  of  birth  in  the  family  of 
eight  children,  of  whom  only  two  are  yet  living 
and  they  arc  residents  of  Ohio.  He  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Butler  County  of  the  Buckeye  State, 
where  he  had  been  taken  by  his  parents  when  only 
two  years  of  ago.  He  wedded  Miss  Sinai  Murphy, 
who  was  born  in  Butler  County,  Ohio.  February  8, 
1823,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Margaret 
(Douglas)  Murphy,  who  were  natives  of  Kentucky 
and  Pennsylvania  respectively.  During  childhood 
they  emigrated  with  their  respective  families  to 
Butler  County.  Ohio,  where  they  arc  numbered 
among  its  pioneers.  In  Madison  Township  they 
began  their  domestic  life  and  developed  and  im- 
proved a  farm,  which  continued  to  be  their  home 
during  their  remaining  days.  Mr.  Murphy  lived 
the  allotted  three-score  years  and  ten.  Ilis  father, 
John  Murphy,  was  a  Revolutionary  hero,  and  he 
wedded  Miss  Mary  Woollum,  who  came  of  Dutch 
ancestry.  Both  died  in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  when 
quite  advanced  in  years.  The  maternal  grand- 
parents of  Mrs.  Williamson  were  George  and 
Sinai  (Ashton)  Douglas,  who  also  made  their  home 
in   Butler  County,  there  living  to  a  ripe  old  age. 

For  a  few  months  after  their  marriage,  our  sub 
ject  and  his  bride  resided  in  that  county  but  the 
same  year.  1850,  they  started  for  Illinois,  traveling 
overland  with  teams  and  settled  in  Jersey  County. 
where  they  spent  a  year.  Then  coming  to  Mann 
pin  County,  Mr.  Williamson  purchased  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  set  ion  19,  Dor- 
chester Township  and  began  life  in  earnest.  Ris- 
ing in  the  early  morning  he  would  work  until  the 
sun  went  down,  and  in  this  way  only  a  short  time 
had  elapsed  before  he  had  developed  a  good  farm. 
He  made  many  improvements  thereon,  and  as  the 
value  of  this  land  increased,  became  one  of  the 
substantial  citizens  of  the  community.  Through- 
out  his  life   he  was   known   to   be  an  upright  and 


honorable  man  and  worthy  citizen.  In  politics  he 
was  a  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party  and  filled 
a  number  of  local  offices  with  credit  to  himself 
and  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  constituents.  His 
death  occurred  on  the  8th  of  May,  1881,  and  was 
mourned   by  many  warm  friend-'. 

Mrs.  Williamson  still  survives  her  husband  and 
makes  her  home  on  the  old  faim  which  she  manages 
successfully  and  well.  Of  the  seven  children  born 
of  her  marriage  all  are  living  except  one,  Arthur, 
who  accidentaly  shot  himself  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
four  years.  David  R.  married  Elizabeth  McLean 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  they  reside  in  Plankington, 
Aurora  Comity.  S.  Dak.;  Anna  W.  is  the  wife  of 
Albert  Weeks,  a  stockdealer  of  this  county;  Gar- 
ret II.,  aids  in  the  operation  of  the  home  farm ; 
George  A.  is  a  fanner  of  Kansas;  James,  who 
wedded  [da  lurk,  is  a  coal  dealer  of  Golden,  Colo., 
and  Herbert  C.  is  at  home.  The  sons  are  all 
Democrats  in  politics  and  the  family  is  one  of 
whom  the  mother  may  well  feci  proud. 


AMES  J.  KELSEY.  who  is  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock-raising  on  sections  8 
and  9,  Brighton  Township,  resides  upon  the 
V_/  fnnl1  where  he  was  born  on  the  12th  of 
December,  1852.  The  family  is  of  English  origin. 
His  paternal  grandfather.  John  Kelsey,  was  born 
and  reared  in  Yorkshire,  England,  and  married 
Esther  Voss,  also  a  native  of  the  same  county.  Her 
death  occurred  in  middle  life,  she  leaving  two  chil- 
dren, Robert,  father  of  our  subject;  and  Ann,  who 
became  the  wife  of  John  Cleveland,  but  is  now  de- 
ceased. John  Kelsey,  the  grandfather,  was  again 
married  in  Yorkshire.  England,  his  second  union 
being  with  Mary  Adkinson,  by  whom  he  had  four 
children,  all  now  deceased.  About  1832,  in  com- 
pany with  his  family,  he  crossed  the  Atlantic,  sail- 
ing from  Hull,  and  after  some  weeks  safely  arrived 
in  New  Y'ork.  From  thence  he  traveled  by  way 
of  canal  and  river  to  Alton,  III.,  and  made  a  settle- 
ment upon  a  new  farm  in  Wood  River  Township, 
Madison  County,  where  for  about  eight  years  he 
engaged  in   agricultural    pursuits.     The  year  1840, 


PORTRAIT  AND  RIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


G81 


witnessed  his  removal  to  Macoupin  County,  where 
he  procured  an  unbroken  tract,  of  land  on  sections 
8  and  !>.  Brighton  Township,  tbe  same  now  owned 
by  our  subject.  There  John  Kelsey  resided  with 
ti is  children  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
November,  1874,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years. 
He  possessed  a  good  constitution,  was  a  man  of 
great  vitality  and  was  hardly  sick  a  day  in  his  life. 
He  became  a  successful  farmer  of  this  county  and 
died  quite  well  off.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  England  as  was  also  his  wife  who  had 
died  a  number  of  years  previous. 

Robert  Kelsey.  father  of  our  subject,  was  born 
in  Yorkshire,  March  is,  1818, and  was  about  four- 
teen years  of  age  when  his  parents  crossed  the 
broad  ocean.  He  attained  his  majority  aboul  the 
time  the  family  came  to  Macoupin  County,  and 
not  long  afterward  lie  returned  to  his  native  land 
for  "the  girl  he  left  behind  him".  In  Yorkshire, 
he  married  Miss  Henrietta  Jennings,  who  was  born 
in  1817,  and  is  a  daughter  of  William  and  F.liza- 
beth  (Quarton)  Jennings,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  that  county  where  they  were  married. 
The  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  follow- 
ed that  business  during  the  greater  part  of  his  life. 
His  death  occurred  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety 
years  and  his  wife  had  long  since  passed  middle 
life  when  she  was  called  home.  They  lived  the 
lives  of  Christian  people  after  the  faith  of  the  Epis- 
copal  Church.  They  had  quite  a  large  family,  of 
whom  one  daughter  is  yet  living  in  England.  A 
brother  of  Mrs.  Kelsey,  Join;,  came  to  the  United 
Mutes,  made  a  trip  across  the  plains  to  California. 
and  afterward  returned  to  Macoupin  County,  111., 
where  he  died  about  eight  years  ago. 

The  bridal  tour  of  Mr.  and  Mis.  Kelsey  consist- 
ed of  a  trip  to  America  ami  they  began  their 
domestic  life  upon  the  homestead  farm  in  Brighton 
Township.  He  was  an  industrious  and  enterprising 
man  and  by  good  management,  supplemented  by 
business  ability,  he  secured  a  line  property.  Fair- 
ness and  honesty  characterized  his  entire  life  and 
he  won  many  friends  who  held  him  in  high  esteem 
for  his  sterling  worth.  He  held  to  no  creed  but 
was  charitable  and  benevolent  and  believed  in 
doing  right  for  its  sake.  In  politics,  he  was  a 
Democrat.     His  death    occurred    August  31,  1884. 


Mis.  Kelsey  still  survives  her  husband  and  is 
wonderfully  well  preserved  for  one  of  her  age,  be- 
ing now  in  her  seventy-fifth  year.  Into  them 
have  been  born  seven  children,  all  of  whom  are  yet 
living  with  the  exception  of  Amanda,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-eight  ;  Rhoda  is  the  wife  of  John 
Carter,  a  farmer  of  Chesterfield  Township;  Emma 
is  at  home  with  her  mother;  Henrietta  is  the  wife 
of  John  Cooper,  a  resident  farmer  of  Madison 
County  ;  James  J.  is  tile  next  younger;  May  is  the 
wife  of  George  A.  Keas,  general  merchant  and 
Postmaster  of  Brighton;  and  Laura  is  the  wife  of 
William  Talley,  a  resident  farmer  of  Shipman 
Township. 

James  J.  Kelsey,  whose  name  heads  this  sketch, 
is  numbered  among  the  thrifty  and  enterprising 
farmers  of  the  community.  He  has  spent  his  entire 
life  upon  the  farm  which  he  now  owns  and  oper- 
ates. His  boyhood  days  were  passed  in  assisting 
his  father  and  in  attending  the  public  schools 
where  his  education  was  acquired.  Since  he  has 
arrived  at  man's  estate  he  has  engaged  in  general 
fanning,  raising  those  cereals  which  are  adapted  to 
this  climate  and  has  also  engaged  to  a  considerable 
extent  in  stock-raising,  making  a  specialty  of  the 
breeding  of  Cottswold  sheep  and  fine  draft  and 
road  horses.  His  land,  comprising  three  hundred 
acres  is  divided  into  two  good  farms  which  are 
well  supplied  with  all  necessary  buildings.  The 
old  home  is  one  of  the  substantial  residences  of  the 
township  and  every  thing  about  the  place  presents 
a  neat  appearance,  indicative  of  the  thrift  and  in- 
dustry of  the  owner.  Mr.  Kelsey  is  a  prominent 
Democrat,  has  served  as  Highway  Commissioner 
and  manifests  a  commendable  interest  in  every 
thing  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the  county. 


HARLKS  s.  PATCHEN.     One  of  the  highly 

respected  men  in  Macoupin  County  is 
Charles  S.  Patchen.  His  father,  the  late 
Daniel  T.  Patchen,  emigrated  from  Ohio,  where  he 
had  resided  some  ten  or  twelve  years,  ami  in  the 
fall    of    1849    settled    in  Macoupin  County,  Carlin 


632 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ville  Township.  He  was  a  farmer,  but  not  allow- 
ing the  cares  of  the  farm  to  wholly  occupy  his 
mind,  took  an  active  part  in  fill  local  affairs  of  im- 
portance and  was  surrounded  by  a  large  circle  of 
friends  and  acquaintances,  who  bore  him  that  re- 
spect and  esteem  which  his  talents  commanded. 
His  wife  was  Miss  Sarah  Stodard,  who  was  born 
in  Connecticut.  Her  marriage  with  Daniel  T. 
Patchen  took  place  in  Geauga  County,  Ohio,  the 
birthplace  of  our  subject.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Patchen  were  consistent  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  Mr.  Patchen  having  held  the  offices 
of  Deacon  and  Elder,  the  latter  of  which  he  re- 
signed upon  the  occasion  of  his  removal  to  Oregon 
in  the  autumn  of  1877.  This  step  was  deemed 
necessary  for  the  benefit  of  his  failing  health,  but 
on  June  19,  1888,  death  relieved  him  of  his  suffer- 
ings. His  widow  survives  him.  Their  children,  of 
whom  there  were  six,  were  Mary  8.,  the  wife  of 
Prof.  Edward  Snyder,  or  the  State  University; 
Louisa,  now  Mrs.  William  Sporn  ;  Charles  S.,  who 
came  with  his  parents  to  Macoupin  County  when 
but  six  years  of  age;  Robert,  a  resident  of  Wash- 
ington; Willis,  a  clergyman  in  South  Dakota;  and 
Harriet,  the  wife  of  Charles  Campbell.  To  these 
children  was  given  such  education  as  is  to  be  ob- 
tained in  our  common  schools.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  also  had  the  advantage  of  a  course  of  in- 
struction at  Blackburn  University  in  Carlinville. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  which  time  was 
passed  in  his  father's  home,  he  broke  the  monotony 
of  farm  life  and  enlisted  August  '.I,  1802,  in  Com- 
pany A,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-second  Illinois 
Infantry  and  served  three  years,  taking  part  in  en- 
gagements at  Parker's  Cross  Roads,  Nashville, 
Tenn..  Et.  l'.lakeley,  Ala.,  besides  many  battles  of 
minor  importance.  While  on  the  march  from 
Montgomery  to  Mobile  he  was  prostrated  for  sev- 
eral days  by  sunstroke  and  was  thus  disabled  for  a 
time.  When  the  war  ended  he  returned  to  his 
home  and  took  up  the  thread  of  his  studies,  pursu- 
ing them  diligently  for  several  months  and  then 
accepted  a  position  as  clerk  in  a  dry -goods  s*„ore  in 
Carlinville,  where  he  was  a  valued  employe  for  about 
four  years.  This  period  of  activity  passed  in  the 
trade  aided  largely  in  fitting  him  for  mercantile 
pursuits  and  he  formed  a  partnership  with  William 


Schutze  and  James  Clarke,  the  style  of  the  firm  be- 
ing Schutze,  Palchen  <fe  Clarke.  The  new  com- 
pany gained  rapidly  in  popularity,  but  three  years 
later  became  financially  embarrassed  and  Mr. 
Patchen  look  sole  charge  of  affairs  in  the  interest 
of  the  creditors,  continuing  the  business  for  two 
years.  He  then  engaged  in  an  enterprise  with 
George  Warburton  and  W.  1).  Maytield,  under  the 
linn  name  of  Warburton,  Patchen  it  Co.,  which 
continued  for  two  years. 

In  1875,  May  20,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Belle 
Wilson,  a  lady  of  superior  attainments.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Patchen  are  the  parents  of  four  children: 
Nellie;  Charles,  who  died  when  five  yeais  of  age; 
Edward  and  Anna  M.  Mr.  Patchen  has  been  chosen 
to  the  office  of  Supervisor  of  Carlinville  Township 
three  times.  Politically  his  energies  are  put  forth 
in  the  interest  of  the  Republican  party.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  are  zealous  worker;,  in  the  cause  of 
Christ  as  represented  by  the  Presbyterian  faith 
and  in  their  church  society  Mr.  Patchen  has  been 
prominent  as  Deacon.  Trustee  and  Elder. 


* 


r^IIOMAS  G.  MOORE.  The  subject  of  our 
(f\  sketch  was  born  in  Carlinville  Township, 
V^y  Macoupin  County,  July  20,  1838.  His  pa- 
rents, Robert  and  Elizabeth  W.  (Williams)  Moore, 
were  natives  of  Kentucky,  and  were  held  in  the 
highest  esteom  in  the  community  in  which  they 
lived,  for  the  nobleness  of  character  which  distin^ 
guished  their  whole  lives.  They  emigrated  from 
Kentucky  to  Illinois  in  the  fall  of  1831,  where  he 
became  a  prosperous  farmer  and  made  a  perma- 
nent residence.  Of  seven  children  born  to  them 
Thomas  G.  was  the  sixth.  His  education  was  such 
as  the  neighborhood  schools  afforded  and  so  rap- 
idly did  he  advance  in  his  studies  that  he  com- 
manded the  respect  of  school  mates  older  than 
himself.  Having  a  natural  aptitude  for  agricult- 
ural pursuits,  his  life  has  been  passed  on  the  farm. 
He  purchased  and  now  owns  eight}'  acres  of  good 
farming  land  located  on  section  24. 

June  6,  1867,  he  married   Miss   Sarah  Ann  Vill- 
man,   daughter    of    Christian    and    Mary    (Fisher) 


S.  B  .   SAWYER  . 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


685 


Villman.  Mr.  Villman  was  a  native  of  Germany 
and  his  wife  of  Butler  County,  Ohio.  They  emi- 
grated from  the  latter  place  to  Missouri,  and  then 
to  this  county,  about  1844.  and  settled  in  Hilyard 
Township.  Mr.  Villman,  the  father  of  Mrs. 
Moore, died  at  Pike's  Peak,  his  wife  having  passed 
away  in  Macoupin  County, where  they, by  their  many 
kind  and  considerate  acts,  won  numerous  friends. 
Mrs.  Moore  was  born  in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  No- 
vember 14,  1840.  She  grew  to  womanhood  devel- 
oping those  characteristics  which  influence  for 
good  only.  Six  children  have  been  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Moore:  Robert  O,  who  is  a  school 
teacher  in  this  county  and  takes  a  forward  interest 
in  all  educational  matters;  Mary  E.,  Nellie  J.,  and 
George  W.     Two  children  died  in  infancy. 

In  the  sining  of  1878  Mr.  Moore  was  elected  as- 
sistant Supervisor  of  Carlinville  Township,  his  four 
years  of  service  having  been  marked  by  ability  and 
business  tact.  His  popularity  has  given  him  the 
Offices  of  School  Director  and  Trustee.  He  has 
taken  quite  an  active  interest  in  local  affairs  and  is 
an  earnest  advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  Mr.  Moore  has  spent  his  life  in  this 
county  and  has  never  been  out  of  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois. 


ELICK  B.  SAWYER,  a  general  farmer. 
!>s£  resides  within  the  corporation  limits  of 
Staunton,  where  he  owns  a  fine  farm  of 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres.  In  presenting 
his  portrait  and  biographical  sketch  to  the  readers 
of  the  Record,  we  perpetuate  the  features  and 
record  the  life  of  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the 
county,  his  residence  here  covering  a  period  of 
almost  sixty  years.  Since  his  arrival,  in  1832, 
he  lias  never  left  tiie  county  for  any  length  of 
time,  but  has  continually  witnessed  its  growth 
anil  has  borne  no  inconsiderable  part  in  its  up- 
building. Of  his  pioneer  experiences,  however, 
we  will  speak  more  hereafter. 

Mr.  Sawyer  was    born  in   Carroll  County,  near 
Columbus,   N.  O,  December   21,  1821,  and    is  de- 


scended from  good  Revolutionary  stock.  His  grand- 
father, Joah  Sawyer,  spent  his  entire  life  in  North 
Carolina,  and  served  throughout  the  Revolutionary 
War,  entering  the  Colonial  Army  when  less  than 
fifteen  years  of  age.  lie  was  of  Irish  descent  and 
was  a  stout,  rugged  man,  well  fitted  for  the  life 
which  lie  followed.  He  married  a  Miss  Allcock, 
who  was  also  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  they 
resided  in  that  State  until  their  death.  They  were 
members  of  the  Primitive  Baptist  Church  and  in 
politics  Mr.  Sawyer  was  a  Democrat. 

The  father  of  our  subject.  Valentine  Sawyer,  was 
a  native  of  Plymouth,  N.  O.  and  in  the  usual  man- 
ner of  farmer  lads  was  reared  to  manhood,  but 
when  he  was  grown  up  he  shipped  before  the  mast 
and  was  engaged  in  the  coasting  service  for  some 
years.  Later  he  returned  to  his  native  town  and 
married  Miss  Polly  Spence.  Seven  children  were 
born  unto  them,  one  of  whom  died  in  North  Car- 
olina. Their  long  journey  to  Illinois  was  made 
with  a  single  horse  and  wagon  and  at  night  the}' 
would  camp  out  along  the  road.  At  Louisville 
they  crossed  the  Ohio  River  and  at  Danville  forded 
the  Wabash  River.  Three  months  had  elapsed 
before  the}-  arrived  in  Macoupin  County.  III. 
They  made  a  location  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
county  at  what  is  now  West  Prairie,  and  found 
themselves  in  a  sparsely  settled  country  where, 
however,  game  was  abundant  and  wild  animals 
were  frequently  seen. 

Mr.  Sawyer  made  a  home  on  what  is  known  as 
Williams  Creek,  which  skirled  the  prairie,  and 
there  underwent  the  usual  hardships  and  trials  of 
the  pioneer  settler  who  locates  on  a  western  fron- 
tier. The  nearest  mill  and  market  was  at  Alton, 
money  was  scarce  and  for  a  time  it  was  a  struggle 
to  provide  for  the  wants  of  the  family.  But  pros- 
perity at  length  blessed  their  efforts  and  they  be- 
came possessed  of  a  comfortable  property.  The 
mother  died  about  1854,  after  which  Valentine 
Sawyer,  with  his  two  eldest  sons,  went  to  Texas, 
making  a  settlement  in  Bell  County,  where  he  died 
at  an  advanced  age.  He  and  hie  wife  are  members 
of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  he  always  voted  the 
Democratic  ticket.  Our  subject  was  the  third  in 
order  of  birth  of  their  family  of  ten  children,  of 
whom    seven,  four   sons  and    three   daughters,  are 


686 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


yet    living.     Of  these    all   are    married    and   have 
families,  and  three  are  living  in  Illinois. 

Selick  Sawyer  has  lived  in  this  county  since  be 
was  a  lad  of  eleven  summers.  At  an  early  age  he 
began  work  upon  the  farm,  assisting  in  the  labori- 
ous  task  of  clearing,  developing  and  improving 
the  wild  prairie.  His  father  entered  land  and  after 
he  had  attained  to  mature  years  he  entered  land 
for  himself,  claiming  a  tract  in  Staunton  Town- 
ship, which,  after  he  had  improved  it,  he  sold  and 
invested  the  proceeds  in  the  farm  which  has  now 
been  his  home  since  1858.  A  part  of  this  lies 
within  the  corporation  limits  of  Staunton  and  it 
is  a  valuable  piece  of  property,  comprising  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  the  greater  portion  of 
which  is  under  cultivation.  It  is  underlaid  with 
rich  coal  beds,  a  part  of  which  have  been  worked 
and  have  brought  to  light  a  vein  six  and  a.  half 
feet  lb iek. 

Mr.  Sawyer   was    married    in    Staunton,   August 
26,  1847,  the  lady  of   his  choice  being  Miss  Nancy 
Bruce,  who  was  born  in  the  Emerald   Isle  in  1828. 
Her     parents,    Samuel    and     Matilda    (Patterson) 
Bruce,  were    also  natives  of   Ireland,  and  alter    the 
birth  of  five  children   they  emigrated    with  their 
family   to    America  in    1835,  landing    in    Philadel- 
phia after  a  six    weeks  voyage.      They    then    came 
to  Illinois  and   located  near   Staunton,  where    they 
resided  until  their  death.     They    were  widely  and 
favorably  known  among  the  pioneers  here  and  had 
all  their  lives  been    members  of   the    Presbyterian 
Church.      Mrs.  Sawyer,  a   brother  and    two  sisters 
of  the  family  are  yet   living.     Ten   children   have 
been  born  unto  our  subject  and   his  wife,  but  one 
died  in  infancy,  and  Thomas  died,  leaving  a  widow 
and    one   child.     William    J.,    who    wedded    Eliza 
Cloud,    is    a    farmer  of  Olive   Township,  Madison 
County;  Samuel   B.  aids   in   the  operation  of   the 
old  homestead;  Joseph,  who  is  engaged  in  the  liv- 
ery  business   in   Staunton,   mairied   Rose   Wilder; 
George  is   now  at  home;  Jennie  S.  is   the    wife  of 
George   Maze,  of    Staunton;  Anna  is   the    wife  of 
William  Menke,  of  Staunton;   and  Valentine   also 
assists  his  father  in  farming  the  old  homestead. 

Mr.  Sawyer  and  his  sons  are  Democrats  in  polit- 
cal  sentiment  and  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.     Few  have  a  more  extended 


acquaintance  in  the  county  than  this  worthy  couple 
and  none  are  held  in  higher  esteem.  They  have 
lived  quiet  and  unassuming,  yet  busy  and  useful 
lives,  and  have  won  for  themselves  a  place  among 
the  best  people  of  the  county. 


'^^^^^<^^ 


,/fNft  AMUEL  S.  GARST.     Of  German  origin, 

>!^?      Liu-    family    of  our    subject   settled   in  an 

^l/jj)   early  day  in    the   Southern  States    and    the 

gentleman  himself  was  born  in  Washington 

County,  E.  Tenn.,  October  15,  1839.  He  now 
resides  on  section  9,  Nilwood  Township.  His 
father,  Jacob  Garat,  was  born  in  Roanoke  County, 
Va,  His  mother  was  Catherine  (Wrightsman) 
Garat  and  was  also  born  in  Virginia,  where  they 
met  and  married  and  from  there  emigrated  to  Ten- 
nessee where  the  mother  died  in  Washington 
County.  The  father  removed  to  Macoupin  County 
in  the  fall  of  1868  and  settled  in  Nilwood  Town- 
ship where  he  lived  until  about  1866  when  he  went 
to  Montgomery  County,  to  live  with  a  daughter, 
Mrs.  Mary  Brown.  One  son  was  the  fruit  of  the 
marriage  of  Jacob  and  Catherine  Garst  That  son 
is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

The  original  of  this  sketch  arrived  at  manhood 
while  in  Washington  County,  Tenn.,  and  when 
about  twenty  years  of  age  he  came  to  Greene 
County.  111.,  and  in  the  fall  of  1859  and  the  fol- 
lowing spring  he  came  to  Girard,  and  soon  after 
engaged  himself  in  tanning  in  Nilwood  Township. 
Agriculture  has  been  his  chief  business  in  life. 
Since  his  removal  from  Tennessee  he  has  spent  the 
major  portion  of  his  time  in  Nilwood  with  the  ex- 
ception of  about  four  years  when  he  was  in  the 
army.  When  the  first  call  for  volunteers  was  made 
Mr.  Garst  enlisted  in  the  fall  of  1861,  in  the  Sec- 
ond Regiment  of  Illinois  Light  Artillery  of  Com- 
pany G.  He  served  during  the  war  until  it  closed 
and  his  memory  is  stored  with  incidents  that  are 
striking  and  interesting  as  historical  events. 

Mr.  Garst  took  part  in  many  of  the  engagements 

that  had  the  most  important  effect.     He  was  pres- 

i   ent  at  the  battle  of  Marion  City,  Tenn.,  also  Jack- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


687 


son,  Term.,  Oxford,  Miss.,  at  the  siege  of  Vicksburg, 
Tupelo,  Miss.,  anil  Nashville,  Tenn.  Ik  was,  how- 
ever, sent  out  with  a  foraging  expedition  at  Cold- 
water  Miss.,  where  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  was 
held  for  eight  months.  During  this  period  he  was 
confined  in  the  rebel  prison  atSelma,  Ala.,  Cahauba, 
Ala.,  Macon.  Ga.,  and  at  Andersonville.  Only 
the  last  of  these  places  is  known  to  the  general 
public  in  all  the  terror  which  it  presented  to  the 
prisoner  who  was  confined  within  its  awful  inclo- 
sure.  Only  a  veteran  of  the  war  who  has  under- 
gone a  similar  experience  of  confinement  can 
appreciate  the  situation  of  onewb.0  has  thus  suffered. 
The  other  prisons  of  minor  note  were  bad  enough, 
but  Andersonville  seemed  to  have  among  its  guards 
men  who  were  natural  instruments  of  torture. 
While  en  route  from  Macon  to  Andersonville.  Mr. 
Garst  effected  his  escape,  hut  he  was  recaptured  in 
about  one  month  by  the  efforts  of  the  bloodhounds 
which  were  put  upon  his  track.  To  the  imagina- 
tion the  haying  demons  of  the  chase  would  seem 
ha<i  enough,  but  think  of  the  victim  of  their  pursuit 
cowering  before  their  angry,  foamflecked,  yawning 
mouths.  It  was  either  to  yield  to  his  captors  or  to 
he  torn  in  pieces  by  the  hounds  and  the  sweet 
hope  of  life  forbade  him  to  yield  himself  to  those 
dread   pursuers  in  death. 

While  in  Andersonville  our  subject  was  detailed 
on  a  wood  party  and  finding  a  good  opportunity 
he  hid  in  a  ditch  until  night  when  he  made  his 
escape.  About  seven  weeks  later  he  was  again 
caught  by  the  bloodhounds  and  was  taken  in  chains 
to  Macon,  6a.  Here  he  was  paroled  for  nearly 
two  weeks  anil  was  then  sent  back  to  Andersonville. 
He  had  been  there,  however,  but  a  short  time  when 
the  prisoners  were  taken  out  to  be  exchanged,  and 
while  thus  free  for  a  time  he  again  made  his  escape 
and  in  about  one  week  he  succeeded  in  reaching 
Wilson's  Cavalry  and  was  safe. 

When  the  war  was  over  and  he  had  received  his 
discharge  our  subject  returned  to  Nil  wood  and  re- 
sumed his  occupation  of  farming.  lie  has  here 
resided  ever  since  with  the  exception  of  three 
years  when  he  lived  in  Montgomery  County,  III. 
He  was  married  in  Nil  wood  Township,  March  1, 
1866  to  Miss  Nancy  Thacker.  a  daughter  of  '/.. 
Thacker,  a  sketch   of   whom    may  be   found  on   an- 


other page  of  this  volume.  The  lady  was  born 
near  Palmyra,  Macoupin  County,  February  10, 
1847. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garst  are  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  their  names  being  respectively:  Mary  A., 
who  is  the  wife  of  M.  P.  Clarady;  Ida  V.,  Samuel 
L.,  Nancy  A.,  Charles  M.,  Ethel  M.,  and  Jesse  T. 
One  child  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Garst  has  held  the 
offices  of  Highway  Commissioner  and  School  Di- 
rector for  some  time.  He  is  a  member  of  Luke 
Mayfirld  Post,  No.  516,  G.  A.  R.  He  is  a  member 
of  Chapter  No.  132  of  Girard  Lodge.  No.  171  F. 
&  A.  M.  He  has  been  Counsel  of  the  G.  A.  R.  for 
three  terms.  Politically  the  original  of  this  sketch 
is  an  adherent  of  the  Republican  party  having  cast 
his  vote  with  them  for  many  years.  He  has  also 
been  a  member  of  the  County  Central  Committee 
for  several  years. 

He  of  whom  we  write  has  erected  a  very  pleasant 
home  upon  his  place  which  comprises  three  hundred 
and  eighty  aces  of  good  land,  well  improved  and 
in  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation,  1 1  is  home  is 
comfortable  and  convenient  and  the  presiding  gen- 
ius thereof,  his  estimable  wife,  gives  it  a  tone  that 
only  a  woman  of  delicate  refinement  and  extreme 
adaptability  is  capable  of  doing.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Garst  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  doing 
all  in  their  power  to  uphold  the  religious  teachings 
of  that  body  in  their  community. 


JOSEPH  LEE,  one  of  the  honored  early 
settlers  of  the  county,  now  living  a  retired 
life  in  Brighton,  after  engaging  for  many 
years  in  active  business  as  a  farmer,  was 
born  in  Somersetshire,  England,  on  January  15, 
1826.  His  father  and  grandfather  were  both  named 
Charles  Lee.  The  latter  was  a  small  English  farmer 
and  died  in  Somersetshire.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject was  born  and  reared  in  that  county,  and  a 
few  years  after  his  marriage  rented  a  small  farm 
upon  which  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
It  is  yet  in  the  family,  being  now  occupied  by 
Thomas  Lee.  a  brother  of  our  subject.  Charles 
Lee.  Jr..  was  united  in    marriage    with    Mrs.   Sarah 


688 


.    PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Combs,  nee  Hayes,  who  by  her  first  marriage  had 
one  child,  deceased,  while  by  the  second  union  nine 
children  were  born,  six  sons  anil  three  daughters. 
Only  two  ever  came  to  this  country  and  remained 
to  make  their  homes  in  America,  namely:  Joseph 
and  Charles,  the  latter,  now  a  resident  farmer  of 
Montgomery  Count}'.  One  of  the  sons  is  now 
deceased.  The  father  of  this  family  died  at  the  age 
of  sixty  years  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  1875, at  ! 
the  age  of  seventy-three  years. 

.Joseph  Lee,  whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  spent 
his  childhood  days  in  his  native  land  and  under  the 
parental  roof  attained  to  years  of  maturity.  His 
education  was  acquired  in  the  common  schools  and 
being  supplemented  by  reading  and  observation  he 
has  become  a  well-informed  nan.  He  was  married 
in  England  to  Miss  Caroline  Combs,  who  was  also 
born  and  reared  in  Somersetshire.  Their  union  was 
blessed  with  one  child  before  they  left  their  native 
land — Edmund,  who  is  cow  deceased.  Hoping  to 
better  their  financial  condition  and  more  rapidly 
acquire  a  competence  in  the  New  World,  they 
sailed  for  America  on  April  3,  1851,  as  passengers 
on  board  the  '-Cosmo,"  and  on  May  3,  set  foot  on 
American  soil.  From  New  York  City  they  came 
at  once  to  the  West,  traveling  to  Wisconsin,  and 
thence  to  Godfrey,  Madison  County,  HI.,  which 
was  their  first  location.  Mr.  Lee  then  had  but  fitly 
cents  in  his  pocket.  He  has  also  resided  in  Jersey 
and  Madison  Counties,  and  for  some  years  resided 
upon  a  farm  in  Brighton  Township,  Macoupin 
County,  where  he  still  owns  one  hundred  and 
twenty-two  and  a  fraction  acres  of  highly  improved 
land,  and  another  tract  of  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
one  acres;  also  a  seventy-nine-acre  tract,  making  in 
all  three  hundred  and  twenty-two  and  a  fraction 
acres,  constituting  one  of  the  best  farms  in  that 
locality. 

In  1890,  Mr.  Lee  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the 
loss  of  his  wife,  who  died  in  Brighton  in  the  month 
of  June,  in  the  faith  of  the  Methodist  Church  of 
which  she  was  a  member.  She  left  five  children, 
all  of  whom  were  born  in  this  country — George 
H.  who  operates  his  father's  farm  ;  Mary  J.,  wife  of 
John  Durston,  a  farmer  in  Montgomery  County, 
died  August  9,  1891;  Anna  M.,  wife  of  James 
Tucker,  a  resident  farmer  of  Brighton    Township; 


Sarah  who  keeps  house  for  her  father;  and  Edwin 
who  married  Anna  Lyons  and  is  living  on  a  farm 
in  Brighton  Township. 

Mr.  Lee  is  a  self-made  man,  having  worked  his 
way  upward  to  a  position  of  affluence.  By  energy 
and  perseverance  he  overcame  the  obstacles  and 
difficulties  in  his  path  and  is  now  one  of  the  well- 
to-do  citizens  of  the  community,  owning  in  addition 
to  his  valuable  farm  a  line  resident  property  in 
Brighton.  Honesty  and  fairness  have  character- 
ized all  his  dealings  and  his  public  and  private 
life  are  alike  above  reproach.  In  political  senti- 
ment he  is  a  Republican  and  has  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Village  Board. 


if  EWIS  ('.  DECK.  ex-Mayor  of  Girard,  is 
I  (®\  prominently  identified  with  the  business 
i*1— ^  interests  of  this  county  as  a  member  of  the 
well-known  firm  of  Clark  &  Deck,  dealers  in  dings, 
groceries,  books,  stationery,  etc.  He  is  a  line  rep- 
resentative of  the  native-born  citizens  of  this 
county,  who,  well  educated,  enterprising  and  pub- 
lic-spirited, are  potent  factors  in  advancing  its  ma- 
terial prosperity. 

Mr.  Deck  is  a  descendant  of  an  old  pioneer  fam- 
ily of  Illinois,  and  he  was  bom  in  Palmyra  Town- 
ship, August  (i.  1848.  His  father,  Jacob  Deck, 
was  born  in  Madison  County,  this  State,  in  1825, 
and  was  a  son  of  one  of  its  early  settlers,  Isaac 
Deck,  a  Virginian,  who  went  from  his  native  State 
to  Tennessee,  and  coming  thence  to  Illinois,  settled 
on  a  tract  of  land  that  he  purchased  from  the  Gov- 
ernment, situated  northeast  from  Upper  Alton.  He 
built  a  dwelling  there,  and  lived  there  a  number  of 
years.  He  finally  came  to  Macoupin  County  and 
cast  in  his  lot  with  its  pioneers,  buying  a  tract  of 
land  near  Bunker  Hill,  a  part  of  which  was  im- 
proved, lie  made  that  his  home  until  his  death  in 
1872,  at  a  venerable  age.  His  wife  died  on  the 
home  farm  in  Madison  County  several  years  prior 
to  his  decease. 

The  father  of  our  subject  grew  to  man's  estate  in 
his  native  county,  and  dwelt  there  until  after  the 
death  of  his  first  wife,  when  he  came  to  this  county 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


689 


and  located  in  Palmyra  Township.  For  a  few 
years  after  his  settlement  there  he  farmed  on 
rented  land,  and  then  bought  a  tract  of  eighty  acres 
Of  wild  hnid,  and  afterward  added  to  it  until  he 
had  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  North  Otter 
Township.  In  the  home  that  he  built  up  there  his 
remaining  years  were  passed,  his  death  occurring 
March  :5.  1882,  at  a  ripe  age.  The  maiden  name  of 
Ids  second  wife,  mother  of  our  subject,  was  Nancy 
Steele.  She  is  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  and  a 
daughter  of  Moses  and  Nancy  (  Watts  i  Steele.  She 
still  resides  in  Girard,  respected  and  esteemed  by 
all  who  know  her.  She  is  the  mother  of  six  chil- 
dren, named  as  follows:  William  B  .  Mary  E  . 
Melissa  A..  John  A.,  Lewis  C.  and  George  M. 

The  subject  of  tais  brief  biographical  record  was 
reared  in  North  Otter  Township,  and  laid  a  solid 
foundation  for  his  education  in  the  local  schools 
and  in  a  school  at  Girard.  After  leaving  the  pub- 
lic schools  he  taught  one  term,  and  then  entered 
the  Normal  School  at  Normal,  III.,  where  he  pur- 
sued a  tine  course  of  study  that  well  fitted  him  for 
his  professional  work  as  a  teacher,  which  he  re- 
sumed after  leaving  the  Normal.  Ambitious  to 
advance  Ids  education  still  further,  in  1871  he  went 
to  Lexington,  Ky.,  to  attend  the  Kentucky  Univer- 
sity. He  was  a  student  there  two  terms,  making 
the  best  of  his  opportunities  and  winning  a  high 
rank  for  scholarship.  After  leaving  the  university 
he  began  teaching  again  in  Macoupin  County,  and 
hail  the  charge  of  a  school  in  this  part  of  the  State 
until  the  latter  part  of  188:3,  making  a  name  and  a 
place  for  himself  among  our  m>st  intelligent  and 
progressive  educators.  In  1884  he  abandoned  his 
profession  to  engage  in  business  with  B.  F.  Clark, 
with  whom  he  is  still  in  partnership.  They  have  a 
commodious  and  handsomely  arranged  store,  carry 
an  extensive  line  of  drugs,  groceries,  etc.,  and  by 
conducting  their  trade  systematically  and  honora- 
bly they  have  secured  a  large  patronage  not  only 
in  this  city  but  in  the  country  tributary  to  it 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  with  Miss  Mary 
Josephine  Long  was  celebrated  December  27,  1883, 
and  has  been  hallowed  to  them  by  the  birth  of  one 
child.  Harry  L.  Mrs.  Deck  is  a  native  of  Mercer 
County.  Ky.,  and  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary 
J.  Long.      Mr.  Deck's  life  career  has  been  directed 


by  energy,  perseverance  and  good  business  habits, 
combined  with  honorable  and  conscientious  deal- 
ings, that  have  raised  him  to  a  high  position  in 
financial  circles,  and  have  made  him  an  invaluable 
civic  official  in  the  various  responsible  offices  that 
have  been  trusted  to  his  care  by  his  fellow-citizens, 
who  place  a  high  estimate  upon  his  character  and 
public  services.  He  was  elected  Clerk  of  the  city, 
in  1889  was  elected  Mayor  and  served  two  years. 
He  is  a  Director  of  the  Girard  Loan  and  Building 
Association,  and  gives  hearty  encouragement  to  all 
enterprises  that  will  in  any  way  contribute  to  the 
material  advancement  of  the  city,  while  at  the 
same  time  he  is  influential  in  promoting  its  higher 
welfare  socially,  morally,  and  religiously.  In  his 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  His  religious  sentiments 
find  expression  in  the  faith  of  the  Christian  Church, 
and  his  estimable  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church. 


PRANK  W.  BURTON,  State's  Attorney  for 
Macoupin  County,  with  his  office  and  resi- 
dence at  Carlinville.  has  attained  distinc- 
tion at  the  bar  by  the  exercise  of  marked  legal 
talent  and  an  ambitious,  progressive  spirit,  that  has 
made  him  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  profession  in 
this  section  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Illinois, 
though  he  is  still  a  young  man.  Mr.  Burton  is 
also- widely  known  as  a  breeder  of  thoroughbred 
horses,  who  has  done  much  to  raise  the  standard 
of  the  horses  bred  in  this  region,  and  has  one  of 
the  finest  studs  of  blooded  animals  to  be  found  in 
this  or  adjoining  counties. 

Our  subject  is  a  native  born  citizen  of  this 
county,  October  8,  1857,  the  date  of  his  birth  at. 
Bunker  Hill.  His  father,  Henry  W.  Burton,  was 
born  at  Pomfret,  Windham  County,  Conn.,  August 
14,  1819,  a  son  of  Olney  Burton,  who  was  a  native 
of  Cranston,  R.  I.  The  latter  was  a  son  of  Rufus 
Burton,  who  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  native  of 
that  little  New  England  State,  where  he  engaged 
at  his  occupation  as  a  farmer  until  his  removal  in 
1800  to  Pomfret,  Conn.  He  bought  a  tract  of 
land  in  that  town,  carried  on  fanning  and  con- 
tinued a  resident  of  that  place  until  his  death. 


690 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


The  grand  father  of  our  subject  grew  to  manhood 
in  his  native  State,  and  was  there  married.  He 
went  to  Pomfret  in  1800  and  he  and  his  father  oc- 
pied  the  same  farm.  He  always  devoted  himself 
to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  passed  his  last  years 
on  the  old  homestead  in  Pomfret.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  wife,  grandmother  of  our  subject,  was 
Abigail  Burlingame.  She  was  born  at  Cranston, 
R.  I.,  and  died  on  the  old  farm  at  Pomfret,  Conn. 
She  was  the  mother  of  these  eight  children — 
Rufus,  Hannah,  Sewell  I).,  Lewis,  Olney,  James. 
Charles  and  Henry  \Y. 

Henry  W.  Burton  passed  his  early  life  in  his  na- 
tive county,  and  re  eived  his  education  in  the  local 
district  schools.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  began  to 
learn  the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  and  from  that  time 
cared  for  himself  with  characteristic  self-reliance 
and  independence  of  character.  lie  was  a  resident 
of  Pomfret  until  the  spring  of  1  Ml  1,  when  he  came 
to  Illinois,  shrewdly  foreseeing  that  his  chances  for 
securing  a  competence  were  better  in  this  compar- 
atively newly  settled  country  where  energetic,  en- 
terprising, industrious  men  were  wanted  to  help  in 
its  upbuilding.  He  came  by  the  most  expeditious 
route  at  that  lime,  which  was  by  steamer  to  New- 
York  City,  by  rail  from  that  city  to  Philadelphia, 
from  there  to  Pittsburg  by  canal  and  railway, 
thence  on  a  steamer  down  the  Ohio  and  up  the 
Mississippi  Rivers  to  Alton,  this  State,  where  he 
joined  his  brother  James,  and  in  his  company 
came  to  Macoupin  County  to  cast  in  his  lot  with 
the  pioneers  of  this  region.  The  brothers  had  but 
one  horse  between  them  and  the}'  took  turns  in 
riding  him  until  they  had  arrived  at  their  journey's 
end.  They  located  at  Woodburn  and  the  father  of 
our  subject  worked  at  his  trade  as  a  carpenter  and 
at  millwrighting  there  for  some  years. 

When  the  great  excitement  of  the  discovery  of 
gold  in  California  set  the  world  agog,  Mr.  Burton 
joined  the  great  march  across  the  continent  in 
search  of  the  precious  metal,  starting  in  April, 
184'J,  with  four  others,  and  making  the  journey 
with  ox-teams  over  the  plains  and  mountains  to  the 
Pacific  Coast,  arriving  at  Bear  River  the  12th  of 
following  September.  For  one  month  the  little 
party  was  engaged  in  mining  at  that  point,  and 
then,  after  laying  in   supplies  at   Sacramento,  they 


they  went  to  Mud  Spring,  near  Placerville,  where 
they  prospected  and  dug  for  gold  until  spring. 
The  party  then  broke  up  but  the  father  of  our 
subject  and  one  of  his  companions  continued  mining 
there  until  November,  1850,  when  they  returned 
to  their  old  home  in  Illinois  by  the  way  of  the  Isth- 
mus. Mr.  Burton  soon  entered  the  mercantile  busi 
ness  at  Woodburn  in  partnership  with  ar_other  man. 
Four  years  later  he  sold  out  his  interest  in  that  es- 
tablishment, and  went  into  the  same  busiuess  at 
Bunker  Hill,  which  he  conducted  until  1858.  In 
1860  he  turned  his  attention  to  shipping  grain,  hay, 
etc.,  and  was  thus  engaged  until  1868.  In  that  year 
he  was  elected  Circuit  Clerk  and  removed  to  ( larlin- 
ville  to  assume  the  duties  of  his  office,  which  he 
held  until  1876,  serving  two  full  terms.  After  that 
he  was  appointed  Deputy  County  Clerk,  and  acted 
in  that  capacity  two  terms. 

Mr.  Burton  was  married  in  1844  to  Miss  Corne- 
lia R.  Rider,  a  native  of  Illinois  and  a  daughter  of 
Justus  Rider.  She  died  in  1872,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren, our  subject  and  Henrietta  W.,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Robert  15.  Shirley.  Mr.  Burton's  second 
marriage  was  with  Miss  Sue  Engliss,  a  native  of 
Macoupin  County  and  a  daughter  of  Hiram  Eng- 
liss.  One  chikl  has  been  born  of  this  second  union. 

Frank  W.  Burton,  the  subject  of  this  biographi- 
cal review,  was  in  his  twelfth  year  when  his  parents 
came  to  Carlinville  to  reside.  His  early  education 
was  gained  in  the  public  schools  of  Bunker  Hill. 
He  subsequently  entered  Blackburn  University  am! 
was  graduated  from  that  institution  of  learning  in 
the  Class  of '76.  His  taste  led  him  to  adopt  the 
legal  profession  and  in  January,  1877,  he  began  his 
preparation  for  it  in  the  office  of  Hon.  C.  A.  Wal- 
ker, with  whom  he  read  law,  gaining  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  its  fundamental  principles,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1879  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  In  the 
following  June  he  opened  an  office  at  Ca.linville 
and  has  been  in  successful  practice  here  since  that 
time.  He  was  early  called  to  important  legal  posi- 
tions, for  which  he  has  shown  himself  amply  fitted. 
In  1881  he  was  elected  City  Attorney  at  Carlin- 
ville. and  served  acceptably  in  that  position  one 
year.  In  1**4  he  was  elected  States  Attorney  for 
this  county,  was  re  elected  in  1888,  and  is  still 
an  incumbent  of  that  office,  his  constituents  being 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


691 


satisfied  lhat  a  lawyer  of  his  calibre,  legal  attain- 
ments, resolute  ami  decided  character  is  the  right 
man  for  so  responsible  n  place.  Politically,  he  is 
identified  with  the  Democrats. 

Notwithstanding  the  numerous  cares  of  an  ex- 
tensive law  practice  and  the  demands  made  upon 
him  by  his  official  duties  Mr.  Burton,  who  is  a  true 
lover  of  fine  horses,  finds  time  to  superintend  his 
establishment  for  raising  trotters, and  he  has  a  stud 
containing  some  of  the  finest  strains  in  the  land,  of 
which  he  may  well  be  proud.  He  is  the  fortunate 
owner  of  "Truce,"  7,859,  who  was  hied  by  11.  I'. 
Pepper. of  l'Yankfort.Ky., sired  by  "Onward,"  2:25£, 
son  of  '-George  Wilkes."  "Racket."  by  "Egbert," 
is  a  beautiful  mare,  dam  being  by  "Abdallah  15." 
and  second  dam,  "Woodbine."  ''Riot,"  by  "Ken- 
tucky Wilkes,"  2:21J-,  son  of  "George  Wilkes," 
dan;.  "Racket,"  is  another  valuable  mare  owned  by 
our  subject.  Roth  "Riot'  and  "Racket"  are  bred 
to  "Electoi,"  2:21£,  son  of  "Elect'oneer."  Mr. 
Burton  also  possesses  "Ditto."  by  "Durango," 
(record  2:23f),  dam,  "Lena  Rivers,"  (record 
2:33),  said  to  be  by  "Blue  Bull."  Mr.  Burton  has 
several  other  valuable  marcs  by  imported  "Specula. 
tor,"  from  -Gold  Dusl"dams.  "Niblo,"  10,01  4, sired 
by  "Walsingham,"  2,166,  son  of  "George  Wilkes," 
dam.  "Miss  Fanny."  dam  of  "Fugleman,"  2:28f, 
by  -'Hamlet, "  1G0,  sou  of  "Volunteer." 

Mr.  Burton  was  married  in  November,  1880,  to 
Miss  Anna  Robertson,  a  native  of  Carlinville.  and 
a  daughter  of  Dr.  William  A.  and  Nancy  Robert- 
son, of  whom  a  biography  appears  elsewhere.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Burton  have  a  charming  home,  wherein 
their  many  friends  are  sure  to  meet  with  a  bospita- 
table  welcome  from  the  gracious  hostess  and  genial 
host.  Three  children  complete  their  household — 
Cornelia  R.,  Robert  and  Nanette. 


&  ARRY  II.  GROVE,  a  prominent  and  high- 
ly respected  resident  of  Bird  Township,  has 
his  pleasant  home  on  section  36.  His  fath- 
er, Jesse  U.  Grove,  and  his  mother.  Susan 
Nuss,  were  both  bom  in  Montgomery  County,  Pa., 
and  came  from  there  to  Macoupin  County  early  in 


the  '(ids  and  made  their  home  in  Carlinville.  They 
have  been  residents  of  the  county  since  that  time. 
They  had  seven  children,  five  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. Their  names  are:  Benjamin  P.,  Samuel  A., 
Emma  C.  Jesse  I.,  Henry  II.,  Albert,  and  Mary. 
Jesse  has  married  Miss  Ella  Rusher;  Emma,  died 
when  a  little  one  of  four  years;  Benjamin  F.  is  en- 
gaged ill  farming  in  Bird  Township  and  Samuel  A. 
is  a  resi<lent  of  Troy.  N.  V.;  Henry  is  engaged  in 
buying  and  selling  stock;  Albert  is  a  printer  in 
Kansas;  he  married  a  Miss  Walker,  who  is  now  de- 
ceased. Mary  is  a  teacher  and  Jesse  is  now  serving 
as  constable  of  Carlinville. 

The  gentleman  of  whom  we  write  is  the  prosper- 
ous owner  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  a  splen- 
did farm  upon  which  is  located  a  good  farm  house. 
All  the  improvements  which  are  necessary  to  mark 
a  first-class  farm  are  here  to  be  found,  and  the 
buildings  are  above  the  average.  He  now  has  his 
farm  in  the  hands  of  a  tenant. 

Mr.  Grove  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Aug- 
ust 9.  1858,  and  was  some  seven  years  old  when 
the  family  emigrated  to  this  county,  which  he  has 
ever  since  made  his  home.  His  education  was  first 
taken  in  the  common  schools  and  for  awhile  he  at- 
tended Blackburn  University.  In  his  early  man- 
hood he  labored  in  various  capacities  and  did  con- 
siderable dealing  in  stock  in  a  small  way  prior  to 
1885,  when  by  the  exercise  of  industry,  temperance 
and  economy  he  had  accumulated  about  81,000. 
At  this  time  he  intended  to  take  a  collegiate  edu- 
cation for  the  purpose  of  entering  upon  a  profess- 
ional career,  but  finding  himself  financially  strand- 
ed by  the  closing  of  the  First  National  Bank  and 
through  the  trickery  of  the  cashier  losing  $500,  he 
was  compelled  to  give  np  his  cherished  plans. 
Though  the  loss  was  a  severe  one  he  did  not  be- 
come discouraged  or  disheartened  at  the  loss,  but 
with  renewed  energy  he  started  out  again  with  a 
determination  to  succeed. 

In  February,  1880,  Mr.  Grove  entered  the  gro- 
cery business  without  a  dollar  of  cash  capital.  He 
purchased  of  V.  C.  Rodemeyer  his  stock  of  grocer- 
ies, giving  for  the  same  his  individual  notes  which 
he  paid  long  before  due.  In  September.  1887  be 
again  met  with  a  severe  loss  amounting  of  81,500 
by  the  failure  of  Wilson  &  Crowley  of  Chicago,  to 


CO  2 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


whom  lie  was  furnishing  supplies  and  merchandise. 
Owing  to  ill  health  he  sold  out  his  business  in 
February,  1888,  with  a  view  of  locating  in  the 
West.  Upon  retiring  from  business  he  received 
flattering  letters  from  some  of  the  most  substantial 
wholesale  houses,  such  as  Franklin  Mac  Yeagh  & 
Co.,  Dean  Bros.  &  Lincoln,  of  Chicago;  J.  W. 
Bunn  &  Co.,  Springfield,  111.,  and  Jacob  Furth  & 
Co.,  St.  Louis.  Mo.,  testifying  to  his  straightfor- 
ward and  honorable  business  dealings  and  regret- 
ting to  lose  his  patronage. 

During  the  summer  of  1888  Air.  Grove  took  an 
extended  trip  through  the  West  with  a  view  to 
locating,  but  not  finding  the  country  suitable,  he 
returned  home  and  in  October,  1888,  bought  a 
quarter  section  which  comprised  one  of  the  finest 
and  best  improved  farms  in  the  county.  As  above 
stated  this  is  located  on  section  36,  Bird  Township, 
and  here  he  has  since  been  engaged  as  a  fanner  and 
dealer  in  stock.  Mis  political  views  are  expressed 
in  the  platform  of  the  Republican  party  and  al- 
though he  is  not  an  office  seeker  lie  has  the  confid- 
ence of  the  men  of  his  party  and  his  counsel  on 
political  matters  is  highly  esteemed.  He  is  a  liber- 
al contributor  to  church   and  benevolent  purposes. 

rfr"^EV.  F.  A.  OSTROP,  pastor  of  St.  Joseph 
\2\\  Catholic  Church,  Carlinville,  is  one  of  the 
ablest  men  in  the  priesthood  in  this  section 
^of  the  State.  He  was  born  in  Westphalia, 
German}*,  and  in  the  splendid  schools  of  his  native 
land  he  was  given  every  advantage  to  obtain  a 
liberal  education.  He  early  showed  unmistakable 
signs  of  superior  scholarship,  and  made  rapid  pro- 
gress in  his  studies.  By  teaching  he  earned  money 
with  which  to  advance  his  education,  and  attended 
some  of  ihe  best  schools  in  Germany.  He  was 
finally  graduated  in  Westphalia,  where  he  had  been 
well  grounded  not  only  in  theology  but  in  medi- 
cine as  well. 

Father  Ostrop  continued  studying  and  teaching 
in  the  Fatherland  until  1858,  when  he  came  to  this 
country.  He  located  at  Alton,  where  he  joined 
the  priesthood,  and  was  ordained  in  1859.   He  then 


became  pastor  of  St.  Mary's  Church  in  that  city. 
He  presided  over  that  church  until  1872,  when  he 
went  to  Quincy  to  take  charge  of  St.  Boniface 
Church.  He  remained  there  until  1877,  and  in 
that  year  came  to  Carlinville,  and  lias  held  the 
pastorate  of  St.  Joseph  Church  ever  since.  The 
affairs  of  the  church  are  now  in  a  very  flourishing 
condition.  The  building  is  a  commodious  brick 
structure,  of  a  modern  style  of  architecture,  anil  is 
most  artistically  finished  and  furnished.  A  neat 
parsonage  and  school  building  are  in  connection 
with  the  church,  a  view  of  which  accompanies  this 
sketch. 


-4- 


* 


-*- 


«        >FKRT    SCHMIDT,  who  is   engaged   in 

\  /  general  farming  and  stock-raising  on  sec- 
V  V  lion  22,  Gillespie  Township,  is  one  of  the 
thrift}  German  farmers  of  the  county.  He  was 
horn  in  Friesland,  in  the  province  of  Hanover,  on 
the  10th  of  March,  1834,  and  is  one  of  a  large  fam- 
ily of  children.  The  parents  spent  their  entire  lives 
in  Hanover,  Where  the  father  died  at  the  age  of 
fifty  years,  the  mother's  death  occurring  at  the  age 
of  forty  years.  Both  were  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

In  the  usual  manner  of  fanner  lads,  the  subject" 
of  this  sketch  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and 
youth,  and  his  education  was  acquired  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  When  he  had  attained  to  years  of  ma- 
turity he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Tretke  Milf. 
who  was  born  on  the  10th  of  April,  1838.  Her 
parents,  natives  of  Hanover,  came  to  America  in 
early  life,  and  spent  their  last  days  in  Macoupin 
County,  dying  when  well  advanced  in  years.  They 
too  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Schmidt  hegan  their  domestic  life  in  the 
Fatherland,  and  after  the  birth  of  their  eldest  child, 
a  daughter,  they  sailed  for  America,  taking  passage 
on  a  steamer,  which  left  the  port  of  Bremen  April 
7,  1851.  At  length  they  safely  arrived  in  Xew 
York,  and  from  there  came  at  once  to  Illinois,  set- 
tling in  Macoupin  County,  where  they  worked  in 
the  famdies  of  rich  farmers  until  they  had  acquired 
enough  to  purchase  a  small  tract  of  land.  Little 
by  little  they  added  to  their  savings  until  they  had 


1HWARY 
(it    iHE 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


695 


enough  to  buy  a  few  acres  in  Gillespie  Township. 
Together  they  worked  on,  ami  as  the  result  of  their 
industry,  enterprise  and  perseverance,  acquired  a 
comfortable  property.  Mr.  Schmidt,  now  owns 
two  hundred  acres  of  valuable  land,  which  is  di- 
vided into  rich  and  fertile  fields.  The  farm  is  well 
supplied  with  necessary  buildings,  including  a  good 
residence  and  barns  and  is  well  stocked. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schmidt  have  been  born 
eleven  children,  of  whom  two  are  now  deceased — 
Meta  and  Milf.  Those  who  still  survive  are: 
Weptka,  wife  of  Frank  Weyen,  a  resident  farmer 
of  Gillespie  Township;  John,  who  wedded  Fretka 
Weyen  and  is  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in 
the  same  township;  Anna,  wife  of  John  Sattagass, 
a  resident  farmer  of  Honey  Point  Township;  Ettie, 
wife  of  John  Schmidt,  who  is  living  on  a  farm  in 
Gillespie  Township;  Ella,  wife  of  Tace  Weyen,  and 
agriculturist  of  Cahokia  Township;  Charles,  Milf, 
Merta  and  Jessie,  all  at  home.  The  mother  of  this 
family  was  called  to  her  final  rest  on  the  25th  of 
October,  1885,  and  her  death  was  mourned  by  main 
friends.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  was  held  in  high  regard  by  all  who 
know  her.  Mr.- Schmidt  is  also  of  the  same  re- 
ligious faith,  and  he  exercises  his  right  of  franchise 
in  support  of  the  Democratic  party,  with  which  his 
sons  also  affiliate.  He  may  truly  be  called  a  self- 
made  man.  for  his  fortune  was  carved  out  by  him- 
self, and  his  success  is  the  result  of  his  own 
efforts. 

SjOHN  BRUBAKER.  No  class  of  people  has 
been  more  helpful  in  bringing  about  the  high 
^  I  standing  that  this  county  enjoys  than  the 
'((gj/  men  who  have  developed  its  rich  agricultu- 
ral resources,  and  among  these  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  who  has  a  finely  improved  farm  on  section 
20,  Girard  Township.  Mr.  Br u baker  was  born  in 
Roanoke  County,  Ya.,  September  4,  1832.  and  is  the 
eighth  child  and  second  son  of  Joel  and  Elizabeth 
(Fisher)  Brubaker.  For  parental  history  see 
sketch  of  Moses  Brubaker. 

Mr.  Brubaker  was  reared  in  his  native  count}-, 
and  resided  there  until    1859,  when,  with    his  wife 


and  three  children,  he  went  to  Clarke  County, 
Ohio.  He  located  ten  miles  from  the  city  of 
Springfield,  near  the  village  of  Northampton,  where 
he  and  his  brother  Noah  bought  a  quarter  section 
of  laud  in  company.  There  was  a  good  brick 
bous i  the  place,  also  a  log  stable,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  cleared.  They  farmed  to- 
gether until  i 864,  when  our  subject  sold  his  inter- 
est in  the  farm  in  order  to  try  agricultural  pursuits 
on  the  rich  soil  in  this  count}-.  After  coming  here 
he  rented  a  farm  in  Girard  Township  one  season, 
and  during  that  time  he  bought  the  farm  that  he 
no«  occupies.  He  has  erected  a  neat  and  substantial 
set  of  frame  buildings, and  otherwise  improved  his 
homestead  so  that  it  is  a  valuable  piece  of  prop- 
erty, and  gives  evidence  of  his  skill  and  practicality 
as  a  farmer. 

March  1),  1854.  Mr.  Brubaker  and  Miss  Mary 
Xeff  were  wedded.  Mrs.  Brubaker  was  born  in 
Franklin  County,  Ya.,  November  20,1833.  Her 
father,  Isaac  Neff,  was  a  native  of  the  same  county, 
and  it  is  thought  that  his  father,  who  bore  the 
same  najne  a&  himself,  was  also  a  Virginian  by 
birth.  'f]^Y 'faljier  of  the  latter,  Jacob  Nafe  (the 
fiim'rry  na^^gpqwapally  spelled  that  way). was  a 
native  of  Germany.  When  he  was  young  his  father 
started  with  him  and  two  other  sons,  named  Henry 
and  Bastian,  for  America.  The  father  died  on  the 
voyage,  and  the  three  sons  were  bound  out  on 
their  arrival  in  this  country  to  pay  their  passage. 
Later  one  of  them  settled  in  Virginia,  one  in 
Mai}  land  anil  one  in  Ohio.  Jacob  Nafe  married 
Katie  Flory,  and  resided  in  Franklin  County,  Ya., 
whither  he  removed  from  Maryland.  The  maiden 
name  of  the  great-grandmother  of  Mrs.  Brubaker 
was  Spangler.  Mrs.  Brubaker's  grandfather  was  a 
farmer,  and  spent  his  last  years  in  Franklin  Count}-, 
Va.  His  homestead  was  located  a  half  mile  from 
Teelsville,  on  the  stage  road  from  Salem  to  Rocky 
Mount,  and  there  for  some  years  he  kept  a  public 
house.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Barbara 
Myers.  Both  were  members  of  the  German  Bap- 
tist Brethren  Church. 

Mrs.  Brubaker's  father  was  reared  to  agricultu- 
ral pursuits,  and  followed  farming  in  Virginia  un- 
til 1868,  when  he  came  to  Illinois,  and  now  resides 
at  Auburn.  Sangamon  County,  in  his  eighty  second 


696 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


year.  The  maiden  name  of  Mrs.  Brubaker's  mother 
was  Elizabeth  Peters.  She  was  born  in  Franklin 
County.  Va.,  and  died  in  her  native  State  in  Lg38. 
Our  subject  and  his  good  wife  are  consist- 
ent and  conscientious  Christians,  as  is  shown  by 
their  conduct  in  everyday  affairs  of  life,  and  in 
tliem  the  German  Baptist  Brethren  Church  1ms  two 
of  its  best  members.  There  have  been  born  to 
them  a  large  family  of  children,  whose  names  are 
as  follows:  Riley  F.,  Caleb  C,  Josiau  D.,  Lizzie 
M., Kate  B.,  Barbara,  who  died  in  infancy;  Isaac 
Neff,  Nicholas  J.,  Martha  R.,  diaries  II.  and  Al- 
pheus  O.  Kate  married  Frank  Snell  and  Martha  is 
the  wife  of  Isaac  Harshbarger.  The  children  are 
all  active  members  of  the  same  church  to  which 
their  parents  belong. 


OHN   P.  MATTHEWS.  M.  D.,  President  of 

I     the  Illinois  Slate  .Medical    Society,  is  one  of 
those  progressive,   wide-awake  men  who  at- 

1  tain  to  a  high  standing  in  professional  circles 
and  are  looked  up  to  as  models  of  intelligence  and 
manly  character.  He  has  a  line  education  and  his 
professional  studies  included  hospital  practice  so 
that  when  he  was  ready  to  open  an  office  he  had  a 
sound  foundation  upon  which  to  build  his  hopes  of 
future  success.  Not  content  with  this,  he  has  con- 
tinued his  habits  of  study  and  thought  in  and  with 
professional  societies  and  in  his  own  private  de- 
partment. In  the  diagnosis  of  diseases  he  is  careful 
and  accurate,  while  in  his  treatment  he  shows  a 
knowledge  of  the  nature  of  drugs  and  their  effect 
upon  the  human  system  that  has  given  him  the 
gratitude  and  high  regard  of  many  to  wdiom  he  has 
brought  returning  health  or  whose  friends  he  has 
relieved. 

Dr.  Matthews  is  an  Englishman,  having  been  born 
at  Court  Farm,  Hampton  Bishop,  Herfordshire. 
His  father,  John  Matthews,  was  a  native  of  the  same 
shire  and  was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits.  Early 
in  the  spring  of  1844  that  gentleman,  with  his  wife 
and  six  children,  set  sail  from  Liverpool  on  the 
"Ashburton",  and  landed  at  New  York  thirty-nine 
days  later.     He  located   in   that  part  of  Lawrence 


County  now  included  in  Mercer  County,  Fa.,  and 
bought  a  farm  near  Sharon,  on  which  he  followed 
his  vocation  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  died  after  iie 
had  lived  in  America  a  score  of  years.  His  wife, 
formerly  Caroline  Myra  Cooper,  was  also  a  native 
of  Herfordshire.  She  preceded  him  to  the  silent 
land  about  a  twelve-month,  breathing  her  last  in 
1863.  They  reared  eight  children  named  respect- 
ively: .lane,  William  S..  John  P.,  Henry,  Arthur, 
Frederick  L.,  Myra  A.  and   Elizabeth  II. 

The  subject  of  this  life  history  attended  the 
British  and  Foreign  School  at  Ross.  Herfordshire, 
in  his  boyhood,  and  after  the  removal  to  Pennsyl- 
vania he  spent  some  time  in  the  public  schools.  He 
then  went  to  Sharon  Academy  ami  later  entered  the 
mathematical  department  of  Duff's  Commercial 
College  at  Pittsburg.  He  still  further  advanced  his 
education  by  an  attendance  of  two  years  in  Alle- 
gheny College  in  Meadville.  In  1857  he  came  to 
this  state  and  for  three  years  was  engaged  in  teach- 
ing, the  time  being  divided  between  Kane,  Greene 
County,  and  Greenville  Academy.  During  the  last 
year  and  a  half  he  devoted  all  his  leisure  time  to 
reading  medicine  with  Dr.  Peter  Fenity,  and  when 
he  resigned  his  position  in  the  academy  he  went  to 
Keokuk,  Iowa,  and  took  a  course  of  lectures  in  the 
Keokuk  Medical  College. 

Dr.  Matthews  then  began  practicing  in  Scotlville, 
this  county,  and  devoted  himself  zealously  to  his 
work  until  1862.  He  then  entered  the  United  States 
service  as  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twenty-second  Illinois  Infantry,  but  after  he 
had  been  with  the  regiment  a  year  was  obliged  to 
resign  on  account  of  ill  health.  He  next  opened 
an  office  in  Carlinville  and  practiced  here  until 
1865.  when  he  went  to  New  York  in  order  to  secure 
ti.e  advantages  of  hospital  work.  He  was  zealous 
and  observing  and  walked  the  hospital  to  good 
advantage,  and  before  the  year  had  expired  was 
graduated  from  the  Long  Island  College  Hospital. 
He  returned  and  resumed  his  work  in  Carlinville 
and  has  since  been  actively  engaged  here. 

In  1865  Dr.  Matthews  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Elizabeth  A.  Palmer,  daughter  of  Gen.  .John 
M.  and  Melinda  A.  Palmer.  She  is  a  lady  of  rare 
intelligence  and  culture,  a  graduate  of  the  classical 
course  at  Alinira  College  and  commands  the  respect 


POR TRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


01)7 


of  her  associates.  She  was  born  in  Carlinville  and 
the  highest  interests  of  her  life  have  centered  here. 

Dr.  and  Mis.  Matthews  have  three  living  children: 
John  Palmer,  A.  M.;  Lucy  Myra,  and  Frederick 
\\  ehster.  The  first  named  was  graduated  from 
Blackburn  University  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts  in  the  Class  of  '87,  and  in  1890  had  the 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts  conferred  upon  him.  He 
is  now  a  student  in  the  medical  department  of  the 
Northwestern  University  at  Chicago  and  will  grad- 
uate in  the  Class  of  '1)1.  The  daughter  is  now  a 
student  at  Blackburn  University  and  the  younger 
son  is  in  the  public  school. 

Dr.  Matthews  is  a  member  of  the  International 
Medical  Congress  and  attended  the  session  at  Wash- 
ington in  1887,  and  that  at  Berlin,  Germany,  in 
1890.  He  belongs  to  the  British  Medical  Associa- 
tion, American  Medical  Association,  Medical  Soci- 
ety of  Central  Illinois,  Society  of  Macoupin  County 
for  Medical  Improvement,  and  Fellow  of  the  Amer- 
ican Rhinological  Society.  He  is  a  Mason,  belong- 
ing to  Mt.  Nebo  Lodge,  No.  76,  F.  &  A.  M. 


§/ 


iOSEPH  DODSON  represents  the  grain 
trade  at  Shipman  and  also  deals  in  Hour  and 
feed.  He  is  a  native  of  Boonville,. Cooper 
County,  Mo.,  and  was  born  October  17, 
1840.  His  parents,  Eli  Dodson  and  Mary  M. 
Williams,  were  natives  of  Ohio  and  Illinois,  and 
were  married  in  this  State,  but  later  lived  on  a  farm 
in  Missouri.  They  removed  from  Cooper  to  Cass 
Count}'  and  there  the  father  turned  his  attention  to 
mercantile  pursuits.  In  1856  they  came  back  to 
this  State,  settled  at  Wood  burn,  this  county,  and 
there  Mr.  Dodson  carried  on  a  general  store  some 
fifteen  years.  During  that  time  he  built  a  (louring 
mill  and  operated  the  same.  When  lie  retired  from 
business  he  removed  to  Shipman,  where  his  wife 
died  in  1875.  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years.  He 
subsequently  resided  with  a  son  at  Medora,  and 
died  there  in  1876,  having  passed  the  seventy-first 
milestone  on  life's  journey. 

The    parental    family    included     ten    sons    and 
daughters,  but  four   crossed    the    river  of    death 


before  they  had  become  adults.  William  died  in 
Chicago  in  1871;  Emily  married  James  R.  Anient 
and  died  in  Litchfield;  Isaac  is  living  at  Lebanon, 
.Mo.;  Joseph  will  be  mentioned  al  greatei  length 
in  the  accompanying  paragraphs;  James  E.  is  a 
resident  of  Warrensburg;  Francis  M.  lives  in 
Carlinville. 

During  the  boyhood  of  our  subject  the  common 
schools  in  Missouri  were  not  conspicuous  for  an 
extended  course  of  study,  nor  were  the  buildings 
in  which  they  were  held  attractive  or  even  com- 
fortable. The  sessions  were  chiefly  during  I  lie 
winter.  The  school  houses  were  built  of  logs  and 
the  opening  left  by  removing  one  answered  for  a 
window.  The  benches  were  of  slabs  without  any 
support  for  the  backs  of  the  pupils,  but  the  brain 
was  expected  to  work  just  as  well  as  if  the  body 
were  not  tired.  Mr.  Dodson  gained  such  know- 
ledge as  he  could  under  the  circumstances,  and 
being  of  a  practical  nature  he  learned  the  use  of 
that  which  he  studied.  His  boyhood  was  passed 
on  the  farm  and  during  his  youth  he  was  a  clerk  in 
stores. 

Having  come  to  this  State  with  his  parents  .Mr. 
Dodson  has  been  connected  with  the  business 
interests  of  Central  Illinois  since  he  grew  to  man- 
hood. When  he  became  of  age  he  associated  with 
bis  brother  William  in  the  milling  business  in 
Woodburn  and  Shipman,  and  the  partnership  con- 
tinued until  1877.  The  next  year  he  established 
his  present  business  and  in  the  years  that  have 
passed  he  has  built  up  a  good  trade  and  prospered 
in  basket  and  store.  He  has  one  of  the  largest  and 
best  residences  in  the  town  and  is  considered  one 
of  the  men  of  substance  and  business  honor. 

December  18,  1867,  Mr.  Dodson  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  M.,  daughter  of  Richard  P.  ami 
Catharine  (Roberts)  Harris.  This  estimable  lady 
was  born  in  Morgan  County  in  September,  1842. 
Her  happy  union  has  been  blest  by  the  birth  of 
six  children  named  respectively  Edwin  A..  Fanny 
C,  Abigail  E.,  Eva  A.,  Rosa  M.  and  Bertha  V. 
Mrs.  Dodson  is  the  eldest  child  of  her  parents  and 
her  brothers  and  sisters  who  grew  to  maturity  are 
Melinda  E..  Emily  P..  Sarah  J.,  Maria  C,  Abigail 
C.  Sophia.  Newton  I),  and  Minnie  L.  Her  father 
was  born  April  8,  1821,  and  her  mother  December 


698 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


10  of  the  same  year,  and  both  came  with  their 
parents  from  Tennessee  to  this  State  in  their  child- 
hood. Their  homes  were  in  Morgan  County,  and 
their  marriage  was  solemnized  at  Jacksonville 
October  5,  1841.  Mr.  Harris  died  December  10, 
1865.  and  his  widow  passed  away  May  '_'•;.  1866. 
In  religion  they  wen  Methodists  and  in  politics 
Mr.  Harris  was  a  Democrat.  His  occupation  was 
farming. 

Mr.  Dodson  is  identified  with  the  Masonic  order 
and  the  Knights  of  Honor.  He  was  fomerly  a 
Democrat  but  is  now  connected  with  the  Prohibi- 
tion party.  For  fifteen  years  lie  served  as  School 
Director  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  Town  Council. 
His  leligious  home  is  in  the  Christian  Church,  in 
which  he  has  good  standing  and  a  reputation  that 
extends  bey 1  the  borders  of  that  religious  body. 


|_  ENRY  IloF.LLMER.  In  the  past  twenty 
years  the  Prairie  State  has  perhaps  under- 
gone as  important  changes  as  have  any  of 
the  sisterhood  of  Central  States.  There 
were  not  originally  so  many  difficulties  to  over- 
come as  in  Stales  where  the  COUtOUl'  of  the  land 
was  so  rugged.  Boulders  had  not  to  be  broken  up 
nor  forests  felled  before  the  agriculturist  could 
plow  and  sow  and  reap.  Farmers  here  have  the 
advantage,  for  in  the  fertile  lands  the  sod  has  sim- 
ply to  be  broken  and  the  plow  put  in  the  land  to 
bring  forth  a  rich  harvest  of  cereals  that  are  a  for- 
tune in  themselves.  The  wealth  of  the  State  de- 
pends as  much  upon  its  farming  element  as  upon 
the  manufactures  for  which  it  is  so  noted,  and  the 
people  from  every  nation  have  assisted  in  making 
this  one  of  the  noted  agricultural  districts  of  the 
world. 

Our  subject,  who  is  of  German  origin,  has  lent 
his  aid  to  developing  the  country,  having  for  the 
past  twenty  years  devoted  his  efforts  to  the  im- 
provement and  cultivation  of  his  farm  located  on 
section  1,  Mt.  Olive  Township.  The  tract  of  land 
which    be   has   under  cultivation  is  not  noticeable 


for  its  extent,  comprising  only  eighty  acres,  but 
every  acre  is  made  to  produce  as  much  as  nature 
will  allow. 

He  of  whom  we  write  came  to  the  county  in 
1865  and  has  always  lived  on  the  farm  where  he 
now  resides.  He  came  hither  f.om  Morgan  County 
where  he  lived  four  years  after  coming  to  the 
United  Slates.  He  was  born  in  wdiat  is  now  the 
Province  of  Hanover,  Germany,  June  "21,  1838. 
Ili^  parents  were  Herman  and  Catherine  (Straven) 
Hoellmer,  who  were  natives  of  the  same  Province 
in  which  our  subject  was  born.  They  lived  in  their 
native  province  until  their  family  of  children  were 
all  bom.  The  children  were  live  in  number  and 
of  these  three  are  yet  living.  In  1857  the  parents 
and  family  left  Germany  and  emigrated  to  the 
United  States,  taking  a  ship  at  Bremen  on  a  sailer 
and  landing  after  a  voyage  of  several  weeks  at 
New  Orleans.  They  came  thence  to  St.  Louis, 
afterward  to  Morgan  County,  and  thence  to  Mt. 
(  Hive  Township,  in  this  county,  and  have  lived  here 
since  that  time.  The  mother  died  in  1870  at  the 
age  of  sixty-eight  years.  She  left  a  lasting  regret 
in  the  hearts  of  her  husband  and  children,  for  she 
was  a  kind  and  affectionate  wife  and  mother,  un- 
selfish and  unswerving  in  her  sense  of  duly  to  her 
family.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 
The  father  is  now  ninety  years  of  age,  and  is  the 
loved  charge  of  our  subject,  who  has  taken  care  of 
him  since  reaching  twenty  one  years  of  age.  He 
isyel  active  in  mind,  although  feeble  in  body.  All 
his  life  has  been  spent  in  the  hardest  work  until  he 
grew  so  old  as  to  lie  incapacitated  for  such  heavy 
labor.  He,  like  bis  wife,  is  a  Lutheran,  in  his 
church  relations. 

Our  subject  was  eighteen  years  of  age  when  his 
parents  came  to  the  United  States  and  ever  since 
that  time  he  has  devoted  himself  to  making  a  posi- 
tion in  the  world.  His  marriage  took  place  at  Mt. 
Olive,  bis  wife's  maiden  name  being  Anna  Saathoff. 
She  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany.  April  12, 
1847,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Wepke 
(Gilliam)  Saathoff,  both  natives  of  Hanover.  Her 
father,  who  was  a  farm  laborer,  died  in  his  native 
kingdom  while  yet  in  middle  life.  His  wife  and 
children  who  survive  him  came  to  this  country  in 
1865    and    settled   in  New  York,  there  the  mother 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


i;:i:i 


died  two  years  later  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years. 
She  and  her  husband  were  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.     .Mrs.  Hoellmer,  the  wife  of  our  subject, 

after  landing  in  New  York  City  with  her  family 
lived  there  for  seven  months,  and  then  came  on  to 
Mt.  Olive,  making  that  place  her  home  thereafter 
until  her  marriage. 

Our  subject  and  his  amiable  wife  are  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  only  one  of  whom,  Anna,  is  de- 
ceased. She  passed  to  the  better  land  while  a  mere 
child,  being  only  four  years  of  age.  The  living 
children  are  Herman  II..  Lena.  Wiihelmina,  Deit- 
rich  C,  Meta  M.,  Henry,  William,  Maria,  and  Ed- 
ward II.  The  eldest  son  is  still  at  home  and  is  his 
father's  strongest  helper  on  the  farm;  Lena  became 
the  wife  of  Fred  W.  Daberkow.  a  minister  in  the 
Lutheran  Church  at  Monroe,  Minn.  The  other 
children  are  all  still  at  home  and  fill  the  house  with 
their  merry  jests  and  gay  badinage  while  they  are 
the  help  and  com f oft  of  their  parents.  Both  our 
subject  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  German 
Lutheran  Church  as  are  also  their  children.  Mr. 
Hoellmer  is  in  his  political  preference  a  Republican. 


n lit;  - 


UGH  MILES  ENOS.  A  prosperous  farmer 
^  and  a  public-spirited  citizen  is  to  lie  found 
in  the  gentleman  whose  name  is  given  at 
the  head  of  this  paragraph.  His  fine  firm 
is  in  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation  and  comprises 
three  hundred  and  sixty-two  acres  of  as  good  land 
as  is  to  be  seen  in  Macoupin  County.  Upon  it  he 
carries  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  and 
the  excellent  set  of  buildings  which  he  has  erected 
on  his  land,  as  well  as  the  neat  appearance  of  his 
well-kept  farm,  bespeak  him  as  a  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  ability  and  enterprise. 

The  father  of  our  subject.  Thomas  Enos.  was 
born  in  the  Southern  part  of  Alabama,  and  the 
mother,  Barbara  Jacobs,  was  a  native  of  South 
Carolina.  Their  wedded  home  was  in  the  moun- 
tainous regions  of  Eastern  Tennessee,  and  there 
Thomas  Enos  died  in  July,  1856.  His  bereaved 
widow  afterward  removed  to  Macoupin  County 
and    passed    her   last  days  at  the   home  of   her   son 


Hugh,  where  she  died  January  •">.  1888.  They  had 
a  family  of  eight  children,  *i\  sons  and  two  daugh- 
I  ters,  of  whom  our  subject  was  the  third  in  the 
order  of  birth. 

April  9,  1819,  was  the  date  upon  which  our  sub- 
ject was  horn  in  P.lount  C< unity.  Tenn.,  and  there 
be  spent  the  early  years  of  his  life,  up  to  the  age 
of  twenty.  When  lie  became  a  youcg  man  he  de- 
cided to  remove  from  the  old  home,  and  take  his 
chances  with  others,  in  the  Slate  of  Illinois,  which 
had  come  into  existence  as  a  Stale  the  year  before 
his  birth.  His  first  stopping  place  was  at  Jersey- 
ville  and  near  it  be  found  employment  upon  a  farm 
for  sonic  three  months.  Later  he  came  into  this 
county  and  worked  for  three  years  in  Bird  Town- 
ship. The  young  man  was  now  smitten  with  the 
gold  fever  and  determined  to  seek  his  fortunes  in 
the  great  West.  He  went  lo  California  in  18.32  and 
there  engaged  in  mining  and  remained  there  until 
the  spring  of  1856.  He  had  now  had  enough  of 
the  Pacific  Slope  and  settled  down  to  the  peaceful 
pursuits  of  fa,  mini;  in  Bird  Township,  this  county, 
and  has  since  made  it  his  home.  Mr.  Enos  was 
married  in  Bird  Township  to  Miss  Mary  White, 
who  was  born  in  England,  in  Lancashire,  her  par- 
ents being  Thomas  and  Anna  (Abbey)  White,  who 
emigrated  from  England  and  spent  the  remainder 
of   their  days  in  Bird  Township. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Enos  have  been  granted  seven 
children  to  share  their  parental  care  and  affection. 
They  are  namely:  John  J.,  Thomas,  who  married 
Miss  Bessie  Waters:  Sarah,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Lewis  Waters;  James,  Hugh  M.  Jr..  who  married 
Lora  McGinnis;  Elvira  and  Amy.  The  political 
views  of  our  subject  are  in  accord  with  the  plat- 
form of  the  Republican  party  and  he  has  ever  sus- 
tained by  ii is  vote  and  voice,  the  organization 
which  placed  Abraham  Lincoln  in  the  Presidential 
chair.  His  earnest  interest  in  educational  matters 
has  led  bis  neighbors  to  choose  him  for  a  number 
of  years  as  a  member  of  the  School  Board.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Enos  are  earnest  and  conscientious  mem- 
bers of  the  Shiloh  Baptist  Church,  in  which  they 
find  a  broad  field  lor  Christian  labor  and  where 
their  influence  is  felt  and  highly  prized.  lie  is  a 
man  of  independent  thought  and  in  all  matters  of 
importance,  gives  due  consideration  to  every  side 


700 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  the  question  before  making  up  his  mind.  His 
intelligence  and  excellent  judgment  tit  him  to  be  a 
leader,  and  his  experience  and  standing  give  him 
an  influence  which  is  exercised  by  him  for  the 
good  of  the  community. 


€^"^  — * 


APT.  BENJAMIN  H.  PENN,a  well-known 
resident  of  section  2d.  Shaw's  Point  Town- 
ship, is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Candace  (liar- 
ton)  Penn,  both  natives  of  North  Carolina.  In 
their  early  married  life  they  made  their  home  in 
Lebanon.  St.  Clair  County,  III.,  and  in  1837  came 
to  Macoupin  County  and  settled  in  Shaw's  Point 
Township,  where  Mr.  Penn  died  in  1840.  His 
bereaved  widow  survived  him  for  seventeen  years 
and  at  the  time  of  her  departure  from  this  life  was 
living  in  Montgomery  County. 

The  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch  is  the 
youngest  in  a  large  family  of  nine  children,  and 
on  February  5,  1838,  he  first  saw  the  light  in 
Shaw's  Point  Township.  Here  he  received  a  good 
education  in  the  district  schools  and  was  reared  to 
manhood,  learning  upon  his  father's  farm  the 
practical  arts  of  agriculture.  The  greater  part  of 
his  life  has  been  spent  here  with  the  exception  of 
three  years  which  he  gave  to  his  country  and  two 
and  a  half  years  when  lie  was  in  Kansas,  and  a 
year  spent  in  Madison  County.  With  the  excep 
tion  of  this,  he  has  been  a  resident  of  Macoupin 
County  all  his  life.  He  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade,  which  he  followed  industriously  for  many 
years,  and  since  1880  he  has  been  engaged  exclu- 
sively in  farming.  Upon  this  fine  and  rich  tract 
of  seventy-seven  and  a  half  acres  he  has  raised  fine 
crops  and  good  stock. 

We  belief  all  the  words  of  historians  will  never 
more  than  do  justice  to  the  brave  boys  who  so 
cheerfully  and  bravely  left  their  homes  and  went 
out  without  training  and  without  military  skill  to 
fight  the  enemies  of  their  country  in  its  time  of 
need.  The  hero's  crown  is  theirs,  and  we  love  to 
speak  of  their  endurance  and  courage  and  of  the 
victories  which  they  achieved.  Illinois  responded 
nobly  to  the  repeated   calls  of  the  War  President 


whom  her  sons  loved  and  honored,  and  to  whose 
help  they  freely  sprang.  Benjamin  Penn  enlisted 
in  one  of  the  first  regiments  and  at  the  first  call 
of  Abraham  Lincoln,  being  one  of  those  who  en- 
listed for  three  months,  believing  that  this  period 
of  warfare  would  end  the  rebellion.  He  became  a 
private  in  Company  K,  Seventh  Illinois  Regiment, 
joining  that  body  April  22,  1861. 

After  his  term  of  service  expired  this  young 
man  re-enlisted  in  Company  C,  Thirty-second 
Illinois  Regiment,  as  a  private,  and  served  in  that 
capacity  until  February  28,  1863,  when  he  was 
commissioned  Captain  of  Company  B,  of  the  same 
regiment.  His  term  of  service  expired  in  the  fall 
of  1861,  and  he  was  mustered  out  of  scvice  Sep- 
tember 15.  He  took  part  in  the  siege  of  Vicks- 
burg  and  in  the  battle  of  Kenesaw  Mountain. 
Before  he  was  commissioned  Captain  he  served 
as  Wagon-master,  first  as  Regimental,  and  later  as 
Brigade  Wagon-master. 

When  Capt.  Penn  was  mustered  out  he  returned 
to  Shaw's  Point  Township  and  engaged  at  once 
in  farming,  but  afterward  removed  to  Virden  and 
devoted  himself  to  the  business  of  carpentry  until 
1872,  when  he  went  to  Butler  Count}-,  Kan.,  where 
he  farmed  for  two  and  a  half  years.  He  then 
came  back  to  Carlinville  and  followed  his  trade 
until  1880,  when  he  settled  on  the  farm  which  is 
located  on  section  29,  where  he  has  made  excellent 
improvements. 

It  was  during  the  days  of  the  war  that  Capt. 
Penn  took  to  himself  a  wife,  being  united  in 
marriage  April  22,  1803.  with  Miss  Mary  E. 
Prichard,  at  the  residence  of  the  bride's  parents, 
Wilson  and  Polly  (Plain)  Prichard.  both  natives 
of  Virginia  and  residents  of  Shaw's  Point  Town- 
ship. They  had  come  from  the  South  some  years 
before  and  the  father  died  in  1862.  The  mother 
still  survives  at  an  advanced  age  and  is  at  once 
the  care  and  comfort  of  her  children.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Prichard  had  four  children,  of  whom  Mrs. 
Penn  was  the  third,  being  born  June  18,  1840,  in 
Muhlenburg  County,  Ky. 

Capt.  and  Mrs.  Penn  are  the  parents  of  five  in- 
teresting children,  namely:  Mattie  L.,  Mary  C, 
Josephine  E.,  Florence  R.  and  Ethel  G.  The  sec- 
ond daughter  aied    in  infancy.     Capt.   Penn    was 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


nn 


elected  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  the  spring  of  1888, 
and  Ims  held  that  office  continuously  from  that 
date  to  this.  He  also  occupied  the  same  position 
while  living  in  Kansas.  Both  he  and  his  amiable 
and  intelligent  wife  fire  active  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  has  taken  a 
very  active  part  in  political  affairs  and  always 
afliliates  with  the  party  which  placed  Abraham 
Lincoln  in  the  Presidential  chair.  1 1  is  war  record 
and  experience  give  him  a  lively  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  he 
belongs  to  Dan  Messick  Post,  No.  339.  of  Carlin- 
ville. 

OHN  R.  CLEMMONS.  The  wealthy  and 
progressive  farmers  of  Virden  Township 
have  achieved  their  success  by  virtue  of 
their  own  thorough-going  industry,  effective 
enterprise  and  the  wealth  which  lay  hidden  under 
the  soil  of  the  Prairie  State.  They  cannot  be  ac- 
cused, as  can  many  who  have  gained  wealth  in  the 
populous  cenlers  of  our  country,  of  having  wrung 
their  wealth  from  the  sufferings  and  efforts  of 
their  feiiow-men.  They  may  well  take  an  honor- 
able pride  in  their  achievements  and  can  with  a 
clear  conscience  say  that  they  have  wronged 
no  man,  but  have  truly  helped  their  neighbors 
through  their  own  prosperity. 

Anions  such  we  are  pleased  to  mention  the 
gentleman  whose  name  we  have  given  above.  His 
parents,  Peter  and  Eunice  (Richardson)  Clem- 
mons.  emigrated  from  North  Carolina  to  Pike 
County.  111.,  in  the  fall  of  1830,  and  there 
they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  days. 
Our  subject  was  the  youngest  in  a  goodly 
family  of  seven  children,  and  his  birth  took 
place  in  Davidson  County.  N.  C  ,  January 
19,  1S22.  lie  was  therefore  but  eight  years 
old  when  his  father  and  mother  made  their  new 
home  in  the  Prairie  Stale,  and  from  that  time  Pike 
County  was  his  home  and  there  he  grew  to  man- 
hood. His  quiet  early  life  upon  the  farm  was 
spent  much  as  other  farm  boys  spend  their  grow- 
in";  years,  and  he  received  as  good  an  education  as 
the  district  schools  of  the  county  afforded.     These 


were  not  as  good  then  as  can  be  found  now,  but 
the  added  earnestness  of  those  early  days,  made 
probably  as  good  scholars  as  the  greater  advant- 
ages of  to-day  can  turn  out. 

This  gentleman  made  his  home  in  Pike  County 
until  March,  1865.  lie  had  married  in  Greene 
County,  this  stale.  Elizabeth  Ann  Thomas,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  Ann  (Isley) 
Thomas  ami  the  wedding  day  of  the  young  couple 
was  March  28,  1848  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  were 
of  Southern  birth  and  parentage,  the  former  being 
a  native  of  Pendleton  County,  S.  C,  and 
the  latter  of  Eastern  Tennessee.  They  had  come 
to  Illinois  in  their  early  days  and  were  married  in 
Madison  County,  from  which  they  afterward  re- 
moved to  Greene  County,  where  they  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  days. 

Mrs.  Clemmous  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  age  in 
a  family  of  truly  patriarchal  numbers,  there  being 
twelve  in  her  father's  family,  and  her  birth  took 
place  in  Greene  County.  August  21,  1825.  As  we 
have  said  Mr.  Clemmons  continued  to  reside  in 
Pike  County  after  his  marriage  until  March,  1865 
when  he  came  to  Macoupin  County. "and  made  his 
home  on  section  12,  Virden  Township,  which  has 
since  been  the'  family  residence.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  large  land  owners,  owning  together  some 
live  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  upon  which  he  has 
made  valuable  and  substantial  improvements,  in- 
cluding a  beautiful  residence,  first-class  barns  and 
all  outhouses  necessary  to  the  successful  and  sysie. 
malic  carrying  on  of  farm  work. 

Six  children  have  blessed  this  home,  namely: 
Eunice  B.,  who  died  in  the  fourth  year  of  her  age; 
Samuel  T..  who  was  called  away  when  about  thir- 
teen  years  old ;  Lewis  11..  who  lived  to  attain  his 
majority  and  was  then  taken  away  in  the  bloom 
of  his  young  manhood ;  Jane  !•'...  who  died  when 
seven  years  old;  Laura  C,  who  is  the  wife  of  Frank 
1'.  Babb'lt  and  John  O.,  who  married  Miss  Mary 
L.  Chedister.  In  political  matters  Mr.  Clemmons 
has  been  active  and  interested,  working  strenuous- 
ly for  the  success  of  his  party  and  believing  thinly 
in  the  doctrines  of  Democracy.  He  is  not  in  any 
sense  of  the  word  an  office-seeker,  but  at  the  earn- 
est solicitation  of  his  neighbors   he  has    consented 

to     undertake    the    responsible    position    of    School 


702 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Director.  He  has  in  this  way  forwarded  greatly 
the  educational  interests  of  the  township,  as  his 
intelligence  and  public-spirited  enterprise  make 
him  peculiarly  well  fitted  to  push  forward  progres- 
sive movements  in  this  direction.  Both  he  and  his 
lovely  and  capable  wife  are  earnest  and  devoted 
members  of  the  Christian  Church,  and  in  this  con- 
nection, as  in  all  the  relations  of  life  they  are 
active  in  forwarding  the  interests  of  those  about 
them.  Their  life  in  this  community  has  been  one 
which  redounds  not  only  to  their  credit  but  to  the 
good  of  their  neighbors. 


'-&*&»»^>£>}%*f-^«<£~*£*e- 


\  RS.  MARTHA  A.  .JOINER,  a  resident  of 
Bird  Township  and  a  member  of  a  promi- 
nent family  in  this  section,  makes  her  home 
on  section  5.  Her  father  was  Drmv  Pul- 
liam,  and  her  mother  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Elizabeth  Cole.  They  belonged  to  old  Kentucky 
families  and  were  married  in  that  State  and  came 
from  there  to  Morgan  County,  111  There  they 
made  their  home  for  some  time  but  removed  to 
Macoupin  County  at  quite  an  early  day,  and  scttli  d 
in  South  Palmyra  Township.  Here  the  good 
mother  was  called  away  from  earth,  leaving  her 
children  and  husband  to  mourn  her  loss,  which 
was  also  deeply  felt  by  the  community  at  large. 
The  father  died  in  Waverly,  111.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eleven  children  of  whom  Martha  who 
became  Mrs.  Joiner,  was  one  of  the  younger  mem- 
bers. This  daughter  was  born  in  Anderson  County, 
Ky.,  in  October,  1816.  She  came  to  Macoupin 
County,  111.,  with  her  parents  while  still  a  young 
child. 

This  lady  remained  at  home  with  her  parents 
until  her  marriage  with  Thomas  Joiner,  which  took 
place  June  18,  1848,  in  South  Palmyra  Township. 
The  first  home  of  the  newly  married  couple  was  in 
the  township  just  named.  Here  they  lived  for 
some  time  and  then  removed  to  Bird  Township, 
and  settled  on  section  5.  In  tuc  fall  of  1883 
Thomas  Joiner  was  called  away  from  earth,  leaving 
a  widow    and    children   to    mourn   his   irreparable 


loss,  in  which  the  community  deeply  sympathized 
with  them. 

Three  of  Mrs.  Joiner's  six  children  arrived  at 
years  of  maturity,  namely:  Solomon,  Mary  and 
George.  Mary  died  when  a  young  lady  of  sixteen 
years;  Solomon  and  George  are  both  residents  of 
the  township  in  which  their  mother  makes  her 
home  and  a  biographical  sketch  of  the  eldest  son 
will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Since  the 
death  of  Mr.  Joiner  his  widow  has  continued  to 
reside  upon  the  old  homestead.  This  lady  is  an 
earnest  and  devoted  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  which  her  departed  husband 
was  also  an  active  member.  Mrs.  Joiner's  pure 
Christian  character,  excellent  judgment  and  neigh- 
borly kindness  make  her  beloved  by  all  who  know 
her  while  her  connection  with  two  of  the  best 
known  families  in  this  section  give  her  a  broad 
field  of  acquaintance  and  friendship. 


y^p%HOMAS  PIERSON  occupies  one  of  the  best 
//—n  improved  farms  on  section  7,  Carlinville 
\U  Township.  He  is  another  of  our  British- 
American  citizens  who  have  found  in  the  New 
•  World  a  better  home  than  they  had  even  in  the 
beautiful  island  of  Great  Britain.  The  father  of 
this  gentleman  was  William  Pierson,  an  English- 
man. His  parents  emigrated  to  America  and  made 
their  home  in  Morgan  County.  Here  the  mother 
passed  away  from  earth.  The  father  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Missouri. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fifth  in  a 
family  of  six  children.  He  was  born  in  Morgan 
County,  111..  April  .">,  1803.  He  made  his  home  with 
his  parents  until  the  year  1880,  when  he  came  to 
Macoupin  County  and  worked  for  others  upon 
their  farms  until  he  was  married.  This  event  of 
great  importance  and  interest  took  place  April  2, 
1890.  at  the  Home  of  the  bride  in  Carlinville  Town- 
ship. The  lady  is  Miss  Ilattie  Morris,  a  daughter 
of  the  late  Charles  and  Maria  Morris.  Mr.  Morris 
died  in  Carlinville  Township,  December  7,  188G, 
and  his  widow  is  still  living  and  makes  her  home 
with  her  children. 


WHVERSITV  r^  i  UMO!S 


DANIEL    HUDDLESTON. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


705 


Mrs.  Hattie  Pierson  was  born  in  Carlinville 
Township,  May  18,  18G3.  After  her  marriage 
with  Mr.  Pierson  they  made  their  home  oil  her 
father's  old  homestead.  They  now  own  a  tract  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  upon  which  is  carried 
on  not  only  general  farming  but  stock-raising. 
The  farm  is  in  excellent  conditio]]  and  bears  every 
mark  of  the  hand  of  a  thorough-going  and  intelli- 
gent farmer.  Nothing  upon  the  farm  is  allowed 
to  run  to  waste,  but  every  acre  counts  and  every 
corner  is  made  productive  and  kept  in  excellent 
condition.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  is 
not  aggressive  in  this  line,  confining  his  interest  to 
keeping  himself  well  informed  and  casting  his  bal- 
lot for  the  principles  which  he  espouses. 


•J^&S- 


ANIEL  HUDDLESTON.  The  gentleman 
whose  portrait  appears  on  the  opposite 
page  died  at  his  home  on  section  11,  Gil- 
lespie Township,  December  22,  186!).  He 
had  settled  on  his  farm  here  in  the  spring  of  185(j 
and  at  that  time  it  was  an  unbroken  prairie,  from 
which  he  was  able  by  his  enterprise  and  energy  to 
build  up  a  fine  farm.  He  put  upon  it  such  improve- 
ments as  redound  greatly  to  his  credit  and  they  now 
stand  as  a  silent  memorial  to  his  thrift  and  in  iustry. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  five  hundred 
and  twenty  acres,  most  of  which  was  in  a  good  state 
of  cultivation. 

Mr.  Huddleston  came  to  this  county  in  1832  and 
somewhat  later  made  his  home  in  the  township  of 
Gillespie,  where  he  remained  until  death.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  continued  to  reside  with  his 
parents  on  section  4,  but  after  his  marriage  he  lo- 
cated on  forty  acres  which  he  afterward  increased 
by  purchase.  This  estate  formed  the  homestead 
which  is  yet  in  the  family  in  a  divided  state. 

Mr.  Huddleston  was  born  in  Ohio  near  Colum- 
bus, October  25,  181  (Land  was  the  son  of  Abraham 
and  Mary  (Roe)  Huddleston.  The  Huddleston 
family  is  of  German  anrestrj-  and  the  Roe's  are  of 
English  descent.  After  marriage  this  couple  began 
life  on  a  farm  near  Columbus,  Ohio,  but  later  re- 
moved to  Indiana,  making  their    home   near   New- 


port in  that  State.  In  1832  they  emigrated  to  Ill- 
inois coming  with  an  ox-team  in  a  prairie  schooner 
and  camping  out  along  the  road.  I'pon  their  arrival 
here  in  1832  they  secured  some  Government  land 
on  section  4,  Gillespie  Township,  and  began  their 
Western  life  after  the  primitive  style  of  those  times. 
In  the  original  home  of  this  couple  the  wife  of 
Abraham  Huddleston  died  in  1852,  when  past  fifty 
years  of  age.  Her  husband  married  twice  after 
her  death,  his  last  wife  surviving  him,  and  his  own 
death  occurring  July  4,  1874,  when  he  was  more 
than  eighty-five  years  of  age. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  identified  with 
the  old  school  Baptist  Church  and  Mr.  Iluddle- 
ston's  political  views  were  in  accordance  with  the 
doctrines  of  the  Democratic  party.  He  was  well- 
known  throughout  not  only  the  township  but  also 
the  county.  Only  two  of  the  children  of  this  couple 
grew  to  >ears  of  maturity — our  subject  and  his  sis- 
ter Jane,  Mrs.  Kinder,  who  died  near  Clyde,  this 
county,  in  1889,  being  about  seventy-two  years  old. 
After  Mr.  Huddleston  became  of  age  he  was  mar- 
ried in  this  county  to  Miss  Rachel  Huddleston,  who 
was  born  in  the  central  part  of  Indiana  on  the  Blue 
River,  February  21,  1824.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Juda  Huddleston,  natives  of  Kentucky 
and  Tennessee  respectively,  who  came  of  similar 
ancestry  with  our  subject.  They  were  married  in 
Kentucky  and  began  life  as  farmers  and  during  the  ■ 
War  of  1812  William  fought  during  the  entire 
period  of  conflict.  He  was  under  Gen.  Jackson  at 
the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  and  proved  himself 
brave  and  daring. 

After  the  birth  of  some  of  their  children,  Will- 
iam Huddleston  and  family  set  out  for  the  North- 
west, coming  through  Indiana  with  teams  and  wag- 
ons. While  passing  through  that  State  in  1824 
their  daughter  Rachel  was  born  and  she  was  but  a 
child  when  her  parents  reached  Illinois  in  1  830,  and 
settled  on  Government  land  in  Gillespie  Township. 
They  built  a  home  on  section  3,  and  there  the  wife 
and  mother  was  called  from  earth  in  1832.  She  was 
then  in  the  prime  of  life,  a  devoted  Christian,  a 
kind  mother  and  a  woman  of  more  than  ordinary 
character.  She  was  a  Methodist  in  her  religious 
connections. 

The    second    marriage    of   William    Huddleston 


706 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


united  him  wilh  Miss  Rachel  Hendershott.  They 
afterward  lived  in  Greene  County.  III.,  where  lie 
died  in  1844,  being  then  only  a  little  past  middle 
life.  He  was  a  man.of  true  Christian  character  con- 
nected with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chureh,  and 
wasa  Whig  in  his  political  views.  His  wife  survived 
him  and  spent  her  last  days  in  Iowa.  She  also  was 
connected  with  the  Methodist  Church. 

The  wife  of  our  subject  was  only  eight  years  of 
age  when  her  mother  died  and  she   was    reared    by 
her  father.     Of  eight  children  horn  to  her  parents, 
three  sons  and  three  daughters  are  still  living.  She 
became  the  mother  of    thirteen    children,    nine    of 
of  whom  are  deceased,  namely:   Henry,    Maria   C, 
Susan,    Una,  Preston   and    .Mary    I.,  who  nil  died 
single;  George  I).  L.;  Julia  A.,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Amos   Ruckman  and.   died   leaving  no  off- 
spring; Samuel  J.,  who  married  Leonia  Robins  and 
left  three  children.     Those  who  still  survive  an  — 
John  W.,  who  married  Sarah  Hal  pin  and    lives   on 
the  Huddleston  homestead;  Carrie  E..    who   is  the 
widow    of    Adelbert    James,  and    resides  with    her 
mother;  Emma  J.,  the  wife  of    Daniel    Dugei,    an 
engineer  residing  at  Belleville,  III  .  and  Florence  I)., 
the  wife  of  Julius  Williams,  now  living  on  n   farm 
in  this  township.    Mrs.  Huddleston  and  her  children 
attend  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church    and    are 
active  and  earnest  in  their  support  of  religious  work. 
The  family  name  was  formerly  spelled   Hiiddlestun 
but  was  changed  during  the  present  generation. 


„»» H>*o-^^ttJ-o*o« 


ICHOLAS  CHALLACOMBE.  The  gentle- 
man who  is  the  original  of  this  sketch  is 
one  of  the  most  prominent  in  the  county, 
not  only  for  his  financial  slandii  g,  which  in  itself 
would  give  him  precedence,  but  because  of  his 
popularity,  reputation  for  honor  and  integrity,  and 
his  adherence  to  principles  that  naturally  vote  one 
to  be  a  high-souled  gentleman.  He  is  the  owner  of 
and  resident  upon  the  very  fine  farm  located  on 
section  20,  of  Chesterfield  Township. 

The  ancestors  of  Mr.  Challacombe  were  of  noble 
origin,  and  he  can  refer  with  pride  to  the  fact  that 


they  came  over  to  England  wilh  William  the  Con- 
queror. For  several  generations  before  the  birth 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  the  family  held  an 
honorable  position  among  the  yeomen  of  Devon- 
shire, where  both  his  grandfather  and  father  were 
born.  The  home  of  the  Challacombes  was  located 
in  the  Parish  of  West  Down  and  was  known  as 
Buttercomb  Hall.  There  are  still  many  represent- 
atives of  the  family  in  the  mother  country,  some 
of  them  being  located  at  Bristol,  others  are  scat- 
tered through  manufacturing  and  rural  districts. 
Nicholas  Challacombe  was  the  pioneer  in  his  fam- 
ily to  start  out  for  himself  in  the  new  country. 

Our  subject  was  the  youngest  son  of  a  family  of 
eight  children,  born  to  his  father,  John  Challa- 
combe, his  mother  being  Elizabeth  (Parminter) 
Challacombe,  also  a  native  of  Devonshire.  The 
family  emigrated  to  America  in  1833  and  settled 
in  Stafford,  Genesee  County,  N.  Y.  In  1840  they 
removed  from  their  first  location  and  came  to  Illi- 
nois, settling  near  Carlinville  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  cx-Gov.  Palmer,  where  they  lived  until 
the  death  of  the  parents. 

The  original  of  this  sketch  was  the  youngest  son 
and  sixth  child  in  the  order  of  birth  of  his  family. 
Ilis  natal  day  was  June  19,  1824.  He  made  his 
home  with  his  father  until  he  reached  his  majority 
when  his  father  presented  him  with  four  hundred 
acres  of  land  lying  in  the  Macoupin  bottom.  Of 
this  tract-  only  eighty  acres  were  under  cultivation. 
It  included  a  mound  that,  afforded  a  beautiful  and 
picturesque  building  site.  He  early  became  ac- 
quainted with  a  lady  whose  name  was  Nancy  Glo- 
rian  Carson,  and  tney  were  united  marriage  March 
22,  1847,  the  ceremony  being  celebrated  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Rev.  Hugh  Bam  The  lady  is  a 
native  of  Franklin.  Tenn.,  and  is  of  Scotch  origin, 
her  father  was  William  H.  Carson,  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee, as  was  her  mother,  Mary  (Goff)  Carson. 
They  were  old  settlers  in  Macoupin  County,  al- 
though they  passed  away  from  this  life  in  Chester- 
field Township. 

Immediately  after  our  subject's  marriage  he  set- 
tled with  his  young  wife  on  the  farm  where  he 
now  lives,  and  with  her  he  has  since  bent  his  ener- 
gies to  seeing  how  bright  and  beautiful  they  could 
make    the    existence  which    the    good  Father  has 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


707 


vouchsafed  them.  This  they  have  done,  not  self- 
ishly, but  remembering  also  in  nil  the  relations  of 
life  tbe  principle  laid  down  in  the  Golden  Rule.  The 
present  residence  of  our  subject  was  built  in  1870, 
although  it  was  commenced  long  before  that  time, 
in  1860.  During  ihis  time  he  has  made  extensive 
improvements  upon  the  place,  besides  his  house  be 
has  erected  line  barns  and  outhouses  for  stock. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chailacombe  are  the  parents  of 
twelve  children,  whose  names  are  as  follows:  Isa- 
bella A.,  Mary  K.,  Medora  J..  John  W.,  Fannie  G., 
Nicholas  15..  Mabel  G.  and  Wesley.  The  other 
children  died  in  infancy.  Of  those  named  Isabella 
A.  has  become  the  wife  of  II.  15.  Warner;  Mary  K. 
is  the  wife  of  A.  C.  Ilartwell;  Medora  .1.  united 
herself  for  better  or  worse  to  .1.  K.  Butler;  John 
W.  made  mistress  of  his  home  Mary  Fenton  ;  Fan- 
nie G.  is  the  wife  of  John  S.  Series;  Nicholas  B. 
married  Hannah  Daniels;  Mabel  n.  is  the  wife  of 
R.  E.  Woodmanea.  The  youngest  son,  Wesley,  is 
a  student  at  Blackburn  University  where  he  prom- 
ises to  distinguish  himself. 

Our  subject  lias  been  chiefly  occupied  with  his 
business  of  forming,  although  he  operates  a  saw- 
mill which  is  located  on  his  farm.  He  now  owns 
about  seven  hundred  acres  of  land  although  at  one 
time  he  was  proprietor  of  one  thousand  acres.  The 
original  of  this  sketch  has  been  honored  by  his 
election  to  several  positions  of  public  trust.  He 
has  been  Supervisor  of  Chesterfield  Township  for 
three  terms  and  Treasurer  of  the  township  contin- 
ually since  November,  1861.  He  assisted  in  the 
organization  of  the  Bank  of  Medora  and  is  its  Vice 
President,  also  one  of  the  Directors,  having  held 
these  positions  since  the  bank  was  organized. 

Mr.  Chailacombe  formerly  voted  with  the  Re- 
publican party,  but  he  has  shown  his  progressive 
tendencies  in  the  right  way  by  voting  with  the 
Prohibitionists.  Our  subject  and  his  wife  have 
been  for  many  years  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  which  the  former  has  been  an  Elder  for 
a  long  time,  supporting  the  church  in  its  ecclesi- 
astical meetings  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
The  postoflice  and  station  of  the  town  near  by 
were  named  after  our  subject. 

Mr.  Chailacombe  has  enjoyed  the  distinction  and 
honor  of  being  a  delegate  of  the  Alton   Presbytery 


to  the  General  Assembly  which  was  held  in  Pitts- 
burg, Pa.,  in  1S77  or  1878.  He  is  one  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  Blackburn  University  of  Carlinville, 
and  by  his  broad  and  liberal  ideas  and  generous 
influence  has  done  much  to  give  the  advantage  to 
that  educational  institution. 


— *-+#=|5*SHr+-i- 


w'OHN  W.  DALBY,  the  respected  Supervisor 

of    Barr   Township,    resides    on    section  9, 
where  his  fine  farm  of  two  hundn  d  and  fifty- 
five  acres  well  attests  the  thorough    hand  of 
a  practical  farmer.      His    father  was  the  late  Israel 
Dal  by,    whose    native    home    was    in     Frederick 
County.  \'a.,    as  was  also    that  of  his    wife,  Eliza 
Ogden.     The  former   was   born    in    1806,  and    the 
latter  in  1813.  They  came  from  Virginia  to  Greene 
County,  111.,  in  the  spring  of  1854.  and  after  resid- 
ing there  one   year  decided  to   come  to  Macoupin 
County,  where  many  of  their  old    neighbors  from 
the  Old    Dominion    had    made    their   home.     They 
settled  on  the  section   line  of  Barr    Township,  but 
their  united  residence  there  was  to  be  of  short  du- 
ration, as  the  husband  and  father  passed  from  earth 
in    October,  1855,  when   they  had   hardly    become 
settled  in  their  new  home.   He  left  his  wife  and  ten 
children   to  pursue  alone  the  struggle  of  life.     The 
children  grew  to  maturity  and  bravely  helped  their 
mother   in  her  efforts  to  maintain   the    home.     She 
has  now  passed  away,  her  decease  occurring  March 
24,  1890.     The  children  bear  the  names  of  William 
.(..Joseph  F..  Caroline,  Mary    E.,  George  E.,  John 
W.,  Isaac  A.,  Robert  15.,  Ella  and   Harrison  R. 

John  W.  Dalby  was  the  sixth  child  in  his  fath- 
er's large  family  and  was  only  a  little  boy  at  the 
time  of  that  parent's  decease.  He  was  born  in 
Frederick  County, Va.,  October  28,1848,  and  came 
with  his  parents  to  Illinois,  growing  to  manhood  in 
Barr  Township, where  be  has  always  been  a  resident. 
He  has  been  engaged  chiefly  in  farming,  although 
for  seventeen  years  he  pursued  teaching  in  Macou- 
pin County. 

Mr.  Dalby  was  first  elected  Supervisor  of  Barr 
Township  in  the  spring  of  1875,  and  has  served 
continuously  with   the  exception  of  one  year,  from 


708 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


that  date  to  this.  During  one  year  he  was  Chair- 
man of  the  Board  aud  he  has  filled  the  office  of 
School  Trustee  and  Township  Clerk.  He  takes  an 
active  part  in  political  movements,  and  is  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Democratic  (tarty.  His  thor- 
ough integrity  and  judgment  give  to  his  opinion 
full  weight  among  his  neighbors  who  regard  him 
with  genuine  esteem  and  respect. 

,„     ■«-;    >~^v— ^,    e 


,jps»  AMUEL  HALL.  Prominent  among  the 
^^>  residents  of  North  Otter  Township,  we  are 
!tl/_3)  pleased  to  mention  the  name  which  appears 
at  the  head  of  this  sketch.  A  view  of  his 
charming  home  is  also  shown  on  another  page  The 
beautiful  farm,  handsome  residence  and  delightful 
surroundings  attract  the  eye  of  every  stranger  who 
visits  this  section  of  the  county.  Those  who  enter 
the  hospitable  door  notice  within  a  harmonious 
home  which  corresponds  well  with  the  beauty  of 
the  exterior,  and  find  a  mental  and  social  stimulus 
in  the  intelligent  society  of  this  household. 

Thomas  Hall,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
North  Carolina,  May  28,  1792.  lie  was  the  son 
of  George  Hall,  a  native  of  England,  who  came  to 
this  country  in  the  early  Colonial  days  and  died  in 
North  Carolina.  Mary  McVcy,  the  mother  of  our 
subject  was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  her  natal  day 
being  February  23,  1797.  She  lived  in  her  native 
home  until  she  was  married  and  later  the  family 
removed  to  Illinois.  Her  parents,  however,  had 
died  two  years  previous  to  this  removal,  and  she 
has  lost  much  of  the    records  of  their  lives. 

Thomas  Hall  and  Mary  McVey  were  married 
near  Duck  River,  not  far  from  Nashville,  Tenn. 
After  their  marriage  in  1815  they  remained  in  that 
vicinity  for  short  time,  and  then  emigrated  to  the 
Prairie  State,  coming  here  in  December,  1817,  and 
settling  on  what  is  known  as  the  American  Bot- 
toms, which  arc-  situated  below  Alton.  They  lived 
there  until  the  fall  of  1818,  when  they  came  to 
Greene  County,  and  built  a  small  log  house  ahoul 
five  miles  southwest  of  Carrollton.  Here  for  many 
years  they  made  their  happy  home  until  death  sev- 
ered them  March   17,  1855,   upon    which   date  the 


husband  passed  away  from  earth.  The  widow  con- 
tinued to  live  on  the  old  homestead  for  about  a 
year,  but  it  was  no  longer  home  for  her,  now  that 
her  companion  had  departed.  She  has  since  made 
her  home  with  her  children,  and  is  now  living  at 
an  advanced  age.  Of  her  nine  children,  seven 
grew  to  maturity. 

The  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch  whs  next 
to  the  eldest  in  age  in  this  household,  and  was  born 
in  Greene  County,  III.,  January  7,  1  ,s 2 2 .  There  he 
made  his  home  through  his  boyhood  and  through 
all  the  years  of  his  early  manhood.  His  educa- 
tion was  received  in  the  district  schools  and  lie 
was  faithfully  attentive  not  only  there  but  in  his 
farm  duties,  and  thus  grew  to  he  a  young  man 
who  was  looked  up  to  among  his  comrades  as  a 
progressive  and  thoughtful  citizen.  When  about 
thirty  three  years  old  he  removed,  in  February, 
I  855,  to  this  county,  settling  in  North  Otter  Town- 
ship, making  his  home  where  be  now  resides. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Hall  in  Greene  County, 
111.,  February  27,  1850,  united  him  with  Miss  Eva- 
line  Reynolds,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Catherine 
(Clepper)  Reynolds.  Mr.  Reynolds  was  a  native 
of  Virginia,  and  his  wife  of  Tennessee,  although 
but  little  is  known  of  their  early  history.  She 
died  near  Greenfield,  Greene  County,  about  1836, 
when  her  daughter  was  but  a  little  child;  the  father 
survived  until  the  spring  of  1858,  when  he  passed 
from  life  near  Carrollton,  Greene  County.  Of  a 
family  of  nine  children,  Mrs.  Hall  was  the  fifth  and 
was  born  at  the  home  in  Greene  County.  Novem- 
ber 9,  1830,  and  there  made  her  home  until  her 
marriage. 

Nine  beautiful  and  promising  children  blest  the 
marriage  of  our  subject  and  his  wife.  Their  eldest 
child,  Laura,  died  at  the  age  of  seven  years,  and 
was  deeply  mourned  by  her  affectionate  parents. 
John  T..  married  Miss  Lucy  E.  Compton,  and  is  a 
farmer  in  North  Otter;  Mary   L..  an  accomplished 

!  and  refined  lady,  still  resides  at  home;  Sophronia 
F:.  is  the  wife  of   Eber  Shroyer,  a   farmer  in  North 

i    Otter.     Then   came    four    sons,  Charles  C,  Enoch 

!  A.,  Luther  and  Robert  P., of  whom  three  are  living, 
while  Luther  died  at  the  age  of  eleven  months  and 
another  child,  unnamed,  died  in  early  infancy. 

I        Mr.  Hall    has   made   farming   his    life    work    and 


RESIDENCE    OF    SAMUEL    HALL,  SEC.  13.  ,  NORTH    OTT  ER  TP,MACOUPI  N    CO., ILL. 


RESIDENCE  OF    SAMUEL     ENG  LAN  D  ,  SLC  .  33.,  GIRARD  TR,MACOUPl  N    CO.,  ILL. 


REG  I  DENCt 


BALLARD  ,  SEC.  26.,  NORTH    OTTER    TR, MACOUPIN    CO., ILL. 


LIBRARY 
OF   TH€ 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


711 


with  it  has  mingled  slock  raising  to  a  considerable 
extent.  In  all  his  work  he  has  been  successful,  for 
he  has  based  it  upon  an  intelligent  understanding 

of  the  soil  and  its  products  and  on  the  qualities  of 
the  stock  be  undertook  to  raise.  1 1  is  fine  farm 
comprises  two  hundred  acres  of  rich  and  produc- 
tive soil,  and  it  is  ornamented  and  made  more 
profitable  by  the  planting  of  shade  and  fruit  trees. 
A  comfortable  and  commodious  farm-house  and 
other  substantial  buildings  speak  aloud  of  the  thrift 
and  prosperity  of   the  owner. 

The  offices  of  Highway  Commissioner  and  School 
Director  have  been  satisfactorily  Idled  by  our  sub- 
ject, who  in  his  politics  is  a  stiff,  old  fashioned 
.laeksonian  Democrat,  believing  that  the  doctrines 
which  were  promulgated  by  Jefferson,  the  author 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  are  good 
enough  for  these  modern  days.  He  is  an  active 
worker  in  his  party  where  his  opinions  are  looked 
up  to  and  his  judgment  approved.  Roth  he  and 
his  excellent  wife  are  true  helpers  in  the  cause 
of  religion,  and  consistent  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church.  The  sons  of  this  family  are  making  their 
mark  among  the  young  men  of  their  community. 
Charles  O,  is  now  a  physician,  graduated  at 
Shurtleff  College,  Upper  Alton,  and  also  a".  Rush 
Medical  College,  at  Chicago,  ami  was  honored  by 
being  appointed  to  deliver  the  valedictory  address 
before  Ins  class  at  Rush  in  March,  1891.  Enoch 
A.  is  a  farmer  and  resides  at  home.  Every  mem 
ber  of  this  honored  household  helps  to  sustain  the 
reputation  of  the  family  for  intelligence,  character 
and  laudable  ambition. 

AMUEL  ENGLAND, one  of  the  prosperous 
citizens  of  Girard,  was  born  in  Morgan 
County.  Tenn.,  February  22,  1820.  He 
comes  of  substantial  parentage.  His  grand- 
father, Joseph  England,  moved  from  Virginia  to 
Tennessee  and  was  a  pioneer  in  Morgan  County, 
where  he  bought,  a  tract  of  land  and  engaged  in 
farming.  He  sojourned  there  until  1830,  when  be 
came  to  Illinois,  and  resided  in  Macoupm  County 
for  a  time.      Removing  thence   to    Marion  County, 


he  made  his  home  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Wilkins, 
until  the  day  of  his  death. 

John  England,  father  of  our  subject  was  born  in 
Virginia  and  reared  in  'Tennessee.  He  bought  a 
tract  of  lam!  ami  engaged  in  farming  until  1830, 
and  then  with  his  wife  and  ten  children  and  ids 
father  and  mother  came  to  Illinois,  making  the  re- 
moval li\  team  and  bringing  the  household  goods 
along.  After  live  weeks  of  travel  they  landed  in 
Morgan  County,  and  there  spent  the  winter,  which 
was  the  season  of  the  deep  snow.  In  the  spring  of 
1881,  they  came  to  Macoupin  County  and  buying 
a  squatter's  claim,  entered  land  from  the  Govern- 
ment in  the  vicinity  of  what  is  now  known  as  North 
Otter. 

The  new  home  was  in  a  cabin  14xl(i,  builtof  logs, 
and  covered  with  clapboards  which  were  rived 
by  hand.  The  chimney  was  of  slabs  covered  with 
mud  and  the  floor  of  puncheon  split  by  hand. 
'The  family  lived  there  for  two  years,  and 
then  built  a  larger  log  house.  Neighbors  were 
scarce  and  Mr.  England  had  to  go  eight  miles  to 
gel  '^n|lj.ci*Bt  help  to  raise  the  house.  He  split 
puncl#Tm»£«>r  the  floor  and  made  the  doors  of  the 
same  material rusTOg  wooden  pins  instead  of  nails. 
From  the  wooden  latch  the  door  string  hung  out. 
For  many  years  there  was  no  railroad  near  them 
and  Alton  was  the  nearest  market  town.  Deer  were 
plenty  and  roamed  at  will. 

The  mother  of  our  subject,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Lina  Hall,  was  accustomed  to  spinning  and 
weaving  cotton  cloth  as  well  as  flax,  and  clothed 
all  her  children  in  home  spun.  'The  father  cleared 
quite  a  tract  of  his  land  and  continued  to  reside 
there  until  his  death  in  1858.  The  mother  ditd 
at  the  old  homestead  in  1811,  having  reared  ten 
children.  In  company  with  his  brother-in  law  our 
subject  purchased  land  at  12.50  per  acre.  He 
built  a  small  house  and  after  residing  there  one 
year  sold  it  for  $700.  He  then  bought  another 
eighty-acre  tract  in  the  same  township  (North  Ot- 
ter) for  which  he  paid  $500.  From  that  time  he 
was  prosperous.  He  improved  the  land,  built  upon 
it.  and  purchased  other  land  adjoining,  and  resid- 
ed there  until  18C6  when  he  sold  out  and  bought 
where  he  now  lives.  'The  farm  comprises  two  hun- 
dred   and    twenty-five   acres    of    finallyimproved 


(\ 


712 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


prairie  land,  adjoining  the  village  of  Guard.  Good 
buildings  have  been  placed  upon  it  and  the  thrift 
and  eutei  prise  of  the  owner  is  apparent  at  a  glance. 
A  view  of  this  pleasant  home  is  presented  elsewhere 
in  this  volume. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  took  place  in  1846. 
His  bride  was  Louisa  C.  Smith,  a  daughter  of 
Moses  and  Permelia  Smith.  Her  death  occurred  in 
1863,  mourned  by  all  who  knew  her.  Six  children 
blest  tli is  union,  namely  :  Antoinette,  Elias  M.,  Mar- 
shall W.,  Lvelyn,  Elizabeth  and  John.  Mr.  Eng- 
land is  an  active  and  earnest  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  and  his  wife  was  also  con- 
nected with  that  denomination. 


<*       ylLKY     BALLARD.      The    well-cultivated 

\/\l//    fann   of  one   'iun(lre^   ant'   seventy    acres 

)fi$  which  is  part  of  section  27,  North  Otter 
Township,  is  owned  by  him  of  whom  we  write. 
Mr.  Ballard  is  a  Southerner  by  birth,  his  father 
being  Lewis  Ballard,  who  was  a  North  Carolinian. 
His  mother  was  Lucy  (Pace)  Ballard  a  native  of 
Georgia.  They  were,  however,  among  the  early 
settlers  of  Greene  County,  where  they  both  died. 
Our  subject  was  born  near  Whitehall.  Greene 
County,  December  27,  1833. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  farmer  and  on 
his  place  the  son  was  reared  and  remained  until  he 
had  reached  manhood.  His  life  was  not  unlike  that 
of  other  farmer  boys  He  attended  school  in  the 
winters  and  helped  with  the  farm  work  in  the 
summer  season.  Early  in  life  he  was  attracted  to 
a  lady  of  his  own  county  and  they  were  married 
in  Greene  County,  this  State.  March  15,  1857. 
Mrs  Ballard's  maideu  name  was  Rebecca  K.  Brod- 
markle.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Ellen 
(Bell)  Brodmarkle,  natives  of  Maryland.  Her 
parents,  however,  were  early  settlers  in  Greene 
County  and  there  they  died. 

Mrs.  Ballard  was  born  in  Allegany  County, 
Md.,  December  14,  1831.  In  the  spring  of  1857 
she  came  with  her  family  to  Macoupin  County  and 
in  the  fall  of  1858  settled  on  the  farm  where  they 
now  live.     Our   subject   has   always  been  a  farmer 


and  is  much  interested  in  all  the  branches  of  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  For  thirty-eight  seasons  he  ran 
a  threshing  machine.  The  family  occupy  a  tine 
large  house  which  Mr.  Ballard  erected  upon  his 
place  at  a  large  cost.  It  is  well  located,  command- 
ing a  charming  view  of  the  surrounding  country 
and  is  as  convenient  and  pleasant  as  intelligent 
arrangement  and  taste  can  make  it.  A  view  of 
this  beautiful  country  home  is  presented  on  another 
page. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ballard  are  the  parents  of  three 
children  The  eldest  child,  John  II.,  died  when  six 
and  a  half  years  old;  Mary  E.  became  the  wife  of 
Robert  Alfonl.  and  the  youngest  son.  Charles  W., 
is  a  student  in  Brown's  Business  College  of  Jack- 
sonville; he  is  a  bright  young  man  and  the  expec- 
tations of  his  friends  are  that  he  will  lie  a  central 
figure,  by  virtue  of  his  ability  and  adherence  to 
the  course  of  work  he  has  adopted,  in  whatever 
circle  he  casts  his  lot. 

The  original  of  this  sketch  favors  the  economic 
principles  and  theories  held  by  the  Republican 
party  and  casts  his  vote  with  them.  Although  a 
quiet,  unpretentious  man,  and  having  no  desire  for 
the  emoluments  of  office,  the  township  has  recog- 
nized his  judgment  and  worth  by  electing  him  to 
the  important  post  of  School  Director.  Mr.  Bal- 
lard's farm  is  a  model  of  neatness,  showing  the 
most  painstaking  care  of  every  detail  in  farm  life. 
He  has  good  buildings  which  are  kept  in  fine  re- 
pair and  the  implements  on  his  farm  are  those  hav- 
ing the  latest  improvements. 


<v35~ 


OSEPH  P.  HEBENSTREIT,  Superintendent 

of  the  Consolidated  Coal  Company's  Mines 
at  Staunton  and  Mt.  Olive,  including  shafts 
numbers  6,  7,  8  and  10,  has  occupied  his 
present  position  since  September  1.  1890,  and 
makes  his  home  in  Staunton,  where  he  has  resided 
almost  continuously  since  1876.  The  story  of  his 
life  is  as  follows:  He  was  born  at  Christmulhousen, 
Prussia,  June  29,  )84!».  and  is  a  son  of  Philip  J. 
Hebenstreit,  who  was  also  born  in  the  same  country 
and  learned  the  miller's  trade.     In   his  native  land 


PORTRAIT  AND  BlOG  RAPH1CAL  RECORD. 


713 


lie  married  Caihri  ia  Dietrick,  and  unto  Lbem  were 
horn  two  children,  Joseph  anil  William.  With 
his  family,  in  March,  1852,  the  father  sailed  from 
Bremen  and  after  a  long  and  tedious  voyage  of 
seven  weeks  landed  at  New  York  City,  whence  he 
made  his  way  to  Belleville.  III.  lie  there  engaged 
in  eoal  mining,  being  one  of  the  first  miners  of 
that  place  and  carried  on  the  business  until  1878, 
when  he  removed  to  Staunton  where  he  has  since 
lived  a  retired  life,  being  now  seventy  three  years 
of  age.  His  first  wife  died  in  Belleville,  the  same 
week  of  her  arrival,  her  death  being  caused  by 
cholera,  which  was  then  epidemic  throughout  the 
country.  Mr.  Ilebenstrcit  again  married,  his  wife 
who  died  some  years  later  in  Staunton,  leaving  five 
sons.  He  was  a  third  time  married  in  Staunton, 
his  last  union  being  with  Mrs.  Annie  Ring,  who  is 
still  living.  The  children  of  his  first  marriage  are 
Joseph  and  William,  the  latter  a  mechanic  of 
Staunton. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  only  three  years 
of  age  when  his  parents  came  to  the  United  Slates 
and  therefore  almost  his  entire  life  has  been  spent 
in  Illinois  where  he  grew  to  mature  years  and  was 
educated.  He  entered  upon  his  business  career  as 
a  miner  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years  and  his  long 
experience  has  therefore  ably  fitted  him  for  the  re- 
sponsible position  which  he  now  holds.  He  locat- 
ed in  Staunton  in  1876  but  afterward  spent  four 
years  as  a  professional  miner  of  coal  and  minerals 
in  Colorado.  He  is  now  Superintendent  of  some  of 
the  leading  mines  in  this  part  of  the  State.  Of  one 
in  particular.  No.  6,  he  has  been  in  charge  of  for 
many  years,  having  been  its  manager  when  it  was 
owned  by  Yoge  &  Seivers;  later  when  it  was  the 
property  of  the  Ellsworth  .Mining  Company  from 
1882  until  1887.  and  since  it  has  come  under  the 
control  of  the  Consolidated  Coal  Company  of  St. 
Louis.  T'n is  mine  is  the  most  productive  in  this 
region  and  the  output  in  188lJ  was  two  hundred 
thirty-five  thousand  tons,  and  in  1890 — two  hund- 
red eighty-live  thousand  three  hundred  and  eight 
tons  of  coal  the  largest  output  in  the  State  and 
Mt.  Olive,  No.  8.  with  an  output  of  two  hundred 
thirty  thousand  tons  ranks  the  third. 

In  Belleville,  111.,  Mr.  Hebenstreil  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Frances  Kiefer,   who    was   born  and 


reared  in  Randolph  County.  She  died  in  Staunton, 
January  5,  1881,  at  the  birth  of  triplets,  two  sons 
and  a  (laughter  who  died  in  infancy.  She  left 
three  sons  to  mourn  her  loss — Thomas  Gotleib,  an 
engineer  for  the  Consolidated  Coal  Company: 
Albert  .1.  and  Henry  E  .  who  are  yet  at  home.  The 
mother  was  then  twenty-six  years  of  age,  and  many 
friends  mourned  her  early  death.  Air  Ilebenslreit 
Was  again  married  in  Staunton,  his  second  union 
being  with  Mrs.  Mary  Carlton,  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri, who  in  that  State  became  the  wife  of  Joseph 
Carlton,  a  brakeman,  who  was  killed  in  a  railroad 
wreck  on  the  Iron  Mountain  Road  in  Missouri,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-six  years.  By  that  union  were 
born  two  sons,  Fred  and  Joe,  both  yet  living. 
Three  children  grace  the  second  marriage — Carrie, 
Robert  and   William. 

.Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hebenstreit  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
A  practical  and  skillful  miner,  he  occupies  a  re- 
sponsible position,  but  his  duties  have  never  been 
slighted  in  the  least.  He  has  the  entire  confidence 
of  his  employers  whom  he  has  served  since  1881, 
and  those  with  whom  social  relations  have  brought 
him    in  contact  also  hold  him  in  high    regard. 


r^\  EV.  JAVAN    GIBSON,  the    owner   of    the 
I  ^        farm    located    on  section  20,  North    Otter 


Township,  has  for  some  time  been  the  shep- 
herd of  the  little  flock  of  the  German  Bap- 
tist Church  at  West  Otter  Creek.  He  is  a  Southerner 
by  birth,  his  father  being  [sham  Gibson,  who  was 
born  in  Tennessee.  His  mother,  Elizabeth  (Gates) 
Gibson,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  They  early  re- 
moved to  this  State,  settling  in  Morgan  County  in 
1829,  where  they  lived  until  184(5,  and  then  r'e- 
moved  to  Macoupin  County,  where  they  lived 
until  1»71.  They  then  went  to  Bates  County,  Mo., 
where  they  died. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  twelve  children,  of  whom 
he  was  the  fourth  child.  He  was  born  in  Morgan 
County,  this  State.  March  5,  18.'S.">.  He  spent  his 
early  life  in  his  natal  place  until  he  reached  eleven 


714 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


years  of  ago,  and  then  with  his  parents  removed 
to  Macoupin  County,  where  the  years  were  spent 
until  he  reached  manhood.  Until  his  marriage  be 
made  his  home  in  his  father's  house,  after  which 
he  settled  in  North  Palmyra  Township. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Gibson  was  with  Miss 
Mary  Cumminga  and  the  bridal  ceremony  took 
place  March  13,  1866.  The  lady  was  a  daughter 
of  William  and  Julia  (Davis)  Cummings,  both  of 
Kentucky.  Her  father  died  in  Girard,  this  State; 
the  motherstill  survives.  Mrs.  Gibson  was  born  in 
Palmyra  Township  March  7,  1836.  She  presented 
her  husband  with  nine  children  who  are  named  as 
follows:  Julia  E.,  Amanda  J.,  Ida  A.,  Emlus  N., 
Sarah  B.,  Albert  Q.,  William  M.,  Lillian  M.,  and 
Oily  B.  The  oldest  child  and  daughter  is  the  wife 
of  Oscar  Carr;  the  second  daughter  married  J.  W. 
Crump;  Ida  A.  is  the  wife  of  Peter  Brubaker; 
Sarah  H.  died  in  infancy;  Lillian  M.  is  the  wife  of 
G.  W.  Wrightsman.  Mr.  Gibson's  first  wife  died 
in  North  Otter  Township,  April  2,  188!). 

Our  subject  again  married  in  Montgomery 
County,  this  State,  December  1,  1890.  His  bride 
was  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Studcbaker)  Leer,  daughter  of 
John  E.  and  Mary  (Neff)  Studebaker,  and  widow 
of  the  Rev.  Abraham  S.  Leer,  who  died  in  Christ- 
ian County,  this  Stale,  January  6,  1883.  The 
family  comprises  four  children  by  that  marriage. 
They  are  Asa  A.,  who  married  Leotha  Mertz;  John 
W.  married  Martha  E.  Shull ;  Elma  N.,  and  Laura  E. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Gibson  was  born  in  Elkhart 
County,  Ind.,  July  2,  1846.  Our  subject  has  taken 
a  deep  interest  in  educational  affairs  and  has  hcli 
various  offices  in  the  school  district.  He  is  also 
an  active  worker  in  the  church,  a  member  of  the 
German  Baptist  Church,  as  is  his  wife  and  family. 
He  has  always  been  engaged  in  agricultural  work 
and  now  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  acres 
in  North  Otter  Township.  With  Cue  exception  of 
some  eight  or  ten  months  Mr.  Gibson  has  always 
resided  in  Morgan  or  Macoupin  Counties.  In  that 
short  interval  he  lived  in  Jackson  County,  Mo. 
For  many  years  he  was  Deacon  in  the  church  and 
since  1874  has  been  a  preacher.  In  1883  he  was 
appointed  pastor  of  the  West  Otter  Creek  Church. 
Mrs.  Gibson's  first  husband,  the  Rev.  Abraham  S. 
Leer,  was  elected  to  the  ministry  in    1870  and  in 


August,  1876,  he  became  pastor  of  Bear  Creek 
Church  in  Christian  County,  and  was  thus  engaged 
at  the  time  of  his  death.  John  E.  Studebaker,  the 
father  of  Mrs.  Gibson,  was  for  a  long  time  Deacon 
in  the  German  Baptist  Church.  The  Rev.  Isham 
Gibson  was  an  Elder  in  the  church  from  182'J  until 
he  removed  to  Missouri  and  was  a  minister  for 
upwards  of  fifty  years. 

Our  subject  has  a  fine  place,  bearing  a  good  and 
commodious  dwelling.  His  family  are  genial, 
pleasant  people   who  are  much  liked   in   the  com- 


munity 


.«.;.»-. 


'IOIIN  A.  WALLACE.  The  original  of  this 
sketch  is  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty-two  acres  of  laud  located  on  section 
24,  North  Otter  Township.  He  is  a  native 
of  New  Hampshire,  having  there  passed  his  youth- 
ful days  and  there  remained  until  after  he  was 
twenty-two  years  old.  His  father  was  Amos 
Wallace  wiio  was  born  in  Franconia,  N.  II.;  his 
mother  was  Mary  (Ilildreth)  Wallace,  who  was 
born  in  Littleton,  N.  II.  They  settled  in  Little- 
ton and  there  remained  until  they  died.  The 
father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  doubtless 
found  his  time  fully  occupied  in  making  prolific 
the  rocky  ground  of  New  Hampshire.  One  can 
imagine  that  the  twelve  children  that  the  family 
boasted,  found  occupation  in  picking  up  the  stones 
on  the  farm  and  ranging  them  in  symmetrical' 
order  as  fencing. 

Our  subject  was  the  eleventh  child  and  was  born 
in  Littleton,  N.  H.,  November  8,  1835.  When  he 
had  leached  his  twenty-second  year  he  left  home 
and  came  to  Macoupin  Count}-,  where  he  has  ever 
since  been  a  resident  with  the  exception  of  about  a 
year  and  a  half  spent,  in  Sangamon  Count)-.  He 
has  always  followed  farming.  His  marriage  took 
place  October  2,  1861,  his  wife's  maiden  name 
being  Mary  II.  Smith,  a  daughter  of  Elisha  and 
Susan  A.  (Eaves)  Smith  of  whom  a  sketch  may  be 
found  under  the  name  of  Elisha  Smith  in  another 
portion  of  this  volume.  Their  marriage  took  place 
in  North  Otter  Township  at  the  residence  of  the 
bride's  father. 


UBKAKY 


;,k 


■    . 


JlXJlyUy-JL- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


They  are  the  parents  of  eight  children— Willie 
A.,  who  married  Mary  E.  Cable;  Edgar    E.,    who 

died  when  an  infant;  Jesse  E.,  wiio  married  Myrtic 
E.  Chaffin;  Lew  E.,  who  died  in  infancy;  Delia  A., 
Clara  A.,  Leslie,  all  of  whom  died  when  children. 
and  Glenna  P.  .Mrs.  Wallace  was  horn  in  North 
Otter  Township  November  14,  1840.  Oar  subject 
has  erected  a  series  of  buildings  on  his  place  which 
are  complete  in  every  way. 

Mr.  Wallace  iias  been  appointed  to  several  of- 
fices in  North  Otter  Township.  He  has  served  as 
School  Director  for  a  long  time.  In  his  political 
preference  he  is  a  Republican.  Our  subject  and 
his  wife  are  active  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  Socially,  Mr.  Wallace  is  an  Odd 
Fellow. 


tx  ANIEL  PERK1NE.     A  family  which    comes 
J/  of  a  good  and  noble  ancestry  in  the  genuine 

y^  sense  of  the  word  noble,  may  well  have 
cause  for  congratulation.  To  be  descended  from 
lords  and  dukes  it  is  not  necessary  to  come  of  no- 
ble blood,  but  to  he  the  descendants  of  genera- 
tions of  [Hire  lives  and  strict  integrity  is  to  have 
a  heritage  which  stands  one  well  in  the  struggles 
of  life.  Such  an  inheritance  has  Mr.  Perrine,  who 
is  a  successful  and  practical  farmer,  residing  on 
sections  13  and  14.  Rilyard  Township.  One  hun- 
dred and  eighteen  acres  of  his  farm  are  in  this  town- 
ship and  most  of  it  is  tinder  cultivation.  His 
homestead  of  ninety  acres  is  especially  fine,  beina' 
highly  improved  and  having  upon  it  handsome 
and  commodious  buildings. 

Since  he  came  to  this  place,  about  185ti,  Mr. 
Perrine  has  resided  continuously  upon  the  same 
estate.  The  year  previous  to  his  coming  here  he 
spent  in  Brushy  Mound  Township  and  passed  three 
years  in  Jersey  County.  He  was  reared  in  1'ick- 
away  County,  Ohio,  and  came  thence  to  Jersey 
County  earl}-  in  the  '50s.  He  had  his  nativity  in 
Monmouth  County,  N.  J.,  July  4,  1822.  His 
father,  William  Perrine,  and  his  grandfather, 
Matthew,  were  both  bom  in  that  county.  The 
grandfather  bad  reached  an  extreme  age  at  the 
time    of    his  death,  as  had  also  the  grandmother 


who  survived  her  husband.  He  was  a  soldier  in 
Mm  Revolutionary  War  during  the  last  year  of  that 
struggle. 

William  Perrine,  the  father  of  our  subject,  is  one 
Of  a  family  of  seven  Children,  who  have  all  passed 
to  the  spirit  land  except  the  youngest  daughter. 
He  grew  up  a  farmer  in  New  Jersey  and  there 
married  Miss  Rachel  Lippincott,  a  native  of  Mon- 
mouth County.  They  came  from  New  Jersej  to 
Ohio  after  their  marriage  and  the  birth  of  four 
children,  and  lived  in  the  Buckeye  State  for  some 
years.  The  mother  was  of  New  Jersey  parentage 
and  New  England  stock.  After  the  birth  of  all 
his  children  and  the  death  of  his  wife,  William 
Perrine  came  West  and  spent  his  last  years  with 
our  subject  in  Illinois.  lie  passed  away  at  the  age 
of  sixty-seven  years.  Both  he  and  his  amiable  wife 
were  persons  of  true  godliness  and  loveliness  ■  >(' 
character  and  were  worthy  of  the  universal  affection 
with  which  they  are  regarded.  They  are  members 
of  the  United   Brethren   Church. 

Daniel  Perrine  was  the  second  in  age  of  a  family 
of  seven,  three  of  whom  still  remain  in  this  life. 
After  being  reared  upon  the  farm  in  Hocking  and 
Pickaway  Counties.  Ohio,  and  having  attained 
manhood,  lie  was  married  in  Hocking  County  to 
Miss  Emily  Doyle.  This  lady  was  a  native  of 
Ohio  and  was  there  reared  in  Perry  County  and 
came  to  Illinois  with  her  husband.  She  died  ai  her 
home  in  this  township,  September  7.  1884,  having 
at  that  time  reached  the  age  of  fifty-live  years. 
Sln>  was  a  most  worthy  wife  and  mother  and  a  con- 
sistent and  beloved  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  with  which  she  had  been  con- 
nected from  the  time  she  was  sixteen  years  old. 
She  lost  two  of  Inr  twelve  children  before  her  own 
death,  but  the  others  lived  and  most  of  them  have 
established  families  of  their  own.  They  are  bring- 
ing up  their  children  to  reve.e  the  memory  of  the 
grandmother. 

The  two  children  who  did!  are  Alice,  who  was 
taken  away  when  a  little  one  of  three  years,  ami 
Elizabeth,  who  was  called  at  the  age  of  twenty. 
Those  children  who  are  still  here  are  John,  who 
took  to  wife  Elizabeth  Jones,  and  who  own-,  and 
occupies  a  farm  in  this  township;  William,  who 
married  Alice  Mitchell  and   lives  in  Morrison ville, 


718 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Christian  County,  this  State;  Ann,  the  widow  of 
William  Colter,  who  lives  on  a  farm  in  this  town- 
ship; Jane,  Mrs.  Charles  Hucklebridge,  who  lives 
(.n  a  farm  near  Wellington,  Sumner  County.  Kan.; 
Clara,  Mrs.  Edward  Huddleston,  who  lives  on  a 
farm  in  Spanish  Needle,  this  county;  Emma,  who 
is  at  home  with  her  father;  Dora,  the  wife  of 
Charles  Trabue,of  Alton;  Daniel  Edward,  Effie  and 
Katie,  who  are  at  home. 

Mr.  Perrine  was  a  second  time  married  in  this 
county  at  Carlinville  to  Mrs.  Mary  Barrett  nee 
Raynolds.  She  was  horn  in  Tennessee  and  in  her 
infancy  came  with  her  parents  to  Greene  County, 
111.,  where  she  was  reared.  She  married  Elijah 
Barrett,  who  enlisted  to  fight  in  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion  and  did  not  live  to  return  home.  Deleft 
to  her  a  family  of  eight  children,  but  she  has  no 
children  by  her  present  marriage.  The  Methodist 
Church  is  the  religious  home  of  this  valuable 
couple  whose  lives  of  Christian  charity  and  helpful- 
ness to  others,  endear  them  to  all  their  neighbors. 
Mr.  Perrine  advocates  the  principles  of  the  Repub- 
lican parly  and  casts  his  vote  for  its  men  and 
measures. 

A  lithographic  portrait  of  Mr.  Perrine  accom- 
panies this  biographical   review. 


|_     ENRY  J.  CALDWELL,  one  of  the  leading 

and  representative  farmers  of  Staunton 
Township,  resides  on  section  34.  where  he 
has  made  his  home  for  the  long  period  of 
thirty-seven  years.  His  residence  in  the  county 
covers  a  period  of  fifty-five  years,  and  thus  he  is 
one  of  its  earliest  settlers.  A  representative  of 
one  of  the  pioneer  families  he  well  deserves  repre- 
sentation in  this  volume.  His  father,  George 
Caldwell,  was  born  in  County  Tyrone,  Ireland, 
near  Belfast  in  1802,  and  was  of  Scotch-Irish  de- 
scent. He  grew  up  in  the  county  of  his  nativity 
and  was  there  joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Mary 
Johnson,  soon  after  which  they  sailed  for  America, 
crossing  the  Atlantic  about  1828.  They  took  up 
their  resilience  in  Philadelphia,  where  some  years 


before  an  older  brother  of  Mr.  Caldwell  had  lo- 
cated— Henry  by  name.  During  the  Jackson  ad- 
ministration he  was  officially  connected  with  the 
Custom  House  and  later  came  West,  making  his 
home  for  some  years  in  Staunton  Township,  this 
county,  where  he  became  a  prominent  citizen  and 
served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Postmaster  of 
S'aunlon  for  some  years.  He  met  his  death  by  a 
train  on  the  Wabash  Road  which  struck  him  while 
he  was  standing  near  the  station.  There  was  also 
another  brother  of  the  family  who  came  to  this 
country — Hugh.  He.  too,  served  for  a  number  of 
years  as  Postmaster  of  Staunton  and  is  now  living 
in  Missouri. 

After  spending  some  years  in  Philadelphia, 
George  Caldwell  and  his  family  finally  came  West, 
locating  in  1836,  on  land  which  his  brother  Henry 
had  previously  entered  from  the  Government.  He 
lived  to  see  almost  the  entire  growth  and  develop 
ment  of  the  county.  A  man  of  robust  health  and 
abundant  vitality  he  was  well  fitted  for  pioneer 
life  and  enjoyed  many  of  its  experiences.  When 
he  came  here  the  city  of  Staunton  was  a  mere 
hamlet  containing  only  two  or  three  houses  and  all 
around  was  wild,  unbroken  land.  The  nearest  mill 
and  market  was  at  Alton  and  it  was  no  easy  task 
during  some  seasons  of  the  year  to  make  the  jour- 
ney there  as  the  roads  were  almost  impassable.  The 
family  experienced  the  usual  trials  and  hardships 
of  pioneer  life  but  this  mode  of  living  also  had  its 
pleasures.  It  was  the  day  of  hospitality  which  is 
hardly  seen  now,  wheti  the  latch-string  always  hung 
out  and  every  visitor  was  made  welcome.  The 
woods  were  full  of  wild  game  which  bountifully 
supplied  the  table  with  meat  and  one  had  ample 
opportunity  to  indulge  a  love  of  hunting.  Mr. 
Caldwell  was  prospered  in  his  efforts  and  in  the 
course  of  time  he  had  become  owner  of  an  excel- 
lent farm.  His  death  occurred  at  the  home  of  our 
subject  July  6,  1887,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five 
years.  Thus  another  of  the  honored  and  early 
pioneers  passed  away  He  was  one  of  Nature's 
noblemen  whom  everyone  respected  and  esteemed 
for  bis  sterling  worth.  In  politics  he  was  a  Demo- 
crat  but  never  sought  or  desired  public  office.  Ilis 
wife  passed  away  in  1882,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five  years,  and  like  her  husband  she  was  a  member 


1'OKTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


710 


of  the  Presbyterian  Churcb.  Their  family  num- 
bered fix  children  but  only  two  ore  now  living: 
Henry  J.  of  this  sketch;  and  Lavina  P.  who  re- 
sides with  her  brother. 

(rider  the  parental  roof  and  amid  the  wild 
scenes  of  frontier  life  our  subject  grew  to  manhood 
and  in  the  log  school,  so  common  at  that  time,  he 
acquired  his  education.  He  was  earl}-  inured  to 
hard  work  but  thereby  developed  a  self-reliance 
and  force  of  character  which  have  proved  of  incal- 
culable benefit  to  him  in  later  years.  When  he 
had  attained  his  majority  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage near  Ilillsboro,  111,  with  Miss  Nancy  Griffith, 
who  was  born  in  Montgomery  County,  III.,  Septem- 
ber 6,  1832,  and  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Harriet 
(l'yalt)  Griffith,  the  former  a  native  of  Tennessee 
and  the  latter  of  North  Carolina.  During  child- 
hood they  came  witli  their  respective  families  to 
Illinois,  where  they  were  married  and  ever  after- 
ward continued  residents  of  Montgomery  County. 
The  mother  there  died  some  years  ago  but  Mr. 
Griffith  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  eighty-five 
years.  He  has  been  a  second  time  married,  his 
wife  having  formerly  been  Mrs.  (Skillman)  Bryan. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  and  has 
made  farming  his  life-work.  His  children  all  called 
in  on  March  27,  1890,  (except  John  Jr.,  of  Oklaho- 
mo)  and  gave  him  a  surprise  on  the  eighty-fourth 
year  of  his  age.  Mr.  Griffith  is  still  hale  and 
hearty  for  one  of  his  age. 

Mrs.  Caldwell  was  one  of  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, five  of  whom  are  yet  living.  .She  remained 
at  home  until  her  marriage  and  then  came  to  pre- 
side over  her  husband's  home  which  she  graces 
with  all  the  true  attributes  of  a  wife  and  mother. 
By  their  union  have  been  born  six  children  but 
four  are  now  deceased:  George  W.,  John  F.  and 
Mary  died  in  infancy;  and  George  B.  died  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  years.  Charles  E.,  who  married 
Miss  Lizzie  Yoyles,  is  living  on  the  old  home  farm; 
and  James  II.  assists  in  the  operation  of  the  old 
homestead.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Caldwell  are  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  in  politics  he  is  a 
Prohibitionist.  For  four  years  he  has  served  as 
Justice  of  the  Peace.  He  deserves  to  be  classed 
among  the  honored  pioneers  to  whom  we  owe  a 
debt  of  gratitude  for  the   part    which   they  have 


taken  in  the  upbuilding  and  development  of  the 
county.  He  has  ever  identified  himself  with  its 
best  interests  and  is  known  as  a  worthy  and  valued 
citizen  whose  life  entitles  him  to  the  regard  and 
esteem  of  all, 

-"* -sfMN- •»- 


UALLACE  II.  BRICK,  one  of  the  exten- 
sive  land  owners  and  prominent  farmeisof 
Staunton  Township,  has  in  his  home  farm 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  valuable  land. 
the  whole  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Us 
many  excellent  improvements  were  nearly  all 
placed  there  by  himself  and  stand  as  monuments  to 
his  ambition  and  industry.  The  farm  is  supplied 
with  good  buildings,  a  comfortable  and  substantial 
residence,  the  laLest  improved  machinery  and  is 
well  stocked.  There  is  not  the  minutest  appear- 
ance of  neglect,  but  every  thing  indicates  the  care- 
ful attention  of  a  thrifty  and  progressive  owner. 
He  also  has  a  valuable  farm  of  Iwo  hundred  and 
forty  acres  elsewhere  in  Staunton  Township  and 
has  other  possessions  to  the  amount,  of  thirteen 
hundred  acres  of  land,  the  greater  part  of  which 
is  well  tilled  and  yields  a  golden  tribute  to  the 
owner. 

Mr.  Bruce  was  born  in  County  Dare,  Ireland,  in 
1827,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  Bruce  who  belonged 
to  an  Irish  Protestant  family.  He  was  reared  in 
the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads  and  in  the  county 
of  his  nativity  led  to  the  marriage  altar  Miss  Ma- 
tilda Patters.  Accompanied  by  his  wife  and  sever- 
al of  their  children,  he  sailed  from  Belfast  in  1830, 
having  determined  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  New 
World.  Landing  in  New  York  City  after  a  long 
and  tedious  voyage  of  more  than  six  weeks,  he 
came  on  at  once  by  canal  and  river  to  Alton.  III., 
and  with  teams  overland  to  Macoupin  County.  He 
made  a  settlement  in  Staunton  Township,  near  the 
village  of  that  name  which  then  consisted  of  only 
one  store  and  a  few  houses.  His  time  and  attention 
he  devoted  to  farming  until  his  death,  which  was 
caused  by  pneumonia.  He  died  after  a  very  short 
illi.ess  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years  and  his  loss  was 
deeply    mourned    by    many    friends.     He  lived    a 


720 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


quiet,  unassuming  and  upright  life.  His  wife  who 
survived  him  for  more  than  twenty  years,  died  in 
Staunton  at  the  age  of  seventy.  Ilotli  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  were  active 
workers,  doing  all  in  their  power  foi  the  advance- 
ment of  the  cause. 

Our  subject  was  only  ten  years  of  age  when  his 
father  died  and  his  care  and  training  thus  devolved 
upon  the  mother  who  faithfully  performed  her 
duly,  laboring  for  the  interests  of  her  children 
until  they  were  old  enough  to  care  for  themselves. 
Not  wishing  to  tax  his  mother  with  his  support,  as 
soon  as  he  had  attained  a  sufficient  age.  Mr.  Bruce 
began  to  cam  his  own  livelihood,  working  as  a 
farm  hand  until  he  had  acquired  sufficient  capital 
to  purchase  land.  He  further  completed  his  ar- 
rangements for  a  home  by  his  marriage  with  Miss 
Eliza  Clark,  a  native  of  the  Emerald  Isle,  born  in 
1830.  With  her  parents  she  came  to  America  in 
1842,  and  spent  her  girlhood  days  upon  the  old 
homestead  farm.  Together  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bruce 
have  labored  and  her  able  assistance  has  been  no 
unimportant  fac'or  in  securing  his  success.  Their 
union  has  been  blessed  with  eleven  children  and 
the  family  circle  yet  remains  unbroken,  though 
some  have  married  and  left  the  parental  roof  for 
homes  of  their  own — Charles,  who  wedded  Jennie 
Sprecher,  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Clyde;  Thomas 
is  now  operating  bis  father's  farm  in  Madison 
County;  Lizzie  is  at  home;  Belle  is  the  wife  of 
.lames  Earley.  a  farmer  living  near  New  Douglas, 
Madison  County;  Walter  and  Kdward  aid  in 
operating  the  home  farm;  Agnes  is  a  dressmaker  of 
Staunton;  William,  Robert,  Callie  and  May  are  at 
home.  Mr.  Bruce  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  and  in  the  social  world  are 
held  in  high  regard.  Tboy  have  reared  a  large 
family  of  children  who  do  honor  to  their  name  and 
of  whom  they  may  well  be   proud. 

In  politics.  Mr.  Bruce  is  a  Democrat  and  keeps 
himself  well  informed  concerning  the  issues  of  the 
day  but  has  never  sought  or  desired  public  offic  \ 
preferring  to  devote  his  entire  attention  to  his  busi- 
ness interests  and  this  he  has  done  with  most  ex- 
cellent success.  He  is  not  only  industrious  and 
enterprising,  but  also  possesses  good  management, 
excellent  business  ability  and   is  sagacious  and  far- 


sighted.  As  his  financial  resources  have  increased, 
he  has  made  judicious  investments  in  real  estate 
and  as  the  land  has  risen  in  value  he  has  become  a 
wealthy  man. 

ssfe*;; 

GEORGE  il.  SEWALL,  editor  and  publisher 
of  the  Yirden  Reporter,  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing journalists  of  this  section  of  Illinois. 
He  is  a  fine  representative  of  the  intelligent  and 
progressive  native-born  citizens  of  this  county,  who 
may  be  found  in  the  various  walks  of  life  actively 
promoting  its  highlest  interests.  Yirden  is  the 
birthplace  of  our  subject,  anil  November  8,  1859. 
the  date  of  his  birth.  He  is  a  son  of  William 
W.  Sewall,  formerly  a  well-known  resident  of  this 
city. 

William  Sewall  is  also  a  native  of  this  State,  bom 
at  Jacksonville  February  11,1832.  His  father's 
name  was  William  Henry  Sewall.  who  was  born  at 
Augusta,  Me.,  June  17,  1799,  descending  from 
good  old  New  England  stock,  being  the  son  of 
Gen.  Henry  Sewall.  a  brave  officer  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, who  was  born  at  York,  Me..  October  24, 
17.V2,  and  at  about  the  age  of  twenty-three  years 
took  up  arms  for  his  country  at  the  very  commence- 
ment of  the  Revolutionary  VVar,and  was  appointed 
Corporal  of  David  Bradish  Company,  from  Fal- 
mouth, and  continuing  in  the  Colonial  Army  to  the 
close  of  the  war.  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  Major, 
part  of  the  time  acting  under  Washington  at  the 
North.  After  the  war  he  was  seven  years  a  Select- 
man, and  thirty-two  years  Town  Clerk  in  Hnllo- 
well  and  Augusta.  He  was  seventeen  years  Register 
of  Deeds  and  Clerk  of  the  District  of  Maine  from 
its  origin  in  1789.  lie  was  promoted  in  the  mili- 
tary service  of  his  State  through  the  subordinate 
grades  to  the  rank  of  Major-General  of  the  Eighth 
Division.  He  died  at  his  residence  in  Augusta, 
Me.,  September  5,  1845,  aged  about  ninety-throe 
years. 

The  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  both  a  teacher  and  a  farmer.  In  his  youth  he 
received  a  fair  education,  kept  his  father's  books 
for  several  years  with  success,  and  about  the  age  of 
twenty-one  went  to  Washington  to  accept  a  Gov- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD, 


eminent  position  which  he  bad  secured,  but  being 
shipwrecked  on  the  way  and  nearly  freezing  to 
death,  it  being  midwinter,  a  long  and  serious  ill- 
ness followed,  after  recovering  from  which  his 
plans  were  entirely  changed,  and  he  taught  school 
for  several  years  in  Maryland  and  Eastern  and 
Western  Virginia,  and  was  married  August  9, 
1820,  at  Green's  Hotel  in  Washington  City,  to  a 
widow  lady.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  W.  Adams,  of  Charles 
County,  Md„  Rev.  Mr.  McCormack  officiating. 
Mrs.  Adams  was  formerly  Miss  Middleton,  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  W.  and  Chatham  Middleton,  and  was 
horn  duly  27,  1795.  After  marriage  this  couple 
came  to  Illinois  and  settled  at  Jacksonville  in  1829, 
where  they  resided  two  or  three  years,  and  Mr.  Sew- 
all  again  taught  school.  They  were  present  at  the 
organization  of  the  first  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  place,  and  were  among  its  first  members.  In 
1833  they  removed  to  their  farm  of  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  entered  from  the  Government  near 
the  present  site  of  Chandlerville,  Cass  County,  111., 
then  part  of  Morgan  County.  Here  he  organized 
the  first  Sabbath  school  in  the  neighborhood,  helped 
organize  the  first  church  (Presbyterian),  and  was 
one  of  its  first  Elders.  He  laid  the  foundation  for 
a  competence  for  bis  family,  although  his  life  was 
cut  short  by  his  untimely  death,  April  7,  1846,  at 
the  age  of  forty-nine  years.  His  wife  spent  her 
last  days  with  her  daughter.  Mrs.  J.  II.  Goodell, 
near  Chandlerville,  and  died  there  October  5,  1872, 
aged  seventy-nine  years,  two  months  and  eight 
days. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  youth  when  his 
father  died,  and  he  continued  to  live  with  his 
mother  on  the  home  farm  for  a  time.  He  then 
went  to  Jacksonville  to  complete  his  education,  and 
was  graduated  from  Illinois  College  in  the  Class  of 
';">6.  Possessing  much  mechanical  skill,  he  learned 
the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  serving  his  apprenticeship 
at  Jacksonville.  He  came  from  there  to  Virden  in 
tiic  early  settlement  of  the  village,  and  in  the  exer 
cise  of  his  calling  was  an  important  agent  in  pro 
moling  its  growth. 

In  August,  18G2,  he  threw  aside  all  personal 
aims  and  private  business  to  help  light  his  country's 
battles  in  the  great  war  that  was  then  raging  be- 
tween the  North  and  the  South,  enlisting  in  August, 


721 


1862,  in  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty, 
second    Illinois  Infantry,  and    he    did  good   service 

witl1  ''is  c pany  in  all  its  marches  and  campaigns. 

While  bravely  lighting  at  Ft.  lilakcly,  he  was 
wounded.  His  gallant  conduct  in  the  various  en- 
gagements with  the  enemy  in  which  he  took  part 
received  due  recognition  by  his  promotion  from 
the  ranks  to  the  position  of  Sergeant,  and  he  was 
honorably  discharged  while  acting  in  that  capacity. 
After  leaving  the  army  Air.  Sewall  resumed  work 
at  his  trade  at  Virden,  and  was  thus  employed  until 
1  869.  In  that,  year  with  Simons.  Patterson  tfe  Co., 
he  erected  a  Hour  mill,  known  as  the  North  star 
Mill,. and  he  devoted  himself  to  the  manufacture  of 
flour  until  I  SSL  In  1885  he  went  to  Carthage, 
Mo.,  bought  a  tract  of  land  close  to  the  town,  and 
established  a  fruit  farm,  which  he  has  had  in  suc- 
cessful operation  ever  since.  He  was  married  De- 
cember !»,  1850,  to  Miss  Susan  E.  Cox,  a  native  of 
this  county,  born  in  North  Otter  Township,  and  a 
daughter  of  Jesse  and  Cynthia  (Gibson)  Cox.  For 
parental  history  see  sketch  of  William  Cox.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Sewall  have  four  children,  namely: 
George  H..  Mary  E.,  William  J.  and  Ilattie. 

Our  subject  was  reared  in  his  native  town,  and 
laid  the  solid  foundation  of  a  liberal  education  in 
the  local  public  schools.  In  his  youth  he  became 
a  student  at  Black  bui  n  University,  where  he  applied 
himself  assiduously  to  his  studies,  and  was  gradu- 
ated with  a  good  rank  for  scholarship  in  the  Class 
of  'S3.  He  was  thus  well  lilted  to  enter  upon  the 
duties  of  his  chosen  profession  as  a  journalist,  ami 
he  became  local  editor  of  the  Macoupin  Enquirer. 
Six  months  later  he  gave  up  that  position  to  take 
charge  of  the  Virden  Reporter,  of  which  he  has 
since  been  sole  editor  and  proprietor.  Under  his 
able  management  this  publication  Ins  risen  to  a 
place  of  importance  among  the  newspapers  of  this 
and  surrounding  counties.  It  is  issued  in  a  neat 
and  attractive  form,  is  bright  and  interesting,  and 
its  editorials  on  the  leading  questions  of  the  day  keep 
apace  with  the  times.  It  is  a  strict  Republican 
party  organ,  but  always  deals  fairly  with  its  oppo- 
nents, and  presents  their  views  on  national  ami  local 
polities  impartially. 

Editor  Sewall  is  a  popular  man  with  all   classes, 
and  he  is  prominent  in  various  social  organization,, 


722 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


He  belongs  to  Virden  Lodge,  No.  161,  A.  F.  &  A. 
M.;  is  a  member  of  the  James  R.  Freeman  Camp, 
No.  305,  S.  of  V.,  of  which  he  was  the  first  Captain. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  to  join  Logan.  Camp  at 
Carlinville,  whieli  was  among  the  first  organized 
in  Illinois.  He  is  also  Secretary  of  the  Masonic 
lodge. 

A.I.  P.  C.  HUGGINS,  of  Bunker  Hill,  is 
one  of  the  most  honored  of  Macoupin 
County's  pioneers  and  this  work  would  be 
incomplete  if  his  sketch  was  omitted.  No 
man  has  been  more  prominently  connected  with 
its  history  and  upbuilding  or  done  so  much  toward 
founding  its  leading  towns  as  he,  and  we  could  not, 
if  we  would,  efface  his  name  from  the  annals  of  the 
county. 

In  Cornish  Township.  Sullivan  County,  N.  H., 
the  Major  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  of  the  day 
February  28,  1814,  and  was  reared  to  manhood  in 
the  State  of  his  nativity.  He  received  a  good 
practical  education  in  the  common  schools  anil  his 
business  training  was  acquired  as  a  clerk,  in  which 
occupation  he  engaged  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years. 
He  came  West  a  single  man  and  after  two  years 
returned  to  New  Hampshire,  where  he  wedded  Miss 
Mary  L.  Whittelsey,  who  was  also  born  and  reared 
in  Sullivan  County.  The  wedding  journey  of  the 
young  couple  was  a  trip  to  their  new  home  in  the 
West  and  they  began  their  domestic  life  at  this 
place  where  Mrs.  Huggins  died  at  the  birth  of  her 
first  child,  which  is  also  deceased.  The  Major  was 
a  second  time  married  in  Bunker  Hill,  his  second 
union  being  with  Mrs.  Elizabeth  S.  Knowlton.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Woodard  and  she  is  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  where  she  grew  to  womanhood  and 
was  married  to  Samuel  Knowlton,  with  whom  she 
came  to  Macoupin  County  about  1836.  Her  first 
husband  died  on  his  farm  in  Bunker  Hill  Town- 
ship. Three  children  were  born  of  that  union — 
Albert,  now  living  ill  Newton,  Kan.;  Sarah,  wife  of 
D.  W.  Woodman,  a  lumber  merchant  of  Litchfield, 
now  living  a  retired  life;  and  Nellie,  wife  of  S.  O. 
Sawyer,  a  dealer  in  stationery,  of  St.  Louis.  Mr. 
Huggins  and  his  wife  have  two   children — Frank 


cretary 
d  Mary 


E.,  who  married  Laura  Spencer,  and  is  Secretary 
of  a  coal  company  in  Zanesville,  Ohio;  and  Mary 
E.,  wife  of  Henry  B.  Davis,  an  attorney  of  St 
Louis. 

On  the  main  traveled  road  between  St.  Louis  and 
Springfield,  111.,  more  than  a  half  a  century  ago 
was  a  little  village,  one  of  the  chief  stopping  places 
on  the  road.  It  was  in  a  thriving  condition  and 
gave  promise  of  future  growth.  Such  a  place  was 
likely  to  attract  the  attention  of  an  enterprising 
and  ambitious  young  man  who  wished  to  make  a 
successful  life.  Being  pleased  with  its  prospects, 
Maj.  Huggins  there  located  in  1838,  securing  a 
small  tract  of  land  upon  which  he  builta  cabin  and 
has  there  made  his  home  continuously  since,  al- 
though the  first  house  has  long  since  been  replaced 
by  a  commodious  residence  which  is  now  situated 
on  Main  Street,  in  the  heart  of  the  little  city.  Af- 
ter a  short  time  he  put  in  a  small  stock  of  general 
merchandise  and  began  to  sell  goods,  which  place 
of  business  was  the  first  permanent  one  of  the  kind 
in  Bunker  Hill.  Not  long  after  a  postoffice  was 
there  located,  called  Lincoln  and  a  Mr.  Phillips,  an 
old  Boston  gentleman,  was  made  Postmaster.  On 
his  death  the  Major  succeeded  him,  having  to  take 
the  office  first  as  bondsman  and  later  was  appointed 
the  regular  Postmaster  by  President  Polk,  although 
he  was  a  Whig.  He  held  the  office  for  some  years, 
during  the  time  when  high  rate  of  postage  was 
charged  on  all  mail  matter. 

The  usual  experiences  and  hardships  of  pioneer 
life  form  a  part  of  Mr.  Huggins'  history.  The 
country  around  about  Bunker  Hill  was  in  those 
days  all  wild  and  unsettled  and  game  of  all  kinds, 
including  prairie  chickens,  turkeys,  etc.,  was  to  be 
had  in  abundance.  However,  as  time  passed  set- 
tlements were  made  in  the  timber  or  along  the 
streams  mostly  east  and  south  of  Bunker  Hill,  which 
was  known  for  years  as  Wolf  Ridge,  from  the  fact 
that  a  den  of  wolves  was  there  found.  Wonderful 
are  the  changes  which  have  occurred  since  that 
time  and  the  transformation  which  has  been 
wrought.  To  the  early  settlers  is  due  a  debt  of 
gratitude  which  can  never  be  repaid  for  they  laid 
the  foundation  of  the  county's  prosperity.  Mr. 
Huggins  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
business  interests  of  Bunker  Hill  and  in  order  to 


PORTRAIT  AND  RIOORAPHICAL  RECORD. 


723 


make  it  a  business  center  he  established  a  castor- 
oil  mill,  the  first  in  the  county,  which  had  the  de- 
sired effect  of  bringing  people  into  the  town.  So 
well  did  his  enterprise  succeed  that  a  large  mill  of 
the  kind  Imilt  sonic  time  before  at  Edwardsville, 
found  in  him  n  competitor  who  was  drawing  much 
of  their  trade,  so  that  the  proprietors  sought  to  buy 
biro  out,  offering  him  a  large  profit  on  his  invest- 
ment. In  the  meantime,  by  an  accident,  he  had 
discovered  a  successful  process  for  purifying  the 
oil.  Snow  had  blown  into  his  kettles  and  he  found 
that  soft  water  was  the  needed  article.  Having 
concluded  his  sale  with  the  Edwardsville  firm  Mr. 
Huggins  launched  into  the  flouring-mill  business, 
establishing  what  was  known  as  the  Red  Mill  near 
Hunker  Hill.  It  was  the  first  one  in  successful  op- 
peration  in  the  county  and  drew  custom  for  more 
than  twenty  miles  around.  He  continued  to  ope- 
rate it  for  some  years  and  in  the  meantime  became 
interested  in  another  enterprise.  He  saw  that  the 
introduction  of  a  railroad  would  prove  of  immense 
benefit  to  Bunker  Hill  and  began  operations  to- 
wards securing  the  construction  of  the  Alton  & 
Terre  Haute  Road  through  this  place.  After  a  long 
and  hard  struggle  and  much  engineering  on  his 
part  the  road  was  secured  to  this  point  and  he  be- 
came one  of  its  first  directors,  a  position  which  he 
held  seven  years  and  during  that  time  he  located  a 
number  of  depots  and  laid  out  the  towns  of  Litch- 
field. Gillespie,  Pana  and  others.  The  history  of 
the  introduction  of  railroads  into  Illinois  is  famil- 
iar to  him.  The  schemes  and  intrigues  worked  by 
the  various  roads  became  known  to  him  and  he  de- 
serves great  credit  for  circumventing  these  and  se- 
curing the  road  to  Bunker  Hill. 

From  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party, 
Major  Huggins  has  been  one  of  its  supporters  and 
by  it  in  ISO!)  was  elected  to  the  county  judgeship, 
which  position  he  filled  during  the  '•courthouse 
fight."  He  had  many  intricate  questions  to  settle 
and  had  to  use  every  effort  to  prevent  further  in- 
trigues by  those  who  had  worked  up  the  great  tux 
imposition.  He  labored  hard  to  prevent  expenses 
being  heaped  up  upon  the  people  and  in  this  way 
made  some  bitter  enemies  but  at  the  same  time 
he  won  hosts  of  friends  by  his  efforts  and  sacrifices 
in  defense  of  the  rights  against  malicious  intrigues. 


His  ridings  were  always  wise  and  just  and  he  proved 
one  of  the  ablest  and  most  efficient  judges  which 
Macoupin  County  has  ever  had. 

Between  185;")  and  1860,  Maj.  Huggins  with  a 
number  of  olhersof  the  leading  citizens  of  Bunker 
Hill  determined  to  improve  the  educational  intci- 
ests  of  the  city  and  builded  "hat  has  since  been 
known  as  the  Bunker  Hill  Seminary,  he  becoming 
one  of  the  Trustees  and  President  of  the  school, 
which  has  bad  a  varied  experience  and  is  now  run 
as  a  private  school  under  the  direction  of  Prof. 
Stiver.  In  his  social  relations  the  Major  is  a  Mason 
and  a  deinitted  Odd  Fellow  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Congregational  Church  at 
Bunker  Hill,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  organizers 
and  of  which  he  is  a  liberal  supporter.  The  public 
and  private  life  of  Maj.  Huggins  is  alike  above  re 
proach  and  he  is  honored  as  one  of  the  pioneer 
fathers  of  the  county,  where  for  more  than  a  half  a 
century  he  has  made  his  home. 


(X^' 


"\  EORGE  DREW,  manufacturer  and  dealer 
in  harness  of  Bunker  Hill,  has  carried  on 
business  in  that  line  longer  than  any  other 
in  the  county.  He  is  a  native  of  England,  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  Stallbridge,  Blackmore 
Valley,  Dorsetshire,  March  2,  1828.  His  parents, 
John  and  Hannah  (Jeans)  Drew,  were  also  born  in 
Dorsetshire.  His  father  was  a  harnessmaker  by 
trade  and  followed  that  business  throughout  his 
entire  life  in  pursuit  of  fortune.  He  married  Miss 
Jeans,  whose  father  was  a  blacksmith  of  Dorset- 
shire. The  parents  of  our  subject  spent  their  en- 
tire lives  in  the  county  of  their  nativity,  the  father 
dying  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  and  the 
mother  when  seventy-two  years  of  age.  Both  were 
members  of  the  established  Church  of  England. 
In  their  family  were  twelve  children  of  whom 
George  is  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth.  He  has 
one  brother  and  a  sister,  who  came  to  this  country. 
The  former,  Martin  Drew,  came  to  America  anil 
after  living  for  two  years  in  Hunker  Hill,  went  to 
Minnesota,  where    he    spent    the    remainder   of    his 


724 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOG1U  PIIJCAL  RECORD. 


days.  The  sister.  Martha,  wife  of  Thomas  Sawyer, 
lived  for  a  time  in  Bunker  Hill,  and  then  with  her 
husband  went  to  Kansas  City  where  both  died. 

Our  subject  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and 
youth  in  the  parental  home  and  witli  his  father 
learned  the  trade  of  a  harnessmaker.  After  work- 
ing for  a  few  years  as  a  journeyman  he  decided  to 
try  his  fortune  in  America,  and  in  January,  1851, 
having  bade  good-by  to  home  and  native  land,  em- 
barked on  the  sailing  vessel,  "Cato"  bound  for 
New  Orleans,  but  during  the  voyage  the  ship  was 
stranded  on  the  Island  of  Little  Bermuda  in  the 
Atlantic.  The  passengers  were  carried  by  another 
vessel  to  Nassau  and  afterward  to  New  Orleans, 
from  whence  Mr  Drew  made  his  way  up  the  Mis- 
sissippi River  to  St.  Bom's  and  on  across  the  coun- 
try to  Hunker  Mill,  where  his  brother  Martin  had 
located  the  year  before.  He  at  once  established 
business  in  the  line  of  his  trade  and  for  forty  con- 
secutive years  has  now  carried  on  harnessmaking 
in  Bunker  Hill.  His  trade  increasing  he  has  at 
times  furnished  employment  to  several  persons. 
He  has  always  received  a  good  share  of  the  busi- 
ness of  Bunker  Hill  and  the  surrounding  country 
and  is  well  known  throughout  this  section  of  the 
State  as  a  straightforward,  honest  business  man, 
well  deserving  of  the  liberal  patronage  which  is 
accorded  him. 

Hi  the  city  where  he  makes  his  home,  Mr.  Drew 
was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Mrs.  Mary  .lames, 
widow  of  Joseph  James.  She  was  born  in  Hamil- 
ton in  the  Province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  in  1823, 
and  is  of  English  and  Scotch  descent.  Her  par- 
ents were  also  natives  of  the  Province  of  Ontario, 
where  they  spent  their  entire  lives.  The  daughter 
was  a  young  maiden  when  she  came  to  Bunker  Hill 
and  some  years  later  she  married  Mr.  James  by 
whom  she  had  two  children — Robert,  who  is  a  har- 
nessmaker of  Athens,  111  ;  and  Martha,  a  music 
teacher  of  recognized  ability  in  St.  Louis.  By 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Drew  have  been 
born  six  children — Frank,  now  a  student  in  col- 
lege at  Bloomington,  111.;  Fannie  at  home,  Edward 
who  is  now  located  in  Sacramento,  CaL;  Addie, 
wife  of  Eugene  Barnes,  a  resident  farmer  of  Bun- 
ker Hill  Township;  Mary,  wife  of  John  Ayers,  a 
hardware    dealer    of  Ft.  Smith,  Ark. ;  and    Charles 


who  is  employed  as  a  salesman  in  the  mercantile  es 
tablishment  of  Charles  Johnston  in  Decatur.  The 
Drew  household  is  noted  for  its  hospitality  and  the 
members  of  the  family  rank  high  in  the  social 
world.  Mr.  Drew  is  a  sound  Republican  in  polit- 
ical sentiment  and  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church. 


<M  fifclLLIAM  SURMAN,  a  resident  of  Carlin- 
\rJ//  ville,  was  born  in  Cannelton,  Perry  Coun- 
Vw  ty,  Iii'l.,  April  18,  1852.  His  father, 
Frederick  Surman,  was  born  in  Germany,  July  7, 
1809.  Here  he  was  reared  and  married.  He  re- 
ceived a  good  education  and  became  a  teacher, 
which  profession  he  pursued  in  his  native  land 
until  1850.  Then  accompanied  by  his  wife  and 
one  child  he  came  to  America.  He  located  in 
Perry  County,  Ind.,  and  there  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business.  In  18G7  he  removed  to  Car- 
linville,  and  resumed  teaching.  He  continued  to 
reside  here  until  his  death,  which  took  place  Jan- 
uary 31,  1881.  The  maiden  name  of  the  mother 
of  our  subject  was  Fredericka  Post.  Her  earl}' 
home  was  in  the  same  locality  as  that  of  hei  hus- 
band. Her  natal  day  was  October  28,  1806,  and 
she  died  in  Carlinville,  February  1.  1888.  She 
reared  and  trained  two  children.  Her  first-born, 
Frederick,  died  when  twenty-live  years  old.  Our 
subject,  the  only  surviving  child,  received  his  ed- 
ucation in  the  public  schools,  which  he  supple- 
mented by  attendance  upon  Blackburn  University. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  commenced  clerking  in 
a  dry-goods  store,  and  later  took  a  similar  position 
in  an  establishment  devoted  to  gentlemen's  fur- 
nishing goods.  He  thus  became  acquainted  with 
this  branch  of  business.  This  enabled  him  in  1875 
to  establish  a  business  of  his  own,  in  which  he  has 
been  very  successful.  He  has  a  large  and  well 
chosen  assortment  of  goods,  in  the  display  of  which 
he  exercises  great  taste. 

In  1880,  this  gentleman  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Paulina  Loehr,  who  was  born  in  Carlin- 
ville, a  daughter  of  John  C.  Loehr,  whose  sketch 
will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Six  children 


OBRARY 
Of  THE 


- 


% 


jtam*~ 


V^<_  ^Cp    tfksrx^UCs 


) 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


727 


have  been  granted  to  these  worthy  parents,  namely: 
Theodore  J..  Alpha  P.,  Hugo  E.,  Stella  T..  Will- 
iam P.  and  Earnest  F.  Mrs.  Surman  is  an  earnest 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  In  1890  Mr. 
Surman  erected  a  beautiful  residence  at  the 
corner  of  Last  Main  Street  and  College  Ave. 


£*& 


ffi  OHM  LEWIS  MORRELL.  The  portrait  on 
the  opposite  page  perpetuates  the  lineaments 
of  a  gentleman  who  has  been  a  resident  of 
i(igy'  Virden  Township  since  1851.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  Maine  and  was  born  at  Cornish,  York 
Count}',  that  State,  March  10,1813.  His  ancestors 
were  Quakers  and  among  the  early  settlers  of 
Maine.  His  great-grandfather,  grandfather  and 
father  all  bore  the  Scriptural  name  of  David,  and 
his  mother  in  her  maidenhood  was  known  as  Anna 
Ayers.  The  grandfather  was  a  farmer  and  spent 
his  last  days  in  Berwick,  Me., and  his  wife  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Lewis. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  farmer  and  lum- 
berman and  after  marriage  bought  a  farm  in  Cor- 
nish and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days. 
His  good  wife  was  born  in  Hiram,  Me.,  and  was  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Pike)  Ayers. 
As  the  family  home  was  in  the  lumbering  districts, 
schools  were  few,  and  the  father,  although  in  com- 
fortable circumstances,  could  scarcelj"  afford  to 
send  his  children  away  from  home  to  school.  For 
this  reason  John  obtained  his  education  mostly  by 
studying  at  night  with  his  older  brothers  as  in- 
structors. When  fourteen  years  old  he  was 
apprenticed  to  the  trade  of  tanner  and  currier. 
Soon  after  attaining  his  majority  he  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business  on  his  own  account,  getting 
out  lumber  at  a  sawmill  owned  by  other  parties,  at 
so  much  a  thousand.  He  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  West  offered  a  better  field  for  a  young 
man  of  enterprise  and  energy,  and  in  his  twenty- 
third  year  he  came  to  Illinois. 

Reaching  Alton  in  1835,  he  took  charge  of  a 
steam  sawmill  in  that  city,  but  after  a  few  weeks 
was  taken  ill  with  malarial  fever,  which  continued 
for  about  seven  months.     Before  his  entire  recovery 


he  began  to  teach,  and  in  the  spring  of  1836  he 
went  to  what  is  now  Jersey  County  and  taught  in 
the  vicinity  of  Otterville,  at  the  same  lime  under- 
taking the  charge  of  a  mill  and  a  farm. 

In  1837  John  L.  Morrell  and  Elizabeth  Beman 
were  united  in  marriage.  This  lady  is  now  one  of 
the  oldest  citizens  in  the  State  living  in  Macoupin 
County,  having  been  born  December  11,  1818,  the 
year  that  Illinois  was  admitted  as  a  State  into  the 
Union.  Her  parents,  Orman  and  Talitha  ( White) 
Beman,  were  natives  of  Connecticut  and  South 
Carolina  respectively.  Mr.  Beman  was  a  soldier  in 
the  War  of  1812  and  became  an  old  and  respected 
citizen  of  Jersey  County.  His  first  coming  to  Illi- 
nois was  in  1810  and  both  he  and  his  worthy  wife- 
died  in  Jersey  County. 

After  marriage  our  subject  entered  Government 
land  and  went  to  farming  near  Otterville  and  dur- 
ing the  summer  of  1837  he  carried  the  mail 
between  Alton  and  Gilead  in  Calhoun  County. 
This  business  was  by  no  means  easy  or  remunera- 
tive. There  were  hardly  any  roads  and  no  bridges 
and  he  was  obliged  to  go  on  horseback  and  cut  his 
way  through  the  woods;  swimming  the  swollen 
streams  was  one  of  his  frequent  adventures.  In 
his  hard  work  of  clearing  the  land  he  had  an  op- 
portunity of  exercising  his  inventive  genius  aid 
he  constructed  a  plow  which  was  a  decided  success 
in  '•grubbing"  brushy  and  timber  land. 

Having  accumulated  some  money  by  his  farming 
operations  in  Jersey  County,  he  determined  to  in- 
vest in  land  which  would  make  a  first-class  farm 
and  which  would  also  increase  more  rapidly  in 
value.  He  therefore  purchased  land  two  miles 
southeast  of  the  present  town  of  Virden,  near  the 
line  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  which  was 
then  in  process  of  construction.  The  following 
year,  1852,  saw  the  completion  of  tins  part  of  the 
railroad  and  property  rapidly  rose  in  value.  He 
had  previous  to  this  rise  invested  largely,  buying  a 
section  and  a  half  of  finely  located  land.  He 
learned  the  business  of  surveying  while  living  in 
Jersey  County  and  is  widely  and  favorably  known 
in  this  line  of  work,  yet  is  best  known  as  an  exten- 
sive farmer  and  landowner,  lie  has  about  two 
thousand  acres,  three  hundred  of  which  lie  in 
Macoupin  County.      He  has  a   large  farm  of  eight 


728 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Christian  County,  eighty 
acres  in  Montgomery  County  and  the  balance  lies 
in  Pawnee  County,  Kan.  At  the  time  he  located 
in  Virden  there  was  but  one  other  house  for  a  long 
distance  in  any  direction  from  his  home.  When- 
ever the  men  were  away  after  dark  Mrs.  Morrell 
placed  candles  in  all  the  windows,  and  these,  which 
could  be  seen  for  a  long  distance,  formed  a  sure 
guide  across  the  trackless  prairies. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morrell  have  five  children  living: 
Talitha  A.,  the  wife  of  R.  N.Terry,  of  Virden; 
D.  O.  Morrell,  M.  D.,  a  graduate  of  the  Missouri 
Medical  College,  now  living  retired  in  Virden; 
Mary  F.,  now  the  wife  of  Geo.  W.  Gilly;  Lydia 
Victoria,  now  the  wife  of  James  Allison,  living  in 
Fayette  County,  and  Harriet  B.  S.  the  wife  of 
George  M.  Wilson,  who  resides  in  Morrisonville, 
Christian  County.  This  family  has  a  noble  record 
as  regards  loyalty  and  adherence  to  principle. 
Being  brought  up  as  a  Ouaker,  Mr.  Morrell  had  a 
deep  and  conscientious  abhorrence  of  the  institution 
of  slavery  and  when  the  war  broke  out  he  encour- 
aged his  sons  to  help  put  down  the  rebellion  which 
had  originated  with  those  who  defended  slavery. 
His  eldest  son,  James  Henry,  enlisted  in  1861  in 
the  Eleventh  Missouri  Infantry.  He  took  part  in 
the  capture  of  Island  No.  10,  was  in  the  battle  at 
Corinth,  participated  in  the  assault  on  Vicksburg, 
and  several  oilier  important  engagements.  He 
died  in  camp  hospital  near  Vicksburg,  from  sick- 
ness caused  by  exposure.  The  son,  D.  O.,  enlisted 
in  May,  18G2,  and  served  throughout  the  war,  tak- 
ing part  in  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness  and  other 
important  engagements. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  traits  of  this  charac- 
ter which  we  are  trying  to  describe  is  the  indepen- 
dence with  which  this  honest  man  has  held  and 
advocated  his  own  views  without  regard  to  their 
unpopularity.  He  believes  thoroughly  that  "truth 
is  mighty  and  will  prevail,"  and  has  lived  to  see 
principles  which  once  he  supported  almost  alone 
receive  at  last  the  crown  of  popular  approval. 
During  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  he  made  several 
trips  into  the  South.  In  the  spring  of  1863  the 
train  was  captured  by  the  rebels  between  Memphis 
and  Corinth.  He  was  taken  prisoner  and  confined 
in  the  swamps  for  four  days;   he  was  then  paroled 


and  sent  back  into  the  Union  lines  at  Ft.  Pillow, 
whence  he  proceeded  to  Memphis.  The  next  day 
he  again  took  the  train  for  Corinth  and  disinterred 
the  remains  of  his  brother-in-law,  for  which  pur- 
pose he  had  made  this  perilous  journey,  and 
returned  home.  In  the  fall  of  1863  he  went  to 
Vicksburg  and  again  passed  through  perilous  ad- 
ventures, bringing  home  his  hat  with  a  bullet  hole 
through  it. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  has  accomplished  a 
great  deal  of  hard  work  without  serious  injury  to 
his  constitution  and  appears  to  possess  peculiar 
recuperative  powers.  The  loss  of  a  tooth  has  been 
followed  by  the  growth  of  another  in  its  place  and 
some  of  his  teeth  have  been  renewed  four  times  in 
succession.  Few  men  have  preserved  so  late  in 
life  the  appearance  of  youthful  vigor,  and  few  men 
deserve  higher  honor  than  John  L.  Morrell. 

^||OHN  GOSCH,  who  for  thirty-one  years  has 
engaged  in  the  boot  and  shoe  business  in 
Bunker  Hill,  was  born  in  Schleswig-Hol- 
'(f^jl  stein,  Germany,  March  16,  1844,  and  is  a 
son  of  Clause  and  Christiana  (Kolb)  Gosch.  They 
both  belonged  to  families  that  for  generations  had 
resided  in  Germany,  and  in  their  native  province 
buth  the  father  and  mother  lived  and  died,  the 
former  passing  away  at  the  age  of  seventy  years 
and  the  mother's  death  occurred  when  she  was  fifty 
years  of  age.  They  were  members  of  the  Lutheu- 
an  Church  and  were  worthy  and  respected  people. 
Their  family  numbered  ten  children,  eight  sons 
and  two  daughters,  seven  of  whom  grew  to  mature 
years  and  were  married,  while  four  brothers  still 
survive.  A  daughter  and  four  sons  came  to 
America.  Our  subject  was  the  first  to  cross  the 
ocean  and  several  years  later  the  others  of  the  fam- 
ily sought  homes  in  America.  One  brother, 
Thomas  A.,  is  now  a  resident  farmer  of  Bunker 
Hill  Township. 

John  Gosch,  when  a  youth,  learned  the  trade  of 
a  shoemaker  in  Harndurf,  a  little  village  near  his 
home,  and  afterward  worked  as  a  journeyman  for 
about  three  years.     With  the  hope  of  bettering  his 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


729 


financial  condition  he  resolved  to  emigrate  to 
America,  and  when,  on  the  7th  of  April,  1857,  the 
three-mast  American  sailing  vessel  "Onward,"  left 
the  harbor  of  Hamburg,  he  was  on  board.  The 
voyage  lasted  seven  weeks  and  at  length  the  ship 
droped  anchor  at  New  York.  From  that  city  Mr. 
Gosch  went  to  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  after  two 
weeks'  stay  continued  his  journey  to  Davenport, 
Iowa,  from  whence  he  came  to  Bunker  Hill  after 
two  years.  In  1861  he  led  to  the  marriage  altar 
Miss  Julia  Roettger,  daughter  of  Henry  Roottgcr. 
who  wiih  his  family  sailed  from  Hamburg  to  New 
Orleans  in  1857.  Coming  up  the  Mississippi 
River  they  halted  at  St.  Louis,  and  then  traveled 
across  the  country  to  Bunker  Hill,  where  the  par- 
ents spent  the  remainder  of  their  da3's,  Mr.  Roett- 
ger dying  at  the  age  of  seventy  and  his  wife  at 
the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  Mrs.  Gosch  was  born 
in  Braunschwig,  Germany,  March  16,  1834,  and 
reared  in  her  native  province.  She  bad  reached 
womanhood  when  with  the  family  she  came  to 
America,  and  a  few  years  later  her  marriage  was 
celebrated. 

Three  children  have  been  born  of  this  union  who 
are  yet  living  and  they  have  lost  three — Minnie, 
Julia  and  Henry,  all  of  whom  died  in  childhood. 
Herman,  is  now  assisting  his  father  in  his  business; 
Otto  is  engaged  in  business  in  Webb  City,  Mo., 
and  John  is  clerking  in  Huber's  store  in  Bunker 
Hill.  The  family  all  attend  the  Methodist  Church, 
of  which  Mrs.  Gosch  is  a  member.  Socially  Mr. 
Gosch  is  a  member  of  Encampment  No.  31,  and 
subordinate  lodge  No.  258,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Bunker 
Hill,  in  which  he  has  filled  all  the  chairs  and  is  now 
Treasurer  of  both  lodges.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  German  Lodge  of  Bunker  Hili,  the  Harrignri, 
No.  402,  and  has  filled  all  the  offices  in  that  order. 
In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Republican  who  does  all 
in  his  power  for  the  interest  and  success  of  the 
party,  and  has  been  honored  with  public  offices  of 
trust.  He  has  for  seven  years  served  as  Council- 
man of  Bunker  Hill,  and  for  one  term  filled  I  lie- 
position  of  Mayor. 

The  year  after  his  arrival  in  that  city  Mr.  Gosch 
established  business  as  a  manufacturer  of  boots  and 
shoes,  and  from  the  beginning  bad  an  excellent 
trade  which    constantly    increased.     Often    he  had 


as  many  as  seven  employees  working  under  him. 
In  1883  he  abandoned  this  branch  of  business  and 
established  his  present  boot  and  shoe  store,  located 
on  Warren  Street,  where  he  carries  a  full  and  com- 
plete stock  and  now  has  a  thriving  trade.  He  pos- 
sesses thrift  and  industry,  perseverance  and  good 
management — qualities  essential  to  success,  and  is 
accounted  a  wide  awake  and  successful  business 
man  and  a  public  spirited   citizen. 


* 


HARLESC.  RHOADS.  There  is  an  incli- 
nation in  our  country  of  recent  origin  to 
*J  found  an  aristocracy,  not  considering  indi- 
vidual advantages  and  power,  but  upon  the  fame 
attained  by  the  early  ancestors  of  a  few  families  res- 
ident in  the  East.  We  hope  that  the  sentiments  of 
right  minded  and  sensible  people  will  make  this 
attempt  abortive.  At  the  same  time  one  cannot 
help  taking  a  pride  in  the  fact  that  one's  ancestors 
have  taken  a  prominent  part  in  the  Colonial  strug- 
gles that  resulted  in  the  successful  establishment  of 
a  Republic,  the  like  of  which  has  never  been  known. 
Were  there  in  reality  a  blue  book  the  family  of 
our  subject  would  rank  high  therein,  for  several  of 
them  have  done  good  service  both  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  and  the  patriotic  War  of  1812. 

Charles  C.  Rhoads  who  resides  on  section  17, 
Shipman  Township,  is  the  son  of  Henry  Rhoads 
who  was  born  in  Grey  son  County,  Ky.  His  mother 
was  Mary  Cleaver,  who  was  born  in  Meade  County, 
the  same  state.  They  came  from  Greyson  County 
to  what  is  now  Jersey  County,  111.,  May  1830,  and 
after  living  there  for  about  one  year  the}'  removed 
to  Macoupin  County,  and  settled  in  Chesterfield 
Township,  where  the  mother's  death  occurred  in 
1835.  The  father  passed  away  in  Shipman  Town- 
ship, August  20,  1854. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  six  children,  being  the 
fourth  in  order  of  birth.  He  was  born  August 
11,  1824.  He  was  nearly  six  years  old  when  his 
parents  removed  to  Illinois  and  he  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Chesterlield  Township.  His  marriage  took 
place  in  Jersey  County,  March  15,  1846,  his  wife's 
maiden  name    being  Kineline  Darr.      After    a    mar- 


730 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ital  experience  of  twenty-six  years,  she  departed  this 
life  in  Shipman  Township,  September  15,  1872. 
Soon  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Rhoads  settled  on  the 
farm  where  he  now  lives  and  upon  which  he  has 
ever  since  been  a  resident. 

He  was  again  married  in  Jersey  County,  111.,  Oc- 
tober 9,  1873,  his  second  wife  being  Mrs.  Elinor 
Randolph,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Delilah 
(Waggoner)  McDou.  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  Madison  County,  III.,  and  the  latter  in  Vir- 
ginia. He  departed  life  in  Ottcrville,  Jersey  County, 
March  14,  1887.  The  second  Mrs.  Rhoads  was  the 
widow  of  Moore  Randolph  of  Jersey  County.  Her 
first  husband  died  in  the  same  county  near  Delhi, 
July  4,  1858.  She  had  one  daughter  by  that  mar- 
riage, whose  name  is  Eva.  This  lady  is  now  the 
wife  of  Joseph  Blackstock.  Mrs.  Elinor  Rhoads 
was  bora  in  Jersey  County,  May  30,  1835.  Two 
children  are  the  fruit  of  this  union,  their  names 
being  respectively  Delia  C.  and  Bernie. 

The  original  of  this  sketch  has  always  been  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  life  and  at  the  present  time  is 
proprietor  of  a  fine  farm  comprising  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  which  he  has  brought  up  from  a 
raw  state  to  one  of  high  cultivation.  His  home  is 
a  good  brick  house,  commanding  a  delightful  pros- 
pect of  the  surrounding  country  with  every  con- 
venience and  many  elegancies  that  make  life  pleas- 
ant. He  has  made  many  valuable  improvements 
on  his  farm,  and  altogether  it  is  one  of  the  best  in 
the  township. 

Various  oltices  have  been  conferred  upon  our 
subject  by  virtue  of  his  known  loyalty  to  true 
Governmental  principles  and  because  of  his  high 
reputation  for  honor  and  integrity.  He  filled  the 
office  of  Constable  for  one  term  and  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  one  term.  He  has  ever  taken  an  active 
part  in  political  affairs,  casting  the  weight  of  his 
influence  and  vote  with  the  Republican  party.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Rhoads  and  daughters  are  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church  of  which  body  our  subject  has  been 
a  Trustee  for  nearly  forty  years. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  Mr.  Rhoads  was  Ja- 
coh  Rhoads,  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
He  acted  as  a  spy  at  that  time  for  the  Colonists.and 
as  a  return  for  the  risk  that  he  ran  and  the  dangers 
that    threatened    his    life    at   every    turn     he    was 


awarded  seven  thousand  acres  of  land  by  the  Gov- 
ernment. Our  subject's  father  served  as  a  soldier 
in  the  War  of  1812,  and  has  left  behind  him  an  en- 
viable record  that  is  precious  to  his  son  of  bravery 
and  loyalty  to  the  principles  involved  in  the 
struggle. 

eAPT.  JAMES  S.  CHILES.  Macoupin 
County  was  well  represented  in  the  Union 
Army  during  the  late  war.  and  Capt.  James 
S.  Chiles,  a  well-known  farmer  and  stock-dealer  of 
South  Palmyra  Township,  is  one  of  her  loyal  and 
intrepid  citizens  that  she  sent  to  the  front  to  de- 
fend the  old  flag.  And  on  many  a  holly  contested 
Southern  battlefield  he  won  a  noble  record  for  valor 
and  efficiency  that  raised  him  from  the  ranks  to  be 
one  of  the  leading  officers  of  his  regiment. 

Capt.  Chiles  was  born  in  Smith  County,  Tenn. 
August  10,  1822,  a  son  of  John  G.  Chiles,  who 
was  a  native  of  Orange  County,  Va.  He  in  turn 
was  a  son  of  James  Chiles.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject learned  the  trade  of  a  wagon-maker  in  his  na- 
tive State.  After  marriage  he  went  to  Tennessee,- 
and  two  years  later  removed  thence  to  Todd  County. 
Ky.,  where  he  manufactured  wagons,  and  also  en- 
gaged in  farming.  In  1833,  with  his  wife  and  seven: 
children,  he  migrated  to  Illinois,  making  the  jour- 
ney with  a  wagon,  to  which  were  attached  a  yoke 
of  oxen  and  a  pair  of  horses  in  the  lead.  After 
three  weeks  of  travel  he  arrived  in  Madison 
County,  and  after  staying  there  a  few  weeks,  he 
came  to  this  county  the  last  of  November.  He 
entered  Government  land,  and  in  the  busy  years 
that  followed  developed  a  fine  farm.  His  death  in 
the  home  that  he  thus  made  for  himself  and  family 
removed  a  most  worthy  pioneer  who  had  con- 
tributed his  quota  to  the  upbuilding  of  this  section 
of  the  State.  In  early  manhood  he  had  married 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth 
(Smithson)  Wills,  a  native  of  Fluvanna  County, 
Va.     They  had  eight  children. 

Our  subject  remembers  well  the  incidents  of 
pioneer  life  after  he  came  to  this  county  with  his 
father  and  mother  when  he    was   a   lad    of   eleven 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


731 


years.  At  that  time  there  were  hut  few  settlers  in 
all  this  legion,  whi-jli  was  still  in  its  primeval  con- 
dition, except  where  the  pioneers  had  begun  to 
eliminate  farms  nod  build  up  homes  in  the  wilder- 
ness. The  greater  part  of  the  land  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  Government  and  for  sale  at  $1.25 
an  acre.  There  were  no  railways  here  for  years, 
anil  our  subject  had  to  take  grain  to  Alton  for  his 
father  with  a  team,  that  being  the  nearest  market. 
It  took  six  days  to  make  the  round  trip  with  oxen, 
anil  he  used  to  take  his  food  with  him  and  catup  on 
the  way  at  noon  and  nightfall.  The  schools  that 
he  attended  were  of  the  old  fashioned  pioneer  type, 
taught  in  a  log  house,  furnished  with  rude  seats 
made  by  splitting  logs  and  hewing  one  side  smooth, 
wooden  pins  serving  as  supports.  A  log  was  cut 
out  the  entire  length  of  the  building  to  admit  the 
light,  and  the  room  was  heated  by  a  fire  in  an  open 
fireplace. 

Capt.  Chiles  resided  with  his  parents  until  he  was 
twenty-three  years  old.  At  that  age  he  went  to 
Selman's  Island  and  started  a  woodyard  to  supply 
steamers  with  fuel.  He  managed  it  successfully 
two  years,  and  then  high  water  swept  everything 
away.  Returning  to  Macoupin  County  -after  that 
disastrous  ending  to  his  enterprise,  he  engaged  in 
breaking  prairie  until  after  his  marriage,  when  he 
turned  his  attention  to  farming  and  stock-dealing, 
making  St.  Louis  his  market.  He  was  actively  en- 
gaged in  that  business  when  the  war  broke  out, 
and  in  1862  he  abandoned  it  to  take  up  arms  in 
defense  of  the  Union,  enlisting  in  Company  F, 
One  Hundred  and  Twenty-second  Illinois  Infantry. 
He  was  at  oi.ee  commissioned  First  Lieutenant  of 
his  company,  and  later  his  coolness  and  daring  in 
battle  and  his  acknowledged  efficiency  as  an  officer 
received  further  recognition  by  his  promotion  to 
the  rank  of  Captain.  He  served  with  his  regiment 
in  all  its  marches,  campaigns  and  battles  until  at 
last  the  dreadful  conflict  was  brought  to  an  end, 
and  his  gallant  conduct;  during  those  long  ami  try- 
ing years  reflected  credit  on  the  military  of  his 
State.  He  was  honorably  discharged  from  the 
army  in  July,  1865,  and  returning  home,  quietly 
resumed  his  business  as  a  farmer  and  dealer  in 
stock,  and  has  ever  since  carried  it  on  profitably. 
He  is  honored  and  esteemed   throughout  the   com- 


munity for  those  fine  traits  of  character  that  have 
made  him  loyal  in  his  citizenship,  manly  and 
straightforward  in  his  conduct,  and  true  to  his 
friends  and  associates.  He  is  a  member  in  high 
standing  of  Chiles  Post.  No.  278,  O.'A.  R. 

Capt.  Chiles  has  been  twice  married,  his  first 
marriage  taking  place  November  2.  1845,  on  which 
date  he  was  wedded  to  Miss  Amelia  J.  McMullen, 
a  native  of  Shelby  Count}',  Ky.,  and  a  daughter  of 
Angus  and  Jane  (  Richardson)  McMullen,  natives 
of  Kentucky.  For  more  than  thirty  years  our  sub- 
ject and  ihe  companion  of  his  early  manhood  passed 
life  together  and  then  were  separated  by  her  death 
April  17,1877.  There  are  eight  children  of  that 
marriage  living,  Georgia,  John,  Thomas,  Lincoln, 
William,  Florence,  Cady  M.  and  Samuel.  Decem- 
ber 2,  1879,  the  Captain  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Mrs.  Nancy  (  Ridgeway )  Searcy,  who  has  made 
him  a  devoted  wife.  Mrs.  Chiles  is  a  native  of 
Boone  County,  Mo.,  and  a  daughter  of  John  I),  and 
Sophia  Ridgeway.  See  sketch  of  J.  B.  Searcy  for 
further  information. 


-^ 


ffiACOB  T.  JOHNSON,  who  resides  on  sec 
tion  26,  Staunton  Township,  is  one  of  the 
worthy  German  settlers  of  this  county.  The 
people  of  his  nationality  have  been  mainly 
instrumental  in  upbuilding  and  developing  the 
southern  part  of  the  county,  and  in  this  work  he 
borne  no  inconsiderable  part,  especially  has  he 
been  identified  with  the  agricultural  interests.  As 
he  is  widely  and  favorably  known,  we  feel  assured 
that  his  sketch  will  prove  of  interest  to  many  of 
our  readers. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  horn  in  East  Friesland,  in  the 
Kingdom  of  Hanover,  Germany,  February  1,  18:53 
and  is  a  son  of  Tonjas  Johnson,  who  was  born  in 
the  same  locality  and  grew  to  manhood  as  a  farmer. 
He  was  married  in  Hanover  to  Fredrica  Reiners, 
and  eight  children  were  born  unto  them,  her  death 
occurring  at  the  age  of  thirty -eight  years.  Our  sub- 
ject was  about  ten  years  old  at  that  time.  The 
father  with  five  of  the  children  later  bade  good-by 
to  their  old  home   and   on    the    15lh  of  September, 


732 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1848  sailed  from  Bremen  on  the  vessel  '■  New 
Orleans",  which  reached  the  city  of  that  name 
after  a  voyage  of  nine  weeks.  When  another  week 
had  passed  away  they  had  reached  St.  Lonis,  from 
whence  they  went  to  Alton  and  the  spring  of  185!) 
witnessed  their  arrival  in  Staunton  Township, 
Macoupin  County,  where  Mr.  Johnson,  the  father 
purchased  forty  acres  of  land  and  began  fanning. 
He  spent  his  last  days  under  the  roof  of  our  sub- 
ject, his  death  occurring  in  1875,  at  the  age  of 
eighty  years.  He  and  his  wife  were  life  long 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

The  education  of  our  subject  was  acquired  in  his 
native  land  where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  then 
accompanied  his  father  to  this  country.  Fanning 
has  been  his,  life  work  and  his  first  purchase  of  land 
consisted  of  forty  acres  on  section  26,  Staunton 
Township.  The  boundaries  of  that  farm  have  since 
been  extended  until  it  comprises  three  hundred 
and  forty  acres  and  in  addition  to  this  he  also  owes 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  highly  improved 
land  on  section  23,  eighty  acres  of  limber  and  two 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  arable  land  in  Mont- 
gomery County.  The  last  is  a  good  farm,  highly 
cultivated  and  supplied  with  all  necessary  improve- 
ments and  buildings.  The  home  farm  of  Mr. 
Johnson  is  accounted  one  of  the  best  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  county.  lie  has  a  pleasant,  sub- 
stantial and  tasty  residence,  in  the  rear  of  which 
may  be  seen  barns  and  other  outbuildings  for  the 
care  of  his  stock  while  the  eye  can  gaze  abroad  over 
beautiful  fields  of  grain. 

Mrs.  Johnson,  the  honored  wile  our  subject,  was 
in  her  maidenhood  Miss  Margaret  Eekhoff  and 
their  union  was  celebrated  in  Staunton  Township. 
A  native  of  the  Kingdom  of  Hanover,  she  was  born 
April  17,  1838.  Her  parents  spent  their  enti re- 
lives in  their  native  province  and  both  died  at  an 
advanced  age.  They  were  members  of  the  Luther- 
an Church.  Mrs.  Johnson  was  about  twenty  years 
old  when  she  came  with  an  uncle  to  this  country 
and  i".  Macoupin  County  she  met  and  married  her 
husband.  They  are  worthy  and  respected  citizeos 
of  the  community  who  figure  prominently  in  social 
circles  and  both  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  to  the  support  of  which  they  contribute 
liberally  of  their  means.     Mr,  Johnson  and  his  sons 


vote  with  the  Republican  party,  of  which  he  is  a 
stalwart  advocate  and  for  many  years  he  has  served 
as  Commissioner  of  Highways.  The  household 
once  numbered  the  parents  and  ten  children  but 
two  are  now  deceased,  John  and  Margaret,  and 
others  have  left  the  parental  roof  for  homes  of  their 
own.  Sophia,  the  eldest  living,  is  now  the  wife  of 
I.  Endlemann,  who  resides  on  a  farm  near  Ray- 
mond, Montgomery  County;  Meta  is  the  wife  of 
William  Kgelhoff,  a  farmer  of  the  same,  locality ; 
Henry  assists  in  operating  the  home  farm;  Lena 
wedded  Otto  Adams,  an  agriculturist,  living  near 
Bunker  Hill;  John,  Gesena,  Albert  and  Emma  are 
at  home. 


HARLES  A.  WOOLLEY,  an  extensive  far- 
mer and  stock-iaiser  of  North  Otter  Town- 
V_/  &hip,  'low  residing  in  Girard,  was  born  on 
a  farm  eight  miles  west  of  Carrolton,  Bluffdale 
Township,  Greene  County,  this  State,  May  9, 
1835.  His  father,  David  Woolley,  was  born  in 
Washington  County,  N.  Y.,  and  his  grandfather. 
Tilton  Woolley,  spent  his  entire  life  in  New  York 
state.  The  grandmother's  maiden  name  was  Slo- 
cum. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  in  his  na- 
tive county,  and  there  married  and  resided  until 
1822,  when  he  came  to  Illinois.  There  were  no 
railroads  or  canals  in  that  early  day,  and  they  came 
by  the  most  convenient  and  expeditious  route — by 
way  of  team  to  Olean  Point,  hence  by  the  Alle- 
ghany and  Ohio  Rivers  to  Shawneetown,  111.  He 
resided  in  Hamilton  Count}',  this  State,  for  one 
one  year  and  then  removed  to  Morgan  County. 
At  that  time  Jacksonville  boasted  of  but  a  few 
straggling  houses  and  Springfield  was  unheard  of. 
He  bought  a  tract  of  land  near  Jacksonville  and 
lived  there  for  a  few  months.  He  then  sold  out 
and  removed  to  Greene  County,  purchasing  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  what  is  now  Bluffdale  Township. 
He  made  a  fine  bargain  in  purchasing  this  land. 
The  man  who  owned  it  had  got  himself  into  trouble 
and  a  fine  of  $1<;0  hung  over  his  head.  He  told 
Mr.  Woolley  that  if  he  would  furnish  the  money 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


733 


with  which  to  pay  his  fine  he  might  have  the  land. 
He  purchased  Illinois  scrip,  which  >vas  then  selling 
at  fifty  cents  on  the  dollar,  and  thus  secured 
eighty  acres  of  land  for  *50  cash. 

A  log  house  was  on  the  place  when  Mr.  Woolley 
took  it  and  into  this  he  moved  his  family.  Later 
he  entered  four  hundred  acres  of  Government 
land  in  the  same  township,  hut  there  were  then 
no  railroads  and  none  came  through  that  region 
for  many  years.  Markets  for  grain  and  produce 
were  inaccessible.  He  used  to  take  the  products 
of  his  farm  to  the  river  three  miles  distant  and 
ship  it  on  flatlioats  to  Alton  or  New  Orleans.  He 
remained  a  resident  of  that  township  until  his 
death. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  bore  the  maiden  of 
Laura  Hodge.  She  was  born  in  Connecticut.  She 
survived  her  husband  and  the  last  years  of  her 
life  were  spent  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  A.  H.  Eld- 
red,  in  Polk  Township.  She  reared  to  maturity 
nine  of  her  twelve  children.  They  are  named  as 
follows:  John  IL.  now  deceased;  James  R.,  a  resi- 
dent of  Western  Mound  Township;  Norman  C. 
and  Edwin,  who  reside  in  Greenfield;  Emeline, 
who  married  E.  B.  Eldred  and  is  now  deceased; 
Maria,  who  was  the  wife  of  W.  II.  Ellis,  of  Greene 
County,  is  now  deceased;  Laura,  Mrs.  A.  H.  El- 
dred, who  resides  in  Polk  Township;  and  Julia, 
the  wife  of  John  Ernst,  of  Western  Mound  Town- 
ship. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  trained  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits  and  attended  the  public  schools, 
which  were  then  taught  on  the  subscription  plan, 
free  schools  not  being  yet  inaugurated.  They  did 
not  come  into  general  use  until  this  \oung  man 
was  nearly  grown  up.  He  resided  with  his  parents 
until  he  had  attuned  his  majority,  and  after  the 
death  of  his  father  bought  the  old  homestead  and 
resided  there  until  1865.  He  then  sold  his  prop- 
erty and  purchased  a  farm  in  Carliuville  Town- 
ship. There  he  made  his  borne  until  the  fall  of 
1867,  when  he  sold  out  and  purchased  ten  acres  of 
land  in  the  city,  which  is  now  known  as  C.  A. 
Woolley's  Addition  to  Carlinville.  He  platted  the 
land  and  in  February,  1868,  traded  it  for  his 
father-in-law's  homestead  in  North  Otter  Township, 
there  resided  continuously   until    1882,    when    he 


purchased  his  present  home  in  Girard.  Although 
a  resident  of  the  city,  he  still  superintends  the 
management  of  his  farm,  where  he  is  extensively 
engaged  in  raising  horses,  cattle,  etc.  I  his  farm 
of  three  hundred  and  lift)-  acres  i3  mostly  in  a 
finely  improved  condition  and  furnished  with  good 
buildings  and  all  necessary  accessories  for  farm 
work. 

In  1858  Mr.  Woolley  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Eunice  M.  Langley.  She  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  and  is  a  daughter  of  James  and  Jane 
(Weston)  Langley.  Four  children  have  blessed 
the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woolley,  namely:  Delia, 
wife  of  William  M.  Evans;  Mae,  James  D.  and 
Dale.  Mr.  Woolley  is  a  wide-awake  citizen  and 
one  who  takes  hold  with  energy  of  all  movements 
for  the  promotion  of  progress  and  prosperity  in  the 
county.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  but  is  not 
a  seeker  for  office.  He  is  a  member  of  Hiawatha 
Lodge,  K.  of  P.,  and  a  stockholder  in  the  Ma- 
coupin County  Agricultural  Board.  He  is  an  ac- 
tive promoter  of  all  movements  which  tend  to  the 
prosperity  of  the  farming  community,  and  de 
serves  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  the 
neighbors.  Mr.  Woolley  is  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  in  connection  with  overseeing  his  farm. 
His  office  and  lumber  yard  are  located  just  south 
of  the  Public  Square,  where  he  keeps  a  full  and 
complete  stock  of  lumber,  lime,  cement,  buggies 
and  wagons. 


/p^EORGE  MORRL 
ml  g_  and  efficient  far 
'^J^l   Township,  is  a  so 


^^jEORGE  MORRIS,  one  of  the  prosperous 
irmers  on  section  1,  Bird 
son  of  English  parents,  Char- 
les and  Maria  Morris,  who  came  from  Yorkshire 
where  they  were  married,  and  made  their  home  in 
America  about  Uie  year  1851.  They  established 
their  first  home  in  Morgan  County,  III.,  and  then 
came  to  Macoupin  County  and  settled  in  Carlin- 
ville Township,  where  Mr.  Morris  died  in  1*7*. 
His  worthy  wife  is  still  living  and  makes  her  home 
with  her  children.  They  have  ten  children  of  whom 
our  subject  was  the  seventh  in  order  of  birth. 
He  of  •whom  we  write  was  born  in  Carlinville 


734 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Township,  September  12.  1860.  He  grew  to  man- 
hood upon  his  father's  farm  in  Carlinville  Town- 
ship, and  attended  the  district  school  and  was 
trained  in  the  practical  details  of  farm  life.  He 
early  determined  to  pursue  agriculture  as  bis  life 
work,  and  now  owns  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
two  hundred  and  forty  of  which  are  in  Bird  Town- 
ship, and  eighty  acres  in  North  Palmyra  Township. 
Here  lie  has  erected  a  pleasant  residence,  capacious 
barns  and  other  outbuildings  necessary  to  a  farm, 
and  he  gives  his  attention  wholly  to  farming  and 
stock-raising. 

The  late  Charles  Morris  was  an  extensive  farmer 
in  this  county  and  owned  about  seven  hundred 
acres  of  rich  and  arable  soil  in  Bird  and  Carlinville 
Townships.  He  and  his  worthy  wife  had  five 
children  who  lived  to  maturity.  They  were  by- 
name, William.  Mary  A..  George,  Harriet  and  Sarah. 
William  married  Charlotte  Yard  and  died  in  Car- 
linville Township;  Mary  A.,  has  also  passed  away 
from  earth;  Harriet  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Pierson ; 
and  Sarah  is  now  Mrs.  Harry  Brown. 

The  prosperous  condition  of  Mr.  Morris'  farm, 
the  fine  appearance  of  the  farm  buildings,  and  the 
neatness  and  convenience  of  their  internal  arrange- 
n-.ents  tell  the  story  of  English  thrift  and  industry, 
broadened  by  the  influence  of  Western  life. 


/p^EORGE  JACKSON,  who  was  formerly  act- 
lll  (~ — ,  ively  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising, 
^^S|  is  still  connected  with  the  agricultural  in- 
terests of  this  county  as  the  proprietor  of  one  of 
its  finely  improved  farms,  pleasantly  located  in 
Chesterfield  Township.  There  he  and  his  wife  are 
serenely  and  happily  passing  the  declining  years  of 
lives  spent  in  usefulness  and  well-doing,  enjoying 
an  ample  income  and  the  respect  and  regaid  due 
to  their  genuine  worth. 

Mr.  Jackson  is  of  English  birth  and  antecedents, 
born  in  the  village  of  Wistow,  Yorkshire,  England, 
January  18,  1823.  His  father,  William  Jackson, 
was  a  native  of  the  same  village,  and  a  son  of 
George  Jackson,   who   was  also  born    at    Wistow. 


The  latter,  who  spent  his  entire  life  in  his  native 
land,  was  well-educated,  and  was  a  practical  sur- 
veyor. The  father  of  our  subject  learned  the 
trades  of  a  wheelwright  and  carpenter,  and  follow- 
ed them  during  his  active  business  life  in  the  vil- 
lage of  his  nativity,  where  he  always  lived.  He 
married  Mary  Durham,  who  also  passed  her  last 
years  at  Wistow. 

He  of  whom  this  biography  is  written  was  the 
only  member  of  the  family  to  come  to  America. 
When  quite  young  he  worked  wi'.h  his  father  and 
learned  the  trades  that  he  carried  on,  and  he  re- 
mained with  him  until  he  was  twenty-one.  On 
February  14,  1844  he  set  sail  for  this  country  from 
Liverpool  in  the  vessel  "Caledonia",  and  landed  at 
New  Orleans  after  a  voyage  of  six  weeks.  He 
came  by  the  way  of  St.  Louis  and  Alton  to  this 
county,  and  located  in  Chesterfield  Township.  His 
means  wore  limited  at,  that  time,  but  in  the  practice 
of  his  trade  as  a  skillful  carpenter,  at  which  lie 
worked  until  184'J,  lie  procured  the  wherewithal  to 
purchase  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land 
that  year  in  Chesterfield  Township.  Fifty  acres  of 
his  land  were  under  cultivation,  and  a  small  frame 
house  and  a  log  cabin  constituted  in  improve- 
ments at  the  time  of  purchase.  He  resided  there 
eighteen  years,  and  then  rented  the  place  and 
bought  the  farm  upon  which  he  now  lives,  and 
which  constitutes  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres. 
Two  hundred  and  forty  acres  are  well  improved 
prairie  land,  which  yield  fine  harvests,  and  are 
amply  provided  with  substantial  buildings.  A 
view  of  this  estate  appears  on  another  page. 

Though  he  still  retains  possession  of  his  farm 
and  looks  keenly  after  his  interests  Mr.  Jackson 
has  retired  from  active  labor.  He  and  his  wife 
know  well  how  to  enjoy  the  good  things  that  life 
has  brought  them,  and  have  also  extended  their 
pleasures  by  much  traveling  in  the  land  of  their 
adoption,  and  in  1876  they  returned  to  England  to 
revisit  the  scenes  of  their  childhood.  They  are 
people  of  high  character  and  standing  in  this  coun- 
ty where  so  many  years  of  their  lives  have  been 
passed,  and  they  are  universally  esteemed  for  those 
traits  that  have  made  them  true  to  all  obligations 
in  the  relations  that  they  have  sustained  towards 
others.     Mr.  Jackson  was  reared  within  the  fold  of 


BB&SaBtoagM»».aa^«a^»'-^j^^ .. .  ^^w^j^A. 


■»a-.i«rg-«;,-'^-^^.,:_, i  ..J~,.CT.Mf,aa 


ESiDENCE   OF    THOS.    B  I  ELB  Y,  SEC.  32., WEST  E  R  N    MOUND  TP,    MACOUPIN    CO., ILLS. 


RESIDENCE    OF    GEORSE  JACKSON,  SEC.  I. ,  CHESTER  F  I  E  L  D  TP,  MACOU  P!  N    CO.,  ILLS. 


UBRAHT 
Of   WC 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


::;: 


the  Episcopalian  Church,  and  still  holds  to  that 
belief,  while  Mrs.  Jackson  gives  her  sanction  to 
the  Baptist  faith  by  her  attendance  at  the  church 
of  that  denomination. 

Our  subject  and  his  wife,  who  were  married  Feb- 
ruary II,  1849  have  been  eminently  happy  in  their 
domestic  life.  They  have  nine  children  living, 
namely :  Alice,  wife  of  Joshua  Rafferty;  Zerilda, 
wife  of  Kbenezer  Kerby;  Nettie,  wife  of  Samuel 
Waters;  Maud,  wife  of  Benjamin  Brown ;  Gresham, 
married  Irene Bosem worth ;EstelIa,  wife  of  Edward 
Marshall;  Captilln.  wife  of  Edward  Miller;  Villa 
Bella,  wife  of  Edgar  Middlecof;  and  Rufus,  who 
married  Nellie  Daniels  and  lives  at  home  with  his 
parents. 

Mrs.  Jackson  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary 
Morris,  and  she  is,  like  her  husband,  a  native  of 
England,  born  four  miles  from  the  village  of 
Thome.  Yorkshire,  May  6,  I  825.  Her  father,  John 
Morris,  was  also  born  in  that  shire,  and  he  there 
grew  to  manhood  and  married  Ann  Sexty,  who  was 
likewise  of  Yorkshire  birth.  In  1832  he  emigrated 
to  this  country  with  his  family,  taking  passage  on 
the  vessel  "Sarah",  and  landing  at  New  York 
eight  weeks  latei.  He  (mine  directly  to  Illinois  by 
the  most  convenient  and  expeditious  route  at  that 
time,  traveling  by  the  Hudson  River  to  Albany, 
thence  by  Erie  Canal  to  Buffalo,  by  Lake  Erie  to 
Cleveland,  from  there  by  the  Ohio  Canal  to  Ports- 
mouth, by  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers  to  St. 
Louis,  and  from  there  to  his  destination  in  this 
count)'  with  an  ox-team. 

Casting  in  his  lot  with  the  early  settlers  of  what 
is  now  Chesterfield  Township,  Mr.  Morris  was  one 
of  the  first  to  settle  there.  He  entered  land  from 
the  Government,  and  also  purchased  land  which 
had  been  entered  by  others,  which  he  improved 
into  a  good  farm,  and  he  devoted  himself  assidu- 
ously to  agricultural  pursuits  until  death  closed  his 
earthly  career.  His  wife  also  passed  her  last  years 
at  Chesterfield.  Their  daughter,  Mrs.  Jackson,  is 
one  of  the  oldest  if  not  the  oldest  inhabitant  in  this 
county  in  point  of  settlement.  She  was  seven 
years  old  when  the  family  located  here,  and  she 
still  has  a  clear  remembrance  of  the  wild  condition 
of  the  country  then,  when  deer,  wolves,  bears,  wild 
turkeys  and  other  game  were  plentiful.     In  those 


early  days  there  were  no  railroads  and  her  father 
and  husband  used  to  team  their  grain  to  Alton,  the 
nearest  market,  she  has  thus  witnessed  the  entire 
development  of  the  county  from  the  wilderness  to 
its  present  populous  and  flourishing  condition. 


THOMAS  B1ELBY.     Although    not  brought 


gsjv  up  as  a  farmer,  having  been  a  manufacturer 
and  tradesman  in  his  early  life,  Thomas 
Bielby  carries  on  successfully  the  large  farm  of 
four  hundred  acres  which  he  owns  on  section  32, 
Western  Mound  Township.  He  is  of  English  birth 
and  parentage,  having  been  born  in  Yorkshire, 
England,  August  14.  1818,  where  he  remained  un- 
til manhood.  In  his  early  youth  lie  learned  the 
trade  of  a  boot  and  shoemaker,  serving  as  an  ap- 
prentice from  the  time  he  was  thirteen  years  old 
until  he  became  'if  age.  This  is  why  English  goods 
are  so'rsWjjeiMr  to  those  made  in  America,  the  man- 
ufacturcrs  ljfiirn  their  trades  thoroughly  and  do  not 
presume  to  think  tfrMnselves  fitted  to  carry  on  a 
business  unless  they  have  been  trained  to  it. 

Mr.  Bielby  followed  his  trade  of  shoemaker  un- 
til he  came  to  America,  in  1850.  Previous  to  his 
coming  to  this  country  he  was  married  and  brought 
his  wife  hither  with  him.  He  first  located  in  New 
York  State,  remaining  there  for  two  years,  engag- 
ing for  a  time  in  his  trade.  He,  however,  gave  up 
his  trade  and  took  up  that  of  butchering,  follow- 
ing it  for  about  two  years.  He  then  came  to  Illi- 
nois and  settled  on  the  section  where  he  at  present 
resides. 

Since  coming  to  Macoupin  County  our  subject 
has  followed  the  calling  of  a  farmer,  but  in  connec- 
tion with  his  agricultural  work  he  has  been  tiie 
proprietor  of  a  Sou  ring-mill  and  also  a  saw-mill  at 
Chesterfield.  He  has  erected  a  good  set  of  build- 
ings upon  his  farm  and  has  made  great  improve- 
ments thereon.  He  engages  in  general  farming 
and  the  little  domain  is  so  productive  in  so  many 
branches  as  to  be  almost  independent  of  the  out- 
side world.  A  view  of  his  commodious  residence 
and  pleasant  rural  environments  appears  on  another 
page. 


738 


PORTRAIT  AA'D  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mr.  Bielby's  marriage  took  place  in  Yorkshire, 
England,  June  5,  1841.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Eliza  Towse,  and  is  a  sister  of  the  Hon. 
W.  A.  Towse  in  Polk  Township.  A  sketch  may 
be  found  of  this  gentleman  in  that  of  his  parents, 
chronicled  in  another  part  of  this  volume.  Mrs. 
Bielby  was  born  in  the  place  where  she  was  mar- 
ried, September  12,  1820.  The  union  of  Mr. 
Bielby  and  his  wife  has  never  been  blessed  with 
children,  but  they  have  been  parents  in  every 
sense  to  several  little  ones  who  would  otherwise 
not  have  known  the  tender  love  and  care  belong- 
ing to  a  real  home.  This  worthy  couple  celebrated 
their  golden  wedding  June  5,  1891 ,  when  abou  t 
one  hundred  neighbors  and  friends  participated  in 
the  anniversary. 

Our  subject  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  polit- 
ical affairs  and  is  a  Republican  in  belief  and  prac- 
tice. In  religious  and  educational  affairs  he  has 
taken  a  real  interest  and  is  a  generous  supporter  of 
Gospel  work.  Our  subject's  experience  in  America 
has  not  been  wholly  without  drawbacks.  In  the 
spring  of  1880,  in  April,  a  cyclone  visited  the  por- 
tion of  country  in  which  he  resides  and  did  much 
damage.  His  house  was  unroofed  as  was  the  barn, 
and  nearly  all  the  trees  in  his  orchard  were  up- 
rooted and  blown  away.  Our  subject  and  his  wife 
were  away  from  home  at  the  time  and  on  their  re- 
turn found  that  their  place  was  damaged  to  the  ex- 
tent of  about  $3,000. 


\ljGNATIUS  SNEERINGER.  On  February  19, 
1891,  there  passed  from  earth  a  gentleman  who 
\  for  years  had  been  closely  connected  with  the 
growth  of  the  State  and  whose  life  was  a  clear  and 
blotless  page  of  noble  deeds  more  nobly  done. 
He  it  is  whose  name  introduces  these  paragraphs 
and  whose  life  we  thus  briefly  record  for  posterity. 

"  What  need  his  virtues  to  portray  ? 
What  need  his  memory  to  defend? 
As  husband,  father,  sage  and  friend, 
He  walked  in  his  Great  Master's  way." 

Just  outside   the  city  limits  of  Bunker  Hill  he 


had  a  small  farm  and  there  retired  from  the  active 
duties  which  fell  to  his  lot  in  younger  years,  he 
passed  his  declining  days.  In  his  pleasant  home 
he  enjoyed  all  the  comforts  of  country  life  as  well 
as  the  advantages  and  privileges  of  the  city.  He 
had  witnessed  almost  the  entire  development  of 
Macoupin  County,  although  he  resided  in  Madison 
Count}'  until  August,  1881.  when  he  located  in 
Bunker  Hill  Township.  His  residence  in  Illinois 
covered  a  period  of  thirty-six  years,  dating  from 
1855.  He  went  to  Madison  County  from  Adams 
County,  Pa.,  where  he  was  born  on  the  12th  of 
December,  1819.  He  is  descended  from  old  Penn- 
sylvania Dutch  stock.  His  father  was  a  life-long 
farmer  of  Adams  County  and  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-seven  years.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Rebecca  Obold,  first  opened  her  eyes  to 
the  light  of  day  in  Adams  County,  Pa.,  and  there 
she  lived  until  some  years  after  her  husband's  death, 
when  she  was  called  to  her  final  rest. 

Upon  his  father's  farm  in  the  county  of  his  nativity 
cur  subject  grew  to  maidiood  and  in  the  common 
schools  of  the  neighborhood  obtained  his  education. 
His  early  life  was  marked  by  no  event  of  special 
importance  until  his  marriage  which  was  celebrated 
in  1851.  The  lady  of  his  choice,  Miss  Elizabeth 
Lansinger,  was  born  in  Littlestown,  Adams  County, 
Pa.,  December  22,  1830,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Catherine  (Eline)  Lansinger,  who 
were  also  natives  of  the  Keystone  State,  and  he- 
longed  to  early  Pennsylvania  Dutch  families.  Her 
father  was  a  carpenter  and  mechanic  and  through- 
out his  life  followed  his  trade  in  Littlestown,  Pa. 
He  lived  to  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-two  years. 
His  wife  died  some  years  later  in  the  ninety-fifth 
year  of  her  age.  Both  were  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church. 

As  before  stated  Mr.  Sneeringer  arrived  in  Illi- 
nois in  1855,  and  located  in  Madison  County,  on 
the  5th  of  September.  He  had  but  a  limited  cap- 
ital at  that  time  and  in  consequence  purchased  only 
a  small  tract  of  land,  located  in  Moro  Township, 
but  he  was  very  successful  in  his  operations  and  as 
his  financial  resources  were  thus  increased  he  ex- 
tended the  boundaries  of  his  farm  until  three  hun- 
dred and  thirty  acres  paid  to  him  a  golden  tribute 
for  his  care  and  cultivation.     He  also  made  many 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


73'J 


improvements  such  as  are  found  on  a  model  farm 

and  devoted  some  attention  to  stock  raising. 
Wishing  to  lay  aside  business  care  lie  sold  part  of 
his  land,  retaining  only  one  hundred  and  ninety 
acres  and  removed  to  Bunker  Hill  Township, 
Macoupin  County,  where  he  passed  the  remainder 
of  his  life  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  fruits  of  his 
former  toil. 

Seven  children  were  born  unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Sneeringer,  five  of  whom  are  yet  living,  Henry  P., 
a  farmer  of  Bunker  Hill  Township,  married 
Rebecca  Davis;  William  J.,  who  wedded  Lizzie 
Bivens,  is  also  living  on  the  farm  of  that  town- 
ship; Catherine  C.  is  the  wife  of  Richard  Fleming. 
an  agriculturist  of  Bunker  Hill  Township;  Augusta 
F.  and  Edmund  E.  are  at  home.  Rosalia  M.  died 
at  the  age  of  eight  years  and  Charles  I.  died  when 
ten  years  old.  Mr.  Sneeringer  was  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  as  was  his  wife,  and  in  polities  he 
was  a  Democrat.  Whatever  success  he  met  with  in 
life,  and  it  was  not  a  little, was  due  to  his  own  efforts. 
His  industry,  good  management  and  perseverance 
won  for  him  a  handsome  competence  which  num- 
bered him  among  the  substantial  citizens  of  the 
Community.  The  confidence  and  regard  of  his 
fellow  eitizns  he  won  by  an  upright  life  and  fail- 
dealing,  and  as  the  result  of  his  sterling  worth  he 
gained  many  friends. 


VljOSEPH  MONTGOMERY,  who  is  now  living 
in  retirement  at  Carlinville,  is  honored  as 
a  pioneer  of  this  county  who  has  contributed 
his  quota  to  its  development,  and  we  take 
pleasure  in  representing  him  in  this  Biographical 
Record.  He  was  born  February  23,  1815,  twelve 
miles  from  Wheeling,  West  Va.,  near  the  Pittsburg 
Road,  at  the  mouth  of  Turkey  Run.  in  what  was 
then  Ohio  Count}'.  His  father  who  bore  the  same 
name  as  himself,  was  born  two  miles  from  the  city 
of  Armagh,  Ireland.  He  was  a  son  of  William  Mont- 
gomery, who  was  born  in  the  same  county  as  him- 
self and  was  of  Scotch  descent.  He  was  reared 
amid  the  scenes  of  his  birth,  and  came  from  there 
to  America  when  a  young  man.     He  subsequently 


returned   to  Ireland,    where  he  resided  for  a  time 

hut  in  1812  he  came  back  to  this  country  and  set- 
tled in  what  is  now  West  Virginia,  where  he  died 
at  the  ripe  age  of  eight}    \  ears. 

The  fat  her  of  our  subject  was  reared  and  married 
in  Ireland,   and  emigrated  to   these  shores  in  1812. 
He   landed    at   New  York  and    made    his    way    from 
there  to  West  Virginia  by  land.      He  bought  a  tract 
of  forest  covered  land  on  Turkey  Run,  twelve  miles 
from  Wheeling,  and  settled  in  the  primeval  wilder- 
ness of  that  region.      A    few  acres   of  his   land  hail 
been   cleared   and  a  log  house  stood   thereon,  the 
same  in  which  our   subject  was   born.     The  father 
busied  himself  at  the  pioneer  task  of  improving  a 
farm  ami  made  it  his  home   until   his  death.     The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife  wis  Alary  Gray.     She  also 
died  on  the  home  farm,  and  her  remains  were  bur- 
ied in  the  Presbyterian  churchyard  five  miles  from 
Wheeling.     The   parents  of  our  subject  reared  six 
children,  two  others  dying  young.     Joseph   Mont- 
gomery, of  whom  these   lines   are  principally  writ- 
ten, attended  the  pioneer  schools  in  his  nati  ve  Stale, 
which  were   taught   on   the  subscription  plan,   in  a 
rough  log  house  that  was  heated  by  a  fireplace  anil 
provided  witli    plain  board  benches  without  backs. 
Our  subject    lived  with    his    parents   until  he  was 
nineteen  years  old  when  he  commenced  to  learn  the 
trade  of  a   millwright,  serving  three  years  at  $5.25 
a  month   and  his  board.     After  his   apprenticeship 
expired  he  did  journey  work  a  year  and  then  went 
into  the  business  himself  as  a  contractor.     In  1837, 
shrewdly  judging   that   in  a  newly  settled  country 
he  would   find  men  of  his  calling  in  demand  as  the 
population  increased,  he  resolved   to  come  to  Illi- 
nois.    He  left  home  in  the  month  of  March  with  all 
his  earthly  possessions  tied   in  a  handkerchief,  and 
voyaging  on  the  waters- of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
Rivers  to  Bridgeport,  Greene  County,  this  State,  he 
landed  there  April  2.  with  fifty  cents  in  his  pocket. 
He  walked  six  miles  to  where  an  acquaintance  lived 
to  visit  him.     While  on  the   boat  be. had  made  a 
contract  with  a  man  then  residing  near  Winchester, 
Scott  County,  to  erect  a  sawmill,  beginning  work- 
on  it  in  June.     In  the  intervening  time  he  was  by 
no  means  idle,  but  erected  a  mill  in  Greene  County. 
He  worked  hard,  was  frugal  in  all  his  expenditures 
and   in  the  firs  I    year  after  his  arrival  saved  $300, 


7  10 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


In  the  fall  hr  bought  a  farm  near  Scottville  in  this 
county,  for  11,300.  paying  his  haul  earned  money 
for  a  part  of  it  and  goiii2  in  debt  to  the  extent  of 
$1  ooO  for  the  remainder. 

At  the  time  of  his  marriage  Mr.  Montgomery 
settled  on  his  farm,  but  still  continued  his  trade  as 
a  millwright  for  some  years.  There  were  two  l"L,r 
houses  on  his  place  at  the  time  of  purchase,  and  in 
one  of  these  he  and  his  Inide  commenced  house- 
keeping. In  a  few  years  he  replaced  it  by  a  more 
commodious  frame  house,  drawing  the  lumber  for 
it  from  Alton  and  Jacksonville.  lie  lived  on  his 
farm  until  1873,  when  he  sold  it  and  bought  a  res- 
idence on  College  Avenue  which  he  occupied  a  few 
years.  Disposing  of  that  place  he  purchased  his 
present  residence  which  is  very  pleasantly  located 
in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Montgomery  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Sharp  were 
united  in  marriage  fifty-two  years  ago.  June  9, 
1839,  is  the  date  of  their  wedding  and  they  have 
faithfully  shared  life's  joys  and  sorrows,  showing 
to  the  world  an  example  of  a  true  marriage.  They 
have  had  fourteen  children,  of  whom  thirteen  grew 
to  maturity  and  two  of  them  are  now  living,  \\  in- 
nie  and  Henry.  Henry  is  an  attorney  practicing  his 
professional  Carrollton.  Winnie  married  William 
Hicks,  and  they  reside  in  South  Otter  Township, 
two  miles  from  Nilwood.  The  names  of  the  other 
children  were  Barbara,  Mary.  Ann  K.,  Lncinda.  Isa- 
belle.  Emma,  Lizzie,  John  W..  Lucina,  Ellen, 
Jenny  and  Willie. 

Mrs.  Montgomery  was  born  October  23,  1820,  in 
Claiborne  County.  Tenn.,and  is  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Barbara  (Hunter)  Sharp.  Her  father  was 
also  a  native  of  Claiborne  County,  and  he  was  a 
son  of  John  Sharp,  who  is  likewise  supposed  to  have 
been  a  native  of  Tennessee.  He  in  turn  was  a  son  of 
George  Sharp,  who  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Tennessee,  where  he  carried  on  farming  and  cleared 
a  farm  from  the  wilds  of  Claiborne  County,  spend- 
ing the  rest  of  his  life  there.  Mrs.  Montgomery's 
grandfather  came  from  Tennessee  to  Illinois  in 
1835,  and  settled  in  Scottville  Township,  becom- 
ing a  pioneer  of  this  county.  He  bought  a  tract  of 
partly  improved  land  and  resided  on  it  until  he 
closed  his  eyes  in  death. 

Mrs.  Montgomery's  father  was  reared  in  his  native 


county.  He  learned  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith  in 
his  youth  and  followed  it  in  connection  with  farm 
ing.  He  remained  in  Tennessee  until  1836,  and  on 
the  1st  of  October,  that  year,  he  started  for  Illinois, 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  nine  children  and  by 
his  brother-in-law  and  family,  traveling  with  a 
pair  of  oxen  attached  to  a  wagon,  and  live  horses 
to  another  wagon,  taking  along  all  their  household 
goods.  The  little  party  arrived  at  its  destination 
the  second  week  in  November.  Mr.  Sharp  bought 
a  tract,  of  partly  improved  land  near  Scottville  and 
resided  there  some  years.  He  then  bought  a  farm 
in  Christian  County,  to  which  he  removed  and 
lived  on  it  for  a  time.  His  next  move  was  to  La- 
mars.  Mo.,  where  he  dwelt  a  few  years  but  subse- 
quently came  back  to  Illinois  and  made  his  home 
with  his  son  in  Christian  County,  until  his  death. 
His  wife  died  in   1839. 

Mis.  Montgomery  was  sixteen  years  old  when 
the  family  came  to  Illinois.  She  was  carefully 
trained  in  all  things  that  go  to  make  a  good  house- 
wife and  early  learned  to  spin  and  weave,  so  that 
after  she  married  she  made  all  the  cloth  used  in  the 
family  and  clothed  her  children  in  garments  of 
which  the  material  was  made  by  her  own  hand. 
She  and  her  husband  are  exemplary  members  of  the: 
Baptist  Church,  and  their  unblemished  characters. 
frank,  hospitable  natures  and  straightforward,  hon- 
orable conduct  in  all  things  have  won  them  a  high 
place  among  our  most  respected   citizens. 


-3===sJ 


"77  BRAM  ISAACS,  one  of  the  well-to-do 
farmers  of  Dorchester  Township,  residing 
on  section  1,  has  been  identified  with  the 
history  of  this  community  for  half  a  cen- 
tury. The  record  of  his  life  is  an  interesting  one; 
it  is  the  record  of  perseverance,  of  industry  and  of 
final  success.  Through  a  long  life,  some  of  it  in 
shadow  and  some  in  sunshine,  he  has  retained  his 
belief  in  human  nature  and  his  simple  goodness  of 
character.  For  this  reason  and  also  because  he  is 
so  widely  known,  be  is  deserving  of  representation 
in  this  volume. 

Mr.  Isaacs  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  Novem- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


741 


ber  10,  1810,  and  is  of  English  descent.  His 
father,  Richard  Isaacs,  was  born  near  Washington, 
D.  C,  and  when  a  young  man  went  to  North  Car- 
olina, where  lie  became  acquainted  with  and 
wedded  Miss  Mary  Stonestreet,  a  native  of  M,  >  \  - 
land,  and  a  daughter  of  Butler  Stonestreet,  who 
served  throughout  the  Revolutionary  War.  Mrs. 
Isaacs  died  at  the  birth  of  her  sixth  child,  at  which 
time  our  subject  was  three  years  old.  Abraham 
Isaacs  had  a  twin  sister  who  died  at  birth.  After 
the  death  of  his  mother  li is  father  was  a  second 
time  married  and  he  went  to  live  with  his  maternal 
grandparents  who  took  him  to  Kentucky.  There 
he  grew  to  manhood,  being  reared  as  a  practical 
farmer  boy. 

In  Jefferson  County,  Ivy.,  Mr.  Isaacs  was  united 
in  the  holy  bonds  of  matrimony  with  Miss  Mary 
Eaton,  a  native  of  Mississippi,  born  on  the  23d 
of  Jul)',  1815,  in  Adams  County.  Her  parents, 
Thomas  and  Sarah  (King)  Eaton,  were  natives  of 
Maryland,  the  lady  having  been  born  in  the  Span- 
ish possessions,  of  parents  who  had  emigrated  from 
the  New  Jersey  Colony  southward  prior  to  the 
Revolutionary  War.  They  were  married  in  Mis 
sissippi  and  four  years  later  removed  to  Jefferson 
County,  Ky.,  where  they  made  then-  home  until 
1K3G,  when  the  family  all  came  to  Illinois,  our 
subject  and  his  wife  being  of  the  party. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Isaacs  made  a  settlement  upon 
land  which  Mr.  Eaton  had  obtained  from  the  Gov- 
ernment in  Madison  County.  That  gentleman  and 
li  is  wife  spent  their  last  days  in  Madison  County, 
Mrs.  Eaton  departing  this  life  in  Edwardsville,  in 
1836,  at  the  age  of  forty-eight  years,  while  Mr. 
Eaton  died  in  1849.  at,  the  age  of"  sixty-nine  years. 
His  father,  Henry  Eaton,  was  a  native  of  Wales, 
who  left  the  mother  country  when  young,  and  in 
America  was  reared  to  manhood.  He  married  .Miss 
Violet  Wallace,  a  native  of  the  Emerald  Isle, 
served  throughout  the  Revolutionary  War  as  a 
member  of  the  Colonial  Army  and  soon  after  the 
cessation  of  hostilities  both  he  and  his  wife  were 
called  to  their  linal  rest. 

We  see  that  Mrs.  Isaacs  was  descended  from  ex- 
cellent ancestors.  She  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  her  marriage  and  then  the  young  couple 
starlet!  out  in    life    for  themselves,   determined  to 


work  their  waj  upward  and  win  for  themselves  a 
comfortable  home,  if  not  wealth.  They  became  pa- 
rents of  ten  children  of  whom  three  died  in  in- 
fancy, while  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Alex  Sinclair,  died 
leaving  one  daughter;  Richard,  who  married  Lucy 
J.  Burton,  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Dorchester 
Township;  Charles  C.  who  wedded  Clara  Ogden, 
of  Philadelphia,  owns  and  operates  a  farm  in  Dor- 
chester Township;  Thomas  W.  wedded  Harriet 
Snedeker,  who  died  leaving  one  son,  and  after  her 
death  married  Ahnira  Robb.  He  is  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  in  New  Douglas,  Madison 
County;  Henry  K..  also  a  farmer  of  Madison 
County,  was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Susan  11. 
Ilayden;  Abraham  married  Nancy  Emit  and  oper- 
ates the  old  homestead;  Amanda  C.  is  the  wife  of 
Reed  Ayres,  a  successful  farmer  of  Madison 
County. 

After  a  four  years'  residence  in  Madison  County 
Abraham  Isaacs  and  his  excellent,  wife  came  to  this 
county  and  settled  upon  land  which  now  forms  a 
part  of  their  home.  A  half  century  has  since 
passed,  during  which  time  the  wild  and  unim- 
proved tract  which  he  purchased  has  been  trans- 
formed into  fertile  fields  and  the  boundaries  of  his 
farm  have  been  extended  until  it  comprises  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  which  pay  a  golden 
tribute  to  his  care  and  cultivation.  By  their  united 
efforts  they  acquired  a  handsome  property  which 
numbered  them  among  the  prosperous  citizens  of 
the  community.  Their  home  is  one  of  the  substan- 
tial and  comfortable  dwellings  of  the  community 
and  is  the  abode  of  hospitality.  In  the  rear  are 
all  the  buildings  and  improvements  necessary  to  a 
model  farm  ami  these  in  turn  are  surrounded  by 
well-tilled  fields.  In  politics  Mr.  Isaacs  is  a  stal- 
wart Republican,  having  supported  thai  party  since 
1856,  when  the  first  Presidential  candidate  was 
nominated. 

For  the  long  period  of  fifty-live  years,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Isaacs  traveled  life's  journey  together  as 
man  ami  wife  and  as  the  years  went  by  their  mu- 
tual love  and  confidence  increased.  'Together  they 
worked  in  the  Methodist  Chinch,  with  which  they 
united  in  early  life,  and  their  efforts  at  doing  good 
won  the  love  and  gratitude  of  many.  The  devoted 
wife  and  mother   passed    from    earth  May  9,  1891, 


742 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


mourned  by  the  bereaved  husband  and  children 
and  a  large  circle  of  friends.  Prior  to  her  demise 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Isaacs  were  known  as  the  oldest 
couple  living  in  this  locality,  and  had  been  longer 
married  than  I  ny  others. 


THEODORE  II.   KOCH,    one    of    the    wide- 
f  (T^W  awakc  an(*  enterprising  young  business  men 


of  Mt.  Olive,  who  holds  the  position  of 
Postmaster,  and  is  Cashier  of  the  C.  J.  Reiser  <fe 
Co.  Bank,  claims  Missouri  as  the  State  of  his  na- 
tivity, his  birth  having  occurred  in  St.  Louis,  No- 
vember 26,  1863.  He  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Minnie  (Sewing)  Koch,  who  were  natives  of  West- 
phalia, Prussia,  and  came  of  respected  and  worthy 
German  ancestry.  They  came  to  this  country 
when  young  people,  their  parents  remaining  be- 
hind in  the  Fatherland,  and  when  they  reached  the 
United  States,  made  a  location  in  the  vicinity  of 
St.  Louis,  both  working  for  families  in  that  neigh- 
borhood until,  having  saved  up  some  money  to 
begin  life  for  themselves,  they  were  married.  The 
father  afterward  followed  his  trade  of  talker  at  the 
dry  dock  of  that  city,  and  later  became  owner  of 
the  dock,  which  he  operated  until  1875,  when  he 
retired  from  active  business  life,  but  continued  to 
make  his  home  in  St.  Louis  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1884,  at  the  age  of  sixtv-five  years. 
He  was  a  well-known  man  of  that  city,  who  .vit- 
nessed  its  growth  from  a  village,  and  at  his  death 
many  friends  mourned  his  loss.  He  voted  the  Re- 
publican ticket,  anc}  always  kept  well  informed 
concerning  the  political  issues  of  the  day.  but  was 
not  a  politician  in  the  sense  of  office-seeking.  Ilis 
wife  still  makes  her  home  in  St.  Louis,  and  is  now 
sixty-five  years  of  age.  She  has  been  a  life-long 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Church,  to  which  Mr. 
Koch  also  belonged. 

In  his  native  city  the  subject  of  this  sketch  grew 
to  manhood,  and  acqired  a  good  education  in  both 
the  German  and  English  languages  in  the  parochial 
schools.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  began 
earning  his  livelihood,  and  has  since  been  depend- 
ent upon  his  own  resources.     He  well  deserves  to 


be  classed  among  the  successful,  enterprising  and 
ambitious  young  business  men.  When  a  youth  he 
entered  the  employ  of  Keiser  &  Niemeyer,  general 
merchants,  with  whom  he  remained  from  1876 
until  1882.  He  first  began  as  a  salesman,  but 
afterward  they  gave  him  permission  to  attend 
Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  College  of  St.  Louis, 
where  in  1880  he  completed  a  commercial  course 
of  study,  and  took  charge  of  the  books  of  that 
firm,  being  employed  as  bookkeeper  until  1882, 
when  he  entered  the  C.  J.  Keiser  &  Co.  Bank 
as  Cashier.  For  nine  years  he  has  served  as  Cashier, 
and  his  connection  with  the  company  covers  a 
period  of  fifteen  consecutive  years,  a  fact  which 
indicates  his  trustworthiness  and  faithfulness.  His 
employers  trust  him  implicitly,  and  never  have 
they  had  reason  to  believe  their  confidence  mis- 
placed. In  1889  he  was  appointed  Postmaster  of 
Mt.  Olive  and  still  holds  that  position.  We  pre- 
dict for  Mr.  Koch  excellent  success  in  his  business 
career,  for  a  man  of  his  ability  is  always  sure  to 
prosper.  In  polities  he  is  a  Republican,  and  served 
for  one  term  as  Township  Clerk. 


AMUEL  LOVE,  a  resident  of  Bird  Town- 
ship, is  a  son  of  John  and  Cynthia  (Sey- 
mour) Love,  who  emigrated  from  Alabama 
to  Illinois  in  the  early  days.  They  came 
first  to  Madison  County,  wiiere  they  remained  a 
few  months,  and  then  came  on  to  Macoupin  County 
as  early  as  before  the  '20a,  but  at  just  what  date 
the  son  is  unable  to  say.  They  made  their  home 
in  what  is  now  South  Palmyra  Township,  but 
about  the  year  1828  they  removed  to  Morgan 
County,  this  State,  and  remained  through  the  life 
time  of  Mrs.  Love,  after  which  her  husband  re- 
moved to  Greene  County,  where  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  one  of  the  five 
children  of  his  parents  who  lived  to  maturity,  and 
he  was  the  youngest  of  their  number.  It  is  claimed 
that  he  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  Macoupin 
County,  as  he  opened  his  eyes  upon  this  world  in 
the  year  1822    in   South   Palmyra  Township.     He 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


743 


made  his  home  with  his  father  until  his  mar- 
riage to  Elizabeth  Taylor,  who  died  in  Greene 
County.  His  second  marriage  took  place  in  that 
county  and  was  solemnized  March  1,  1849.  His 
bride  was  Minerva  J.  Laster,  daughter  of  William 
and  Mary  (Hill)  Laster.  They  came  from  Tennes- 
see to  Greene  County,  this  Slate,  and  after  making 
their  home  there  for  several  years,  removed  to  Jef- 
ferson County,  this  .State,  where  Mr.  Laster  died. 
His  widow  made  her  home  with  her  son-in-law, 
Mr.  Allen  Love,  with  whom  she  spent  her  last 
days. 

Ten  children  blessed  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Laster.  Mrs.  Minerva  J.  Love  being  the  eldest  of 
(he  six  who  grew  to  maturity.  She  was  born  in 
Greene  County,  111.,  April  6,  1831.  Ten  children 
constituted  also  the  number  of  her  flock,  namely: 
John. J. ;  James  M.;  Mollie,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  Kessinger;  F.  N.;  Douglas  A.,  deceased  ; 
Ada  E.,  the  wife  of  Francis  Washburn:  Berneltie, 
the  wife  of  John  A.  Wood;  Delia,  George  W.  and 
Walter.  Mr.  Love  and  his  wife  are  both  earnest 
and  active  members  of  the  Baptist  Church.  He  is 
a  Democrat  in  his  political  views  and  has  filled 
some  of  the  school  offices.  He  settled  in  Macoupin 
County  in  1854,  when  he  came  from  Greene  County. 
He  has  always  been  engaged  in  farming,  and  has 
good  improvements  on  his  productive  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  eighty  acres. 

&$§Z 

EINT  ARKEBAUER,  who  owns  and  oper- 
ates a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
eisjlily  acres  on  section  10,  Mt.  Olive 
Township,  is  numbered  among  the  sub- 
stantial and  respected  citizens  of  this  commu- 
nity and  his  property  has  all  been  acquired  since 
he  came  to  this  county  in  1855.  In  addition  to 
the  homestead,  he  owns  forty  acres  of  land  ad- 
joining the  village  of  Mt.  Olive  and  a  timber 
tract  of  one  hundred  acres.  His  home  and  the 
other  buildings  upon  the  farm  are  first-class  in 
every  particular.  His  fields  are  well  tilled  and  the 
stuck  which  he  raises  is  of  excellent  grades.  He 
is  a  progressive  yet  practical    farmer,  and  the  suc- 


cess which  has  attended  his  efforts  is  due  to  him- 
self alone.  He  may  therefore  truly  be  called  a 
self-made  man. 

Mr.  Arkebauer  was  born  in  the  Province  of 
Hanover,  Germany,  September  8,  1828,  and  is  a 
son  of  Harmon  and  Anna  (Johnson)  Arkebauer, 
who  were  also  natives  of  Hanover,  where  they 
were  born,  reared  and  married.  After  the  birth 
of  all  of  their  children,  the  family  started  for 
America  in  the  autumn  of  184G,  taking  passage 
upon  a  sailing-vessel,  the  "Averhardl."  On  cross- 
ing the  channel  they  encountered  a  severe  storm 
and  were  forced  to  remain  at  Portsmouth,  Eng- 
land, thirty  days  fur  repairs.  At  length,  after  a 
tedious  voyage,  they  reached  New  Orleans  in 
safety,  fifteen  weeks  having  elapsed  since  they 
left  home. 

Coming  up  the  Mississippi  River  to  St.  Louis, 
a  few  months  were  spent  in  that  city,  during 
which  time  two  of  the  nine  children  died.  Their 
next  place  of  residence  was  on  a  farm  in  Moro, 
Madison  County.  They  lived  on  a  farm  belong- 
ing to  Samuel  Dorsey  for  about  five  years  and 
then  came  to  Mt.  Olive,  where  the  father  died  in 
1857.  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  His  wife  sur- 
vived him  some  years  and  met  her  death  in  1886, 
while  crossing  the  railroad  track  of  the  Wabash 
line.  A  fast  passenger  train  struck  her,  killing 
her  instantly.  She  was  then  eighty-four  years  of 
age.  They  were  both  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  and  were  people  whose  worth  and  ability 
won  them  many  frie.ids. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  of  the 
family.  When  a  youth  he  accompanied  his  par- 
ents to  this  country  and  was  residing  in  Madison 
County  when  he  attained  his  majority.  Not  long 
afterward  he  led  to  the  marriage  altar  Miss  Telte 
Reiser,  who  was  born  in  Hanover,  and  when  a 
young  lad}-  came  to  America  in  1854.  After  liv- 
ing in  Madison  County  for  some  lime  she  removed 
to  this  count}'  with  her  parents,  John  and  Johanna 
(JergunaJ  Keiser,  both  of  whom  are  now  deceased. 
They  lived  to  quite  an  advanced  age,  the  mother 
having  reached  her  eighty-second  year  at  the  time 
of  her  death.  Both  were  communicants  of  the 
Lutheran  Church.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arkebauer 
were  born  six  children,  four  of   whom   are  yet  liv- 


744 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


ing — lohann.i,  wife  of  Fred  Druster,  of  Alt.  Olive; 
Harmina,  wife  of  Henry  Gebner,  a  resident  farmer 
of  Cahokia  Tuwnship;  and  Anna  and  John  H., 
who  are  yet  at  home.  The  former  attends  to  the 
household  duties,  while  the  latter  assists  his  father 
in  the  operation  of  the  farm.  The  two  children, 
Anna  and  Herman  H.,  arc  now  deceased. 

In  1874  Mr.  Arkebauer  was  called  upon  to 
mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
thirty-eight,  after  a  happy  wedded  life  of  seven- 
teen years.  She  was  a  Christian  woman,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  in  her  death  her 
neighbors  lost  a  faithful  friend  and  her  family  a 
loving  and  tender  wife  and  mother.  Mr.  Arke- 
bauer and  the  children  arc  all  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  and  constitute  one  of  the  re- 
spected families  of  this  community.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican. 


>'(. N  ENRY  CLARK,  an  industrious  and  inlelli- 

jj!  gent  farmer  residing  on  section  27,  Slaun- 
■Sj£'  ton  Township,  was  born  in  this  township, 
'(01  January  7,  1855,  and  is  a  representative  of 
one  of  the  honored  pioneer  families  of  the  county. 
His  father,  William  Clark,  was  a  native  of  the 
Emerald  Isle  and  came  of  a  good  Irish  family.  Ilis 
parents,  who  were  honest,  worthy  and  respected 
people  and  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
spent  their  entire  lives  in  the  county  of  his  nativity. 
William  grew  to  manhood  upon  the  farm,  became 
a  freeholder,  and  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
in  Ireland  until  he  came  to  America. 

Eliza  Little,  who  became  the  wife  of  William 
Clark,  was  born  and  reared  in  the  same  neighbor- 
hood as  her  husband  and  belonged  to  a  family 
■who  embraced  the  Protestant  faith.  Her  father  died 
when  she  was  a  small  child,  after  which  the  widowed 
mother  cared  for  her  four  daughters,  devoting  her- 
self exclusively  to  their  interests.  William  Clark 
and  his  wife  came  to  the  United  Slates  with  their 
three  children  in  1842,  jailing  from  Belfast  on  the 
"John  Bull",  which  landed  him  and  his  family  in 
New  York  after  a  voyage  of  six  weeks  and  three 
days.     The  autumn  of  that  year  found  them  estab- 


lished in  a  home  in  Pittsburg,  but.  soon  after  they 
came  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Staunton  Township, 
Macoupin  County,  where  Mr.  Clark  entered  eighty 
acres  of  land  from  the  Government  and  began 
developing  a  farm,  after  building  a  log  house. 

Not  a  furrow  had  been  turned  nor  an  improve- 
ment made,  but  Mr.  Clark  soon  had  a  large  tract 
under  cultivation  and  the  crops  which  were  gar- 
nered proved  ample  for  the  maintenance  of  the 
family.  Some  eighteen  years  later  he  sold  to  a 
good  advantage  and  then  made  the  purchase  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  section  28,  of  the  same 
township.  An  additional  tract  of  eighty  acres  was 
afterward  added  on  the  west  and  ihe  entire  farm  of 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres  was  improved  with 
good  buildings  and  other  evidences  of  the  thrift  and 
enterprise  of  the  owner.  Mr.  Clark  was  a  hard- 
working and  energetic  man,  fair  in  all  his  dealings, 
and  to  his  business  interests  he  devoted  his  entire 
attention,  caring  nothing  for  public  honors  or  polit- 
ical offices.  He  supported  the  Republican  party  by 
his  ballot,  and  in  religious  belief  was  a  Presby- 
terian. His  widow,  who  yet  survives  her  husband, 
finds  a  pleasant  home  with  our  subject.  She  is  now 
seventy-five  years  of  age.  A  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  she  has  led  a  consistent  life  and 
for  her  many  excellencies  of  character  and  her 
great  kindness  is  beloved  by  all. 

We  now  take  up  the  personal  history  of  Henry 
Clark,  whose  entire  life  has  been  passed  on  the  old 
homestead  farm.  Midst  play  and  work  his  boy- 
hood days  were  passed,  and  when  he  attained  to 
mature  years  he  was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss 
Louisa  E.  Powers.  This  estimable  lady  was  born 
in  Staunton  Township,  July  10,  1854,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Lucy  (Cormack)  Powers. 
Her  parents  were  natives  of  North  Carolina  and 
Tennessee,  respectively,  and  they  were  married  in 
Illinois  where  they  have  lived  since  childhood. 
Their  domestic  life  was  begun  upon  a  farm  in 
Staunton  Township,  where  they  made  their  home 
until  called  to  their  final  rest.  Mrs.  Clark  was  left 
an  orphan  during  childhood.  By  marriage  she  has 
become  the  mother  of  four  children,  one  son  and 
three  daughters:  Grace,  now  deceased;  Samuel  I)., 
Mary  E.  and  Martha  A.,  twins.  On  the  death  of 
his  father,  January  17,   1878,  Mr.  Clark  came  into 


RES.  OF   SAMUEL  WOOD,  SEC.  35.,  B  U  N  KER    HILL  TR,  MACOUPIN   CO.,1  LLS. 


— ■ 


'  ■  '         ■ 


RES.  OF  HENRY  CLARK.  SEC.  8.7, )  STAUNTON  T  R. ,  M  A  C  O  U  P  I  N  CO..,  I  LLS. 


UNIV*"' 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


747 


possession  of  the  olfl  homestead  under  whose  shel- 
tering roof  his  ehildhi  od  days  were  passed,  and  a 
view  of  which  is  presented  on  another  page.  In 
addition  to  Ihe  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
arable  land  which  he  onus  he  has  forty  acres  of 
timber  land.  Industrious  and  energetic,  he  is  meet- 
ing with  excellent  success  in  his  undertakings  and 
is  regarded  as  one  of  the  progressive  and  public* 
spirited  citizens  of  the  community. 


tfP^\  AMl'EL  WOOD,   who    resides    on    section 
^^£     35,    Bunker    Hill   Township,   is    numbered 
xdOw  anlono  t'le  honored  pioneers  of  the  county, 
and  since  1832  has  resided    upon    his  pres- 
ent farm  of  three  hundred  and   twenty  acres,  hav- 
ing  entered    the    land    from   the    Government   on 
July  1  of  that  year.      He  still  has  in  his  possession 
a  deed  signed  by  President  Jackson.     He  has   wit- 
nessed almost  the  entire  growth  and   development 
of  the  county  since  the  days  when    its   lands    were 
all  wild  and  unimproved,  settlements  few  and   far 
between,  and  the  work  of  civilization  and  progress 
seemed   scarcely  begun. 

Mr.  Wood  came  to  this  county  with  a  double 
yoke  of  oxen,  and  was  thirty  -four  days  upon  the 
road,  traveling  from  Kentucky  to  Bunker  Hill. 
He  was  born  in  Cumberland  County,  Ky.,  Decem- 
ber 2.5,  1804,  and  is  descended  from  one  of  the 
old  Virginian  families,  which  was  founded  in  Araer- 
in  1755  by  Samuel  Wood,  who  was  a  line  scholar 
and  became  (Jen.  Washington's  Secretary.  He 
served  during  the  Revolution  as  a  member  of  the 
Virginia  Blues,  and  also  participated  in  the  battle 
where  the  French  and  Indian  army  defeated  Brad- 
dock.  The  great-grandmother  of  our  subject,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Sarah  Bean,  was  the  daughter  of  a 
prominent  Englishman,  of  London,  who  owned  large 
possessions  there,  including  the  London  Bridge 
across  the  Thames  River.  Miss  Sarah,  when  a 
child,  was  kidnapped  and  carried  away  to  America, 
where  she  was  sold  as  a  nurse  to  a  tobacco  planter 
near  Jamestown.  There  she  grew  to  womanhood 
and  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to  an  American,  who 
took  up  arms  against  the  mother  country.  When 
the  war  was  over  she  returned  to  England  to  claim 


the  estate  of  her  father  who  had  died,  but,  though 
she  established  a  just  claim  to  the  heirship,  King 
George  confiscated  the  property  on  account  of  her 
husband  having  been  an  American  soldier. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  James  Wood,  fought 
in  the  War  of  1812,  under  tJen.  Harrison,  and 
after  his  discharge  his  brother,  Maj.  William  Wood, 
fought  under  Gen.  Richard  M.  Johnson,  and  took 
part  in  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  where  Tecumseh 
was  defeated.  For  a  fuller  account  of  the  parents 
of  our  subject  see  the  sketch  of  James  E.  Wood 
on  another  page  of  this  work. 

Samuel  Wood  grew  to  manhood  in  the  State  of 
his  nativity,  and  no  event  of  special  importance 
occurred  in  his  childhood's  career.  In  Cumber- 
land County  he  married  Keziah  Dougherty,  who 
was  born  in  Tennessee,  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage, 
but  grew  to  womanhood  in  Kentucky.  Twelve 
children  grace  their  union,  six  of  whom  were  born 
in  Kentucky,  and  six  in  Illinois.  Hiram  D.,  who 
served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  War,  married 
Lydia  Lukin,  and  is  engaged  in  merchandising  in 
Dundee,  Delaware  County,  Iowa;  Rosa  is  the  wife 
of^'lV.  C'.tSmith,  who  was  a  Mexican  soldier  and 
was  wouiHk^r|4»ithe  battle  of  Buer.a  Vista,  and  is 
now  Judge  of  the  Police  Court  of  Hot  Springs, 
Ark  ;  Sarah  J.  is  the  widow  of  William  R.  Wood, 
and  is  living  at  the  home  of  her  father,  for  whom 
she  cares  in  his  old  age.  She  has  two  daughters, 
Mrs.  John  Russell  and  Mrs.  G.  A.  Manley,  of  St. 
Louis,  Mo.;  Althca  is  the  wife  of  William  Patrick, 
a  mechanical  engineer  of  Staunton;  Jasper  N.  is  a 
photographer,  artist  and  minister  of  the  Christian 
Church  of  Hot  Springs.  Ark.,  who  married  Eliza- 
beth Cooper;  Dr.  B.  K.,  who  wedded  Fannie 
Choate,  is  now  engaged  in  merchandising  in  Ver- 
non, Tex.;  John  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven 
years;  Silvers  and  Oliver  were  both  married,  and  at 
their  deaths  left  families;  Thomas.  Clay  bo;  n  and 
Susanna  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Wood,  the  mother 
of  this  family,  was  born  on  the  1st  of  February, 
1805,  and  died  in  1882.  She  was  a  noble  woman, 
and  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  Christian 
Church.  In  her  death  the  family  lost  a  loving  and 
tender  wife  and  mother,  her  neighbors  a  faith- 
ful friend,  and  the  church  one  of  its  active 
workers. 


748 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


For  over  forty  years  Mr. Wood  has  been  a  faith- 
ful and  consistent  member  of  the  Christian  Chinch. 
He  delights  in  doing  good,  is  charitable  and  bene- 
volent, and  is  known  thoughout  the  community 
for  his  many  excellent  works.  lie  east  his  first 
Presidential  vote  for  Gen.  Jackson  at  his  first  elec- 
tion, and  has  since  that  time  been  a  stalwart  Demo- 
crat. Farming  he  has  made  his  life  work,  and 
from  the  wild  prairie  he  developed  rich  a. id  fertile 
fields  which  have  yielded  to  him  an  excellent  in- 
come, making  him  one  of  the  substantial  citizens 
of  the  community.  He  began  life  in  the  West  in 
true  pioneer  style,  his  home  being  a  log  cabin,  his 
farming  implements  of  the  crudest  character,  while 
oxen  were  used  at  the  plow,  but  he  has  kept  pace 
with  the  improvements  of  the  age,  and  is  now  the 
owner  of  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  community. 
His  cabin  home  was  replaced  in  1870  by  a  large 
brick  residence,  a  view  of  which  appears  on  another 
page,  and  which  is  one  of  the  finest  dwellings  in 
the  comity.  On  March  8,  1871,  his  home  was  vis- 
ited by  a  tornado,  which  demolished  his  fine  barn 
and  unroofed  his  new  house,  altogether  entailing  a 
loss  of  nearly  $3,000.  Nothwitustanding  this  a.nd 
other  misfortunes  in  his  career,  he  has  persevered  in 
a  course  of  honor  and  uprightness,  and  success  has 
crowned  his  efforts. 


^# 


-»-*>- 


\TSAAC  S.  SNEDEKER.  a  well-known  citizen 
I  and  successful  farmer  who  owns  and  operates 
/!!  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  on  section 
23,  Hilyard  Township,  was  born  near  Trenton, 
N.  J.,  on  April  lit,  1834,  and  is  descended  from 
Holland  ancestry,  who  during  Colonial  days  crossed 
the  Atlantic  and  settled  in  America.  The  family 
was  first  established  on  Long  Island,  but  James 
Snedeker,  the  great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  re- 
moved to  New  Jersey,  where  he  began  life  as  a 
farmer.  He  served  in  the  Colonial  Army  through- 
out the  Revolutionary  War,  fought  at  the  battle  of 
Monmouth,  N.  J.,  and  afterward  remained  in  that 
State  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at  the  age  of 
seventy  years  in  New  Brunswick,  at  what  is  known 
as  Long  Branch.   His  son,  Isaac  Snedeker,  was  there 


born  and  reared  to  the  occupation  of  farming.  He 
married  Miss  Catherine  Moore,  and  they  spent  the 
greater  part  of  their  lives  in  the  vicinity  of  Tren- 
ton, N.  J.,  where  the  wife  died  in  1832,  when  about 
seventy  years  of  age.  Isaac  Snedeker  afterward 
removed  to.  Monroe  County,  N.  Y.,  and  spent  bis 
last  days  near  Rochester,  where  he  died  at  the  age 
of  four-score  years. 

I  nto  Isaac  Snedeker  and  his  wife  were  born 
eleven  children,  one  of  whom  Jacob,  became  the 
father  of  our  subject.  lie  was  born  March  23, 
1806,  and  is  the  only  one  now  living.  In  the  asual 
manner  of  farmer  lads  his  boyhood  days  were 
spent,  his  education  being  acquired  in  the  com- 
mon schools  while  his  business  training  was  re- 
ceived as  a  clerk.  He  was  married  in  the  city  of 
Trenton  to  Ellen  .lav,  who  was  born  October  2, 
I  si  :i,  and  is  a  daughter  of  William  and  Hannah 
(Vandervere)  Jay,  natives  of  New  Jersey,  where 
they  were  reared  and  married  and  spent  their  entire 
lives.  The  father  died  in  middle  life,  after  which 
the  widow  was  again  married.  Joseph  Jay,  the 
maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  a  native 
of  Scotland,  who  emigrated  to  this  country  and 
fought  throughout  the  war  for  independence.  He 
lived  and  died  near  Trenton,  N.  J.  Jacob  M. 
Snedeker  and  his  wife  bade  good-by  to  their  home 
in  that  locality  after  the  birth  of  their  first  child 
and  removed  to  Monroe  County,  N.  Y.,  in  May, 
1834,  settling  on  a  farm  near  Rochester,  where 
they  spent  about  five  years.  In  1831),  they  be- 
came residents  of  Champaign  County,  Ohio,  and 
the  autumn  of  1850  witnessed  their  arrival  in 
Illinois.  They  traveled  overland  by  team  and  at 
length  made  a  settlement  in  Jersey  County,  where 
Mr.  Snedeker  rented  land  for  one  year.  At  the 
expiration  of  that  time  they  came  to  Macoupin 
Count}'  and  purchased  land  in  Hilyard  Township, 
which  the  father  transformed  from  the  raw  prairie 
into  rich  and  fertile  fields  constituting  one  of  the 
best  farms  in  the  community.  He  also  made  many 
excellent  improvementsand  erected  a  pleasant  home 
where  he  is  spending  his  last  days.  Mrs.  Snedeker 
suffered  a  stroke  of  paralysis  February  24,  1889, 
and  was  an  invalid  until  her  death,  which  occurred 
March  21.  1891.  Mr.  Snedeker,  however,  still  re- 
tains both  his  mental  and    physical    faculties    to   a 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


749 


remarkable  degree.  Never  but  once  in  all  his  life 
Las  lie  had  to  call  a  doctor  tin-  himself  and  thai  has 
been  within  the  past  two  years.  In  early  life  lie 
was  an  old-line  Whig  and  is  now  a  stanch  Republi- 
can. Numbered  among  the  honored  citizens  of  the 
community  he  and  his  wife  have  been  held  in  high 
regard  and  their  names  well  deserve  tube  recorded 
upon  the  annals  of  their  county's  history. 

Isaac  Snedeker  was  a  lad  of  seventeen  years  when 
the  family  located  in  this  county.  He  had  begun  his 
school  life  in  Ohio,  whence  he  removed  in  the  fall 
of  1850,  to  Jersey  County,  III.,  where  he  spent 
one  year.  Since  1851,  he  has  resided  In  this  county 
and  during  all  the  years  which  have  since  come 
and  gone  his  home  has  been  upon  the  farm  which 
he  yet  owns.  It  was  purchased  by  his  father  when 
it  was  a  tract  of  wild  prairie,  entirely  destitute  of 
improvements.  He  tinned  the  first  furrow  upon 
many  an  acre  .'.ml  aided  in  the  development  and 
cultivation  of  the  land  which  now  yields  to  him  a 
good  income.  He  was  married  in  Bunker  Hill 
Township,  February  16,  1851),  the  lady  of  his 
choice  being  Miss  Martha  Ellen  Frost,  who  was 
born  June  J.  18."i,'),  in  Vermont,  of  which  Stale  her 
parents,  "William  and  Caroline  (Rich)  Frost,  were 
also  natives.  With  their  family  they  emigrated 
Westward  in  1844.  and  after  a  short  time  spent  in 
Jersey  County,  III.,  came  to  Woodburn,  Macoupin 
County,  where  the  wife  and  mother  departed  this 
life  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven  years.  Mr.  Frost 
has  been  a  second  time  married  and  now  lives  on  a 
farm  near  Woodburn. 

Under  the  parental  roof  Mrs. Snedeker  remained 
until  her  marriage  and  the  training  whicn  she  re- 
ceived combined  with  the  natural  excellencies  of 
her  character  has  made  her  a  cultured  woman  who 
has  proved  a  true  helpmate  to  her  husband.  Their 
home  has  been  blessed  by  the  presence  of  four  chil- 
dren, but  only  two  are  now  living — Caroline  I.  and 
Alma.  The  latter  is  the  wife  of  Harry  Colter  who 
resides  mi  a  farm  in  Ililyard  Township.  Ida  A. 
died  in  childhood  ;  and  Theodore  died  three  days 
before  he  had  attained  to  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years.  Mi'.  Snedeker  is  a  practical  and  progressive 
farmer  who  successfully  operates  his  quarter  sec- 
tion of  land  and  has  thereby  acquired  a  compe- 
tence.    He  takes  a  commendable  interest  in  all  that 


pertains  ;o  the  upbuilding  and  welfare  of  the  county 
and  always  willingly  gives  Ii is  support  to  those 
enterprises  which  are  calculated  to  promote  the 
general  welfare.  Those  who  have  known  him 
from  his  youth  up  and  are  familiar  with  his  upright 
life  are  numbered  among  his  stanchest  friends  and 
in  speaking  of  him  they  use  only  words  of  com- 
mendation and  praise. 


kEXANDER  II.  BELL  of  Carlinville.  is 
known  and  honored  as  a  law3,er  who  has 
risen  to  eminence  among  the  members  of 
@)J  the  bar  of  this  county   through    personal 

merit  and  devotion  to  his  profession.  He  is  a  na- 
tive-born citizen  of  this  Stale;  Troy,  Madison 
County,  his  birthplace,  and  October  29,  1853,  the 
date  of  his  birth.  He  is  the  son  of  Thomas  II.  Bell, 
who  was  born  at  Cambridge,  Dorchester  County, 
Md.,  where  also  his  father  is  thought  to  have  been 
born  and  passed  his  life.  The  latter,  Robert  Bell, 
was  a  merchant  and  planter,  his  plantation  being 
worked  by  slaves. 

Thomas  H.  Bell  was  reared  and  educated  in  his 
native  county,  and  early  in  life  he  learned  the  trade 
of  a  coachmaker.  which  he  followed  in  Maryland 
until  1851 ,  when  he  came  to  Illinois.  Ever  since 
that  time  he  has  made  his  home  in  Troy,  Madison 
County,  except  a  period  of  five  j  ears  in  which  he 
lived  in  Jersey ville,  III.  He  has  carried  on  the 
business  of  manufacturing  carriages  and  wagons 
until  the  present  time.  1 1  is  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Julia  Hubbard,  was  also  born  near  Cam- 
bridge. Md.  They  reared  two  children — Alexan- 
der, II..  of  this  sketch,  and  Angie,  who  married 
Truman  K.  Gore,  of  Carlinville. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Troy  and  Jerseyville 
our  subject  gained  the  preliminaries  of  a  good  ed- 
ucation. In  1K70  he  entered  Blackburn  University, 
attending  until  the  fall  of  1873,  when  he  left  for  a 
time  to  teach  school,  being  thus  engaged  in  Greene 
County  the  ensuing  winter  of  1873-74,  and  the 
following  summer  he  worked  on  a  farm.  In  the 
fall  he  returned  to  his  studies  at  Blackburn  and 
was  graduated  in  tic  Class  of  '7.">.     Immediately 


750 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


after  leaving  the  university  he  commenced  the 
study  of  law  with  Hon.  Charles  A.  Walker,  and  the 
next  winter  again  gave  his  attention  to  the  teach- 
er's profession,  filling  the  position  of  Principal  of 
the  Medora  schools.  In  the  spring  of  1876  he  re- 
sumed his  legal  studies  with  Mr.  Walker  and  in 
June,  1877,  was  admitted  to  the  liar.  In  Septem- 
ber, of  the  same  year  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
W.  E.  P.  Anderson,  which  connection  has  continued 
since  that  time. 

In  December,  1877,  Mr.  Bell  and  Miss  Flora  (i. 
Mounts  were  united  in  marriage,  and  of  their  wed- 
ded life  two  children  have  been  born,  who  are 
named  Bessie  and  Robert  H.  Mrs.  Bell  is  a  native 
of  Carlinville,  and  a  daughter  of  Leander  and 
Elizabeth  (Davis)  Mounts.  For  her  parental  his- 
tory see  sketch  of  William  L.  Mounts. 

Mr.  Bell's  fellow-citizens  have  called  him  to  posi- 
tions in  the  line  of  his  profession.  In  1878  be  was 
chosen  City  Attorney.  In  188(1  he  was  elected 
State's  Attorney  for  Macoupin  County.  Socially  he 
is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  order  in 
this  section  of  the  country,  'icing  identified  with 
the  Mt.  Nebo  Lodge  No.  76,  and  with  Macoupin 
Chapter,  No.  187,  R.  A.  M..  in  which  lie  has  filled 
various  offices.  He  is  at  present  District  Deputy 
Grand  Master  of  the  Twenty-second  Masonic  dis 
trict,  including  Macoupin,  Jersey,  Greene  and  Cal- 
houn Counties.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  and 
cast  his  first  vote  for  Samuel  J.  Tilden  for  Presi- 
dent in  1876. 


«\  WILLIAM  A.  SHRIVEH,  M.  D.  The  pro- 
\rJ//  fessional  men  in  any  community  are  pre- 
yyy  sumably  leaders  in  thought  and  action, 
especially  in  regard  to  the  development  of  the  in- 
tellectual, industrial  and  financial  affairs  of  the  dis- 
trict in  which  they  live.  A  physician  who  has 
established  a  large  and  influential  practice,  has  the 
entrance  into  hundreds  of  homes  and  the  regard  of 
many  citizens  who  naturally  look  to  him  for  ad- 
vice, not  only  in  his  own  line  but  also  in  regard 
to  matters  in  general.  The  gentleman  of  whom 
we  write  has  established  a  practice  and    has  made 


friends  who  would  gladly  accord  him  such  a  posi- 
tion as  we  have  described. 

Dr.  Shriver  was  born  in  the  village  of  Sugar 
Tree  Ridge,  Highland  County,  Ohio,  April  30, 
1844.  His  father,  George  A.  Shriver,  was  a  native 
of  Clermont  County,  Ohio,  and  was  the  son  of 
Peter  Shriver  a  Pennsylvania!!,  who  emigrated  at 
a  very  early  day  from  his  native  State  to  Clermont 
County.  He  devoted  himself  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits through  life  and  spent  his  last  years  in  High- 
land County. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  also  reared  as  a 
farmer,  and  chose  that  as  his  life  work  until  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  cabinet-maker  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  many  years.  Soon  after  his  marriage  he 
established  his  home  in  Highland  County,  Ohio, 
and  resided  near  Sugar  Tree  Ridge  until  1851, 
when  he  came  to  Illinois  and  made  his  home  near 
Bockfoid.  This  journey  was  made  by  team,  bring- 
ing with  him  his  family  anil  household  goods. 
Rockford,  which  is  now  so  beautiful  and  flourish- 
ing a  city,  was  then  a  small  place,  without  railroad 
facilities.  He  removed  from  thereto  Pike  County 
in  1851  and  bought  land  near  Piltsfieid,  at  which 
time  he  returned  to  the  vocation  of  a  farmer. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Mary  A.  Hensley.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Joseph  Hensley  and  her  native  home  was  High- 
land County,  Ohio.  She  became  the  mother  of 
four  sons  and  live  daughters.  Our  subject  was 
seven  years  old  when  he  removed  to  Illinois  with 
his  parents.  The  district  school  furnished  his  ele- 
mentary education  which  he  so  thoroughly  im- 
proved as  to  be  able  to  begin  teaching  at  the  age  of 
fifteen. 

The  young  man  in  improving  his  opportunities 
for  education  had  in  mind  the  attainment  of  a  pro- 
fessional training  and  after  he  had  taught  for  three 
years  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Pitzer, 
now  of  St.  Louis.  He  also  attended  lectures  at 
the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
and  took  a  diploma  from  that  college.  It  was  in 
the  spring  of  1866  when  he  began  to  practice  his 
profession  in  Virden  and  he  has  made  this  his  home 
up  to  the  present  time.  His  skill  has  been  con- 
stantly augmented  by  the  experience  which  has 
come  to  him,  and  he  has  gained  in  reputation  ever 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


751 


since  be  began  practice  in  this  place.  He  has  also 
made  judicious  investments,  rind  more  wisely  than 
many  physicians  has  so  managed  his  business  as  to 
gain  a  comfortable  competence.  IK1  is  respected 
among  business  men  as  a  financier  and  his  opinion 
is  eagerly  sought  upon  questions  which  concern  the 
welfare  not  only  of  friends  but  of  the  community. 
The  marriage  of  1).'.  Shriver  and  Miss  Carrie  E. 
Howland.  at  Harry,  Pike  County.  111.,  in  1865, has 
resulted  in  a  union  of  unusual  felicity  and  useful- 
ness. Five  children  are  the  result  of  this  union, 
the  two  eldest.  Carrie  and  Frank,  are  deceased. 
Three  remain  to  brighten  the  home  of  the  Doctor: 
Edith,  Estelle,  and  Earl.  The  Doctor  is  a  warm 
friend  of  education  and  takes  great  interest  in  the 
schools  of  the  city  and  at  present  is  serving  as 
President  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  city 
of  Virden  and  is  giving  his  children  all  the  ad- 
vantages offered  in  the  schools  of  the  city  prepara- 
tory to  entering  a  higher  grade.  The  Doctor  and 
his  wife  are  united  in  their  religious  life,  being 
both  earnest  and  active  members  of  the  .Methodist 
Episcopal  Chu'ch. 


...^..."..jj....  . j,. 

■3V     «    r-C?    v  ^ 


ENRY  PALL,  an  extensive  and  successful 
«  farmer  and  stock-raiser  of  Girard  Town- 
ship, was  born  in  Breconshire,  South  Wales, 
(£)  September  25,  1844.  His  father  Richard 
Ball,  was  born  on  the  Yatt  farm,  near  Old  Radnor, 
Radnorshire.  Wales.  His  father,  William,  was 
born  in  Herefordshire,  England.  The  grandfather 
was  for  many  years  a  farmer,  but  in  his  later  years 
opened  :i  limestone  quarry,  and  engaged  in  burning 
lime  in  Radnorshire,  Wales,  lime  being  extensively 
used  as  a  fertilizer  in  Wales.  The  father  of  our 
subject  was  reared  in  his  native  land  and  becoming 
a  veterinary  surgeon,  practiced  in  Breconshire  and 
adjoining   counties. 

In  the  summer  of  1  Hoo  Richard  Ball,  Sr.,  decided 
to  emigrate  to  the  New  World,  and  having  his 
family  at  the  old  home  came  to  America  and  loca- 
ted at  Virden,  becoming  an  early  settler  there. 
After   deciding   upon    a    location    he   sent    back    for 


his  family,  and  in  the  fall  his  wife  and  ten  of  her 
fourteen    children    sailed    from     Liverpool    in    the 

g 1    ship   •Aurora."   and     landed    safely    in    New 

York  December  8,  after  a  voyage  of  nearly  seven 
weeks.  They  came  directly  to  Virden  and  he 
bough*  a  home  in  that  village  and  engaged  in  bus- 
i m  —  as  a  butcher,  in  which  line  he  continued  until 
his  death  in  August,  1856.  He  was  a  strong  ad- 
herent to  the  Episcopal  faith  having  all  his  chil- 
dren baptized  in  infancy  in  the  Episcopal  Church. 
His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Maria  Evans, 
her  father  being  Thomas  Evans,  a  farmer  of  Rad- 
norshire. Wales,  and  her  mother,  Mary  Ball  Evans. 
she  still  resides  with  her  son,  and  although  she  has 
reached  the  advanced  age  of  eighty -seven  years,  is 
interested  in  current  events  and  especially  church 
work,  being  a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

Fourteen  children  came  to  bless  the  home  of  Rich 
aril  Ball.  Si'.,  all  of  whom  were  carefully  reared  by 
their  devoted  mother,  who  added  to  her  flock  two 
Others  who  were  orphans.  She  lived  to  see  all  but 
one  of  her  children  grow  to  maturity  and  estab- 
lish homes  of  their  own,  living  in  comfortable  cir- 
cumstances and  in  houses  which  'hey  had  built  for 
themselves.  They  are  by  name:  Frederick,  Ara- 
bella, William  E.,  Thomas.  Richard  .Jr.,  Maria. 
Mary.  Fiances.  Ann,  John,  .lames.  Henry,  George, 
and  Agnes  E.  Maria  died  in  Wales  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years.  Ann  ma'ried  Calvin  Tunnel)  and 
.lied  in  Montgomery  County.  III.;  .Tames  died  in 
Virden   at    the    age  of  twelve  years;   William,  the 

sec 1   son.  was  a   resident   of  London,  England, 

about  forty  years,  and  died  there  February  27. 
1891,  and  Frederick  lives  in  Missouri,  but  all  the 
other  children  have  made  their  home  in  Illinois. 
William  Pugh  and  John  Dowdy  are  the  names  of 
the  orphans  whom  she  reared  with  her  own  family. 
William  Pugh  was  a  nephew  of  Richard  Ball.  Sr., 
and  was  a  twin  brother  of  James,  who  died  in  Vir- 
den. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  hoy  of  eleven 
years  old  when  he  came  to  America  with  his  parents 
and  therefore  remembers  well  his  native  land,  and 
the  incident  connected  with  their  removal  thither. 
He  was  reared  to  habits  of  imlustiy.  and  has  been 
very    successful    in    his    farming    operations.      For 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


several  years  he  was  connected  in  liis  work  with  his 
brothers,  but  since  1877  has  fanned  alone.  He 
now  owns  one  of  the  best  farms  in  Macoupin 
County,  which  is  well  tilled  and  supplied  with 
necessary  buildings  which  are  of  an  excellent  grade. 
Short-horn  cattle  are  his  favorite  breed,  although 
he  devotes  himself  largely  to  English  draft  and 
Morgan  horses.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Farmers 
Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company  and  of  Grange 
No.  485. 


►i^HNM 


OL.    SARGEANT    M<  KNIGHT,    a    distin- 


guished citizen  of  Girard,  and  formerly  one 


v^g^'  of  its  leading  business  men,  won  a  high 
reputation  for  his  ability,  unflinching  courage  and 
devotion  to  the  cause  of  his  country  as  an  officer 
in  the  Union  Army  during  the  late  war,  in  "Ibose 
times  that  tried  men's  souls."  and  tested  their  pa- 
triotism, their  manhood,  and  the  value  of  their  citi- 
zenship, lie  is  well-known  in  the  public  life  of 
this  county  and  State,  as  he  has  held  several  prom- 
inent military  and  civic  positions,  and  is  one  of 
the  leading  members  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  at  present  serving  on  the  staff  of  its  Com- 
mander-in  Chief,  Gen.  W.  G.  Veazey. 

The  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch  was  born 
in  Macoupin  County,  111.,  January  6,  1844.  His 
parents  were  natives  of  Virginia,  and  emigrated  to 
Illinois  about  the  year  1830,  becoming  early  set- 
tlers of  Greenfield,  Greene  County.  They  subse- 
quently became  pioneers  of  this  count}',  locating 
first  at  Scottville,  whence  they  came  to  Girard  in 
1859.  His  mother  died  in  April,  1864,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-four  years;  his  father  died  in  April,  1868, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years. 

Col.  McKnight  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of 
ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  now  living.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
county,  and  at  tbe  age  of  seventeen  years  he  entered 
a  dry-goods  store  at  Girard  as  a  clerk.  He  held 
that  position  until  August,  1862,  when,  though  but 
eighteen  years  of  age,  he  threw  aside  all  personal 
interests  to  serve  his  country,  enlisting  as  a  private 
in  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty -two  Illi 


nois  Infantry,  commanded  by  Col.  John  I.  Rinaker. 
The  regiment  was  organized  at  Camp  Palmer.  Car- 
linville,  and  private  McKnight  was  elected  First 
Sergeant  of  his  company,  thus  entering  upon  that 
military  career  that  reflected  honor  upon  himself, 
his  friends,  and  the  soldiery  of  his  native  State. 
The  regiment  was  soon  after  ordered  to  the  front 
and  remained  in  active  service  until  the  close  of 
the  war. 

Our  subject  participated  in  every  engagement  in 
which  his  regiment  took  part.  December  31,  1.H62, 
he  was  promoted  and  commissioned  Second  Lieu- 
tenant of  his  company,  vice  Lieutenant  Briston, 
killed  in  battle  at  Parker's  Cross  Roads,  in  Tennes- 
see. During  the  lat  er  part  of  1863  he  served  a 
short  time  as  Aide-de  Camp  on  the  Staff  of  Col. 
Mersey,  of  the  Ninth  Illinois  Infantry,  command- 
ing a  brigade  in  Gen.  Dodge's  Division.  Sixteenth 
Army  Corps,  but  was  relieved  at  his  own  request, 
and  in  January.  1864,  rejoined  his  regiment  at 
Pad u call,  Ky.  Soon  after  his  arrival  at  that  place 
the  Colonel  was  detailed  as  Assistant  Inspector 
General  on  the  staff  of  Col.  S.  <L  Hicks,  command- 
ing the  Post,  which  position  he  filled-  until  after 
the  assault  on  Ft.  Anderson  at  Paducah,  March  24, 
by  the  Confederate  forces,  under  the  command  of 
Gen.  N.  15.  Forrest.  At  this  battle  after  the  first 
repulse  of  the  Confederates,  our  subject  was  sent 
by  Col.  Hicks  to  meet  a  Confederate  staff  officer 
bearing  a  Hag  of  truce  and  a  demand  from  Gen. 
Forrest  for  the  unconditional  surrender  of  the  fort 
and  Federal  forces,  which  demand  was  promptly 
refused  by  the  gallant  Union  veteran.  Col.  Hicks. 
The  rebels  then  made  two  more  fierce  and  deter- 
mined, but  unsuccessful  attacks  on  the  fort,  suffer- 
ing a  loss  of  about  one  thousand  men  in  killed  and 
wounded.  Col.  Hicks  in  his  official  report  of  this 
engagement,  makes  special  mention  of  the  efficient 
and  gallant  services  of  Lieut.  McKnight. 

The  Colonel  was  soon  after  appointed  Provost 
Marshal  of  Paducah,  which  important  and  respon- 
sible position  he  filled  in  a  manner  most  satisfac- 
tory  to  his  superior  officers  until  about  the  20th  of 
June,  when  he  was  again  relieved  at  his  own  re- 
quest, and  he  accompanied  his  regiment  that  had 
been  ordered  to  Memphis,  Tenn.,  to  join  the  forces 
under  (Jen.  A.  J.  Smith.      He  served  with  his  com- 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


753 


pany  until  December,  when  al  Nashville,  Tenn.,  lie 
was  appointed  Aide-dc-Carop  on  the  staS  of  BreV. 
Maj.  Gen.  Kenner  Garrard,  commanding  the  Sec- 
ond Division  of  the  Sixteenth  Army  Corps,  and  in 
t.hat  capacity  be  took  an  active  part  in  the  battle  of 
Nashville,  on  t lie  15th  and  1 6  th  of  December, 
1861,  when  the  Federal  forces,  under  Gen.  George 
H.  Thomas,  defeated  ami  annihilated  Hood's  armv. 
He  remained  on  the  staff  of  Gen.  Garrard  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  and  was  breveted  captain  by  the 
President,  his  commission  reading  for  "gallant  and 
meritorious  conduct  during  the  campaign  against 
the  city  of  Mobile  and  its  defenses." 

After  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  in.  July, 
1865,  Col.  McKnight  returned  to  Girard  and  en- 
gaged in  the  dry  goods  business.  In  1867  he  en- 
tered into  partnership  with  15.  Boggess,  A.  A. 
Cooper,  and  John  T.  Holden,  under  the  linn  name 
of  I!.  Roggess  iV-  Co.  for  the  manufacture  of  wwolen 
goods  and  the  sale  of  general  merchandise,  at  Gir- 
ard. About  the  1st  of  April,  1870,  the  firm  opened 
a  branch  house  at  Taylorville,  and  our  subject  re- 
moved thither  with  his  family  to  take  charge  of  the 
business  In  1875  the  firm  of  Roggess  &  Co.  dis- 
solved partnership,  but  Col.  McKnight  continued 
the  business  at  Taylorville  until  March,  1882,  when 
at  the  request  of  his  father-in-law,  he  returned  with 
his  family  to  Girard,  and  was  engaged  as  a  dry 
goods  merchant  in  this  city  until  November,  1889, 
when  he  retired,  anil  has  not  since  then  been  en- 
gaged in  active  business. 

On  May  15,  1866  Col.  McKnight  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Virginia  A.,  eldest  daughter  of 
B.  Boggess,  Esq.,  an  old  and  prominent  citizen  of 
Girard.  Three  children  have  hallowed  and  blessed 
this  union,  two  of  whom  are  living,  Emma  Pearl 
and  Robert  Wade. 

Our  subject's  talent  for  affairs  and  high  personal 
standing  have  brought  him  to  the  front  in  the  pub- 
lic life  of  this,  his  native  county,  in  various  import- 
ant official  positions.  While  a  resident  of  Taylor- 
ville he  was  twice  elected  President  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  the  town.  In  1889  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Macoupin  County  Board  of  Super- 
visors from  Girard  Township.  At  one  time  he 
served  four  years  in  the  Illinois  National  Guard  as 
Captain  of  Company  B, and  Inspector  of  Rifle  Prac- 


tice of  the  Fifth  Regiment.  Gov.  Joseph  W.  Fifer 
recognized  his  military  record  by  appointing  him 
a  member  of  his  staff  from  the  Seventeenth  Con- 
gressional  District,  with  the  rank  of  Colonel,  and 
in  January.  1891  he  was  appointed  Aide  de-Camp 
on  the  staff  of  Gen.  Veazey,  Commander-in-Chief 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  is  a 
valued  member  of  that  organization,  belonging 
to  the  Luke  May  Geld  Post,  No.  515,  and  was  an 
Alternate  Representative  to  the  National  Encamp- 
ment held  at  San  Francisco,  Cal..  in  Augnst,  1886, 
also  a  Representative  to  the  Twenty-fourth  Na- 
tional Encampment  at  Boston.  Mass.  The  Colonel 
is  a  Republican  in  politics,  casting  his  first  vote  for 
Gen.  ['.  S.  Grant,  in  1868,  and  since  that  time  he 
has  adhered  to  the  fortunes  and  principles  of  that 
political  organization. 


— 5-H-Se^^^H-J— 


eASPER  WESTERMEIER.  Jb.  Probably 
no  resident  of  Carlinville  is  more  widely 
known,  by  reputation  at  least,  than  Mr. 
Westermeier,  who  was  for  several  years  the  incum- 
bent of  the  office  of  County  Clerk.  In  the  arduous 
position,  with  all  its  responsibilities,  he  proved 
faithful,  accurate  and  trustworthy,  and  his  resigna- 
tion was  accepted  with  regret.  When  he  withdrew 
from  politics  he  opened  an  office  for  general  ab- 
stract of  title,  insurance  and  real-estate  business 
and  he  represents  some  of  the  best  insurance  com- 
panies in  the  United  States. while  his  familiarity  with 
the  records  of  Macoupin  County  makes  him  excep- 
tionally reliable  in  examination  of  titles  to  real  es- 
tate. 

Mr.  Westermeier  is  descended  from  excellent  Ger- 
man stock,  both  parents  having  been  born  in  the 
Old  Country.  His  father,  for  whom  he  is  named, 
was  a  native  of  Prussia,  and  his  mother,  Anna 
Marie  Deckemcier,  was  born  in  Hanover.  The 
latter  came  to  America  with  friends  when  a  young 
la.lv,  being  the  only  member  of  her  family  to  cross 
the  ocean.  She  was  married  in  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
where  Mr.  Westermeier  had  located  almost  imme- 
diately after  his  migration.  He  had  served  his 
time    in    the   German  army,  entering  at  the  age  of 


751 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


eighteen  years,  in  accordance  with    the  custom    of 
the  empire,   and   soon   after  li Is  discharge  came  to 
America.      He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and   in  St. 
Lonis   lie   worked   as  a  journeyman  for  a  time  and 
then  became  contractor.     In  18(51    he   removed   to 
Bunker   Hill,   this  county,  an  1  in  1884,  their  chil- 
dren having  all  left  home,   they    removed    to   Car- 
linville.    where   the   two  eldest  sons  resided,  and  is 
retired  from  active  life,  although  for  several  years 
he  carried    on    his   business  at   Hunker  Hill.     The 
faithful  wife  and  mother  died  May  25,  18K'.).     She 
had  reared  three  sons— Casper,  John   and   Joseph. 
The  subject  of  this  notice  was  born  in  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  July  22.  1846,  and  received   his   early    educa- 
tion in  the  Catholic  parochial  schools  there.     When 
he  was  sixteen  years  old   he   began    clerking  in   a 
general    store   in   Gillespie,  where    he   remained  a 
year  and  a  half.      He  then  returned  to  Bunker  Hill 
and  for  four  years  was  a  clerk  and  bookkeeper,  and 
then  removed  to  Litchfield  and  embarked   in   busi- 
ness,    carrying    a    stock    of    general    merchandise. 
After  a  year  of  business  life  he  sold  out  and  after  the 
November  election  in  1868,  came  to  Carlinville  to 
accept   ami    assume  the  duties  of  Chief  Deputy    in 
the  Circuit  Clerk's  office,  under  11.  W.  Burton,  Esq. 
He  acted  in  that   capacity    nine  years   and    during 
this  time,  in  the  spring  of  1872.  he  was  elected  anil 
served  one  term  as  City   Treasurer   of   Carlinville, 
and   was  then   next  elected    County   Clerk.     This 
was  in  the  fall  of  1877,   and    after  serving  a   five- 
years'  term,  he  was  re-elected  and  acted  four  years 
longer,  and  one  of  the  chief  duties  and  responsibil- 
ities with  which  lie  had  to  contend  in  the   adminis- 
tration  of  the   office   of   County  Clerk  was  the  re- 
funding  of   the    $  1,500,000   courthouse   bonds   of 
Macoupin   County,   with   eleven  years'  interest  at 
ten  per  cent,  accrued,    outstanding    into    six    per 
cent,  bonds  on  compromised  propositions,  and  hav- 
ing determined  to  adopt  a  different  line  of  life   he 
was  no  candidate  for  re-election,  but  opened  the  of- 
fice as  before  stated. 

The  lady  who  presides  in  Mr.  Westermeier's 
pleasant  home  was  known  in  her  maidenhood  as 
Margaret  Carlisle  and  their  marriage  was  solemn- 
ized October  15,  1867,  at  Litchfield,  III.  The 
bride  was  born  in  Dumfries,  Scotland.  Her  father, 
William  Carlisle,  was  a  Government  baker.  He  came 


to  America  with  a  party  of  pleasure  seekers,  wns 
stricken  with  yellow  fever  and  died.  Subsequently 
the  widow  of  Mr.  Carlisle  came  to  this  country  with 
her  two  daughters,  in  company  with  her  parents, 
who  were  McVeighs.  They  settled  in  Ohio  and  later 
made  their  home  in  Covington.  Ky.  In  that  State 
the.  widow  was  married  to  Mr.  William  Manly  and 
the  family  removed  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.  A  second 
removal  was  made  to  Bunker  Hill  and  thence  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Manly  went  to  Litchfield,  which  is  still 
Mrs.  Manly's  home.  Mrs.  Westermeier  was  two 
and  a  half  years  old  when  her  mother  brought  her 
across  the  water  and  her  education  and  training 
have  been  received  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis  and  the 
towns  above  mentioned.  She  has  the  sterling  qual- 
ities of  the  Scotch  and  the  progressive  spirit  of  the 
American  and  her  care  of  her  family  is  devoted. 
She  has  ten  children,  whose  respective  names  are 
.Joseph.  Emma,  Nellie,  Mae,  William.  Margaret, 
Edward,  Aloysius,  Reba  and  Genevieve,  all  horn 
at  Carlinville  except  Joseph,  who  was  born  in 
Litchfield,  111. 

In  exercising  the  right  of  suffrage  Mr.  Wester- 
meier votes  with  the  Democrats.  The  connection 
of  the  family  is  with  St.  .Joseph's  Catholic  Church. 
Mr.  Westermeier  is  a  very  enterprising  man  and 
one  who  is  likely  at  all  times  to  make  his  way  in 
business,  as  he  has  so  far  in  life  been  doing. 


«       &ILLIAM  A.  TROU T,  M.  D.     This    young 

\/\l/l  gentleman  llas  been  established  in  practice 
W^l  in  Atwater  for  ten  years,  and  has  acquired 
a  good  reputation  as  a  physician,  skilled  in  his 
work,  and  constantly  on  the  alert  to  add  to  his  effi- 
ciency. He  was  born  in  St.  Charles  County.  Mo., 
June  14,  1853,  and  spent  his  early  years  as  do 
farmer's  sons  generally.  He  attended  school  as 
opportunity  offered,  both  in  Missouri  and  in  this 
county  and  in  the  winter  of  1872-73  taught  in  Cuba, 
Mo.  He  returned  to  the  farm  and  remained 
thereon  until  December,  1878,  using  every  spare 
moment  in  reading  medicine.  He  then  entered  the 
Missouri  Medical  College  in  St.  Louis,  and  was 
graduated  after  a  three  years'  course  of  study.    He 


c^ff^^  <&,  ^ 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRA  PHICAL  RECORD. 


7.',  7 


nt  once  located  in  At  water,  where  he  has  remained 
and  where  since  1885,  lie  has  a'so  carried  on  H  drug 
Btore. 

The  father  of  Dr.  Trout  was  a  native  of  Trimble 
County.  Ivy.,  and  l>  >re  the  given  name  of  Klkanah. 
His  father  in  turn  was  Daniel  Trout,  a  native  <jf 
Pennsylvania  ami  the  son  of  German  parents.  The 
father  of  our  subject  grew  to  manhood  in  his  na- 
tive State  and  removed  thence  to  Missouri  about 
1*40.  He  was  a  pioneer  settler  in  Warren  County, 
whence  he  went  to  Clarke  and  from  there  to  St. 
Charles  County.  lie  lived  on  a  farm  thereuntil 
the  spring  of  18G5,  when  he  came  to  this  county 
and  bought  his  present  property  in  Shaw's  Point 
Township.  His  wife,  formerly  America  C.  Ander- 
son, was  born  in  Kentucky,  December  1,  1*27. 
Their  family  consists  of  seven  sons   and  daughters. 

Dr.  Trout  takes  much  interest  in  the  work  of 
medical  societies,  finding  them  a  source  of  persona! 
improvement,  and  greatly  enjoying  association 
with  other  professional  men,  in  conversation  with 
whom  he  can  brighten  and  strengthen  his  ideas,  lie 
belongs  to  the  Society  of  Macoupin  County  for 
Medical  Improvement,  Illinois  State  Medical  So- 
ciel-y  and  American  Medical  Association,  and  is 
al*o  connected  will!  the  Illinois  Pharmaceutical  As- 
sociation. 


f7\  LP. PUT  CAMPBELL  CORR,  M.  D.,  of 
(©/lJI;    Carlinville.  a  specialist    in  diseases  of   the 

///  A  kvk,  bah  and  tiikoat  and  associated  with 
qJ  his  wife,  Dr.  L.  H.  Coir,  in  practice,  is  one 

of  the  foremost  physicians  in  this  part  of  the 
State.  He  is  a  native  of  this  county,  a  descendant 
of  one  of  its  earliest  and  best-known  pioneer  fam- 
ilies and  was  bom  in  Honey  Point  Township.  Feb- 
ruary 10,  1840.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Coir,  who 
was  horn  in  King  and  Queen's  Count)-.  Ya.,  in 
1800.  His  father  was  of  English  birth,  and  coming 
to  America  in  early  life  with  his  brothers,  he  ever 
after  ra^de  his  home  in  Virginia  until  his  life  was 
rounded  out  by 'death. 

Thomas    Corr    went    to    Kentucky   when    quite 


young  and  there  married  at  the  youthful  age  of  sev- 
enteen years,  Miss   Preshea  Wood   becoming    his 

wife.  She  was  a  native  of  Mississippi  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Mica  jail  Wood.  She  died  at  Monroe.  Iowa. 
October '.).  ls.ss.  at  the  age  of  eighty-sh  years  and 
six  months.  After  marriage  Mr.  Corr  located  in 
Oldham  County,  and  there  engaged  in  fanning, 
operating  his  land  with  slave  labor.  His  sentiments, 
however,  were  not  in  sympathy  with  that  degrading 
institution  of  the  South,  and  in  consequence  lie 
decided  to  emigrate  to  a  free  State.  In  pursuance 
of  that  resolve  he  visited  Illinois  in  In:!:.'  and 
bought  a  squatter's  claim  to  a  tract  of  land  on  sec- 
tion 18,  of  what  is  now  Honey  Point  Township, 
and  he  entered  that  and  some  land  adjoining,  his 
being  the  first  or  second  entry  of  land  in  that 
township.  After  he  had  secured  the  title  to  his 
land  he  returned  to  Kentucky  on  horseback,  ns  he 
had  come. 

Mr.  Corr  settled  his  business  in  Kentucky,  and 
in  1834  removed  his  family  to  their  future  home, 
making  the  journey  with  teams.  There  was  a  log 
house  on  the  claim  that  he  had  bought,  and  into 
that  humble  dwelling  the  family  moved,  and  be  at 
once  commenced  the  hard  pioneer  task  of  develop- 
ing a  farm  from  his  wild  land.  The  county  was 
but  thinly  inhabited  and  deer,  turkeys  and  other 
kinds  of  game  abounded.  There  were  no  railways 
and  the  nearest  market  was  at  Alton,  thirty-live 
miles  distant.  In  I84'.t  Mr.  Corr  erected  a  sawmill 
on  Honey  Creek  and  shortly  after  removed  his  fam- 
ily to  that  neighborhood  and  there  dwelt  until  his 
well-spent  life  was  brought  to  a  close  in  January, 
\s:,-2.  ere  old  age  had  come  upon  him. 

He  was  a  man  of  pure  and  lofty  character  and 
was  greatly  beloved  in  his  community,  as  he  was 
untiring  in  his  efforts  to  benefit  his  fellow-men  and 
to  do  good.  His  wife  possessed  the  same  kindly 
nature,  anil  among  their  benevolent  deeds  was  the 
rearing  of  eight  orphan  children.  Loth  were  active 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  he  was 
Clerk  of  the  Apple  Creek  Association.  He  was 
a  well  educated  man.  and  though  never  ordained 
he  occasionally  preached.  He  served  as  Justice  of 
the  Peace  several  years,  Mid  in  that  Office  lie  was  a 
peace-maker  indeed,  as  by  his  wise  arbitration 
many    a    neighbor's    quarrel    was    settled    without 


758 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RKCORD. 


litigation.  Politically,  he  was  an  anti-slavery 
Whig.  He  served  his  township  as  School  Trustee 
and  was  one  of  the  County  Commissioners  when 
the  second  court-house  was  built  in  this  county. 

The  parents  of  the  subject  of  tiiis  sketch  had 
eleven  children  of  their  own,  namely:  Robert  S., 
James  B.,  Columbus  W.,  William,  Frances,  Thomas 
Jefferson.  Martha  Ann,  John,  Franklin  R.,  Albert 
C.  and  Milton  B.,  only  three  of  whom  are  living — 
James,  Martha  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The 
family  was  well  represented  in  the  army  during  the 
Civil  War.  Franklin  R  was  in  Company  B,  First 
Missouri  Cavalry,  and  nobly  sacrificed  his  life  for 
his  country,  being  killed  in  a  cavalry  charge  at 
Sugar  Creek,  Ark.,  February  17,  18G2.  James 
was  a  physician  and  enlisted  in  Company  F.  One 
Hundred  and  Thirty-third  Illinois  Infantry,  serv- 
ing as  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  regiment.  Lucian 
C,  an  adopted  son,  served  in  Company  C.  Four- 
teenth Illinois  Infantry,  three  years,  and  in  Com- 
pany K,  Seventh  Illinois  Infantry,  one  year  and 
was  four  times  wounded   at  the  battle  of  Shiloh. 

Dr.  Corr  received  his  early  education  in  a  pio- 
neer school  taught  in  a  log  house  near  the  line  of 
sections  18  and  19.  The  building  was  a  primitive 
affair,  chinked  and  daubed  with  mud  to  keep  out 
the  cold,  and  heated  by  a  rude  fireplace  with  an 
earth  and  stick  chimney;  it  had  a  puncheon  floor, 
seals  made  of  slabs  without  back  .  There  were  no 
desks  in  front  of  the  seats,  but  a  board  against  the 
wall  on  the  west  side  of  the  bouse  answered  the 
purpose,  as  it  was  placed  there  for  the  larger 
scholars  to  write  upon.  Above  this  board  there 
were  two  crooked  logs  comprising  a  part  of  the  side 
of  the  building  and  placed  one  above  the  other  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  leave  a  large  crack  to  admit 
the  light  on  the  desk.  When  not  in  school  our 
subject  assisted  in  the  farm  work,  but  he  was  de- 
sirous of  completing  his  education,  and  in  18(J1  he 
prepared  for  three  years  steady  attendance  at 
school.  He  was,  however,  destined  to  be  disap- 
pointed in  that  aspiration,  for  the  war  breaking 
out  and  his  brother  next  older  than  himself  enlisting 
in  defence  of  the  Union,  the  care  of  the  farm  de- 
volved upon  him,  and  he  attended  school  only  a 
part  of  each  year.  In  1863  he  entered  Blackburn 
Seminary  and  was  a  student  at  the  institution  one 


year.  During  the  early  part  of  the  war  he  did 
duty  in  a  posse  of  the  Deputy  Marshal,  and  in  May, 
1S04,  enlisted  in  Company  F,  One  Hundred  anil 
Thirty-third  Illinois  Infantry,  in  which  he  served 
four  months. 

After  this  Dr.  Corr  resumed  his  duties  on  the 
farm  with  his  widowed  mother  and  soon  began 
the  study  of  medicine,  which  lie  read  diligently  at 
such  times  as  was  possible  amid  the  farm  work.  In 
October.  1865,  he  entered  for  a  three-years'  course 
the  Chicago  Medical  College,  now  the  medical  de- 
partment of  the  Northwestern  University,  and  con- 
tinued as  a  faculty  student  for  two  years.  During 
the  vacation  of  his  last  year  he  studied  in  the  oltice 
of  Drs.  J.  P.  Mathews  and  L.  Mathews,  of  Carlin- 
ville.  He  was  graduated  March  1.  1868  and  was 
the  first  physician  in  the  county  who  took  so  ex- 
tended a  course  as  three  years  in  a  medical  college. 
He  was  also  the  first  to  graduate  from  a  school  of 
graded  instruction  as  his  Alma  Mater  was  the  first 
to  establish  such  a  course  of  instruction  in  this 
country. 

Dr.  Corr  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  Chesterfield  and  remained  there  seven  years 
before  he  established  himself  in  Carlinville,  where 
he  has  ever  since  lived.  He  has  always  taken  an 
active  interest  in  the  development  of  the  efficiency 
of  the  practice  of  medicine  in  his  native  county 
and  Stale.  He  was  one  of  the  instigators  and  char- 
ter members  of  the  Society  of  Macoupin  County 
for  Medical  Improvement,  which  was  organized 
September  l(j,  1873.  For  a  number  of  years  this 
society  held  its  meetings  quarterly  and  during  the 
first  ten  years  of  its  existence  the  Doctor  was 
mostof  the  time  acting  Secretary.  In  April,  1880, 
he  was  chosen  its  President,  and  in  1883  he  wrote 
and  contributed  to  the  society  its  decennial  history. 
from  which  it  appears  that  during  those  years  he 
had  not  missed  a  mceting.and  had  contributed  moie 
papers  and  topics  for  discussion  and  deliberation 
than  anj'  other  member. 

The  population  of  Macoupin  County  having  in- 
creased to  over  forty  thousand  in  1886,  Dr.  Corr 
relinquished  by  public  announcement  the  general 
practice  of  medicine  to  which  he  had  so  largely 
contributed,  in  order  to  devote  himself  exclusively 
to  the  development  of  a  more  efficient  practice   in 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


759 


thespecial  department  of  disease  of  the  eye,  ear 
and  throat,  a  branch  of  the  practice  hereto  much 
neglected  in  whole  or  in    part  by  dl  the  physicians 

of  the  county.  To  prepare  himself  for  this  work 
the  Doctor  pursued  special  studies;  first  by  private 
course  while  in  college,  and  more  recently  before 
assuming  the  responsible  work,  by  a  course  in  Man- 
hattan Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary,  New  1'ork,  and  the 
Illinois  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary,  Chicago,  besides 
special  instruction  under  Dr.  A.  E.  Prince,  of 
Jacksonville,  and  special  dissections  in  the  dissect- 
ing rooms  of  his  Alma  Mater. 

In  his  chosen  line  Dr.  Corr  has  already  won  a 
reputation  for  skill  and  success.  He  was  the  first 
resident  physician  of  Macoupin  County  to  perform 
the  operation  for  cataract,  June  10,  1887 — and  de- 
termine errors  of  refraction,  and  has  performed 
many  other  minor  operations  on  the  eye  requiring 
delicacy  of  touch  steady  nerve,  cleai-  brain  and 
ahility  on  the  part  of  the  physician.  In  this  way 
he  has  helped  to  bring  the  practice  of  medicine  to 
as  high  a  standard  in  this  county  as  it  is  in  any 
other  part  of  the  State. 

The  Doctor  was  married  .April  20,  1865,  to  Miss 
Lucinda  Hall,  of  whom  see  sketch  on  another  page 
of  this  volume.  They  have  a  pleasant,  well-ap 
pointed  home,  and  their  many  friends  are  ever 
sure  of  an  hospitable  welcome  whenever  they  cross 
its  threshold.  The  Doctor  is  a  prominent  and  val- 
ued member  of  various  medical  societies.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Society  of  Macoupin  County  for  Med- 
ical Improvement,  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State 
Medical  Association,  to  which  he  has  contributed 
several  papers,  and  of  the  National  Medical  Asso- 
ciation. He  was  the  first  delegate  from  the  County 
Medical  Society  to  the  State  Medical  Society,  and 
the  third  physician  from  this  county  admitted  to 
membership  in  that  organization,  Dr.  John  A.  Hal- 
derman,  one  of  its  charier  members,  being  the  first. 
and  Dr.  J.  P.  Mathews  the  second. 

The  Doctor  is  of  a  scientific  and  mechanical 
type  of  mind,  rather  than  literary,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Blackburn  University  Science  Club.  He  is  a 
charter  member  and  Surgeon  of  Dan  Messick  Post 
No.  339,0.  A.  R„  and  has  prepared  a  roster  of  all 
the  enlisted  men  from  Macoupin  County.  He  is 
also  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Pension  Examiners  of 


Montgomery  County.  A  radical  Republican,  he 
believes  in  national  and  state  prohibition  and 
practices  total  abstinence;  ami   also  exerts   his    in 

tluence  in  behalf  ot  universal  suffrage.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  lie 
is  indeed  an  influence  for  good  in  his  community 
and  none  know  him  but  to  honor  him.  lie  and  his 
wife  have  acted  the  part  of  foster  parents  to  gel  - 
eral  orphan  children. 

A  lithographic  portrait  of  the  Doctor  appear-  on 
the  preceding  page  of  this  volume. 


§-*-B" 


ILLIAM    P.  BURGDORFF,    Presidenl  of 
the  Carlinville  National  Bank,  and  a  mem- 

vv  |lt.|-  of  the  firm  of  William  F.  BurgdorS 
&  Bio.,  dealers  in  clothing,  gentlemen's  furnishing 
goods,  also  merchant  tailors,  is  one  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  the  county  and  an  able  representative 
of  its  financial  and  business  interests.  He  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Steinbrueek.  Hanover,  Ger- 
many, March  19,  184(1.  His  father.  Carl  Burg- 
dorff,  grandfather  Daniel  Burgdorff,  and  great- 
grandfather, John  Henry  Burgdorff,  were  all 
natives  of  the  same  county.  The  latter  was  in 
the  employ  of  the  Government  as  a  Collector,  and 
spent  his  entire  life  in  his  native  land. 

His  son,  Daniel  Burgdorff,  was  a  miller  by  trade. 
and  followed  that  occupation  in  the  old  country 
until  he  came  to  America.  After  his  arrival  in  the 
United  Stales  he  bought  a  tract  of  land  in  Adams 
County,  Wis.,  and  devoted  the  remainder  of  his 
life  to  farming  there  until  death  closed  his  career 
in  the  fall  of  1883  at  a  ripe  age.  He  was  the  only 
one  of  his  father's  family  to  come  to  this  country. 

The  father  of  our  subject  learned  the  trade  of  a 
miller,  and  continued  to  carry  it  on  in  the  Father; 
lar.d  until  1857,  when  he  sold  his  mill,  as  he  had 
resolved  to  emigrate  to  the  New  World,  and  accom- 
panied by  his  wife  and  live  children  he  set  sail  for 
these  shores  from  Bremen  on  the. 'i  1st  of  August, 
and  landed  at  New  Oi  leans  on  the  7th  of  the  fol- 
lowing November.  From  there  they  went  to  St, 
Louis,  stopping  there  >i\  weeks,  and  then  came  to 
Carlinville,   arriving  here  on  the  very  last  day  of 


700 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


tlic  year.  Mr.  Burgdorff  soon  purchased  a  lot  and 
erected  a  dwelling  here,  and  opening  a  grocery 
store,  continued  that  business  here  some  years. 
After  that  lie  retired  from  active  business,  and 
May  31,  1883,  departed  this  life.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  wife,  who  is  still  a  resident  of  Carlin- 
ville, was  Johanna  Crainm.  She  was  born  in  the 
same  German  town  that  was  the  birthplace  of  her 
husband,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Henry  Cranim. 
She  is  the  mother  of  six  children,  namely: — 
William  P.,  Jacobina,  Lena,  Charles  11.,  Minnie 
and  Bertha,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Car- 
linville. 

William  F.  Burgdorff  commenced  to  attend 
school  when  he  was  six  years  old,  and  went  quite 
regularly  until  he  came  to  America,  lie  then  at- 
tended the  public  school  here,  also  the  German 
school,  and  advanced  his  education  by  attendance 
at  Blackburn  University.  In  the  summer  season 
he  was  employed  in  the  duties  of  the  farm.  For 
six  months  he  worked  at  cigar-making  when  he 
first  started  out  in  life  on  his  own  account,  and  in 
1861  entered  upon  his  mercantile  career  as  a  clerk 
in  a  general  store  for  Boyce  &  McNeill.  II''  was 
thus  employed  for  various  linns  until  1867,  when 
he  began  business  for  himself,  opening  a  clothing 
and  gentlemen's  furnishing  store,  which  he  has 
conducted  successfully  ever  since.  On  the  let  of 
January,  1877,  his  brother  Charles  H.  became  a 
partner,  and  this  connection  still  continues  So 
well  have  they  managed  their  business  it  has  stead- 
ily increased  in  size,  and  March  30,  1889,  they 
opened  a  branch  store  at  Greenfield,  III.,  which  has 
been  a  success. 

October  22,  1808,  Mr.  Burgdorff  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Lina  Lieber.  Mrs.  Burgdorff 
was  born  February  18,  1847,  at  Hersfeld,  Hessc- 
Cassel,  Germany,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Alexander 
Lieber,  a  native  of  Amsterdam,  Holland,  his  birth 
taking  place  January  19,  1818.  His  father,  Fred- 
erick Lieber,  was  born  at  Regensburg,  Germany, 
May  1,  1789,  a  son  of  Nicholas  Lieber,  also  born 
at  Regensburg,  the  year  of  his  birth  being  1759. 
The  father  of  the  latter,  great  great-grand  father  of 
Mrs.  Burgdorff,  was  Joseph  Anton  Lieber.  He  was 
a  teacher  of  music,  and  also  a  Government  employe 
in  its  service,  his  entire   life   being  passed   in    his 


native  land.  His  son  Nicholas  held  a  position  in 
the  king's  palace,  called  in  German  "llofiath,"  and 
was  also  a  member  of  the  Reichstag  at  Regensburg. 
His  death  took  place  in  1839.  Frederick  Lieber 
was  a  violinist  at  a  theatre  at  Munich,  and  later 
tenor  in  a  theatre  at  Mannheim,  Amsterdam  and 
Casell.  He  was  at  length  appointed  Hofsinger  to 
the  wife  of  the  Duke  of  llesse-Cassel.  He  died  in 
1867  full  of  years  and  honors. 

The  father  of  Mrs.  Burgdorff  received  a  univer- 
sity education,  and  was  a  Doctor  of  Philosophy  at 
the  High  School  at  llesse-Cassel,  also  Professor  of 
Mathematics  and  Natural  History.  His  death  in 
18(37  at  Hesse-Cassel  deprived  it  of  a  citizen  who 
stood  high  among  tin  educators  of  that  part  of 
Germany.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was 
Mary  Amanda  Ranch.  She  was  born  at  Nieder- 
rodenbach,  Germany,  May  17,  1819.  and  died 
March  (i,  1854.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Metropoli- 
tan Henry  Ranch,  a  minister  in  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  holding  a  position  much  the  same  as 
that  of  presiding  elder  in  this  country,  lie  spent 
his  whole  life  in  the  German  Fatherland. 

Mrs.  Burgdorff  and  her  sisters,  Cornelie  and 
Mary,  set  sail  for  this  country  July  9.  1864,  on  the 
steamer  '"Borussia,"  landed  at  New  York,  and 
thence  came  directly  to  their  aunt  in  Carlinville. 
The  following  is  the  record  of  the  birth  of  the 
four  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burgdorff:  llatlie 
C.  was  born  July  17.  1809;  Amanda  J.,  December 
13.  1870;  Alexander  Charles,  January  28,  1873; 
and  Flora  II. ,  June  3,  lK7f>.  Both  our  subject  and 
his  estimable  wife  were  reared  in  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  to  its  tenets  are  faithful  adherents. 

Mr.  Burgdorff  is  prominently  connected  with 
various  enterprises  that  have  advanced  the  growth 
of  the  business  interests  of  this  city  of  his  adop- 
tion, and  he  has  also  borne  a  conspicuous  part  in 
the  administration  of  its  public  affairs.  When  the 
Carlinville  National  Bank  was  organized  in  May, 
1890,  he  was  elected  its  President,  and  his  capacity 
for  financial  matters  and  clear  judgment  have  un- 
doubtedly been  of  great  service  in  establishing  it 
on  a  firm  foundation.  He  has  also  served  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  Carlinville  Building  and  Loan  Associa- 
tion. He  has  been  elected  to  various  offices  of 
trust,  and   has   attended    to  the  duties  thus  thrust 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


761 


upon  him  with  the  same  close  attention  and  effi- 
ciency that  characterizes  his  management  of  his 
private  business.  He  was  a  member  <>f  the  Board 
of  Education  eight  years,  and  for  one  year  was  its 
President.  He  was  al  one  time  Mayor  of  the  city, 
and  he  has  also  served  it  as  a  member  of  the  Citj 
Council.  Socially,  Mr.  Burgdorff  is  a  member  of 
Mt.  Nebo  Lodge,  No.  70,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  Politi- 
cally, lie  is  one  of  the  leading  Republicans  of  this 
section,  and  has  been  a  delegate  to  various  State 
and  county  conventions. 


*C 


i — J  RANK  M.  SOLOMON,  a  retired  farmer  re- 
|— (<j)  siding  in  Palmyra  was  born  on  a  farm  on  see- 
1  tion  32,  North  Palmyra  Township,  Septem- 

ber 0,  1838.  His  father,  the  Hon.  Lewis  Solomon 
w;is  born  in  Muhlenberg  County,  Ky., April  1,  1812. 
The  family  from  which  he  has  descended  is  of  Welsh 
and  English  origin  and  the  first  ancestors  in  this 
country  settled  in  Maryland  and  North  Carolina. 
Lewis  Solomon,  the  grand  father  of  our  subject,  took 
part  in  the  Revolutionary  War  and  was  one  of  the 
gallant  Marion's  band  which  did  such  good  service 
in  the  campaigns  in  South  Carolina,  striking  terror 
into  the  hearts  of  the  British  invaders.  He  was 
married  about  the  year  1798,  to  Sarah  Bowden,  a 
daughter  of  John  Bowden.  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Franklin  County.  N.  ('.  In  1811  he  removed  into 
Kentucky  and  Judge  Solomon,  the  seventh  child, 
was  born  in  that  State. 

The  home  of  the  Solomon  family  in  Muhlenberg 
County,  was  in  a  rough  and  pool  strip  of  country, 
and  the  father  of  our  subject  attended  for  a  few 
month-  a  subscription  school  kept  by  a  man  named 
Shelion.  and  this  was  the  only  schooling  he  received 
in  Kentucky.  In  1825  the  family  emigrated  to  Ill- 
inois, making  a  tedious  and  wearisome  journey  as 
most  of  the  family  came  on  toot.  They  had  lost 
theii  financial  means  by  the  breaking  of  a  bank  and 
when  they  reached  the  new  home,  had  no  money  to 
invest  in  laud.  Their  first  home  was  made  near 
Jacksonville,  in  Morgan  County,  and  they  spent 
the  winter  in  a  log  cabin  part  of  the  floor  of  which 


was  composed  of  mother  earth.  In  the  spring  the. 
moved  to  the  head  of  the  Sandy,  live  miles  from 
Jacksonville,  and  the  following  year  settled  in  Pal- 
myra Township,  Macoupin  County.  Here  Judge 
Solomon's  father  lived  and  engaged  in  fanning  un- 
til  his  death   in  August  18PJ.       His  mother  died  the 

preceding  February. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  boy  of  exceed- 
ingly bright  faculties,  especially  in  the  line  of 
mathematics  and  made  excellent  progress  in  bis 
studies,  although  his  opportunities  were  so  poor. 
Besides  helping  his  father  in  carrying  on  the  farm. 
he  and  his  brothers  were  hired  out  by  the  month 
and  thus  aided  in  raising  the  necessary  money  for 
family  purposes.  The  father  had  to  borrow  tin 
money  with  which  to  enter  bis  first  eighty  acres  of 
land,  paying  for  its  use  the  exorbitant  interest  of 
twenty  five  per  cent.  But,  by  the  family  industry 
and  economy,  ail  debts  were  paid  and  when  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject  died,  he  possessed  a 
clear  title  to  two  hundred  and  fifty-six  acres.  Lewis 
the  second,  was  a  volunteer  in  the  Black  Hawk 
War  and  saw  hard  service  during  his  short  two 
mouths'  campaign. 

The  young  man  had  $36,  which  he  had  earned  in 
the  war  and  borrowing  $16  more,  (for  which  he 
paid  by  making  rails  at  forty  cents  a  hundred)  he 
entered  forty  acres  of  land  a  quarter  of  a  mile  west 
of  the  town  of  Palmyra.  He  also  grubbed  land  for 
his  brother-in-law,  who  paid  him  by  giving  him 
one  quarter  of  what  he  raised  on  his  farm.  He  also 
chopped  wood  at  Jacksonville  for  forty  cents  a  cord 
and  boarded  himself,  and  in  the  winter  of  1834, 
took  a  contract  to  cut  five  hundred  cords  of  wood 
at  fifty  cents  a  cord.     Thus   were  the   foundations 

laid  for  the  future  success  of  one  of  the  most  pr - 

inent  families  in  Macoupin  County.  In  1856, 
Nancy  Ann  Fink,  daughter  of  John  Fink  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  this  township 
became  the  wife  of  the  sturdy  and  independent  pio- 
neer. She  became  the  mother  of  our  subject,  who, 
in  honor  of  the  General  under  whom  his  grandfather 
had  fought,  received  the  name  of   Francis    Marion. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  attended  the  pioneer 
schools  which  viore  carried  on  in  the  log  school 
house  with  home-made  furnishings  and  furniture, 
and  used  quill  pens,  as  was  necessary  in    that   day. 


rfi-2 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


These  were  made  by  the  teacher  from  goose  quills, 
and  were  in  no  doubt  better  in  many  respects  than 
some  of  the  steel  pens  of  the  present  day.  Matches 
wore  then  unknown  and  a  Hint  and  steel  must  be 
brought  into  requisition  to  strike  a  fire.  At  night 
the  fire  was  buried  in  the  ashes,  but  m  case  it  went 
out.  it  was  sometimes  necessary  to  go  a  long  distance 
to  a  neighbors  in  order  to  "borrow  fire"  in  shape  of 
coals  lo  start  one.  From  I860  to  1863  inclu- 
sive, he  attended  the  McKendree  College  at  Leba- 
non after  which  lie  taught  for  three  years  in  Mor- 
gan County.  He  remained  with  his  parents  upon 
the  farm  until  his  marriage  and  then  S'Hlled  on  a 
farm  given  liiui  by  his  father  on  section  5,  of  North 
Palmyra  Township.  Here  he  continued  farming 
until  l.ss.s,  when  he  came  to  Palmyra,  and  has  since 
retired  from  business.  Mr.  Solomon  read  law  some 
years  ago,  has  practiced  in  Justice  Courts  and  is 
now  finishing  his  law  studies  with  .1.  B.  Searcy. 

The  marriage  of  Frank  Solomon  with  Miss  Mar- 
garet Lowrey  took  place  October  31,  1801.  Two 
children.  Judson  and  Rosa,  came  to  bless  this  home. 
Their  mother  is  a  native  of  the  Kmerald  Isle  be- 
ing  bom  in  County  Down,  twelve  miles  from  Bel- 
fast, upon  New  Year's  Day,  1843.  Her  father- 
James  Lowrey  was  born  in  Ireland,  of  Scotch  par- 
ents. They  were  Presbyterians  and  reaied  their 
children  in  this  faith,  and  the  grandfather  died  in 
County  Down.  The  grandmother  came  to  Amer- 
ica and  spent  her  last  years  here  with  her  children 
dying  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Sol- 
omon was  reared  and  married  in  County  Down  and 
died  there  in  1818.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was 
was  Rosanna  Potter.  She  and  her  parents  were  na- 
tives of  the  same  count}'  and  were  of  Scotch  ances- 
try. She  spent  her  entire  life  in  her  native  county. 
The  mother  of  Mrs.  Solomon  came  to  America  in 
1853,  with  her  seven  children  and  settling  in  Ind- 
ianapolis, resided  there  for  two  years  and  then  came 
to  Macoupin  County,  and  made  her  home  east  of 
Virden  and  later  at  Lick  Creek,  Sangamon  County, 
where  her  sons  bought  farms  and  where  she  has 
since  resided.  The  names  of  her  children  are  Sam 
uel  John,  David,  Margaret,  Flora,  Sarah  and  Jennie. 
Flora  married  Thomas  Jarrelt  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Chinch,  but  the  rest  of  the  fam- 
ily except   Mrs.   Solomon,    have  connected   them- 


selves with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Sarah 
is  now  the  wife  of  Charles  Turpin.  Jennie  became 
the  wife  of  William  Hall.  Mrs.  Solomon  herself  is 
u  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Solomon 
is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  views  and  cast  his 
first  Presidential  vote  for  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  He 
is  prominently  identified  with  Palmyra  Lodge.  No. 
463,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 


.---«♦ *«$*a* 


-+2<4*r- 


EV.  SAMUEL    L.  STIVER,  A.   P...  A.   M., 
rineipal  and  proprietor  of  the  Bunker  Hill 


3  ,y  Academy  and  Home  School  for  Boys  and 
^Young  Men,  was  born  near  Potter's  Mill, 
Center  County,  Pa.,  November  1,  1848,  and  was 
brought  up  on  his  father's  farm,  upon  which  he 
labored  some  portion  of  each  year  until  1880.  His 
p  i  rents.  Thomas  Jefferson  and  Mary  (Foster)  Stiver, 
were  descended  from  hardy  Pennsylvania  Dutch 
families  who  came  to  this  country  and  settled  in 
Pensylvania  in  Colonial  days.  Both  were  highly 
respected  in  the  community  in  which  they  lived 
for  sterling  qualities.  His  father  died  in  1871 
at  the  age  of  seventy,  and  his  mother  is  stiil  living 
(!8i)l)  at  the  same  age,  in  Center  Hall  mar  the 
old  homestead,  which  is  still  in  her  possession  and 
which  affords  her  a  support  in  her  declining  days. 
From  her  early  youth  she  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Lutheran  Church,  to  which  her  husband  united 
himself  also  before  his  death,  although  he  formerly 
preferred  and  usually  worshipped  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  oldest  of  seven 
sons,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  and  two 
daughters.  Of  the  daughters,  one  resides  with  her 
mother  and  one  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  Ward,  of  Belle- 
fonte.  Pa.  Of  the  six  living  sons,  one  is  a  jeweler 
at  Woodland,  Cal.,  two  are  physicians,  one  at  Chi- 
cago and  the  other  at  Lena;  one  is  Count}'  Super- 
intendent at  Freeport  and  one  is  in  business  at 
Decatur. 

As  a  teacher,  Prof.  Stiver  was  prepared  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  place,  beginning  at  the 
age  of  sixteen,  teaching  in  the  winter  time,  fann- 
ing in    the  summer  time,  and   preparing  for  college 


PORTRAIT  A.ND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


763 


in  the  spring  and  autumn,  chiefly  at  the  Spring 
Mills  and  Jacksonville  Academies.  Having  ob- 
tained a  professional  certificate  al  an  early  age.  he 
determined  to  go  to  college  and  in  1870  entered 
t ho  Freshman  class  of  Lafayette  College,  Easton, 
Pa,,  the  largest  Presbyterian  institution  in  the 
State.  In  1874  he  was  graduated  with  the  highest 
honors  in  a  class  numbering  about  fifty,  being 
awarded  the  Latin  Salutatory  at  Commencement, 
and  having  carried  off  during,  the  latter  years  of 
the  course,  the  highest  prizes  in  physics,  mathe 
malic-  and  astronomy. 

For  one  year  thereafter  Prof.  Stivers  was  vice- 
principal  of  the  Cbambershurg  Hoys'  Boarding 
School,  where  he  also  studied  law  in  the  office  cf 
Stenger  and  McKnight.  In  the  autumn  of  1875 
he  entered  upon  a  theological  course  of  three  years 
at  Union  Theological  Seminary,  New  York,  from 
which  he  graduated  with  distinction  and  class 
honors  in  1878,  having,  during  a  portion  of  this 
time,  been  vice-principal  of  Sach's  Collegiate  Insti- 
tute (a  high  grade  Jewish  school),  and  instructing, 
as  private  pupils,  the  sons  of  some  of  the  most 
distinguished  people  of  New  York.  After  being 
licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  York  and  de- 
clining several  calls  to  Presbyterian  Churches  in 
that  vicinity,  for  whom  be  had  acted  as  temporary 
supply,  he  came  to  St.  Louis  in  the  autumn  of 
1878  and  was  acting  pastor  of  the  High  Street 
Presbyterian  Church  for  one  year.  Being  elected 
permanent  pastor  he  presented  himself  before  the 
Presbytery  of  St.  Louis  for  ordination  and  install- 
ation, but  was  rejected  on  account  of  his  liberal 
construction  of  the  Westminister  Symbols,  which 
he  prophesied  would  be  revised  and  changed  within 
ten  years  from  that  time — a  prophecy  which  has 
been  fulfilled.  In  187!»  he  was  elected  and  or- 
dained pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  of 
Bunker  Hill,  which  position  he  held  for  over  two 
years  until  the  autumn  of  1881.  when  he  resigned 
and  took  charge  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Academy. 

This  institution,  which  had  been  founded  by  the. 
citizens  of  ('.linker  Hill  irrespective  of  religious 
preferences,  in  1859,  as  a  day  school  of  high  grade 
had,  in  1881,  almost  ceased  to  exist  as  a  school, 
and  Prof.  Stiver  took  charge  of  it  to  save  it  from 
destruction.     Taking  a   lease  and   a    mortgage,  he 


expended  a  considerable  sum  of  money  in  repair- 
ing and  improving  the  property  to  adapt  it  to  the 

uses  of  a  Home  School  for  Boys.  A  gymnasium 
and  other  buildings  were  erected  and  military  and 
manual  training  departments  were  added.  For 
ten  years  Prof.  Stivers  has  labored  hard  and  inces- 
santly and  has  succeeded  in  building  up  a  school 
which  compares  most  favorably  with  the  very  best 
of  its  class  in  the  Last  or  the  West.  It  grows  in 
favor  each  year,  and  during  its  present  adminis- 
tration has  enrolled  hundreds  of  students  from 
Illinois.  Missouri.  Arkansas,  Kansas.  Nebraska, 
Indiana  and  Ohio.  It  offers  superior  advantages 
in  physical,  intellectual,  moral  and  social  training, 
for  those  preparing  for  any  college,  for  business  or 
for  teaching. 

As  a  writer  for  the  press  Prof.  Stiver's  career 
began  while  a  boy  as  an  occasional  contributor  to 
home  papers.  While  at  college  he  was  editor  of  a 
superb  college  miscellany  for  his  class;  was  editor- 
in-chief  of  the  Lafayette  Monthly  to  which  he 
contributed  poetry  and  prose  for  four  years,  and 
was  on  the  staff  of  the  Eastern  Daily  Express  for 
almost  four  years,  to  which  he  made  daily  contri- 
butions on  educational,  ecclesiastical  and  general 
subjects,  largely  paying  his  way  then,  as  afterwards, 
by  his  earnings  while  attending  school.  In  St. 
Louis  he  contributed  to  religious  and  secular 
papers  and  controversial  subjects,  and  while  in 
Bunker  Hill  he  became  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Macoupin  County  Advance,  acting  as  the  first 
editor,  and  contributing  many  articles  upon  politi- 
cal themes  to  its  Columns.  Since,  on  account  of 
his  literal y  instincts  and  activities,  he  was  honored 
at  college  with  many  literary  offices  and  appoint- 
ments, being  elected  a  member  of  the  Delta  Kappa 
Epsilon  fraternity,  poet  of  his  literary  society  al 
the  annual  entertainment  on  Washington's  birth- 
day, class  prophet  on  class  day  at  Commencement 
and  orator  upon  several  public  occasions.  He  is 
the  author,  more  recently,  of  a  series  of  systematic 
outlines  on  arithmetic,  grammar,  geography,  civil 
government,  botany  and  zoology,  and  of  a  tract 
entitled,  "Why  Germans  should  be  Prohibitionists" 
which  has  been  translated  into  German  by  the 
Foreign  Department  of  the  W.  ('.  T.  V.  ami  is  dis- 
tributed widely  at  home  and  in  foreign  lands. 


764 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


In  politics,  his  father  was  a  Democrat,  and  Prof. 
Stiver's  lirst  vote  was  oast  for  Greeley  for  Presi- 
dent. Since  that  time  until  1884  he  voted  with 
the  Republicans,  but  at  the  latter  date  became  a 
supporter  of  the  Prohibition  party  and  principles. 
lie  lias  never  been  a  partisan  either  in  theology  or 
politics,  being  by  nature  and  education  liberal  in 
spirit  towards  all  aspects  of  truth  and  duty,  as  well 
as  uncompromisingly  opposed  to  all  evil,  corrup- 
tion and  dishonesty  wherever  found.  Against  his 
wishes  he  has  been  nominated  at  various  times  for 
important  city  and  State  offices,  and  during  the 
senatorial  contest  in  the  Illinois  legislature  in  1891, 
he  was  favorably  mentioned  by  three  home  papers 
as  a  suitable  compromise  candidate  for  the  office 
to  which  John  M.  Palmer  was  elected. 

On  December  2G,  1881,  he  was  married  to  Car- 
melite Winchester,  daughter  of  Dr.  Robert  J.  and 
Cordelia  (Dorsey)  Morns  by,  of  Bunker  Hill,  111., 
and  to  them  have  been  born  four  children — Mary 
Cordelia.  Robert  Thomas.  Kenneth  Hornsby,  (de- 
ceased) and  Gladys  Margarite.  Mrs.  Stiver  is 
deaeended  from  well  known  Kentucky  families. 
Her  parents  came,  during  their  early  married  life, 
to  Illinois,  where  her  father  practiced  medicine 
and  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  Afterward 
they  removed  to  Missouri,  near  St.  Louis,  where 
Mrs.  Stiver  was  horn  in  1855.  Later  her  parents 
returned  to  Gillespie,  111.,  and  finally  to  Bunker 
Hill,  where  they  have  resided  for  many  years.  Mrs. 
Stiver  was  educated  in  part  at  various  local  private 
schools  and  completed  her  education  at  St.  Mary's 
School,  Knoxville,  111.  Having  a  tine  musical 
education  and  being  of  a  practical  as  well  as  liter- 
ary turn  of  mind,  she  has  greatly  aided  Prof.  Sliver 
in  founding  and  building  up  a  superior  Home 
School  for  Boys  and  Young  Men.  In  all  his  plans 
and  efforts  she  has  been  a  true  and  faithful  help- 
mate, winning  testimonials  of  appreciation  and 
esteem  from  those  who  have  placed  their  sons  or 
wards,  sometimes  at  a  comparatively  early  age, 
under  the  care  and  tuition  of  Prof.  Stiver  and  his 
amiable  and  accomplished  wife. 

While  Prof.  Sliver  is  by  nature  a  student  and  by 
profession  a  teacher,  alive  to  every  phase  of  his 
work,  both  theoretical  and  practical,  yet  he  is  much 
more   than   this.     Cheerful   and    humorous   in  dis- 


position, a  good  financier  and  accountant,  a  man 
of  business  capacity  and  experience,  a  sagacious 
leader  and  counselor,  an  effective  speaker  from 
pulpit  or  platform  upon  almost  any  theme  affecting 
the  public  good,  he  takes  a  lively  interest  in  all  that 
relates  to  human  welfare  and  has  a  capacity  for 
rapid  and  prolonged  physical  and  intellectual  effort 
which  enables  him  to  master  any  thing  lie  under- 
takes. To  these  qualities  and  to  his  undoubted 
integrity,  he  owes  bis  success  "as  'a  self-educated 
and  self-made  man. 

-fcSiga 


OHN  K.NAPP  was  horn  near  Tarrytown, 
Westchester  County.  X.  Y.,  July  20,  18 Id, 
and  died  at  his  home  in  Bunker  Hill,  July 
Hi,  1890,  honored  and  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him.  Although  he  never  actively  engaged 
in  business  after  coming  to  Macoupin  County  he 
yet  became  widely  known  and  was  one  of  her 
prominent  citizens. 

The  family  to  which  Mr.  Knapp  belonged  was 
early  founded  in  America.  On  the  maternal  side 
he  is  descended  from  the  French  Huguenots  who 
were  driven  by  the  Catholics  from  Rochelle,  Prance, 
into  Holland,  whence  a  colony  emigrated  to  Araer- 
ica.  Mr.  Knapp,  whose  name  heads  this  sketch. 
spent  1  he  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  his 
native  town  and  when  a  young  man  went  to  New 
York  City,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  car- 
penter with  bis  cousin,  William  Cox,  a  master 
builder  of  that  city.  Afterward  he  removed  to 
Tarrytown,  w.iere  he  engaged  in  contracting  and 
building  and  in  the  meantime  was  married.  On 
Cnristmas  Day  of  1833,  he  was  joined  in  wedlock 
with  Miss  Rachel  Smalley,  who  was  born  in  Som- 
erset County,  N.  J.,  October  13,  1817,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  David  D.  Smalley.  Her  father  was  a 
native  of  New  Jersey,  and  belonged  to  one  of  the 
early  families  of  English  descent. 

The  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Knapp,  David  Smalley, 
who  was  born  in  New  Jersey  and  there  spent  his 
entire  life,  was  one  of  the  heroes  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  and  served  throughout  that  struggle. 
Farming  was  his  life  occupation.  He  served  as 
County  Judge  and  was  numbered  among  the  lead- 


£»PW'RY 

UNfVf- 


^^6fa  '/K  #*£*-  .**-<*>. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


707 


ing  citizens  of  the  community  in  which  he  made 
home.  David  D.  Smalley  spent  his  boyhood  days 
in  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads  and  when  the 
War  of  1  s  1 2  broke  out  offered  his  services  to  his 
country.  He  was  made  Captain  and  commanded 
his  company  during  a  number  of  important  en- 
gagements, deserved  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  for 
many  years.  He  wedded  -Miss  Mary  Blackford, 
daughter  of  John  Blackford,  a  prominent  citi- 
zen of  New  Jersey,  who  in  the  latter  part  of  his 
1  ife  became  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Ohio, 
where  he  owned  large  landed  estates.  David  I). 
Smalley  died  at  the  age  of  forty-six  years,  and  his 
wife  spent  her  last  days  on  the  old  Smalley  home- 
stead, which  her  husband  had  fallen  heir  to  at  his 
father's  death. 

On  leaving  the  Kast,  Mr.  Knapp  emigrated  to 
Illinois,  settling  in  Logan  County,  in  1856.  He 
there  followed  farming  and  was  very  successful  in 
his  operations,  but  at  length  his  health  failed  and 
in  May,  1869,  he  came  to  Hunker  Hill,  where  he 
lived  a  retired  Ufa.  However,  he  still  retained 
possession  <>f  a  well-improved  and  valuable  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Logan  County. 
The  competence  which  he  had  acquired  enabled 
him  to  spend  his  last  years  in  peace  and  quiet  and 
to  leave  to  his  wife  a  good  property  which  amply 
supplies  her  wants  and  surrounds  her  with  mam- 
comforts.  His  intelligence  and  ability  fitted  Mr. 
Knapp  to  be  a  leader  and  he  soon  won  a  promin- 
ent place  among  his  fellow-townsmen  of  Hun- 
ker Hill.  He  was  one  of  the  stanchest  ad- 
vocates of  the  tempi  ranee  cause  and  upon  the  tem- 
perance ticket  was  elected  Alderman  of  this  city. 
His  public  and  private  life  were  alike  above  re- 
proach and  he  won  and  retained  the  confidence, 
good  will  and  high  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of 
friends  and  acquaintances.  His  character  is  best 
expressed  in  the  words  of  his  loving  wife  who  hon- 
ored his  memory  with  the  following  tribute. 

•'His  life  was  pure  and  gentle 

At  peace  with  all  mankind. 

In  God  alone  he  trusted 

And  was  to  his  will  resigned. 

So  patient  and  so  peaceful. 

.Inst  at  the  close  of  day. 

Without  a  pain  or  struggle, 

His  spirit  passed  away." 


Mrs.  Knapp  still  survives  her  husband  and  is 
now  seventy-three  years  old  but  she  hears  her  age 
lightly.  She  still  takes  an  active  part  in  religious 
work  anil  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church.  Out  of  the  kindness  of  her  hear)  she  has 
cared  for  and  given  a  home  to  two  motherless 
children — Nancy  Van  Tassel,  now  the  widow  of 
John  W.  Boyd  and  a  resident  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.; 
and  Adella,  who  is  yet  attending  school.  Mis. 
Knapp  is  well  known  throughout  this  community 
and  is  beloved  by  all.  Her  life  has  been  well  and 
worthily  spent,  is  full  of  good  deeds  and  in  look- 
ing back  over  the  past  she  need  feel  no  regret  for 
opportunities  wasted. 


«**-* 


RS.  LUCINDA  H.  CORP.  M.  I).,  wife  of 
A.  C.  Corr.  M.  I).,  with  whom  she  is  in 
partnership,  occupies  a  distinguished  posi- 
tion among  the  members  of  her  profession 
in  this  State,  and  as  a  specialist  in  the  treatment  of 
diseases  of  women  and  girls  she  has  won  a  wide 
reputation  for  her  skill  and  success,  she  is  also 
known  as  the  author  of  works  and  papers  that  arc  a 
valuable  contribution  to  the  medical  literature  of 
the  county.  As  a  prominent  physician,  influential 
author  and  estimable  lady,  we  are  pleased  to 
present  her  portrait  and  biography  to  our  lead- 
ers. 

Dr.  Corr  is  a  native  of  Cnrlin ville,  born  March 
'.i.  1844,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Oliver  YV.  and  De- 
borah Hall,  who  are  represented  on  another  page 
of  this  volume.  She  early  showed  herself  to  lie  a 
bright  and  apt  scholar,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
had  gained  an  education  in  the  public  schools  that 
lilted  her  to  teach.  She  began  her  career  as  a 
teacher  at  Honey  Point,  afterward  teaching  in  the 
City  schools  of  Carlinville  and  other  places.  She 
was  assistant  teacher  in  this  city  when  there  were 
lint  three  schools  here,  with  a  principal  for  each 
school.  She  became  a  teacher  in  what  was  called 
Central  Seminary.  The  building  has  since  been 
burned,  and  the  present  commodious  brick  struct- 
ure occupies  its  place. 

April  20,  18(i5,  Dr.  Corr  was  married  to  A.  C. 
Corr,  who  was  then  a  medical  student,  and    is    now 


7(58 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


a  prominent  physician  of  this  county.  She  taught 
one  year  after  marriage.     In  1869  she  commenced 

the  study  of  medicine  with  her  husband,  who  was 
then  practicing  at  Chesterfield.  As  a  further 
preparation  for  the  profession,  she  entered  the 
Women's  Medical  College,  at  Chicago,  from  which 
she  was  graduated  in  1874,  as  valedictorian  of  net- 
class,  and  to  her  belongs  the  distinction  of  being 
the  only  woman  of  Macoupin  County  to  this  date 
who  has  graduated  from  a  regular  medical  col- 
lege. In  September  of  the  same  year  she  opened 
an  office  in  her  native  city,  and  was  joined  by  her 
husband  in  March,  1875,  following. 

The  Doctor  continued  in  general  practice  until 
1878.  when  the  demand  for  her  services  in  special 
lines  required  her  to  relinquish  an  extensive 
practice  to  give  her  entire  attention  to  the  dis- 
eases of  women  and  girls,  and  at  that  lime  she 
opened  her  home  to  receive  invalids.  She  fur- 
ther prepared  herself  for  her  work  at  Bellcvue 
Hospital  and  at  the  DeMilt  Dispensary  at  New 
York  City,  and  lias  met  with  success  in  the  many 
difficult  cases  that  have  come  under  her  care.  She 
is  the  only  physician  in  the  county  that  has 
operated  successfully  for  vesicle  calculus,  vesico- 
vaginal fistula,  trachelorrhaphy  and  perinae-orrha- 

phy- 

Our  subject  is  a  valued  member  of  the  Society  of 
Macoupin  County  for  Medical  Improvement,  the 
Illinois  State  Medical  Society,  and  the  National 
Medical  Association;  she  was  a  delegate  from 
the  State  Medical  Society  to  the  National  Med- 
ical Association  at  Washington,  in  1884.  She 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  is  identified  with  the  Illinois  Woman's  Christ- 
ian Temperance  Union  as  one  of  its  most  intelli- 
gent and  active  workers.  She  was  Superintendent 
of  the  Health  Department  three  years.  Dr.  Corr 
is  a  member  of  the  Queen  Isabella  Association, 
and  of  its  Medical  Department.  The  Doctor's 
writings  on  medical  subjects  have  brought  her  into 
prominence.  She  is  the  author  of  a  work  entitled 
"Hygiene  and  Heredity,  with  Anatomy  and 
Physiology  in  Outline  Lessons  for  Blackboard  In- 
struction," and  of  a  volume  on  obstetrics  that  is 
used  as  a  text  book  in  the  college  from  which  she 
was  graduated,  and   is   highly    recommended    for 


that  purpose  by  her  Alma  Mater.  She  has  pre- 
sented several  papers  at  the  meetings  of  the  Illi- 
nois State  Medical  Society,  that  have  attracted 
favorable  notice  for  their  scientific  and  literary 
merit. 

In  attaining  her  present  high  professional  stand- 
ing. Dr.  Corr  had  man}'  obstacles  to  contend 
against,  that  would  have  discouraged  and  embit- 
tered a  woman  of  less  lirm  character  and  heroic 
mold.  The  chief  of  these  was  the  prejudice 
against  a  woman  entering  the  professions,  particu- 
larly that  of  medicine,  as  it  was  thought  especially 
unfit  fur  a  lady,  and  none  in  this  section  of  the 
State  had  ever  before  thought  of  defying  public 
opinion  on  that  point  by  preparing  themselves 
for  its  arduous  duties.  Her  success  has  vindi- 
cated her  light  to  choose  her  own  walk  in  life, 
and  lias  done  much  to  modify  the  sentiment  that 
a  woman  is  unsexed  or  less  womanly  because  she 
enters  a  Held  of  labor  that  in  times  past  was  con- 
sidered man's  exclusive  dominion,  if  she  attempted 
to  practice  the  healing  art  in  any  other  capacity 
than  that  of  nurse,  or  of  wife,  mother  or  sister  in 
the  privacy  of  home.  The  value  of  girls  is  en- 
hanced in  proportion  as  other  women  will  have 
succeeded,  beyond  question,  in  making  a  living, 
establishing  a  reputation  and  achieving  eminence 
in  avocations  professional  or  business,  hitherto  de- 
nied them  by  the  prejudices  of  society  or  custom. 
To  do  this  for  women  and  girls  has  been  the  actua- 
ting spirit  of  the  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

We  are  pleased  to  be  able  to  append  to  the 
above  the  following  admirably  written  character 
sketch  from  the  pens  of  two  warm  friends  of  Dr. 
Lucinda  Corr: 

In  personal  appearance  Dr.  Corr  is  not  at  all  the 
ideal  strong-minded  woman.  Five  feet  tall,  straight 
as  an  arrow,  with  plump  girlish  figure,  notwith- 
standing her  forty-seven  years,  with  round  fair 
face,  large  deep  set  blue  eyes,  overshadowed  by 
heavy  brows,  a  full  forehead,  and  a  magnificent 
head  of  nut-brown   hair  four  and  a  half  feet   long. 

Dr.  Coir's  mother  was  a  woman  of  unusual 
strength  of  character.  A  Virginian  by  birth,  con- 
servative in  her  views,  ineflexible  in  principle,  ex- 
clusive in  habit,  but  sympathizing  deeply  with  her 
snrls  in  all   their  efforts  towards  intellectual    ad- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


761) 


vancement.  From  nor  the  Doctor  inherited  her 
sunny  disposition  and  the  courage  t  lint  has  enabled 
ber  to  always  stand  bravely  for  her  convictions. 

A  typical  Western  woman,  Dr.  Coir  had  ad- 
vanced ideas  on  all  subjects,  even  when  a  girl  in 
years,  and  like  many  other  girls  in  Southern  faini- 


its    relief,  and    the  skill   and    courage  to  use  them. 

"Have  your  plans  been  successful?"  a  friend 
asked  not  long  ago  when  meeting  Dr.  Con-,  after  a 
few  years  absence. 

"Plans." said  the  Doctor,  -'plans.  I  never  had  any 
plans.     These   things    just   grew    upon    me.     Voti 


lies,  rebelled  against  the  advice  of   that  clog    to       know  I  love  my  home  and  to  have  my  own  family 


womanly  progress,  the  Apostle  Paul,  and  determ- 
ined to  know  tilings  for  herself.  Accordingly  she 
fitted  herself  for  teaching,  and  when  only  seven- 
teen years  old.  taught  her  first  country  school.  It 
was  while  teaching  this  school  that  she  first  met 
Mr.  Albert C.  Con.  and  began  a  friendship  that 
ripened  into  a  life  long  love,  and  resulted  in  an  al- 
most ideal  married  life!  Dr.  Albert  C.  Coir  was 
then  a  student  of  medicine  and  together  they  read 
and  discussed  subjects  beyond  the  range  of  most 
young  people. 

The  close  of  the  school  brought  separation  to  the 
lovers.  He  went  to  Chicago  to  win  his  diploma. 
She  home  to  teach  and  study  and  prepare  herself 
for  the  keeping  of  the  home  they  two  should  build. 


hi  it.  but  the  need  seemed  so  great,  for  a  place 
where  sick  women  and  children  could  come  for 
treatmeui  and  care,  that  gradually  the  house  has 
been  enlarg  >l  and  patients  have  come  and  we  have 
really  a  hospital  without   intending  it." 

Dr.  Corr  is  an  enthusiast  in  her  profession  and 
though  a  delicate  woman,  has  strength  and  eour- 
age  to  perform  surgical  operations,  if  the  case  de- 
mand, that  would  try  the  strength  and  nerve  of 
the  strongest  man.  It  was  not  for  ease  that  she 
chose  this  most  laborious  of  the  professions,  but  be- 
cause in  her  generous  sympathetic  heart,  she 
thought  she  could  do  the  most  good  in  it;  and  the 
long  list  of  those  whom  her  care  and  skill  have 
raised  from  beds  of  hopeless   invalidism  to  health 


The  young  M.  D.  came  home,  the  little  house  was  j  and  strength,  proves  her  belief  to  be  well  founded, 
furnished  and  the  bright  young  bride,  settled  down  In  her  well-ordered  hospital  home  everything  runs 
to  sew  on  the  Doctor's  buttons,  listen  to  long  stories       smoothly    under    her     guiding     hands;    while    her 


from  half-sick,  often  hysterical  women,  and  to  make 
?1  do  the  work  of  &;">.  But  in  listening  to  these  sad 
stories  of  sickness  and  discouragement  the  listener's 
tender  heart  was  wrung,  and  in  thinking  them 
over,  "the  times  seemed    sadly   out   of  joint."  was 


Christian  faith  comforts  and  upholds  ■those  who 
tarry  for  the  coming  of  the  angel  who  opens  the 
way  to  the  world  "hose  portals  we  call  death."  Her 
cheery  smile  and  sympathetic  words,  bring  strength 
and  courage  to  those  who   await  the  slower  coming 


there  nothing  to  be  done  to  remedy    the  evils  so   |   of  "one  who  hath  bealing  in  His  wings. 


constantly  before  her?  Could  not  woman's  insight 
and  intuition  better  reach  and  help  her  sisters?  So 
her  thoughts  turned  to  the  study  of  medicine. 

After  her  graduation  she  formed  a  partnership 
with  her  husband  and  opened  an  office  in  her  na- 
tive town.  With  characteristic  unselfishness,  and 
a  noble  lack  of  jealousy,  Dr.  A.  ('.  Corr,  her  hus- 
band, entered  into  all  her  plans,  and  it  was  his 
sympathy  that  upheld  her  in  her  work,  as  step  by 
step  she  climbed  the  ladder  of  success,  bravely  and 
heroically,  winning  her  way,  until  to-day  shestands 
triumphant,  among  the  best  physicians  and  sur- 
geons in  the  State.  A  radical  in  medicine,  as  in 
everything  else.  Dr.  Corr  keeps  well  abreast  of  the 
limes,  and  in  her  house,  poor  sick  humanity  can 
find  all  the  modern  inventions    and  discoveries  for 


While  it  is  true  as  the  Book  says,  "A  merry 
heart,  doeth  good  like  a  medicine,"  it  is  also  true 
that  "lightest  hearts  have  often  heaviest  mourn- 
ing," but  whatever  Dr.  Con's  personal  sorrows 
may  be,  they  are  closely  locked  in  her  own  breast, 
with  tin'  s<  crets  and  sins  of  her  weaker  sisters,  and 
that  she  "hath  learned  of  sorrow,  sorrow's  cure," 
hosts  of  care-sick,  sorrowing  women  can  testify. 
The  loving  heart  that  underlies  her  terse  words, 
either  quizzical  or  severe  as  the  case  may  be.  is  too 
plainly  apparent  to  allow  even  the  disordered  im- 
agination  of  an  invalid  to  be  wounded    thereby. 

Of  the  tender  lliotherliness  that  is  a  strong  trait, 
in  her  character,  though  .alas!  to  her  has  come  no 
mother's  crown,  but  few  who  know  only  of  her 
bns\     hie   a-    Author    ami   Doctor,  would   have  the 


770 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


least  idea;  but  the  troop  of  wide-awake  neices  and 
nephews  who  at  different  times  have  found  a  borne 
under  her  roof  can  bear  most  loving  witness  to  her 
maternal  love  and  care.  A  younger  sister  found  a 
mother  in  her,  so  also  an  orphaned  girl  and  boy, 
the  children  of  strangers.  Both  these  girls  are 
now  happy  wives  and  are  mothers  <>f  children  who 
are  at  once  the  torment  and  pride  of  their  little 
foster  grandmother. 

Of  the  ideal  home  life  of  the  Drs.  Corr.  how 
shall  we  speak?  The  tender  companionship  and 
mutual  helpfulness  that  life  pursuits  have  engen- 
dered between  them,  is  as  unusual  as  it  is  beauti- 
ful. Few  men  are  capable  of  such  living.  A  grey 
turbaned  son  of  Arabia  would  call  Dr.  A.  ('.  Corr 
'•a  brother  of  girls."  A  title  purer  and  sweeter 
far  than  any  that  graced  a  knight  of  the  round 
table.  To  an  on-looker  there  would  seem  to  be  so 
many  and  diverging  interests  in  Dr.  Core's  home, 
that  no  one  but  a  general  could  keep  them  separate 
and  make  all  run  smoothly,  but  the  bright  fared 
little  woman,  who  sits  at  her  ease  in  her  rocking 
chair,  talking  on  all  sorts  of  subjects,  between  of- 
fice calls,  has  them  well  in  hand  and  finds  time  be 
sides  by  work  of  tongue  or  pen  to  aid  the  nine 
different  societies  to  which  she  belongs.  Some  arc 
for  the  further  advancement  of  women,  others  for 
the  elevation  of  the  world  at  large,  but  all  for  the 
bettering  of  poor  humanity  and  all  dear  to  the 
Doctor's  heart. 

This  is  a  tame  picture  of  the  first  woman  doctor 
in  Macoupin  County.  To  the  true  woman,  tender 
wife  and  faithful  friend,  this  little  sketch  is  but  a 
feeble  offering  faintly  portraying  the  love  and  ven- 
eration of  her  character  that  tills  the  hearts  cf 

Frances  P.  Kimball, 

St.  Paul,  Minn. 

Virginia  D.  Pearce, 

Meridian,  Miss. 


\T^~  AVID  FERGUSON,  a  retired  farmer  resid- 
)))  ing  in  Staunton,  was  born  in  County  Deny, 
\r  Ireland,  October  31,  1837,  and  is  a  son  of 
Henry  J.  Ferguson.  The  father  was  also  born  in 
the  same  county  of  Scotch-Irish   parentage,  his  an- 


cestors having  emigrated  from  Scotland  to  Ireland 
during  the  religious  persecution.  He  was  reared 
in  his  native  county,  serving  as  a  farmer  and  clerk 
and  there  married  Miss  Sarah  Swan,  who,  likewise, 
was  born  in  that  locality.  After  three  children, 
David,  Hugh  and  Sarah,  were  born  of  their  union, 
Henry  .1.  Ferguson  emigrated  with  his  family  to 
the  United  States,  sailing  from  Liverpool  in  the 
latter  part  (if  the  summer  of  1839.  In  September 
he  reached  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  whence  he  came  to 
Alton  by  way  of  Cincinnati  and  the  Ohio  River, 
and  continued  across  the  country  to  Staunton  which 
w  ,s  then  a  small    hamlet. 

The  father  purchased  a  partially  improved  farm 
of  forty  acres,  afterwards  entered  a  one  hundred 
and  twenty-acre  tract  and  by  purchase  kept  adding 
to  his  possessions  until  his  farm  comprised  four 
hundred  and  thirty  acres.  He  developed  the  land 
from  its  primitive  condition,  transforming  it  into 
rich  and  fertile  fields.  It  was  quite  low  and  some- 
what, swampy  and  by  his  neighbors  had  been  dis- 
carded as  worthless,  but  he  introduced  the  drain- 
ing process  and  soon  had  one  of  the  fines!  farms 
in  the  county.  He  was  everywhere  known  as  an 
honest  and  upright  man.  and  had  a  host  of  warm 
friends  who  esteemed  hiin  highly  for  his  many  ex- 
cellencies of  character.  A  man  of  strong  convic- 
tions, when  he  believed  himself  to  be  right,  noth- 
ing could  swerve  him  from  his  purpose.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  in  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Democrat  until  the  war,  when  he  be- 
came a  supporter  of  the  Republican  parly.  His 
death  occurred  at  his  home  in  Staunton  Township, 
January  13.  1883,  when  nearly  eighty  years  of  age. 
His  wife  still  survives  him  and  is  living  with  her 
her  daughter,  Mis.  Capt.  Burns,  in  Staunton  Town- 
ship, at  the  age  of  eighty -six.  She,  too,  is  a  Pres- 
byterian in  religious  faith. 

With  his  parents.  David  Ferguson  came  to  this 
country,  and  upon  his  father's  farm  he  resided  un- 
til he  had  arrived  at  man's  estate.  In  Hilyard 
Township  in  1875,  he  wedded  Mary  J.  Dey,  who 
was  born  in  Jerseyville,  111..  September  23,  1845. 
A  lady  of  many  excellencies  of  character,  she  is 
highly  esteemed  for  her  many  acts  of  kindness  anil 
deeds  of  charity.  Both  Air.  and  Mrs.  Ferguson 
are    members    of    the    Presbyterian    Church    with 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


771 


which  they  have  long  been  identified,  and  in  poli- 
tics be  is  a  Prohibitionist  For  many  yens  he  lias 
bum  a  stanch  advocate  of  temperance  principles 
and  believing  that  question  to  be  of  more  impor- 
tance than  any  other  issue  up  before  the  people,  he 
affiliates  with  that  party  which  has  taken  a  firm 
stand  in  opposition  to  the  liquor  traffic. 

Throughout  his  business  life,  Mr.  Ferguson  fol- 
lowed farming  and  succeeded  in  making  one  of  the 
finest  farms  in  this  community.  His  place  had  al- 
ways a  neat,  and  thrifty  appearance,  was  well 
stocked  and  supplied  with  good  buildings.  He 
made  his  home  there  for  many  years  but  at  length 
wishing  to  live  a  retired  life,  he  came  to  Staunton, 
in  1884,  and  has  since  made  his  home  in  this  place. 
Occasionally  he  engages  in  selling  religious  hooks 
by  standard  authors,  but  has  practically  laid  aside 
business  cares,  having  accumulated  a  sufficient 
competency  to  keep  him  through  his  remaining 
years.  For  more  than  half  a  century,  he  has  re- 
sided in  this  community,  and  is  numbered  among 
its  honored  pioneers. 

ARL  II.  UHLER.  The  editor  of  a  news- 
paper generally  Incomes  well  known  in  his 
'  community,  particularly  if  the  sheet  he  con- 
trols has  a  special  aim  and  appeals  to  the  people  on 
a  ground  not  occupied  by  many  others.  Wherever 
the  paper  goes  the  people  ."re  interested  in  knowing 
something  of  the  man  who  is  the  "  power  behind 
the  throne"  and  whose  mind  and  character  are 
stamped  upon  its  pages.  The  subject  of  this  bio- 
graphical notice  is  the  editor  and  publisher  of  the 
Macoupin  County  Advance,  the  office  of  which 
is  in  Bunker  Hill.  The  paper  was  established  in 
August,  1888,  and  Mr.  Filler  assumed  his  present 
position  after  the  issuance  of  the  first  number.  It 
is  a  six-column  quarto  paper  and  lias  a  large  circu-    i    Scotch    extraction   and  traces  its  ancestry  in  direct 


Advance  office  is  supplied  with  machinery  and 
type  for  all  kinds  of  job  work,  and  .Mr.  1'hler  is  a 
practical  printer  and  pressman,  so  that  he  is  cap- 
able of  sending  out,  first  class  work  of  the  various 
kinds  that  are  called  for. 

A-  preliminary  to  the  sketch  of  his  own  life,  it 
may  be  well  to  give  some  notes  regarding  the  pro- 
genitors of  Mr.  I'hler.  His  grandfather  was  Eras- 
mus 1'hler.  Jr.,  who  was  born  in  Baltimore.  Md., 
in  1780,  and  carried  on  a  large  sugar  refinery  and 
tannery,  lie  owned  a  number  of  slaves.  In  1  836 
lie  failed  in  business  and  came  West,  dying  at 
Rainsville,  [nd.,  in  February,  18.52.  His  wife  was 
Catherine  Hoffman,  who  was  born  at  Boonesboro. 
Md.,  in  December,  1796, and  died  at  Danville.  III., 
in  October.  1856.  The  father  of  Erasmus  Uhler, 
Jr.,  was  bum  in  Bavaria.  Germany,  1751,  and  died 
in  Baltimore  in  1814.  His  family  consisted  of 
one  sou  and  four  daughters. 

The  son,  John  G.,  was  burn  in  Baltimore,  January 
26,  1.V24,  and  had  not  entered  his  teens  when  he 
came  Wesl  with  his  father's  family.  He  was  soon 
after  apprenticed  to  a  cabinet-maker  and  thoroughly 
learned  the  trade.  In  1854  he  removed  to  Danville, 
i  his  State,  and  later  to  North  Fork  and  Middleport, 
finally  settling  in  Tuscola  in  1863.  There  he  made 
his  home  until  his  death,  May  27,  1 884.  He  was 
at  that  lime  a  prominent  figure  in  local  Republican 
politics  and  held  the  office  of  Chief  Patriarch  of 
Tuscola  Encampment,  I.  0.  O.  F.,  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  having  been  a  charter  member  of  the 
order  in  that  city.  The  leading  architect  and 
builder  of  the  city  his  skill  is  attested  bv  many 
buildings  that  stand  in  that  place. 

In  May,  1852,  John  G.  Cider  was  married  at 
Rainsville.  End.,  to  Martha  C.  Mtirdock,  who  sur- 
vives him  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Oakland,  III. 
She  WPS  born  on  Wea  Plains,  [nd.,  April  27,  1833. 
Her  parents  wore  John  and  .lane  (Sterling)  Mur- 
dock.     The  family  on    the     paternal     side     is  of 


lation  in  Macoupin.  Jersey  and  Madison  Counties. 
It  is  the  only  Prohibition  organ  in  Southwestern 
Illinois,  and  while  dealing  with  the  liquor  question 
more  particularly,  it  advocates  reforms  of  all 
kinds  and  to  some  extent  favors  the  movement,  of 
the    Farmers    Mutual    Benefit    Association.     The 


line  to  Robert  II.  of  Scotland,  through  whom  they 
are  connected  with  the  royal  family  of  Stuarts. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Filler  six  children  were  born, 
three  of  whom  are  still  living,  Carl  II.  being  the 
eldest,  Blanche  E.,  five  years  younger,  is  a  school 
teacher  at  Oakland  tins  State,  and  Clarence  E.,  who 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


is    nine   years  younger  than   Carl,   is  editor  of   the 
Pilot  a  Republican  journal  at  Oakland. 

Carl  H.  Uhler  was  bom  in  Danville,  this  State, 
May  1,  185C,  but  was  reared  at  Tuscola  and  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools.  .During  his  boyhood 
he  worked  with  his  father  and  acquired  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  carpentry  and  joining.  He  also 
spent  several  years  in  a  drug  store  and  passed 
through  various  other  experiences  usual  to  the  life 
of  a  youth  in  a  small  Western  town.  In  1876  lie 
entered  the  office  of  the  Tuscola  Review  as 
"devil"  and  after  working  there  a  year  found 
employment  on  the  Saturday  Journal  in  the 
same  place.  He  ran  the  gamut  of  newspaper  work 
and  graduated,  typographically,  in  1881.  Soon 
after  lie  engaged  with  Cyrus  A.  Cook  in  the  pub- 
lication of  a  small  evening  paper  at  Terre  Haute, 
Ind. 

The  venture  did  not  prove  successful  and  in  the 
fall  of  the  same  year  Mr.  Uhler  was  occuping  the 
city  editor's  desk  in  the  office  of  the  Illinois  State 
Journal  at  Springfield.  In  this  position  he  also 
reported  the  proceedings  of  the  important  special 
apportionment  session  of  the  legislature  in  1882. 
His  health  broke  down  under  tin'  strain  of  seven- 
teen to  eighteen  hours  work  a  day,  and  he  accepted 
a  position  as  a  special  correspondent  for  the  Odd 
Fellows  Herald  of  Springfield,  and  while  acting 
in  that  capacity  visited  many  of  Hie  Odd  Fellows' 
Lodges  of  Illinois,  among  others  that  at  Bunker 
Hill.  Mr.  Uhler  next  assumed  the  editorship  of 
the  Independent  which  he  held  for  a  year,  after 
which  he  bought  the  Tolono  Herald.  He  had 
conducted  that  sheet  but  a  few  months  when  he 
was  offered  a  remunerative  position  on  a  Cincinnati 
journal  and  for  two  years  he  was  the  editor  of  the 
Cincinnati  Furniture  Worker,  a  leading  trades 
journal. 

In  the  fall  of  1*<S.">  Mr.  Uhler  returned  to  this 
State  and  for  a  few  months  was  engaged  as  City 
Editor  of  the  Canton  Register  from  which  he 
resigned  in  March.  1886,  to  lease  the  Monticello 
Bulletin.  For  a  year  he  conducted  that  paper 
with  marked  financial  success,  but,  being  unable  to 
renew  his  lease  he  accepted  a  position  on  the  Sulli- 
van News  which  he  occupied  until  the  spring  of 
1888.     He  then  obtained  a  lease  of  the  Macoupin 


('■unit,/  Advance  and  in  August  removed  to 
Bunker  Hill.  He  has  been  more  successful  in  his 
work  here  than  he  anticipated,  and  is  receiving  the 
hearty  support  of  the  Prohibitionists  and  that  of 
the  others  who  are  interested  in  knowing  how  the 
movement  progresses  and  understanding  both  sides 
of  that  as  well  as  other  questions.  Mr.  Uhlei  is 
what  might  be  called  a  good,  all-round  newspaper 
man,  having  had  sufficient  experience  in  the  differ- 
ent departments  to  know  what  is  needed,  and  the 
ability  to  sec  that  the  need  is  supplied.  In  the 
editorial  work  of  the  paper  he  is  aided  by  Prof. 
Stiver,  but  the  responsibility  of  the  business  rests 
upon  his  own  shoulders. 

While  living  in  Cincinnati  Mr.  Uhler  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Hall  of  Sullivan,  this  Stale, 
she  was  bom  at  Edge  wood,  April  11,  1859,  and  is 
the  daughter  of  Edwin  and  Mary  (Clarke)  Hall, 
both  of  whom  are  of  English  decent  but  natives 
ol  Xe'v  York.  The  marriage  of  her  parents  took 
place  October  1.  1854,  and  their  family  includes 
Fliza.  wife  of  S.  F.  Balcom,  a  civil  engineer  in  the 
employ  of  the  Chicago,  Cincinnati,  Colum- 
bus &  St.  Louis  Railroad,  located  at  Mt. 
Carmel;  Joseph  C,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
transfer  department  of  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road at  Cairo;  Sarah  A.,  wife  of  our  subject;  Ed 
.1..  clerk  of  the  freight  department  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  at  Cairo;  Sam  B.  a  jeweler  at 
Sullivan.  Joseph  C.  is  the  only  married  son.  Mr. 
Hall  was  born  at  Burnt  Hills.  Saratoga  County,  N. 
Y..  October  10,  1830,  and  his  father  was  Dr.  Jos- 
eph Hall.  His  present  home  is  in  Sullivan  this 
State.  His  wife  (lied  at  Sullivan  June  14,  1888. 
Her  father  was  Joshua  Clarke,  a  leading  architect  of 
Cohoes.  N.  Y.  The  Clarkes  have  been  a  well- 
known  family  in  Westerly,  now  Richmond,  R.  I., 
since  the  death  of  their  earliest  recorded  ancestor, 
Samuel  Clarke,  in  1680. 

Mrs.  Filler  was  educated  mainly  in  Sullivan  and 
is  a  graduate  of  the  High  School.  She  is  a  woman 
of  bright  mind,  pleasing  address  and  Christian 
character,  her  membership  being  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  To  her  and  her  husband  two 
children  have  been  born  Mary  E.  at  Sullivan.  May 
16.  1886,  and  Clarke  Murdock  at  Bunker  Hill.  Jan- 
uary 19,  1891. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


773 


Mr.  Uhler  is  not  an  office-seeking  politician,  but 
is  an  earnest  adherent  of  the  Prohibition  party 
and  an  anient  worker  in  its  interest.  Thai  he  is 
enterprising  and  alive  to  the  prospects  of  tiie  day 
is  proved  by  the  way  in  which  he  carries  on  his 
business. 

•JSgfeSs- 


|UY  A.  SNELL,  a  well-known  and  success- 
ful farmer  of  Honey  Point  Township,  where 
he  owns  a  large  and  valuable  farm,  was  born 
in  that  part  of  Greene  County  which  is  now  in- 
cluded in  Jersey  County.  111..  March  14,  1839, 
coming  of  good  old  Revolutionary  and  New  Eng- 
land slock.  His  father,  Dr.  Asa  Snell,  was  a  native 
of  Addison  Comitv,  Yt.,  anil  a  son  of  Solomon 
Snell,  who  did  gallant  service  in  the  ranks  of  the 
Continental  army  during  the  Revolution.  He  was 
present  at  the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  and  a  pewter 
platter  taken  from  the  British  General's  table  at 
that  time,  was  one  of  the  trophies  that  he  secured 
and  kept  until  his  death.  It  is  still  preserved  by 
Fair  Association  in  Jersey  County.  The  old  sol- 
dier was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  his  last  days 
were  passed  among  the  green  hills  of  Vermont. 

Dr.  Asa  Snail  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  na- 
tive State.  He  earjy  turned  his  attention  to  the 
study  of  medicine,  and  graduated  from  the  Medi- 
cal Department  of  the  Castleton  Medical  College. 
Until  1834  he  practiced  at  Quaker  Village,  near 
Weybridge,  Yt.,  and  then  in  company  with  a  Mr. 
Whitford  he  came  to  Illinois,  making  the  journey 
with  a  pair  of  horses  and  a  wagon.  He  selected  a 
suitable  location  in  that  part  of  Greene  County 
now  included  in  Jersey  County,  and  then  married 
and  established  a  home  a  little  while  after  that 
event,  having  lived  for  a  time  with  his  father-in- 
law.  He  purchased  one  hundred  acres  of  land  two 
miles  from  Jerseyville,  on  which  stood  a  log  cabin 
in  which  he  took  up  his  residence,  and  lived  there 
with  his  family  for  some  years. 

The  Doctor  devoted  his  time  to  his  profession, 
became  well-known  for  his  skill  and  success  in  con- 
tending with  diseases  prevalent  in  a  newly  settled 
country,  and  in  the  course  of  years  acquired  a  large 
practice.      In  the  early  days  of  his  settlement  there 


were  but  few  roads  in  the  country,  carriages  were 
almost  unheard  of,  and  his  trips  were  made  on 
horseback.  After  a  long  and  active  life  he  passed 
away  January  21,  1875,  at  the  ripe  age  of  sevenly- 
eigllt  years  and  six  months. 

The  mother  of  our  subject,  who  still  resides  on 
the  old  homestead  at  a  venerable  age,  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Priscilla  Landon.  She  reared 
twelve  children.  She  is  a  native  of  Addison  Coun- 
ty, Vt.,  and  a  daughter  of  Horace  Landon.  Her 
father  brought  his  family  from  their  early  New  Eng- 
land home  to  the  Prairie  State  in  September,  1835. 
lie  purchased  a  tract  of  land  two  miles  from  Jer- 
seyville, a  few  acres  of  which  were  improved,  and 
a  log  cabin  was  standing  on  the  place.  Mr.  Landon 
resided  there  nearly  twenty  years  and  then  sold 
the  farm,  and  bought  another  near  Jerseyville,  on 
which  he  made  his  home  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
His  wife  was  Drusilla  Ham.  She  died  on  the  home 
farm  in  1804. 

Guy  A.  Snell  was  carefully  reared  in  his  native 
county,  and  remembers  well  the  incidents  of  pio- 
neer life.  He  received  his  early  education  in  a  rude 
log  louse  that  was  furnished  in  a  most  primitive 
fashion.  When  still  quite  young  he  began  to  assist 
ou  the  farm,  and  remained  an  inmate  of  the  pa- 
rental home  until  his  marriage  in  18G3.  The  fol- 
lowing year  he  came  to  Macoupin  County  and 
located  on  a  tract  of  land  in  Folk  Township  owned 
by  his  father.  After  live  years'  residence  there  he 
purchased  his  present  farm  on  section  4,  Honey 
Point  Township.  At  the  lime  of  his  purchase  it 
comprised  two  hundred  acres,  which  he  has  placed 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  he  has 
erected  a  good  class  of  farm  buildings,  and  has 
made  all  the  modern  improvements  necessary  to  a 
well-conducted  farm.  From  time  to  time  he  has 
bought  other  land,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  four 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  part  of  which  is 
in  Honey  Point  Township,  and  the  remainder  in 
Shaw's  Point  Township. 

May  27,  1863,  was  the  date  of  an  important 
event  in  the  life  of  our  subject,  as  he  was  then 
married  to  Miss  Abbie  Voorhes,  a  native  of  Jersey 
County,  and  a  daughter  of  Peter  P.  and  Maria 
(Kirby)  Voorhes.  Her  parents  were  natives  of 
New  Jersey,  and  were   pioneers   of  Jersey  County. 


774 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Of  their  marriage  four  children  have  hern  born  to 
our  subject  and  his  wife,  namely  :  Hugh,  whore- 
sides  in  Litchfield;  Myron  W..  a  student  of  Bush- 
nell  College;  Truman  A.,  and  Rebs  M.,  who  are  at 
liome  with  their  parents.  For  many  years  Mr. 
Snell  was  a  Republican  in  his  political  views,  but 
of  late  years  he  has  identified  himself  with  the 
Democratic  party.  In  his  religious  opinions  he  is 
very  liberal,  giving  his  support  to  all  enterprises 
having  in  view  the  uplifting  of  the  people  and  the 
good  of  the  community.  I'c  possesses  a  keen,  well- 
balanced  mind,  and  excellent  business  qualities,  is 
always  fair  in  all  his  dealings  and  is  in  every  way 
worthy  of  the  respect  accorded  him  as  one  of  our 
best  citizens. 


M^ 


EUBEN  K.  BARNES,  a  general  farmer  and 
•man,  residing  on  section  22.  Bunker 
Township,  has  since  his  fifteenth  year 
lived  on  his  present  homestead,  lb'  is  a 
representative  of  one  of  the  early  families  of  the 
community.  His  birth  occurred  in  the  county  of 
Hillsboro.  N.  H.,. Tune  20,  1838, and  he  is  descended 
from  an  early  and  respected  New  England  family. 
His  paternal  grandfather.  William  Barnes,  was  a 
a  Hillsboro  farmer  and  married  Abigail  Parker, 
After  her  death  he  was  again  married,  his  second 
wife  surviving  him  for  some  time.  Her  death 
occuired  in  Lowell,  Mass 

Throughout  his  entire  life  Mr.  Barnes  made 
Hillsboro  County  his  home  and  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy  years  in  Greenfield.  Nathan  Barnes  was 
one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  numbering  five 
sons  and  a  daughter,  and  he  too  was  a  native  of 
Hillsboro  County.  On  attaining  to  manhood  he 
married  Sarah  E.  Evans,  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  Hillsboro  County,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Asaph 
and  Sarah  Evans,  who  spent  their  entire  lives  in 
the  old  Granite  State.  After  the  birth  of  their 
ten  children  they  started  Westward  and  in  Septem- 
ber, 1851.  reached  Macoupin  County.  III.,  locating 
on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  our  subject.  With 
characteristic  energy  Nathan  Barnes  began  the 
development  of  his  land  and  soon  had  a  good  heme 


where  he  lived  until  called  to  his  final  rest.  Novem- 
ber 22,  1870,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years.  His 
wife  who  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  eighty-five 
years,  makes  her  home  with  her  son  Reuben.  She 
is  a  member  of  the  Missionary  Baptist  Church  as 
washer  husband.  In  politics  he  was  a  supporter 
of  Republican  principles.  The  Barnes  family 
comes  of  English  parentage. 

Since  his  boyhood  Reuben  Barnes  has  lived  upon 
his  present  farm.  He  began  his  school  life  in  New 
Hampshire  and  completed  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  this  county,  which  he  attended 
during  the  winter  season,  when  his  services  were 
not  needed  at  home.  As  a  helpmate  on  life's 
journey  he  chose  Miss  Pauline  A.  Gohring,  the 
wedding  ceremony  being  performed  in  Bunker 
Hill  Township,  November  21.  1*59,  by  the  Rev. 
George  Silver.  The  lady  was  born  in  Saxony, 
Germany,  September  30,1838,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  John  C.  and  Ernesta  F.  (Plotlner)  Gohring, 
who  were  also  natives  of  Saxony,  where  they  were 
born,  reared  and  married  and  began  their  domestic 
life  on  a  homestead  which  had  been  in  the  family 
for  two  hundred  years. 

The  wife  died  in  the  Fatherland  when  Mis. 
Barnes  was  only  seven  years  of  age,  after  which 
Mr.  Gohring  with  his  two  daughters,  his  only 
children,  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America  in  1848. 
The  vessel  in  which  they  s.vled  after  many  weeks 
arrived  at  tin;  port  of  New  Orleans,  and  thence 
they  came  up  the  .Mississippi  River  to  St.  Louis 
and  on  to  Madison  County,  where  the  father  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres.  Afterward 
he  bought  land  in  Macoupin  County.  His  death 
occurred  at  the  home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Barnes, 
on  the  7th  of  November,  1890,  at,  the  age  of  four- 
score years.  He  was  a  weaver  by  trade  and  fol- 
lowed that  pursuit  in  his  native  land,  but  made 
farming  his  occupation  in  his  American  home.  In 
religious  belief  he  was  an  Evangelical  Lutheran. 

After  coming  to  this  country,  Mrs.  Barnes  worked 
in  several  German  American  families  and  by  study, 
observation  and  experience  became  an  intelligent, 
cultured,  yet  practical  woman.  She  still  retains  a 
good  knowledge  of  her  native  tongue,  being  able 
to  both  read  and  write  the  language.  To  her  hus- 
band she  has  proved  a  true  helpmate  and  her  able 


RESIDENCE  OF    R  .  K.  B  ARN  ES  ,  5EC.2  1.  BUN  K  ER    H  I  LL  TR,  M  ACOUP!  N    CO.,  ILL. 


RESIDENCE  OF     WILLIAM     H  E  AL  ,  SEC. 5. ,  BUN  K  ER     H  I  LL   TR,  MACOU  PI  N    CO., ILL 


RESIDENCE   OF    W.  S.  HART  WICK,  SEC.  19.,  BIRD    TP.,  MACOUPI  N    CO.,  ILL, 


UBBART 

Of   TflE 


l'OKI'UAIT  AND   BIOCRA1M1ICAL   RECORD. 


assistance  bus  added  nut  a  little  to  their  prosperity. 
Both  M'\  nnil  Mrs.  Barnes  are  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church  and  in  politics  lie  is  a  stalwart 
Republican.  Their  family  numbers  six  children, 
five  of  whom  arc  yet  living:  John  M..  a  farmer  of 
Bunker  Hill  Township,  married  Miss  Lilly  Dike; 
Eugene  A.,  who  wedded  Ada  Drew,  is  living  in 
Bunker  Hill;  \V.  Frank,  who  giaduated  from  (he 
Washington  University  and  Manual  Training  School 
of  St.  Louis.  Mo.,  in  l.S.S.j.  i<  now  employed  a-  a 
teacher  of  drawing  in  that  institution.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Lul.i  Pbilbrook  of  Kau  Claire,  Wis.; 
Lydia  A.  and  Albert  N.,  who  complete  the  family 
are  still  at  home. 

The  farm  which  Mr.  Barnes  now  owns  and  oper- 
ates comprises  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of 
valuable  land,  situated  just  west  of  Bunker  Hill. 
It  is  well  improved  and  highly  cultivated  and  is 
stocked  with  a  high  grade  of  milch  cows  for  dairy 
[imposes.  He  does  an  extensive  business  as  a  dairy- 
man, supplying  the  St.  Louis  market  with  milk.  In 
his  business  operations  he  has  been  very  successful 
and  is  now  numbered  among  the  substantial  farm- 
ers of  the- township.  On  another  page  of  this 
volume  appears  a  view  of  his  comfortable  home. 


1/ 


ILLIAM  HEAL,  a  thrifty  and  practical 
III  stock-raiser  and  a  prosperous  farmer  resides 
^nJj/  on  section  5.  Bunker  Hill  Township.  His 
faun  consists  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  all 
excellent  land  and  highly  improved  with  a  fine  set 
of  good,  substantial  farm  buildings.  Mr.  Ileal  came 
to  this  county  a  poor  man  in  1868  and  began  work 
as  a  laborer,  saving  his  money  and  by  careful 
economy  wa>  able  in  ! 874  to  purchase  the  farm 
upon  which  he  now  resides  and  a  view  of  which 
accompanies  this  biographical   notice. 

Mr.  Ileal,  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  a  native  of 
Somersetshire.  England.  His  natal  day  was  Jan- 
uary 17.  1848.  He  comes  of  an  old  family  of  that 
shire,  of  pure  English  stock.  His  father,  Joseph, 
was  an  English  farmer  and  lived  and  died  in  his  na- 
tive shin',  reaching  the  age  of  sixty-four  years. 
His  wife   bore   the   maiden  name  of  Mary  Loekyer, 


was  burn  and  spent  her  life  in  the  same  locality  a- 
her  husband.  She  died  at  the  age  of  sixty  years. 
Both  of  these  worthy  people  were  identified  with 
the  Baptist  Church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  fifth  child  in  a 
family  of  six  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  of  whom 
are  yet  living,  and  all  have  established  families  of 
their  own.  William  and  a  brother  George  are  the 
only  ones  in  this  country.  George  is  a  farmer, 
occupying  one  of  his  brother's  farms  in  this  town- 
ship.  William  was  educated  and  reared  in  his  native 
home  and  was  twenty  years  old  when  he  undertook 
independent  work.  He  decided  to  come  to  the 
Nov  World  and  was  the  first  of  the  family  to  make 
this  decision.  He  took  passage  at  Liverpool  on  the 
vessel '-City  of  Baltimore"  and  landed  in  New  York 
City,  February  II,  1868.  His  face  was  turned 
Westward  and  he  was  not  willing  to  make  a  le  me 
in  the  East  so  he  came  directly  lo  Illinois  and  set- 
tled in  this  county,  where  he  ha.-  since  accumulated 
a  competency  by  his  own  efforts. 

The  lad.VjW.ho .became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Heal  bore 
the  maideHPVmafle  of  Mary  F.  Loekyer.  She  was 
burn  in  Macoupin  Cou'rily,  this  State,  in  1852  and 
here  was  reared  and  educated.  Ibi  parents,  Rich- 
ard and  Emma  (Barnstable)  Loekyer,  were  natives 
of  Somersetshire.  England, and  after  their  marriage 
came  at  once  to  America  in  1844.  After  landing 
in  New  York  City,  they  came  directly  to  the  West 
and  made  their  home  in  Macoupin  County  where 
they  began  life  as  American  farmers.  The  father 
died  in  the  prime  of  life  before  his  daughter,  now 
Mrs.  Ileal,  was  born.  The  mother,  Mrs.  Loekyer, 
wasa  second  time  man  ied  and  became  Mis.  Henry 
Bak  :r.  Mr.  Baker,  who  is  an  Englishman  and  a 
successful  farmer,  is  now  living  in  Brighton  Town 
ship,  this  county,  at  an  advanced  age.  His  wife 
died  when  fifty-eight  years  old  in  the  year  1885. 
They  were  both  earnest  and  conscientious  members 
of  the  Congregational  Church. 

Mrs.  Heal  was  reared  by  her  mother  and  step- 
father, she  is  tin'  mother  of  six  children,  one  of 
whom  is  deceased.  Those  who  are  living  are  Henry 
.1  .who  is  attending  the  \\  estern  Norma]  College  at 
Bushncll;  George  E.,  Elizabeth  D., Walter  W.,and 
Charles  Edgar  are  all  at  home.  Tin  patents  are  earn- 
estand  consistent  members  of   the   Congregational 


778 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Church  of  Woodburn,  where  Mr.  Heal  is  a  Trustee. 
They  are  rearing  their  children  in  the  faith  and 
practice  of  that  chinch.  Our  subjeel  is  a  stanch 
and  sound  Republican  in  his  political  views;  a  man 
of  n  >ble  bearing,  high-minded  and  honorable  and 
commands  the  respect  and  admiration  of  all  who 
know  him. 

<Jl  |>ILLIAM  S.  HARTWICK,  a  hard-working 
\/\lr  al"'  skill,ul  farmer  of  Bird  Township,  is 
W  pleasantly  local. al  on  section  19.  lie  has 
one  hundred  and  eighty  -two  acres  of  land  which  is 
under  excellent  tillage  and  is  supplied  with  a  full 
line  of  substantial  farm  buildings  and  such  other 
improvements  as  befit  the  estate  of  a  man  of  good 
judgment.  A  view  of  his  pleasant  homestead  will 
be  found  on  another  page.  He  has  always  been 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  has  been  lo- 
cated on  his  present  estate  since  February,  1882. 
Prior  to  that  time  lie  lived  in  .Jersey  County. 
where  he  was  horn  .lime  28,  1850.  His  educational 
opportunities,  although  limited  to  the  district 
school,  were  good,  and  he  grew  to  manhood  in 
session  of  a  goodly  amounl  of  practical  knowledge 
and  information  on  various  topics.  He  left  the 
parental  home  in  his  twenty-first  year  to  establish 
a  fireside  of  his  own. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Hartwick  were  .lames  and 
Eliza  (Skillman)  Hartwick.  natives  of  New  Jersey. 
They  were  reared  and  married  in  their  native 
State  and  came  thence  to  Illinois  many  years  ago. 
Their  first  home  in  the  Prairie  State  wasin  Jersey 
County,  but  they  removed  to  Macoupin  County 
and  finally  made  their  home  in  Chesterfield  Town- 
ship. Mr.  Hartwick  died  in  Jersey  County  while 
absent  from  home  on  business,  the  date  of  his  de- 
cease being  December  28,  1883.  He  had  attained 
to  the  good  old  age  of  seventy-two  years.  The 
mother  who  makes  he:'  home  in  Greene  County  is 
now  (1891)  eighty-one  years  old.  William  S.  is  the 
sixth  in  a  family  of  seven  children. 

That  interesting  and  momentous  event — the 
marriage  of  William  Hartwick  and  Mary  M.  Cox — 
occurred  December  29,  1870,  at  the    bride's   home 


in  Jersey  County.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Rebecca  (Sinclair)  Cox.  now  deceased,  and  her 
father  was  a  fanner.  She  was  burn  in  Missouri 
March  12.  1852.  To  her  and  her  husband  two 
children  have  come,  who  are  named  respectively 
Edwin  and  .lames.  They  adopted  a  little  girl, 
Mary  E.,  when  only  seven  months  old  and  she  is 
now  a  bright  child  of  eight  summers.  Our  sub- 
ject and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church  in  Bird  Ti.wnship.  Air.  1  lart wick  exercises 
thi'  light  of  suffrage  in  behalf  of  Democratic  can- 
didates, lie  and  his  wife  arc  held  in  high  esteem, 
as  people  of  intelligence  and  kindliness,  and  they 
have  man\   wai  in   fi  tends. 

r^s  EV.  GEORGE  SANDERS.     One  by  one  die 
l^/      pioneers  of  this  county  are  passing  to  their 
1    \         final  rest.      Few  now  remain  of   those    who 
\£)  opened  the  pathway  for  advancing  civiliza- 
tion, turned  the  first  furrows  in  the  primitive  soil, 
and  made  an  uncultivated  section  of  country  ''blos- 
som as  the  rose."      '1  here  recently  passed  from    the 
-  of  earth  one  of  these  honored  pioneers,  whose 
name  is  indissolubly  associated    with   the   progress 
of  Macoupin    County    and    whose    memory    will    be 
cherished  in  the  hearts  of  generations  to  come.    We 
are  pleased  to  present  to  our  readers  a  brief  biogra- 
phical review  of  the  liev.  Mr.    Sanders,    who    died 
July  30,  1891. 

The  1-i-t  years  of  his  life  were  passed  retired  in 
Bunker  Hill,  whither  he  removed  in  1882.  His 
residence  in  the  county  dates  from  1 844,  and  he 
was  therefore  a  witness  of  many  changes  in  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  country.  Thriving  towns  now  oc- 
cupy the  pleasant  valleys,  and  where  was  once  wild 
woodland  ma\  now  be  seen  rich  estates  and  com- 
ic .table  homes.  Mr.  Sanders  was  born  in  Devon- 
shire, England,  eighty  miles  north  of  London, 
April  21,  L805,and  was  one  of  nine  children,  whose 
parents.  Edward  and  Mary  (Ford)  Sanders,  were 
born,  reared,  married  and  died  in  England.  The 
father  was  a  miller  by  trade  and  followed  that  oc- 
cupation until  his  death,  which  occurred  at  the  age 
of  sixty  years  and  was  caused  by  being  thrown  from 


PORTRAIT  AND  BJOG R APHICA L  RECORD. 


"7:' 


a  horse.  1 1  is  wife  survived  liiui  and  died  at  the  age 
of  seventy-two  years.  Tliey  were  botb  members  of 
the  Church  of  England. 

J 11  his  native  land,  George-Sanders  grew  to  man- 
hood and  during  his  youth  became  connected  with 
the  (Queen's  Palace,  remaining  in  the  direct  employ 
of  her  Majesty  for  some  sixteen  years,  during  which 
time  he  served  in  the  Yeoman's  Cavalry  and  fre- 
quently came  in  contact  with  the  Queen,  lie  later 
engaged  in  the  milling  business  which  he  followed 
until  1841,  when  he  determined  to  make  a  home  in 
the  New  World  and  set  sail  for  America,  taking 
passage  on  a  vessel  commanded  by  Capt.  Taylor. 
After  a  voyage  of  twenty-nine  days  he  landed  in 
New  York  City,  where  for  four  years  he  was  em- 
ployed in  a  potash  manufactory.  On  the  expira- 
tion of  that  time  he  came  to  Illinois  and  ever  after 
ward  made  his  home  in  Bunker  Hill  Township. 
lie  has  led  a  liusy  and  useful  life  ami  one  which  in 
many  respects  was  worthy  of  emulation.  While  in 
England  he  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1834,  in  the 
local  churches  and  alter  coming  to  the  United 
States  was  again  licensed  on  the  3d  of  August.  1841 . 
He  was  a  generous  giver  to  the  Methodist  Church, 
the  religion  of  his  faith,  and  by  exam,  le  as  well  as 
precept  led  many  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth. 
While  in  London  in  1886,  he  visited  the  headquar- 
ters of  Gen.  Booth,  whom  he  heard  preach  and 
whom  he  regarded  as  one  of  the  noblest  and  most 
conseciatcd  men. 

In  England,  Rev.  Mr.  Sanders  was  joined  in  wed- 
lock with  Miss  Elizabeth  Paw.  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  the  same  shire  with  her  husband.  To- 
gether they  emigrated  to  America  and  her  death  oc- 
curred in  Bunker  Hill  in  1852.  at  the  age  of  fortj  - 
two  years.  She  was  the  mother  of  nine  children, three 
of  whom  are  now  deceased — William,  Maria  and 
Mary  A., all  of  whom  were  married  and  left  families. 
Thomas,  who  wedded  Sarah  Nailer,  is  living  in 
Bunker  Hill :  Edward,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Litch- 
field, married  Louisa  Carter;  Sarah  is  the  wife  of 
Leon  Wilder,  who  served  throughout  the  late  War 
and  afterward  became  a  policeman  of  Denver, Colo., 
where  he  died  and  was  buried  with  many  honors; 
Amelia,  widow  of  Thomas  Bird,  is  also  living  in 
Denver;  Stephen,  who  wedded  Ida  Brown,  is  en- 
gaged in  gold  mining  in  Colorado;  Sophia    is    the 


widow  of  Dr.  ().  ( ).  Stimsou.  a  native  of  Vermont. 
who  graduated  from  Ann  Arbor  University  and 
later  from  the  Wisconsin  Dental  College,     lie  was 

fur  years  a  leading  dental  surgeon  of  Bunker  Hill, 
where  he  died  in  1885.  His  remains  were  interred 
witli  all  the  In  nuns  of  the  Masonic  lodge.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  the  United  Workmen  Lodge  of 
Bunker  Hill.  He  had  a  large  and  lucrative  prac 
lice  and  won  a  host  of  friends  whose  warm  sympa- 
thy was  extended  to  his  widow  in  her  bereavement. 
The  father  spent  the  last  two  years  of  his  life  with 
his  daughter.  Mrs.  Stimson,  where  he  (lied,  July  311, 
1891. 

Mr.  Sanders  for  many  years  followed  farming 
in  this  county  and  as  the  result  of  his  industry, 
thrift  and  enterprise  lie  acquired  a  handsome  com- 
petence which  dialled  him  to  live  a  retired  life. 
Pair  dealing  characterized  his  entire  business  career 
and  he  lived  a  life  which  won  him  the  warm  regard 
of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 


— J3- 


-vjr^-v' 


-£f~ 


1  AMES  E.  NIFONG.  Among  the  influential 
and  public  spirited  men  residing  in  North 
Palmyra  Township,  we  are  pleased  to  call 
the  attention  of  our  readers  to  the  gentleman 
whose  name  appears  at  the  head  of  this  sketch.  His 
father,  Jacob  Nifong,  was  of  Southern  birth,  being 
born  in  either  Virginia  or  North  Carolina,  while 
the  mother.  Lctey  Simms,  was  a  native  of  either 
Tennessee  or  Kentucky.  Their  marriage  took  place 
in  Madison  ( lounty,  Mo.,  in  October,  1 825,  and  they 
emigrated  thence  to  Illinois  and  settled  upon  section 
7.  North  Palmyra  Township,  in  the  year  1  828, 
where  Jacob  Nifong  died  February  2.  1844. 

The  mother  of  James  Nifong  was  married  a  sec- 
tion time  ti.i  James  l'atton,  ol  Sangamon  County, 
111.,  where  she  died  in  185G.  The  parents  of  our 
subject  had  nine  children,  only  three  of  whom  lived 
to  years  of  maturity.  James  was  born  in  Madison 
County.  Mo.,  August  14.  1828.  He  grew  to  man- 
hood in  North  Palmyra  Township,  which  has  al- 
ways been  his  home  with  the  exception  of  seven 
ye.u-,  when  be  lived  in  Palmyra  village,  being  en- 
gaged   in   the  mercantile  business  in  company  with 


rso 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


I).  N.  Solomon  under  the  firm  name  of  Solomon  & 
Nifong.  These  two  gentleman  platted  the  village 
of  Palmyra  ami  gave  it  its  name. 

When  Mr.  Nifong  was  n  young  man  he  learned  the 
wagon-maker's  trade  of  liis  father  and  worked  at  it 
one  year  in  Waverly,  III.  He  also  took  up  earpen 
try,  although  agriculture  has  been  his  chief  pursuit 
through  life.  The  first  marriage  of  our  subject  oc 
curred  January  9,  1849,  in  South  Palmyra  Town- 
ship, lie  was  then  united  with  Miss  /alpha  A. 
Solomon,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth 
(Prowse)  Solomon.  This  lady  was  born  in  Mor- 
gan County,  III.,  October  28,  1*29,  and  became  the 
mother  of  nine  children,  three  now  deceased.  The 
surviving  ones  are  as  fellows:  Jennie  who  is  now 
the  wife  of  John  J.  Wright,  of  Yirden;  Lcwallyn 
J.  who  died  when  nearly  twenty-eight  years  old; 
William  A.  married  Ella  Rhorer  who  is  now  de- 
ceased; Henry  1'.  took  to  wife  Ida  Malone;  Allison 
II..  whose  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mabel 
Baker;  Leroy  M.,  married  Millie  Fletcher  and 
Clarence  ().,  who  is  still  at  home.  These  children 
have  all  grown  up  to  be  an  honor  and  delight,  to 
their  father  who  finds  in  their  beautiful  affection 
and  upright  lives  a  cheer  and  comfort  in  his  de 
elining  days.  Their  mother  passed  from  earth  in 
Palmyra  Township,  September  1  1,  1886. 

The  second  marriage  of  our  subject  look  place 
in  Scottville  Township,  July  17.  1889,  his  bride 
being  Lydia  A.  Coons,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Sophia  (McCollougb)  Coons,  who  was  born  in 
Scottville  Township,  Macoupin  County.  June  28, 
1850.  Mr.  Nifong  is  the  owner  of  two  hundred 
and  fort)'  rich  and  productive  acres  in  North  Pal- 
myra Township  and  upon  this  farm  arc  to  be  found 
as  comfortable  and  commodious  buildings  as  may 
be  seen  in  the  township.  He  owned  at  one  time 
some  eight  hundred  acres  but  has  given  away  the 
most  of  his  land  to  his  children.  His  wealth  has 
been  accumulated  through  his  own  energy,  enter- 
prise and  industry,  as  he  began  life  by  working 
out  by  the  month,  part  of  the  time  for  the  wages 
of  $G  and  $9  per  month.  His  first  farm  was  a  rented 
one  and  his  economy  and  industry  have  brought  to 
him  the  tine  property  which  he  has  owned.  He 
was  the  first  Township  Clerk  in  North  Palmyra 
Township   after    its  organization  and  has  acted  as 


Trustee  and  School  Treasurer.  He  is  decidedly 
independent  in  his  politics  but  is  greatly  inclined 
to  aid  all  efforts  in  the  line  of  prohibition.  The 
Church  of  Christ  is  the  religious  body  with  which 
Mr.  Nifong  and  his  excellent  wife  are  connected, 
lie  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  farm- 
ing community  and  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Grange,  with  which  he  has  been  connected  for 
twenty  years  and  to  which  he  looks  for  help  for  the 
farmers  both  socially  and  intellectually. 

'  REDERICK  R.  RIFFEY.  The  owner  of  the 
farm  located  on  section  22.  North  Otter 
JS>  Township,     is   the  gentleman    whose    name 

appears  above.  He  is  a  Virginian  by  birth  and 
education.  His  father  was  James  Riffey  and  prob- 
ably was  born  in  Roanoke  County,  Ya.  His 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Anna  Rhodes,  probably 
a  native  of  Augusta  County,  also  Virginia.  The 
father  died  in  the  county  in  which  he  was  born, 
where  they  both  made  their  home  until  the  time 
of  their  death,  although  the  mother  passed  away 
in  Macoupin  County,  III.,  while  on  a  visit  to  her 
daughter — Mrs.  Elizabeth  II.  Bru baker. 

( )ur  subject,  is  one  of  eight  children,  he  being 
the  fourth  of  the  family.  He  was  born  in  Roan- 
oke County,  Va.,  October  8.  1849,  where  he  re- 
mained until  he  had  attained  manhood.  His  mar- 
riage took  place  in  the  same  county  in  which  he 
was  born  and  brought  up  and  January  26,  18G1), 
he  was  united  for  better  or  worse  to  Miss  Martha 
E.  Swartz,  who  was  also  a  native  of  Virginia,  her 
birthplace  being  in  Botetourt  County,  and  her 
advent  into  the  world  being  on  September  21. 
1850. 

Mrs.  Riffey's  parents  were  Christian  and  Cather- 
ine (Click)  Swartz.  The  mother's  decease  occurred 
in  Roanoke  County,  Ya.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Riffey  had 
eight  children — John  W  ,  Josiah  O,  James  II., 
Rosa  E.,  Frederick  L.,  Gertie  B.,  Melissa  A.  and 
Perley  C.  GerUe  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Martha 
E.  Riffey  passed  away  from  this  life  May  7,  1886, 
in  North  Otter  Township  and  was  laid  away  in 
God's  acre,  her  spirit  passing  to  the   better   world. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


r.si 


He  was  again  married  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio, 
April  15,1888,  to  Mi.^  Mary  E.  Eshelman,  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Anna  (Harshman)  Eshel- 
ni;ui.  The  former  was  horn  in  Pennsylvania  and 
the  mother  in  Ohio.  Mr.  Eshelman  died  in  Wayne 
County,  Ohio.  They  had  seven  children,  of  whom 
Mrs.  Riffey  was  the  fourth.  She  was  horn  in  Wayne 
County.  Ohio,  March  4,  1858.  They  have  an  in- 
fant unnamed. 

lie  of  whom  we  write  has  always  been  engaged 
in  farming  and  agricultural  pursuits;  he  owns  sev 
cnty-three  acres  of  land  and  has  very  good  im- 
provements on  his  farm.  Mr.  Riffey  is  a  Jackson  - 
ian  Democrat  in  politics  and  both  husband  and 
wife  are  members  of  the  German  Baptist  Church. 
They  take  a  deep  interest  in  the  Sunday  school 
work  and  indeed  in  all  religious  matters. 


* 


ALMON  TUTTLE  HOPSON,  a  pioneer 
dairyman  of  Illinois,  residing  on  his  well- 
appointed  farm  on  section  34,  Guard 
Township,  is  carrying  on  a  large  and  lucra- 
tive business  in  his  line.  He  is  a  bright,  energetic 
and  progressive  man,  who  is  well  informed  on  all 
subjects  of  public  import  and  general  interest, 
keeps  well  abreast  of  the  times,  and  is  in  all  respects 
an  honor  to  the  citizenship  of  this  county,  wheie 
he  has  made  his  home   for    mure    than  a  quarter  of 


lain  line  horse  with  all  iis  trappings  thai  had 
caught  the  savage's  fancy.  After  a  few  minutes 
thought  the  Governor,  as  if  very  reluctantly,  said, 
"If  you  have  had  such  a  dream  I  must  give  yon 
the  horse,  though  I    regret   very   much  to  do  so," 

adding,  "you  must  not  dream  any  i v."     On  his 

next  visit  the  Governor  remarked  to  the  Chief.  --I 
have  had  a  dream."  The  Indian  asked  him  what 
it  was.  He  answered  thai  ii  was  to  the  purport  that 
the  Indian  was  to  give  him  all  the  laud  lying  be- 
tween the  two  streams  known  as  East  anil  West 
Canada  creeks.  The  Indian  seemed  amazed.  But 
after  thinking  a  few  minutes  said.  -I  must  give  you 
the  land,  hut  don't  dream  any  more." 

There  were  no  railways  or  canals  in  New  York 
when  A  brains  Ilopson  settled  in  Herkimer  County, 
nor  fur  several  years  afterward,  and  all  produce 
had  to  tie  carried  lo  Albany  to  market,  a  distance 
of  sixly  nine  miles.  After  many  years  of  hard 
labor  he  cleared  a  good  farm,  but  finally  lost  it 
through  a  defective  title.  He.  however,  secured 
another  tract  close  by,  and  resided  thereon  until 
death  closed  his  mortal  career. 

The  father  of  our  subject  learned  file  trades  of 
a  shoemaker  and  tanner  in  his  youth,  and  carried 
them  on  in  connection  with  farming  a  number  of 
year-.  lie  then  turned  his  attention  to  mercantile 
pursuits  in  Salisbury  Center,  and  contributed  to 
advance  its  business  interests  and  material  pros- 
perity, until  his  demise  in  1868.  He  married  in 
early  manhood,  taking  as  his  wife  Lucy  Tuttle,  .a 
native  of    Wallingford.    Conn.      She    died  at  Salis- 


a  century. 

Mr.  Hopson  was  born  in    Salisbury  Center.  Her-       bury  Center  in  1842,  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years. 
kimer  County,  N.  Y..  November  17, 1*24.  His  father,    j        Salmon  T.  Ilopson  was  reared  in  his  native  town 


James  Hopson,  was  born  in  Wallingford.  Conn., 
in  1778.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject,  Abrarus 
Hopson,  was  also  a  native  of  that  New  England 
State.  He  went  from  there  to  New  York,  and  was 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Herkimer  County, 
wdiere  he  secured  a  tract  of  timber  land  on  what  is 
known  as  '"Mary  Johnson's  Tract."  A  little  inci- 
dent concerning  that  land  may  be  related  here.  One 
time  an  Indian  chief  visited  Governor  Johnson  at 
his  home  in  Albany  and  told  that  gentleman  that 
he  had  had  a  dream.  The  Governor  asked  him 
what  it  was.  The  Chief  replied  that  he  had 
dreamed  that  the  Governor   was  to  give  him  a  eer- 


and  was  carefully  trained  in  all  that  ^oes  to  make 
a  good  man  and  a  loyal  citizen.  He  was  only  six- 
teen years  of  age  when  he  left  his  early  home  and 
went  out  into  the  world  to  seek  fortune's  favors, 
with  no  other  capital  than  a  sound  physique,  good 
principles,  and  a  mind  well  balanced.  He  first 
went  to  Ohio,  and  was  employed  at  the  trade  of  a 
cooper  in  that  State  the  two  years  ensuing.  We 
next  hear  of  him  in  Maryland,  where  he  gave  his 
time  to  teaching  school  until  1*17.  In  that  year 
he  made  his  way  to  this  county,  and  for  two  years 
rented  a  farm  in  Chesterfield  Township.  From 
there  he  went    lo    Bird    Township,    where  he  cstali- 


?82 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


lisbed  a  dairy  farm.  There  being  no  railways  there 
for  a  time  after  he  settled  tbcre,  he  drew  all  his 
products  to  St.  Louis  lo  market.  Six  years  after 
locating  in  Bird  Township,  he  removed  to  Jersey- 
ville.  where  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness. 

Mr.  Hopson  was  successful  as  a  merchant,  but 
he  still  retained  his  taste  for  the  dairy  business, 
and  in  1862  he  purchased  the  farm  that  he  now 
owns  and  occupies  in  Girard  Township.  This  was 
well  adapted  to  dairy  purposes,  and  formerly  well 
stocked  with  good  grades  of  sleek,  well-kept,  cattle, 
his  herd  being  among  the  best  dairy  cows  in  this 
section.  He  carries  on  an  extensive  and  well  reg- 
ulated business,  shipping  a  large  quantity  of  milk- 
to  St.  Louis,  where  lie  has  established  a  first-class 
retail  trade,  his  shipping  bills  on  the  railway 
amounting  to  upward  of  $700  a  year.  In  the  fall 
of  1890,  he  shipped  his  stock  for  the  St.  Louis 
trade  to  that  city,  where  he  has  built  up  a  business 
computed  to  be  worth  $25,000. 

Mr.  Hopson  has  been  twice  married.  Ii>  1 855 
he  was  wedded  to  Miss  Susanna  1!.  Cundell,  a  na- 
tive of  this  county,  and  a  daughter  of  John  R.  and 
Mary  A.  Cundell,  who  were  natives  of  England  and 
early  settlers  of  Macoupin  County.  .Mis.  Hopson 
departed  this  life  after  a  happy  marriage  of  ten 
years  duration,  October  2,  1865,  leaving  three 
children — Mamie.  John  J.  and  Carrie.  Mr.  Hop- 
son  was  married  in  October,  1866,  to  Elizabeth 
Vanarsdalc,  a  native  of  Soiierville,  this  county, 
and  a  daughter  of  William  II.  and  Margaret 
G.  (Carson)  Vanarsdale.  Seven  children  have 
blessed  the  felicitious  union  of  our  subject  and 
his  present  wife,  namely:  Katie,  Bartie,  By- 
ron, Charlie,  Cora,  Herbie,  and  Lotta.  Mr.  Hop- 
son's  daughter  Mamie,  is  the  wife  of  Alvin  Van- 
natta,  of  St.  Louis;  Carrie  is  the  wife  of  James 
Rice,  a  merchant  of  Champaign  County;  ami  Katie 
married  Daniel  Bell,  of  St.  Louis. 

Our  subject  has  always  been  a  great  reader  and  stu  - 
dent  ot  economic  questions,  and  is  widely  and  prom- 
inently known  as  a  leader  in  the  movements  that 
have  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  the  Grange, 
of  the  Farmers'  Alliance  and  Farmers'  Mutual  Ben- 
efit Association,  being  one  of  the  principal  organ- 
izers and  lecturers  of  the   various  societies.     He  is 


a  forcible  and  ready  speaker,  never  at  a  loss  for 
words,  and  seems  to  possess  an  unending  fund  of 
information  on  whatsoever  topic  is  under  discus- 
sion. As  an  instance  of  his  wit  and  aptness  in  re- 
ply, we  will  relate  a  little  conversation  that  took 
place  between  him  and  Senator  Palmer,  while  he 
was  riding  one  day  with  that  gentleman,  during 
the  latter's  campaign  for  the  governorship.  As  is 
well  known  the  General  is  as  fond  of  a  joke  as  any- 
body,  and  he  asked  Mr.  Hopson  to  tell  him  hon- 
estly what  proportion  of  water  he  put  into  his 
milk.  Our  subject  replied  that  he  would  tell  him 
confidentially,  that  it  was  in  the  same  proportion 
that  he  (the  General)  watered  his  speeches,  and 
that  at  times  both  were  very  thin,  whereat  the  ex- 
governor  was  highly  amused,  although  the  joke 
had  been  turned  back  on  himself. 

Mr.  Hopson  was  in  early  life  a  Whig,  and  cast 
his  Brat  vole  for  President  for  Gen.  Scott.  In 
I  son  he  gave  strong  support  to  Stephen  A.  Doug- 
las in  his  candidacy  for  the  Presidential  chair,  and 
since  then  lias  worked  with  the  Democrats,  being 
one  of  the  most  earnest  and  intelligent  supporters 
of  his  party  in  this  part  of  the  State.  As  a  lecturer 
and  organizer  of  the  various  societies  mentioned 
he  has  had  opportunity  for  an  extended  acquaint- 
ance with  public  men,  who  recognize  his  worth  and 
ability,  and  unite  with  his  fellow-townsmen  in  ac- 
cording him  the  respect  due  to  his  merits. 


GORGE  B.  WAY.  The  prosperous  farmers 
of  Virden  Township  have  been  the  prime 

_X  factors  in  the  development  of  that  portion 
of  Macoupin  County.  Their  industry  and  enter- 
prise have  added  weightily  to  the  commercial  value 
of  the  landed  property,  not  only  their  own  but  all 
in  that  section.  Their  persevering  efforts  to  in- 
crease the  market  facilities  of  that  portion  of  the 
county,  have  added  greatly  to  the  possibilities  of 
success  for  their  more  struggling  neighbors,  and 
we  can  heartily  congratulate  such  men  as  Mr.  Way 
on  having  done  good  work  not  only  for  himself 
but  also  for  the  county. 

The  father  of  our  subject   was    Uriah    B.    Way, 


PORTRAIT   AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


7s;i 


who  was  born  in  Madison  County,  N.  V..  ami  his 
mother,  a  native  of  the  same  county,  was  Fanny 
McBride.  They  married  and  settled  in  their  na- 
tive home  hut  somewhat  later  removed  to  Gen 
County  in  that  State,  which  became  the  last  earthly 
home  of  the  mother.  After  his  bereavement  the 
father  removed  to  Illinois,  and  in  1855  settled  in 
Fulton  County,  but  afterward  made  his  home  in 
McDonough  County,  where  he  died. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  Brsl  born  of 
his  parents  and  is  the  eldest  in  their  family  of  five 
children,  being  horn  October  25,  1832,  in  Madison 
County.  N.  Y.  Most  of  his  early  years  were  passed 
in  his  native  Mate,  ami  he  was  a  young  man  before 
the  family  emigrated  to  the  West.  He  came  to 
Illinois  with  his  father  in  1855, and  ii  was  in  Ful- 
ton County  thai  he  found  the  woman  whom  he 
made  his  wife.  Her  maiden  name  was  Lavina 
Nelson  and  she  was  born  in  Ohio. 

After  marriage  the  young  couple  removed  to 
Jersey  County  and  here  Mr.  Way  taught  school 
for  four  winters,  after  which  I ngaged  in  farm- 
ing and  continued  his  resilience  in  that  county 
until  1871  when  he  removed  to  Macoupin  County, 
settling  in  Yinlen  Township,  which  has  since  been 
his  happy  home.  Farming  has  been  his  chief  bus- 
iness in  life,  and  he  now  owns  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  land  upon  which  he  had  erected 
buildings  of  more  than  ordinary  value  and  attrac- 
tiveness. Everything  upon  the  farm  shows  the 
hand  of  a  practical  and  systematic  farmer  and  the 
prosperity  of  Mr.  Way  is  the  direct  result  of  his 
own  energy  and  enterprise. 

Two  children  blessed  the  union  of  George  and 
Lavina  Way  to  whom  were  given  the  names  of 
William  and  Fannie.  Their  mother  was  taken 
away  by  death  while  the  family  home  was  in  Jer- 
sey County,  in  1861,  Mr.  Way's  second  man 
took  place  in  that  county  in  November,  1863,  his 
bride  being  Miss  Louisa  A.  Bcenian.  They  are  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  Georgeora,  who  is  now 
the  wife  of  Alvin  Ferguson;  Gloster,  who  married 
Miss  Lib  by  Arnold;  Edgar;  Kllie;  Evart  and  Earl; 
Mary  died  when  sixteen  months  old  and  Ethel  P. 
died  at  the  age  of  one  year.  The  mother  of  these 
children  was  called  from  this  earthly  life  to  her 
heavenly  home  in  .lime.  L881.      Mr.  Way  is  a    man 


who  takes  quite  an  active  part  in  political  affairs 
and  is  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  doctrines  and 
policy  of  the  Republican  party. 


^  II. TON  McCLURE,  United  States  Com- 
missioner for  the  Southern  District  of  Ill- 
inois, is  a  well  known  resident  of  Carlin- 
ville.  lie  was  hut  an  infant  when  he  came 
to  this  Mute  with  his  parents  anil  he  has  no  recol- 
lection of  other  than  his  adopted  home,  with  the 
interests  of  which  he  has  been  prominently  identi- 
fied for  many  years.  As  a  farmer,  business  man 
and  official,  he  has  acted  well  his  part,  and  while 
advancing  his  private  interests  has  been  useful  to 
society  by  setting  a  good  example  and  faithfully 
discharging  the  duties  which  devolved  upon  him. 
He  is  not  at  present  actively  engaged  in  any  busi- 
ness but  is  looking  after  his  private  interests  and 
discharging  the  duties  of  his  office. 

Although  a  native  of  Kentucky,  Mr.  McClure  is 
descended  from  an  old  Virginia  family  and  his 
ancestors  were  men  of  education  and  merit.  His 
grandfather,  the  Rev.  Allen  McClure,  united  with 
the  Presbyterian  Church  and  when  a  young  man 
became  a  minister  in  that  denomination.  He  re- 
moved from  his  native  State  to  Kentucky  in  an 
early  day  and  was  one  of  the  original  members  of 
the  first  s\  noil  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  organized 
in  the  Blue  Grass  State.  As  a  pioneer  preacher  at 
Paris,  Bourbon  County,  he  did  a  noble  work  in  that 
section.  His  son  .lames,  father  of  our  subject,  was' 
born  in  Augusta  County,  Va.,  and  was  quite  young 
when  the  family  removed  to  Kentucky.  He  was 
educated  for  the  ministry  but  did  not  choose  to 
follow  that  profession,  preferring  a  mercantile  life. 
He  was  married  in  Jessamine  County  to  Frances 
Dickersou.  a  native  of  that,  county  and  the  daugh- 
ter of  Martin  and  Rebecca  Dickersoh.  Some  years 
later  he  removed  to  Shelby ville.  Teun..  and  en- 
gaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  there  with  branch 
stores  in  other  places.  He  was  unfortunate,  lost  his 
property,  and  about  1828  returned  to  Kentucky, 
remaning  in  Jessamine  County  until  is:;!. 

Mr.  McClure  then  came  to  this  State,  traveling 


784 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


via  the  Kentucky  and  Mississippi  Rivers  to  Col- 
urabiana,.Greene  County.  He  made  his  home  in 
Carrollton  a  year,  then  joined  the  pioneers  of  this 
county,  entering  Government  hind  in  Carlinville 
Township.  lie  took  up  a  claim  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  on  which  he  built  a  double  log 
house.  His  children  improved  the  land  and  he  re- 
sided upon  it  until  after  the  death  of  his  wife. 
which  occurred  in  1814.  The  same  year  he  was 
appointed  Clerk  in  the  Land  Office  al  Washington, 
D.  C.  by  President  Polk,  was  reappointed  by 
President  Taylor  and  continued  in  the  office  until 
his  death,  in  1841).  In  an  early  day  he  was  Asses- 
sor  Of  this  county  and  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duties  visited  every  family,  and  in  1840  he  took 
the  county  census.  His  family  consisted  of  six 
sons  and  six  daughters. 

Milton  McClure  was  horn  in  Nicholasville,  Jess- 
amine County,  Ky.  in  18.42.  During  his  infancy 
his  parent-  came  hither  and  as  soon  as  he  was 
strong  enough  he  began  to  assist  on  the  farm,  lie 
made  the  best  of  the  limited  opportunities  offered 
for  securing  an  education,  attending  school  i.i  the 
primitive  school-house  built  of  logs,  with  puncheon 
floor  and  scats  and  heated  by  a  fireplace.  The 
first  school  he  attended  was  taught  by  his  father. 
Text-books  were  almost  unknown  and  the  primer  or 
soelling  hook  was  handed  down  in  the  family  and 
made  to  do  service  for  various  members.  Writing 
was  done  with  a  quill  pen  at  a  desk  around  the 
wall.  When  fourteen  3  ears  old  young  McClure 
entered  school  in  Carlinville  and  after  studying 
there  two  years  became  a  student  at  Shuttleff  Col- 
lege in  Upper  Alton.  lie  carried  on  his  work 
there  three  years  and  thus  gained  so  much  informa- 
tion that  the  faculty  gave  him  a  recommendation 
as  a  competent  teacher.  He  did  not,  howev*  r. 
adopt    the   profession    but    became   a   clerk   in    the 

drug  store  of  his  brother-in-law,   Dr.  L.  .1.  W Is. 

and  when  his  clerical  duties  would  permit,  studied 
medicine. 

A  year  was  thus  spent  and  then  Mr.  McClure 
became  a  dry-goods  clerk  and  continued  to  act  in 
that  capacity  until  L856,  when  he  was  elected  Sher- 
iff of  this  county.  He  served  two  years,  then  be- 
came a  merchant  and  a  dealer  in  live  stock.  He 
was  thus  occupied    until    1863    and    fiom  that  time 


until  1889  carried  on  a  drug  business.  He  then 
sold  out  in  order  to  enjoy  more  leisure.  He  has 
never  lost  his  interest  in  agricultural  affairs  and 
now  owns  a  valuable  farm  of  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres.  He  was  appointed  United  States 
Commissioner  by  President  Johnson  in  1 8(1,">  and 
has  served  continuously. 

In  1854  Mr.  McClure  was  married  to  Martha  K. 
Neale,  a  native  of  Springfield,  this  State,  and  a 
daughter  of  Gen.  Thomas  M.  Neale.  Mr.  and  Mis. 
McClure  have  two  children — lames  A.  and  Harriet 
B.  The  latter  married  Thomas  Mellersh  and  their 
home  is  in  San  Francisco.  Mr.  McClure  is  a 
Democrat  and  in  1872  was  a  delegate  to  the  Nation- 
al Democratic  Convention  at  Baltimore.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  village  Board  of  Trustees 
and  was  Justice  of  the  Peace  about  twelve  years. 
In  fact  he  has  held  some  office  almost  from  his 
majority.  In  1872  he  assisted  in  organizing  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Carlinville  and  was  elected 
Vke-Presideni  and  later  President;  in  May.  1890, 
he  aided  in  organizing  the  Carlinville  National 
Bank  and  was  elected  Director.  It  will  he  s:  en 
that  Mr.  McClure  is  influential  anil  active  in  pro- 
moting the  various  interests  of  the  community, 
and  it  is  needless  to  say  that  he  is  regarded  with  re- 
spect and  good  will.  In  1880  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  tin  Stale  Board  of  Equalization. 


-^,I=Sr" 


S=dRED  G.  STORZ,  one  of  the  retired  merch- 
\—(s)    ants  of  Girard,  is  a  good   model  of  a  truly 
/lij  self-made  man  who   has  by  his  unaided  ef- 

forts gained  a  genuine  success  as  a  business  man. 
This  gentleman  had  few  advantages  or  opportuni- 
ties for  self-improvement  in  youth  and  but  little 
capital  with  which  to  begin  mercantile  business. 
but  by  push,  pluck  and  perseverance  he  has  gained 
a  handsome  property  and  a  comfortable  compet- 
ency upon  which  he  can  retire  from  the  active  pur 
suits  of  life  and  enjoy  the  comforts  of  his  beauti- 
ful home. 

(  hir  subject  was  born  in  the  village  of  Benningen 
in  the  province  of  Wurteinberg,  Germany,  his  na- 
tal day  being  September  22,  1851.  His  father, 
Freiderick  Storz,  a  native  of  the  same    province, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


785 


w:i-  :i  farmer  and  spent  his  entire  life  in  his  native 
land,  'lying  in  1873.  The  maiden  name  of  the 
mother  of  our  subject  was  Ann  Marie  Schober. 
Her  nativity  was  the  same  as  the  father's,  and  she 
preceded  him  to  the  oilier  world,  passing  away  in 
1865.  To  this  worthy  couple  were  born  six  bright 
and  promising  children,  all  of  whom  they  hrougbl 
up  and  educated,  making  of  tiiem  men  and  women 
worthy  id'  their  excellent  parentage.  They  are  by 
name  Freideriek,  Michael,  Ann  Marie.  Kail,  And- 
reas,  and  our  subject. 

Fred  G.  Storz  is  the  only  member  of  the  family 
who  has  ever  made  his  home  in  America.  His 
elementary  education  was  carefully  promoted  and 
his  school  life  lasted  until  he  was  fourteen  years 
old.  He  then  set  himself  to  learning  the  trade  of 
a  baker  at  Ludwigsburg  and  after  sei  vino-  for  three 
years,  he  then  (as  the  law  requires)  pursued  his 
trade  for  several  years,  carrying  it  on,  however,  in 
a  number  of  different  places.  lie  worked  for  one 
year  at  Heidelberg  and  then  returned  to  Ludwigs- 
burg and  followed  his  trade  until   1*72. 

The  passion  for  emigration  had  now  taken  pos- 
session of  the  young  man  and  he  decided  to  trans- 
fer his  interests  to  the  New  World.  He  therefore 
hoarded  the  steamer  "Ncckar"  of  the  German 
Lloyd  Line,  in  June,  1872,  and  landing  in  Balti- 
more, .Inly  G,  at  once  came  to  Illinois,  spending 
some  time  in  Springfield.  lie  visited  friends  for  a 
short  time  and  then  being  attracted  to  Virden, 
came  lure  and  carried  "li  his  trade  for  two  years 
and  then  coming  to  Girard  carried  on  work  here 
for  about  nine  months  on  another  line,  after  which 
he  decided  to  open  up  a  bakery  and  a  few  months 
later  took  a  partner  and  opened  a  restaurant  in 
connection  with  the  bakery. 

This  partnership  lasted  for  about  five  years  at 
the  end  of  which  time  Mr.  Story,  bought  out  the 
interest  of  the  other  man  and  continued  ii:  business 
until  December,  1889.  He  then  retired  from  act- 
ive work  with  the  exception  id'  looking  after  his 
investments  and  bis  private  business.  Delias  ac- 
cumulated a  handsome  property  including  a  beauti- 
ful residence  which  is  built  in  a  modern  style  of 
architecture,  elegantly  finished  and  handsomely 
furnished. 

The  lady  who  presides    with  so  much   grace  and 


dignity  over  this  charming  home  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Lena  Schelb.  She  was  born  in  Carlsnihe, 
the  province  of   Baden,  Germany',  and    came   to 

America  when  she  was  eight  \  ears  of  age.  Her  na- 
tal day  was  .January  0.  I860,  and  she  is  a  daughter 
Of  Wilhelm  and  Christiana  Schelb.  She  became 
the  wife  of  Mr.  Storz,  December  16,  187!>.  Two 
children  have  come  to  share  the  affection  and  par- 
ental solicitude  of  this  worthy  couple:  Albert  \V.. 
born  October  29,  1880.  and  Mabel  O.  January  6, 
1885.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Storz  are  earnest  and  active 
members  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  and 
this  gentleman  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  also  of  Lodge,  No.  192,  I. 
O.O.  F.  at  Girard. 


^J" 


•-,--. 


AMl'KL  1'.  SANNKR  is  justly,  considered 

one  of  the  best  farmers  in  the  county,  and 
the  passing  stranger  least  acquainted  with 
the  merits  of  farm  lands,  will  decide  that 
his  property  is  one  of  the  lies',  in  Bunker  Hill 
Township.  His  farm  consists  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  on  section  (Land  eighty  acres  adjoining 
it.  located  on  section  1,  Brighton  Township.  The 
land  has  been  highly  developed  and  first-class 
buildings  have  been  put  up,  while  the  fences  are 
neat  and  substantial,  the  orchards  well  trimmed 
and  every  portion  of  the  place  subject  to  careful 
and  orderly  control.  The  property  was  bought  by 
Mr.  Sanner  in  1862,  and  has  been  brought  hy  him 
to  its  present  condition. 

Mr.  Sanner  comes  of  the  old  Pennsylvania- 
Dutch  stock  that  has  done  so  much  to  advance  the 
agricultural  interests  of  the  nation.  His  grand- 
father, Jacob  Sanner,  married  Sarah  Hannah,  and 
both  died  in  Pennsylvania,  where  they  had  spent 
long  and  industrious  lives.  Grandfather  Sanner 
was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812.  He  and  his 
wife  belonged  to  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Their 
sun  Samuel  was  born  in  Northumberland  County, 
and  grew  to  manhood  there.  He  married  Barbara 
Paul,  wdio  was  born  in  Virginia  and  was  of  German 
ancestors. 

After  the  birth  of  three   children    Mr.  and    Mrs. 


786 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Sanner  came  lo  this  State,  traveling  overland   and 
making   their   settlement    in    Madison    County    in 
1833.     They  seemed  land    from   the   Government, 
and  bravely  took  up  the  pound  of  duties   and   pri- 
vations incidental  to  pioneer  life.    After  some  time 
they  removed  to  Shelby  County,  settling  on  a  farm 
in  Penn  Township,  where  the  husband  died  at  the 
ripe  age  of  seventy-seven   years.     He    was    very 
prominent   among   the  old   settlers,  was  Justice  of 
the  Peace  and  held  other  offices,  and  was  generally 
respected.     He  was  a  Republican  from  the  organi- 
zation of  the  party.     He  belonged  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  his  widow  is  connected  with 
that  religious  body.  Although  eighty-two  years  old, 
she  is  still  quite  active;  her  home  is  now  in  Decatur. 
The  family  of  the  good   couple   just    mentioned 
consisted   of  twelve  children,  seven   of  whom  are 
now  living,  and  all  on  farms  but  one.     The  son  of 
whom  we  write  was  born  in  Moro  Township,  Madi- 
son  County,  February    25,  1836,  and   grew   up    in 
that  locality,     lie  was  married    there  to    Margaret 
Calvin,  a  native  of  the  same  county,  who  was  boin 
in  Omphghent  Township  November  13,  1*37.    Her 
parents,  Philip  and  Jane  (Clarke)  Calvin,  were  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  did  not  leave  th.it  State  until 
they   were  grown.     They    were   married   in    Law 
renceburg,  Ind.,  and  soon  afterward   came  to   this 
State.      They    spent   a    few    months    in     Bureau 
County,  then  secured  and  improved  a  line  farm   in 
Madison   County.     Mr.    Calvin    died    when   about 
sixty  years  old,  and  his  widow   lived   to   be    four- 
score.    They   were   members    of  the    Cumberland 
Presbyterian  Church. 

Under  the  careful  training  of  her  parents  Mrs. 
Sanner  was  fitted  for  the  position  she  was  to  hold 
as  wife,  mother  and  member  of  society.  Her  mar- 
riage lo  our  subject  has  been  blessed  to  them  by 
the  birth  of  nine  children,  and  they  have  been 
called  upon  to  part  with  a  daughter  and  a  son. 
Lucy  died  when  sixteen,  and  Samuel  C.  when  eight 
months  old.  The  living  members  of  the  family 
arc:  Frank,  whose  home  is  at  Lincoln  111.;  Anna, 
wife  of  Rev.  J.  G.  Miller,  a  Cumberland  Presby- 
terian minister  in  Sandy  Lake,  Pa.;  and  Sophie, 
Nellie,  Harry,  Otto  and  Julia,  who  are  yet  at 
home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sanner  are  among  the  most  prom- 


inent people  in  their  part  of  the  county.  Both 
are  genial,  kind-hearted  and  generous,  liberal  to 
their  neighbors,  and  open-hearted  even  to  the  pass- 
ing stranger.  Their  acquaintances  have  learned  to 
love  and  respect  them  for  their  hospitality,  thrift 
and  intelligence,  and  they  exert  a  wide  influence 
throughout  the  community.  Mr.  Sanner  votes  a 
straight  Republican  ticket. 


nn 


^Ns- 


i 


HENRY  BAUER.  The  name  that  heads 
this  sketch  is  that  of  an  extensive  German- 
American  farmer  and  stock-raiser,  who  is 
1@/'  one  of  the  large  land  owners  and  wealthy 
men  of  Dorchester  Township.  The  place  whereon 
he  lives  is  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  the  southern 
pail  of  this  county,  his  homestead  embracing  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  fine  land,  most  of 
which  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and 
all  well  stocked  with  a  high  grade  of  cattle  and 
swine. 

Our  subject  has  built  upon  his  place  a  series  of 
farm  buildings  that  compare  favorably  with  any  in 
the  county,  and  the  farm  as  a  whole  is  so  thor- 
oughly will  kept  up  as  to  excite  the  admiration 
and  comment  of  all  who  see  it.  He  is  also  the 
owner  of  other  valuable  property  in  the  county, 
aggregating  about  sixteen  hundred  acres,  most  of 
which  is  in  this  township,  but  some  being  located 
in  Gillespie  Township.  The  greater  part  of  his 
land  is  under  the  plow,  or  is  devoted  to  stock- 
raising.  When  Mr.  Bauer  made  his  purchase  the 
major  part  of  this  land  was  raw  prairie.  He  first 
began  clearing  the  homestead  in  1853..  It  was 
originally  perfectly  unbroken  and  wild,  the  town- 
ship being  very  sparsely  settled  and  surrounded 
with  wild,  unbroken  land.  It  speaks  well  for  the 
energv  of  the  landowners,  and  also  for  the  oppor- 
tunities to  be  found  in  tlie  States  that  our  subject 
came  here  a  very  poor  man  and  has  amassed  the 
fortune  which  he  possesses  to-day,  by  his  own  ef- 
forts alone  and  unaided. 

The  original  of  our  sketch  first  came  lo  this  State 
in  1848,  and  has  ever  since  lived  in  this  county 
with    the    exception    of  a  few    months    passed  in 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


78? 


Madison    County.     He   came    here    directly   from 
Germany,   Saxe-Altenburg    being    his  birthplace. 

His  natal  day  was  November  28,  182;">.  Mr.  Bauer's 
parents  were  Charles  F.  and  Maria  (Geering) 
Bauer,  both  natives  of  Saxc-  Allen  burg.  Soon 
after  the  coming  of  our  subject  to  this  country, 
his  parents  followed  him,  and  in  a  short  time  they 
with  their  three  living  children  settled  in  Macou- 
pin County.  The  following  year  the  father  and 
mother  both  passed  away,  being  victims  of  an  epi- 
demic which  prevailed  at  the  time.  They  were  re- 
spectively sixty  and  fifty  years  of  age,  and  dining 
thei;-  lives  had  been  conscientious  and  consistent 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Our  subject 
and  Mrs.  Christina  Bumann  are  the  only  members 
of  the  family  of   four  children  now  living. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  manhood  in 
his  native  land.  He  was  the  eldest  of  the  children 
and  had  just  reached  Ids  majority  when  he  left 
Germany,  sailing  from  Bremen  in  August,  1848. 
He  came  hither  on  a  sailer,  and  after  sixty-three 
days  landed  in  New  Orleans,  and  came  thence  up 
the  river  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.  From  there  he  went  to 
Madison  County,  and  late  came  here. 

In  Bunker  Hill  Township  Mr.  Bauer  encountered 
his  fate  in  the  shape  of  a  young  lady,  whose  name 
was  Anna  Elders.  She  was  born  in  Holstein,  Ger- 
many, November  11.  1833,  and  was  the  daughter 
of  Joakim  and  Magdalena  (Nicholas)  Fillers,  both 
natives  of  Holstein.  She  came  to  this  country 
with  the  family  in  1851,  leaving  Hamburg  in  the 
fall,  and  reaching  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  January,  1852. 
They  settled  at  Bunker  Hill,  and  there  the  parents 
lived  and  died,  both  having  attained  an  age  of 
three-score  years.  They  were  members  of  the  Lu- 
theran Church.  Our  subject's  wife.  Mrs.  Bauer,  is 
one  of  eight  children,  live  of  whom  are  yet  living. 
She  was  the  eldest  of  her  mother's  children  and 
was  a  young  woman  when  they  emigrated  from 
their  native  land  to  America 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bauer  are  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  are  deceased,  Albert  E.  and 
Marie.  The  former  died  after  his  marriage  in 
California,  leaving  a  widow  and  two  children. 
Marie  died  at  the  birth  of  her  first  child  in  Tipton, 
Mo.,  after  her  marriage  with  Esquire  Redman. 
The  living  children  are  Matilda.  Henry  II.,  Frank- 


lin I".  .  Otto  F.  and  Bertha  L.  Matilda  is  the  wife 
of  Charles  F.  Weidner,  a  farmer  in  Brighton 
Township;  Henry  took  to  wife  Frances  Weidner; 
they  are  residing  on  a  farm  in  Gillespie  Township. 
The  younger  children  are  still  attendants  at  school, 
being  students  in  the  State  University  at  Cham- 
paign. Mr.  Bauer  has  given  his  children  all  the 
educational  advantages  that  money  could  procure, 
a, id  they  have  received  the  best  finishing  courses 
in  St.  Louis. 

Our  subject  and  his  wife  were  reared  in  the  Lu- 
theran Church,  but  at  present  hold  to  no  creed. 
The  gentleman  takes  a  lively  interest  in  local  poli- 
tics. He  has  been  elected  Supervisor,  which  posi- 
tion he  has  held  for  some  years,  and  has  also 
satisfactorily  discharged  the  duties  of  several  other 
offices.  He  casts  his  vote  with  the  Republican 
party.  Mr.  Bauer  is  a  fine  illustration  of  the  better 
German  element,  who  come  to  this  country  to 
build  up  a  fortune  in  agricultural  pursuits.  Moth 
he  and  his  wife  are  kind,  hospitable  and  intelligent 
people,  and  their  children  are  bright  and  highly 
educated. 


MC^E 


RS.  ELIZABETH  C.  O'NEAL.  The  ex- 
cellent lady  who  forms  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  one  of  the  most  highly  valued 
members  of  society  in  North  Palmyra 
Township.  She  is  a  woman  of  more  than  ordi- 
nary executive  ability  and  is  successfully  conduct- 
ing the  affairs  of  her  farm  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  which  is  in  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion and  carries  upon  it  good  improvements.  Her 
father.  Matthias  Crum,  and  her  mother,  Margaret 
(Spangler)  Crum,  were  born  in  Virginia  and  Ken- 
tucky respectively.  After  marriage  they  came  to 
Illinois  in  an  early  day.  and  lived  in  Morgan 
County  until  their  death.  They  ban  fifteen  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Mrs.  O'Neal  was  one  of  the  younger 
members,  and  they  brought  up  these  children  to 
be  industrious  and  economical  and  to  do  their 
duty  as  citizens  and  members  of  society. 

Elizabeth    Crum    was    born    in    Clarke   Count)', 
lnd.,    January    13.   1815.     She    came    to    Morgan 


788 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


County,  111.,  in  her  girlhood  and  was  there  mar- 
ried September  8.  1836.  to  Lewis  L.  O'Neal,  son 
of  Lewis  and  Nancy  O'Neal.  Lewis  L.  was  horn 
in  Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  August  27.  1810.  After 
marriage  the  young  couple  settled  in  Morgan 
County,  which  they  made  their  home  until  the 
spring  of  1837,  when  they  came  to  North  Palmyra 
Township  and  settled  on  section  34,  where  he  died 
March   23,  18:.  I. 

Mrs.  O'Neal  is  the  mother  of  six  children: 
Matthias,  who  died  in  North  Palmyra  Township  at 
the  age  of  forty-six  years;  Sarah,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Robert  Tucker;  Mary  M.,  who  is  the  wife 
of  John  C.  Gibbs,  of  whom  the  reader  will  find  a 
sketch  in  this  Record;  -lane  E.,  who  is  now  the 
wife  of  William  C.  Terry,  to  whom  she  wis  united 
in  marriage  June  12.  1888.  Florence  and  Lewis, 
who  died  in  infancy.  Matthias  was  mariied  to 
Miss  Emma  R.  Wiley  and  died  August  22.  1883, 
leaving  two  children — Lewis  II.  and  Rollo  M. 
Since  the  death  of  Mr.  O'Neal  hi-  widow  has  car- 
ried on  the  affairs  of  the  homestead,  and  after  edu- 
cating her  children  and  starting  them  out  in  the 
world,  she  devoted  her  energies  to  conducting  tin' 
business  of  the  farm.  i:i  which  she  lias  been  emi- 
nently successful. 

Ml        LCIAN    C.    M.   CLOWER.      The    owner  of 
the    farm    located   on   section    33,  Shipman 


present   resides,  he  has  remained   here  almost  con- 
tinuously since  the  time  of  his  advent. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  Shipman  Township, 
April  18,  1854,  to  Miss  Ann  Tompkins,  who  was  a 
native  of  New  Jersey.  Mr.  Clower  and  his  amia- 
ble wife  are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  who  are: 
George,  William,  Eva,  John,  Edward,  Annie  and 
Edna.  The  eldest  son  was  married  early  in  life  to 
Miss  Fannie  Roady;  William  chose  as  his  wife 
Ella  Deabl;  Eva  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Hills;  John 
married  Miss  Phebe  Huckelbridge.  Edward  mar- 
ried Lillian  Wilton,  of  Medora.  The  children  are 
all  bright  and  interesting,  being  potent  factors  in 
the  township  as  men  and  women  of  energy  and 
intelligence. 

Out  subject  has  always  followed  the  calling  of 
agriculture  having  made  a  decided  success  therein. 
He  has  creeled  a  good  set  of  buildings  on  his  farm 
and  the  improvements  placed  upon  it  speak  well 
for  the  man.  did  we  not  know  anything  else  in  his 
favor.  He  has  now  two  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
lie  has  been  elected  to  the  office  of  School  Trustee, 
which  position  he  has  filled  for  some  time  to  the 
satisfaction  of  his  constituents  and  the  honor  of  the 
district.  The  platform  of  the  Republican  party  is 
the  one  that  appeals  most  strenuously  to  Mr. 
Clower's  sense  of  the  intelligent  government  of  a 
great  land.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Baptist  Church,  of  which  they  are  generous 
supporters. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Clower  were  William  and  Re- 
becca (Howell)    Clower,    natives  of   New   Jersey. 


^  Township,  is   he  whose   name  is  at  the  head       The  father  died  April  4,  1891,  having   reached  the 


of  this  sketch,  lie  was  horn  in  New  Jersey,  De- 
cember 6,  1830.  and  when  quite  young  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Ohio,  where  |.e  lived  until  he 
was  twenty  years  of  age.  During  this  time  he 
remained  on  a  farm,  receiving  a  practical  training 
in  agricultural  pursuits.  His  early  opportunities 
in  an  educational  way  were  those  of  country  hoys 
in  Ohio,  which  has  a  reputation  for  its  district 
schools. 

In  1850  Mr.  Clower  came  to  Jersey  County  and 
lived  there  nearly  three  yeans.  Thence  he  removed 
to  Sangamon  County  where  he  sojourned  until  the 
spring  of  1801,  the  date  of  his  removal  to  Macou- 
pin County.     Settling  in  the  township  where  he  at 


advanced  age  of  eighty-nine  years.  The  mother 
died  in  Christian  County,  this  State.  Mrs.  Lucian 
Clower's  father  was  William  Tompkins,  a  native 
of  Morris  County,  N.  J.,  and  her  paternal  grand- 
father was  NatL.iniel  Tompkins,  also  a  native  of 
New  Jersey,  who  passed  away  from  this  life  in 
Shipman  County  in  May,  1800.  Her  mother  was 
Rebecca  Vaughn,  born  in  Mercer  County,  N.  J., 
January  14,1814,  and  the  daughter  of  John  Vaughn, 
who  died  in  Shipman  Township  in  February,  1801. 
Mrs.  Clower  belougs  to  a  family  the  members  of 
which  lived  to  almost  a  patriarchal  age.  Her  father 
died  in  Shipman  Township,  January  28,  1890.  Her 
mother  itill  survives  at  an  advanced    age.      Mrs. 


RESIDENCE  OF    I.  N.  JOHNSTON,  5EC.7.,N0RTH    OTTER  TP,MACOUPIN    CO., ILL. 


<gfi'5  RlSJO£l4.CE... 


RESIDENCE  OF  L  CM.  CLOWER,  SEC.  33., 5HIPMAN    TP..MACOUPIN    CO.  .ILL. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD 


791 


Clower's  maternal  grandmother  was  Nancy  Garri- 
son, who  was  of  English  ancestry  and  passed  away 
from  this  life  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey.  Her 
paternal  grandmother  was  Nancy  Bedford.  Mr. 
Clower's  maternal  grandmother  was  Lear  Swim. 

Elsewhere  in  this  volume  appears  a  view  of  the 
oozy  rural  abode  where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clower  are 
comfortably  domiciled. 


IJSAAC  N.  .JOHNSTON.     Throughout  all  this 
section  of  Illinois,  we  find  many  families    who 
\    are  of  Southern  birth,  but   whose  ancestors    in 
the  last  generation   came    north   to    find    for    their 
children    better    educational    advantages,   and    to 
make  their  home  in  a  free  State,  where  they  would 
not  be  under  the  blight  of  slavery.      Isaac  1!.  John- 
ston, the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born   in    Ken- 
lucky   and  came   to  Macoupin  County  about    the 
year  1835  from  Madison  County,  this  Stale,  where 
he  had  previously   resided   for  a    short    time.     He 
settled  in  North  Palmyra  Township,  where   he  met 
and  married  Elizabeth   Berry,   their    wedding   day 
being  January  25,  1843.     This  lady,  the  mother  of 
our  subject,  was  the  second  wife  of  Isaac  Johnston, 
his  first  wife  being  Elizabeth  King,  who   had    died 
in  North  Palmyra  Township,  May  2.   1842,     The 
family  home  remained   in   North    Palmyra    Town- 
ship until  about  the  year  1851,  when  they  removed 
to  North  Otter  Township,  and  settled  on  section  16, 
where  the  father  died  April  20,  1856.     The  mother 
survived  until   December  31,   1887,  when  she    was 
called  to  her  heavenly  home  at  Edgar,  Neb. 

The  union  of  this  worthy  couple  was  blest  by 
the  birth  of  eight  children,  of  whom  our  subject  is 
the  eldest,  and  he  was  born  in  North  Palmyra 
Township, February  5,  1844.  He  spent  his  child- 
hood days  in  his  native  township  up  to  the  age  of 
seven  years,  when  his  parents  came  to  North  Otter 
Township.  Here  he  grew  to  manhood  upon  his 
father's  farm,  which  is  now  owned  by  his  brother- 
in-law,  William  M.  Drennan. 

When  our  country's  flag  was  assailed,  Mr.  John- 
ston was  one  of  those  who  felt  that    he    had   a    per- 


sonal call  to  go  to  its  defense,  lie  thoroughly  en- 
dorsed the  Government  in  its  efforts  to  put  down 
the  rebellion  and  to  enforce  the  necessity  for  a 
union  of  Statcsand  gladly  welcomed  an  opportunity 
of  enforcing  his  belief  upon  the  battlefield,  lie 
therefore  enlisted  August  lo.  [862,  in  Company 
D.,  One  Hundred  Twenty-second  Illinois  Infantry 
and  served  faithfully  until  August  5.  1865,  when 
he  was  discharged  at  Springfield.  III.  He  took 
part  in  the  engagements  at  Parker's  Cross  lb>ads, 
Tupelo,  Mi--.,  tiie  siege  and  capture  of  Ft.  Blake- 
ley.  A. a.,  and  Nashville.  Tenn..  December  16  and 
17,  186  I.  Upon  the  return  of  peace  he  came  home 
tu  Ninth  Otter  Township, aud  there  resumed  farm- 
ing, in  which  he  ha-  In  en  engaged  from  thai  day 
to  this.  His  farm  is  a  beautiful  tract  of  one  hund- 
red ami  forty  acres,  richly  cultivated:  upon  it  have 
been  placed  excellent  buildings  and  a  pleasant 
home,  a  view  of  which  appears  on  another  page. 

The  marriage  of  Mi'.  Johnston  to  Miss  Emily  F. 
Chapman,  a  daughter  of  the  late  John  Chapman  of 
Tenn.,  of-enned  October  17.  1867.  The  mother  of 
Mrs.  Ji'hnVton.  Charity  C.  Richards,  was  a  Virgrln- 
ian  by  birth,  aud  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mr. 
Chapman  in  Tennessee  Thence  they  removed  to 
this  State  in  1828,  making  their  first  home  in 
Greene  County.  In  March.  1830,  they  came  to 
Macoupin  County,  and  settled  in  North  Otter 
Township,  where  they  continued  to  live  until  the 
death  of  Mr.  Chapman,  which  took  place  Dec- 
ember 26.  1890.  His  farm  was  known  far  and 
wide  as  Chapman's  Point.  His  bereaved  widow  is 
still  living  and  of  her  large  family  of  fourteen 
children,  Mrs.  Johnston  was  the  twelfth.  She 
was  born  in  North  otter  Township,  December  22, 
1850,  and  was  there  reared  to  womanhood  on  her 
father's  farm. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnston  are  the  parents  of  nine 
children  who  are  named  as  follows:  Eva,  Elizabeth 
C.  John  B.,  Lewis  1..  Nathan,  Jes.se  15.,  Charles 
E.,  Dan.  and  Archie.  John  and  Lewis  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  niii-l  afflicting  blow  which  has  fallen 
upon  this  affectionate  family  was  the  sudden  death 
of  Charles  F.,  who  was  struck  by  lightning  June  1. 
1890,  while  standing  in  the  door  of  the  bam,  and 
was  instantly  killed.  He  was  in  the  eleventh  year 
of  his  age,  a   bright  and    promising   lad,  and   one 


792 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


whose  affectionate  qualities  had  endeared  him 
greatly  to  all  his  friends.  The  bereaved  parents 
feel  keenly  this  loss  and  can  never  cease  to  mourn 
for  the  dear  child  who  was  taken  from  them  so  un- 
expectedly. This  affliction  has  rendered  them 
even  more  than  before  tenderly  watchful  over  their 
children  and  solicitous  to  do  all  for  them  that  par- 
ents can  do  for  their  dear  ones. 

In  the  field  of  politics  Mr.  Johnston  is  an  inter- 
ested though  quiet  actor.  He  is  not  an  office-seeker 
but  has  accepted  at  the  hands  of  his  fellow-citizens 
the  office  of  School  Trustee.  lie  fully  endorses 
the  doctrines  of  the  Democratic  party  and  works 
for  the  success  of  that  organization.  He  is  a  prom- 
inent member  of  the  John  Baird  Post.  No.  285  <i. 
A.  R.  of  Yirden.  Mrs.  Johnston  is  an  active 
worker  in  religious  matters  and  a  conscientious 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  A  sister  of  Mr. 
Johnston  is  the  wife  of  Mr.  W.  M.  Drennan,  of 
whom  the  reader  may  learn  more  in  bis  sketch 
which  appears  in  another  part  of  Ibis  volume. 

<*  JMLLIAM  N.  FRY,  who  is  engaged  in  gen- 
\/\lll  era'  rarm'nS  anfl  stock-raising  on  section 
Vw  16,  Brighton  Township,  has  the  honor  of 
being  a  native  citizen  of  this  State.  He  was  born 
in  Godfrey,  Madison  County,  near  Monticello 
Seminary,  March  16,  1844.  His  father,  James 
Fry,  a  native  of  Kent,  England,  born  of  English 
parentage,  <-ame  to  this  country  when  a  young 
man,  landing  in  New  York  City,  whence  he  made 
his  way  to  Cincinnati.  Ohio,  where  he  began  life  as 
a  day  laborer.  He  had  not  yet  attained  his  maj- 
ority. Some  years  after  reaching  man's  estate  he 
wedded  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Raney,  who  was  born  near 
Lundy's  Lane,  Canada,  her  parents  being  also  nat- 
ives of  that  country.  There  she  was  married  the 
first  time  to  Nelson  Raney,  who  died  leaving  a  son. 
Nelson,  who  is  now  a  farmer  of  Northern  Canada. 
Mrs.  Raney  afterward  removed  to  Ohio,  where  she 
became  the  wife  of  James  Fry,  and  soon  afterward 
they  emigrated  to  Illinois,  settling  near  Godfrey. 
Some  years  later  they  came  to  Macoupin  County, 
and  Mr.  Fry  entered  fort}'  acres   of  Government 


land  on  section  16,  Brighton  Township,  which  now 
constitutes  one  half  of  our  subject's  farm.  After- 
ward the  father  entered  the  other  forty  acres 
which  William  owns.  It  was  on  that  farm  where 
the  parents  died,  Mr.  Fry  passing  away  July  3, 
1858,  and  his  wife  on  the  24th  of  November  of  the 
same  year,  aged  respectively  fifty-two  and  fifty- 
one  years.  Their  children  are  William  N.  of  this 
sketch;  Maltha  R.  who  is  now  living  in  St.  Louis; 
and  Isaac  J.,  who  enlisted  for  the  late  war  in  1861, 
and  was  killed  by  a  gunsliot  at  the  battle  of  Peach 
Tree  Creek  when  about  twenty-two  years  of  age. 
His  remains  were  interred  in  the  National  Ceme- 
tery at  Chattanooga,  Ga. 

In  the  usual  manner  of  fanner  lads  William  Fry 
was  reared  to  manhood,  aiding  his  father  in  the 
labors  of  the  farm  during  the  summer  months  and 
acquiring  a  practical  English  education  at  the  pub- 
lic schools  in  the  winter  season.  When  only  about 
seventeen  years  of  age  he  offered  his  services  to 
bis  country,  enlisting  on  the  13th  of  August,  1861, 
as  a  member  of  Cora  pan  j  F,  Twenty-Seventh  Ill- 
inois Infantry  under  Col.  N.  B.  Buford,  now  of 
Rock  Island.  Capt.  Miles,  of  this  county,  com- 
manded the  company,  which  was  organized  and 
equipped  at  Camp  Butler,  Springfield,  whence  the 
troops  were  sent  to  Cairo,  and  the  following  spring 
to  .Missouri  where  was  fought  the  battle  of  Belmont 
and  later  the  campaign  was  continued  for  a  while 
with  a  gunboat  Meet.  Later  came  the  battle  of 
Pittsburg  Landing  on  the  Mississippi  River,  after- 
ward the  battle  of  Corinth  and  the  battles  of  Nash- 
ville, Chickamauga,  Murfreesboro  and  others.  Mr. 
Fry  participated  in  thirteen  important  engage- 
ments besides  many  skirmishes  and  was  never  off 
duty  except  for  a  few  days  only.  He  escaped  un- 
injuried  but  bore  the  usual  hardships  and  priva- 
tions of  army  life. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Fry  returned 
home  and  in  February,  1869,  he  led  to  the  mar- 
riage altar  Miss  Maria  Eddington.  their  union 
being  celebrated  in  Woodburn.  The  lady  was 
born  in  this  county  August  23,  1843,  and  is  of 
English  descent,  her  parents  being  natives  of  Som- 
ersetshire, whence  they  came  to  America  in  an 
early  day.  They  took  up  their  residence  in  Bunk- 
er Hill  Township  on  a  new  farm  which  they  deve- 


PORTRAIT  AMD  BIO< :  1!  Al'HICAL  RECORD. 


798 


loped  and  improved.  The  father  died  at  the  age 
of  seventy-three  and  his  wife  when  sixty-one  years 
of  age.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fry  have  been  bom 
twocbildren,  sons.  Herbert  J.  and  Albert   X..  who 

are  still  at  home.  The  parents  are  members  of  the 
Methodist,  Church  and  in  politics,  Mr.  Fry  is  a 
Republican  as  was  his  father.  He  is  now  the  own 
er  of  the  old  homestead  upon  which  he  has  resided 
since  ISO."),  covering  a  period  of  twenty-six  con 
seeutive  years.  Upon  it  are  good  buildings  and 
many  excellent  improvements  and  the  well  tilled 
fields,  so  neat  in  appearance,  indicate  the  thrift 
and  enterprise  of  the  owner. 

~^>^£&&<^^ 

ffiOHN    LANCASTER.      The    fruit    bell  of 

Southern  Illinois  lias  encouraged  many  who 
have  generally  engaged  in  ordinary  farming 
and  stock-raising  to  make  a  specialty  of  both 
large  and  small  fruits.  This  has  been  the  ease  with 
the  prosperous  man  whose  name  appeal  sat  the  head 
of  this  paragraph.  He  has  a  large  and  select  variety 
of  fruit  and  is  intelligent  and  successful  in  regard 
to  its  cultivation.  He  is  also  largely  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising  operations  and  buys  a 
good  deal  of  stock  to  feed.  His  fine  farm  on  sec- 
tion 10.  of  Bunker  Hill  Township,  comprises  three 
hundred  and  fifteen  acres,  all  of  which  is  highly 
improved  and  furnished  with  excellent  farm  build- 
ings. 

This  property  our  subject  has  owned  and  oper- 
ated for  some  eight  years  past,  and  has  been  a 
successful  farmer  ever  since  be  became  of  age.  He 
makes  a  specialty  of  high-grade  cattle,  sheep  and 
swine.  Polled  Angus  cattle  are  his  favorites  and 
he  is  interested  in  a  sheep  ranch  in  Sutton  County, 
Te±.,  where  they  keep,  all  the  time,  fully  ten  thou- 
sand mutton  sheep  which  they  feed  upon  some- 
thing like  a  hundred  thousand  acres  of   land. 

Mr.  Lancaster  is  a  thorough  business  man  and 
one  of  the  most  energetic  and  enterprising  citizens 
in  this  county.  His  home  is  in  his  native  town- 
ship, and  his  birth  occurred  .January  13,  1854. 
He  is  the  youngest  child  of  Francis  Lancaster, 
whose    biography   will    be   found   elsewhere  in  this 


volume.     The  boy's  early  education  was   received 

in  the  common  scl Is  of  the  county  and  he  studied 

the  higher  branches  in  the  state  Normal  School  at 
Normal.  HI. 

This  young  man  was  married  in  this  township  to 
Miss  Emma  Parmcnter,  a  native  of  the  same  town- 
ship, being  born  here  in  August,  1  So2.  Her  par- 
ents. Charles  and  Mary  (Barnes)  l'armenter,  were 
natives  of  New  England,  who  came  to  Illinois  at 
an  early  day.  They  settled  on  a  farm  in  this 
township  and  improved  it,  and  spent  many  years 
here.  The  mother  died  at  this  home  in  1881,  being 
then  past  seventy-one  years  of  age.  Mr.  l'armenter 
is  yet  living  with  his  sou  in  Bunker  Hill  and  is 
eighty-four  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Lancaster  is  the 
youngest  but  one  of  -even  children  of  her  parental 
home.  She  was  reared  and  entirely  educated  in 
Bunker  Hill  Township,  and  lived  at  home  until  her 
marriage  June  23,  1875. 

Seven  children  came  to  bless  the  home  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  John  Lancaster,  and  bit  two  of  them 
have  been  called  away  from  earth.  These  two  are 
Clara  G.,  and  Arthur.  Those  who  are  now  living 
are  Ernest,  Marian,  Harry,  Mira  C,  and  Willie. 
'These  children  are  all  being  brought  up  in  the 
faith  and  practice  of  the  Christian  religion  as  their 
parents  are  earnest  and  faithful  members  of  the 
Congregational  Church.  They  are  among  the  most 
progressive  and  intelligent  people  of  the  county 
and  are  active  promoters  of  every  movement  which 
in  their  judgment  is  calculated  to  improve  the 
social  and  indusl rial  conditions  of  the  community. 
'The  platform  of  the  Republican  party  embodies  the 
political  views  with  which  Mr.  Lancaster  is  in 
hearty  accord. 


1LLIAM    STORY.     It    is    with    ever    fn- 


«        felLLIAM   si 

\       /     creasing     in 
V V      that  we  trac 


terest,  as  the  years  go  by, 
ace  the  story  of  the  earl}-  set- 
tlers of  the  Prairie  state  and  more  and  more  we 
feel  that  to  visit  the  home  of  one  of  those  pioneers 
is  a  pilgrimage  to  a  shrine  which  well  repays  us 
for  the  effort  involved.  Among  those  who  are 
thus  worthy  of    our  interest    and    attention    is    the 


794 


PORTRAIT  AM)   BIOG  RAPH  ICAL   RECORD. 


mother  of  our  subject.  Her  maiden  name  was 
Harriet  Hettick,  and  she  was  born  in  Fayette 
County,  Oliio.  April  7, 1811, a  daughter  of  Andrew 
and  Mary  Hettick.  In  those  early  days  when  she 
first  came  to  Illinois  manufactured  goods  were  al- 
most unknown  among  the  farmers  and  this  worthy 
woman  used  to  card,  spin  and  weave,  wool,  flax  and 
cotton  for  the  homespun  clothes  in  which  she  ar- 
rayed both  herself  and  her  children.  She  is  still 
living  and  enjoys  a  fair  degree  of  health  and  is  in 
full  possession  of  her  mental  faculties.  She  is  <>  te 
of  the  very  oldest  settlers  of  Macoupin  County, 
now  living,  and  is  well  known  throughout  the 
county  and  highly  respected. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Barr 
Township,  this  county,  May  <;.  1842.  His  father 
who  also  bore  the  name  of  William  Story  was  a  na 
tive  of  Alabama  as  was  Hie  grandfather,  James 
Story.  The  latter  removed  from  Alabama  loTi  n- 
nessec  and  after  a  few  years'  residence  there  came 
to  Illinois,  and  settled  upon  a  faun  in  Morgan 
County.      He  resided  there  until  his  death. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  five  years  old  when 
his  parents  removed  to  Tennessee  and  he  came 
from  there  to  Illinois  with  them  when  they  made 
that  journey.  They  traveled  by  team  and  brought 
with  them  all  their  earthly  possessions.  His  mar- 
riage in  ls.'U  gave  him  the  brave  and  worthy  help- 
mate of  whom  we  have  already  spoken,  lie 
entered  a  tract  of  farming  land  in  Barr  Township 
and  there  built  the  log  bouse  in  which  they  made 
their  happy  home  and  where  the  subject,  of  this 
notice  was  born. 

This  worthy  pioneer  rived  boards  to  cover  the 
roof  of  his  house  and  split  lumber  fur  the  floor, 
building  the  chimney  of  sticks  and  mud.  At  that 
time  deer  and  other  kinds  of  game  abounded  and 
the  prairies  of  Illinois  were  indeed  a  wilderness, 
although  a  fair  ami  fertile  one.  The  hardships  of 
pioneer  life  were  cheerfully  undergone  by  this  esti- 
mable and  brave  couple.  They  lived  at  this  old 
homestead  until  1845  at  which  time  they  sold  it 
and  hought  the  place  where  the  family  now  resides 
and  here  the  father  died.  February  15,  1366  in  the 
fifty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

William  Stmy  was  reared  upon  the  farm  and  at- 
tended  the  pioneer  schools  which  were    taught    in 


the  log  sehdolhouse  which  was  no  more  elegant  in 
its  construction  than  the  homes  of  its  patrons.  It 
had  a  stick  and  mud  chimney,  slab  benches  without 
backs,  and  a  notable  lack  of  desks.  The  marriage 
of  the  young  man  took  place  August  15,  1872, 
his  bride  being  Emma  Frances  Anderson.  She  was 
born  in  Morgan  County,  111.,  and  was  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Melvina  Anderson.  She  passed  away 
from  earth  April  25,  1887,  leaving  four  children, 
Edward,  Evert,  Hattie  and  .les>ie. 


'■    »    ^ 


JfS^ 


ENRY    MORRISON,  who   follows   general 
\    farming  on   section  12.  Hilyard  Township, 

*y%  was  born  in  County  Deny.  Ireland,  on  the 
(<£)  7th  of  June,  1808,  and  is  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent.  The  family  have  for  several  generations 
been  farmers,  and  the  father  of  our  subject  also 
engaged  in  that  pursuit.  His  parents  were  mem- 
.be.r^if  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  spent  their 
"Tmtire    lives  in  the    land  of  their  nativity. 

Our  subject  is  the  eldest  son  of  the  family  and 
in  the  usual  manic  r  of  fanner  lids  he  was  reared 
to  manhood,  while  in  the  common  schools  his  edu- 
cation was  acquired.  After  he  had  attained  to 
years  of  maturity  he  cln.se  :is  a  companion  and 
helpmate  on  life's  journey  Miss  Martha  Taylor, 
who  was  born  and  reared  in  the  same  county  as 
her  husband,  and  like  him  i<  of  Scotch-Irish  line- 
age, her  people  also  being  Protestants.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Margaret  (Mclntire)  Tay- 
lor, who  lived  and  died  on  the  old  bomestead  in 
the  Emerald  Isle  when  well  advanced  in  years.  In 
their  family  were  five  children,  two  sons  and  three 
daughters,  of  whom  the  sons  and  one  daughter  are 
vet  living  in  Ireland,  while  the  two  other  daugh- 
ters came  to  this  country — Mrs.  Morrison,  who  is 
second  in  order  of  birth;  and  one  who  died  in  Illi- 
nois. 

Accompanied  by  his  family,  Henry  Morrison 
bade  good-hy  to  his  old  home  and  took  passage  on 
a  sailing-vessel  in  1x15.  which  after  six  weeks  and 
three  days  dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  New 
York.  They  spent  one  year  in  the  Empire  State 
and  then  came  on    to    Illlinois,  since    which    time 


UBRARY 

op  m 


'^&2^p 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


797 


they  have  resided  on  the  farm  which  is  still  their 
home.  Two  children  were  horn  unto  them  in 
their  native  land  and  the  family  circle  has  heen 
increased  by  the  birth  <>f  six  in  this  country. 
George  is  represented  elsewhere  in  this  volume; 
Joseph  aids  in  the  operation  of  the  home  farm,  and 
is  a  wide-awake  and  enterprising  young  tanner  of 
Sterling  worth ;  Henry,  who  wedded  Hester  Cline, 
is  living  on  a  farm  in  llilyard  Township;  Mar- 
garet is  the  wife  of  .lames  Howard,  who  is  en- 
gaged  in  farming  in  St.  Clair  County,  Mo.;  Ellen 
wedded  George  Calloway,  who  is  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  in  llilyard  Township;  Rebecca 
is  at  home;  Robert  married  .lane  Donahue  and  is 
living  on  a  farm  in  llilyard  Township;  and  Daniel 
died  at  the  age  of  six  years.  The  parents  of  this 
family  are  members  of  tiie  Presbyterian  Chinch 
and  in  the  social  world  they  hold  an  enviable 
position,  their  friends  throughout  the  community 
being  .  many. 

In  connection  with  his  brother  .lames.  Henry 
Morrison  owns  about  three  hundred  acres  of 
highly  improved  laud  and  his  son  Joseph  owns  a 
valuable  quarter-section  in  another  pact  of  the 
township.  The  greater  part  of  this  is  all  under 
cultivation,  and  upon  section  12  Mr.  Morrison  has 
resided  for  some  forty-three  years.  At  that  time 
he  arrived  in  the  county  and  has  since  made  his 
home  oil  what  is  mm  so  well  known  as  the  Mor- 
rison Farm.  It  is  one  of  the  largest  farms  in  the 
community  and  its  highly  Cultivated  and  improved 
condition  indicates  tiie  care  of  a  manager  who  fully 
understands  his  business  and  numbers  among  his 
characteristics  thrift  and  enterprise. 


:  -sn>= \~i  - 


■Ih 


•*^"^e- 


-.i.-o^-. 


JOSEPH  15.  LISTON,  a  well-known  and  es 
teemed  resident  of  the  city  of  Carlinville, 
is  a  native-born  citizen  of  this  county,  and 
(^//  is  prominently  identified  with  its  principal 
interests  and  is  an  extensive  farmer  and  raiser  of  fine 
stock,  especially    horses,   and    a    manufacturer  of 


brick  and  tile.     He  is  a  son  of  Joseph    Liston,    a 

pioneer  of  this  section  of  the  State,  and  was  bom 
on  his  father's  farm  on  section  30,  near  Palmyra, 
August  111.  1838. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, the  place  of  his  birth  in  Marion  County,  and 
the  date  thereof  September  25,  1803.  He  was  a 
son  of  George  Liston.  who  was  born  in  Virginia  and 
early  became  a  pioneer  of  Marion  County,  Kv. 
He  bought  a  tract  of  land  in  the  primeval  forests 
of  that  section,  and  made  his  home  there  until  he 
died  in  1806.  His  wife  and  one  child  died  within 
six  weeks  of  his  demise.  By  that  sad  event  two 
children  were  left  orphans.  The  daughter,  Polly, 
married  George  McCune, and  they  settled  in  Pope 
County,  Ark.,  where  both   died. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  by  his  ma- 
ternal uncle  in  Marion  County  until  he  was  thir- 
teen years  old,  and  was  then  apprenticed  to  learn 
the  trade  of  saddle-maker,  serving  an  apprentice 
ship  of  seven  years  and  nine  months,  and  receiving 
his  board  and  clothes.  He  followed  that  trade  in 
different  places  in  Kentucky  until  1835,  when  he 
came  to  Illinois  with  his  wife  and  two  children. 
They  made  their  way  over  land  to  Louisville,  where 
they  embarked  on  a  steamer  for  Alton.  The  fam- 
ily resided  with  his  brother-in-law  a  few  months, 
and  during  the  summer  he  entered  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land,  one  hundred  and  twenty  of 
which  was  on  section  30,  of  what  is  now  North 
Pahnyia  Township,  and  the  remainder  on  section 
6,  of  South  Palmyra  Township.  He  was  at  that 
time  the  possessor  of  $270  in  cash,  his  entire  cap- 
ital, but  he  was  energetic  and  industrious,  and  in 
course  of  years  developed  a  fine  farm.  He  first 
erected  a  log  cabin  on  section  30,  riving  the  boards 
to  cover  the  roof  anil  splitting  puncheon  to  make  the 
floor,  and  putting  up  a  mud  and  stick  chimney. 

He  lived  to  see  the  country  grow  from  a  wilder- 
ness with  but  few  scattered  habitations  to  a  popu- 
lous and  thriving  county,  where  the  fine  townships 
of  Palmyra,  Girard  and  Yirden  now  stand;  it  was 
then  open  prairie,  over  which  wild  game  roamed  and 
deer  were  to  be  seen  in  large  droves.  He  helped  to 
bring  the  wonderful  change  about,  and  at  his  death 


798 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


January,  1877,  left  behind  him  a  worthy  reputa- 
tion as  a  pioneer,  and  as  an  honored  citizen.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Martha  Bland,  and 
she  was  born  in  Marion  County,  Ky.,  February  17, 
1807.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  a 
pioneer  of  Marion  County,  where  he  spent  his  last 
years.  The  mother  of  our  subject  died  one  year 
before  her  husband,  January  25,  1876.  They  had 
a  family  of  seven  children,  named  as  follows— 
George  B.,  Sarah  A.,  John  T.,  Joseph  B.,  Susan  M., 
William  T.  and  Albert  M.  Joseph  and  Albert  are 
the  only  survivors,  the  latter  now  owning  and  oc- 
cupying the  old  homestead. 

As  his  boyhood  was  passed  on  a  farm  our  sub- 
ject early  gained  a  knowledge  of  agriculture.  He 
was  given  the  benefit  of  a  liberal  education,  the  pre- 
liminaries of  which  lie  gained  in  the  pioneer  schools 
of  this  county.  He  subsequently  pursued  a  good 
course  of  study  at  the  University  at  Virginia,  Cass 
County,  and  later  taught  two  terms  in  his  home  dis- 
trict. When  twenty  -one  years  of  age  he  was  ap- 
pointed Deputy  Sheriff,  and  served  nearly  three 
years.  He  then  farmed  four  years.  But  his  record 
as  Deputy  Sheriff  was  before  the  public,  and  he  had 
shown  himself  to  be  so  capable  an  official  in  that 
capacity,  that,  in  1866  his  fellow-citizens  wisely 
selected  him  to  fill  the  responsible  office  of  Sheriff  of 
the  County.  He  removed  to  Carlinville  to  assume 
the  duties  of  his  position,  and  has  since  made  his 
home  here. 

Mr.  Liston  still  retains  his  interest  in  agricultu- 
ral pursuits,  and  owns  several  hundred  acres  of  land 
in  this  county,  which  is  as  fine  farming  land  as  any 
in  the  State  of  Illinois.  In  1883  Mr.  Liston  and 
Mr.  Zachariah  Harris  entered  into  a  partnership  for 
the  purpose  of  manufacturing  tile  and  brick  in  this 
county.  They  are  still  carrying  on  the  business, 
and  have  won  a  high  reputation  for  the  superiority 
of   their  manufacture,  as  well  as  a  large  trade. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Liston  to  Miss  Lucretia 
Dick  took  place  November  7,  1867.  Mrs.  Liston 
is  a  native  of  Sangamon  Couuty,  this  State,  and  a 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Susan  Dick.  Our  subject 
and  his  amiable  wife  are  people  of  high  standing  in 
the  community,  and  their  charming  home  is  the  seat 
of  a  pleasant  hospitality  which  is  cordially  ex- 
tended to  all    that   cross    their   threshold    by    the 


kindly  hostess  and  genial  host.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Liston  is  connected  with  Mt.  Nebo  Lodge,  No.  76, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Macoupin  Chapter,  No.  187,  R.  A. 
M.;  Carlinville  Council,  No.  69,  R.  &  S.  M.  and 
with  Belvidere  Comraandery,  No.  2,  K.  T.,  of  Al- 
ton. A  lithographic  portrait  of  Mr.  Liston  accom- 
panies this  sketch. 


^Jt  rOCST  SIEVERS,  one  of  the  leading  and 
(^HCJIj  influential  citizens  of  Staunton,  who  for 
l!>  many  years  was  prominently  connected 
with  its  business  interests,  but  is  now  liv- 
ing a  retired  life,  came  to  Illinois  from  New  York, 
whither  he  had  arrived  from  Germany,  his  native 
land,  lie  was  born  September  22.  1823,  in  the 
province  of  Brunswick,  and  is  a  son  of  August 
Sievers.  Sr.,  a  small  German  rainier  who  grew 
to  manhood  in  his  native  land,  and  married  Will- 
helmina  Beinling.  Two  of  their  children  came 
to  America  in  1849,  and  the  following  year  with 
the  others  members  of  the  family  they  crossed  the 
Atlantic  and  came  on  to  Illinois.  In  the  Empire 
State  they  were  joined  by  our  subject  and  Henry, 
and  in  Olive  Township,  Madison  County,  the  fa- 
ther secured  his  first  eighty  acres  of  land.  The 
mother  was  not  long  permitted  to  enjoy  her  new 
home,  her  death  occurring  in  1851,  after  which  Mr. 
Sievers  made  his  home  with  his  children.  He  died 
near  Staunton  in  1881,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years, 
and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
German  Lutheran  Church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  eldest  of  six 
children.  In  the  Fatherland  the  days  of  his  boy- 
hood and  youth  were  passed,  and  he  learned  the 
trade  of  a  mechanic.  Believing  that  he  could  bet- 
ter his  financial  condition  by  so  doing,  he  emigrated 
to  the  United  States  when  twenty  six  years  of  age. 
In  the  autumn  of  1849,  accompanied  by  his  brother 
Henry,  be  took  passage  on  a  sailing-vessel  at  Brem- 
men,  and  after  sixty  days  speni  upon  the  bosom  of 
the  Atlantic,  set  foot  on  American  soil.  Going  to 
New  Jersey,  the  brothers  secured  positions  as  farm 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


799 


laborers,  working  thus  until  the  arrival  of  their  par- 
ents in  this  country.  They  then  came  to  Illinois. 
August  Nk'vers  began  his  life  in  the  West  as  a  farmer 
in  18G7.  purchased  a  tract  of  land  in  Staunton 
Township  which  he  increased  in  extent  until  ii  now 
comprises  two  hundred  and  sixty-five  acres.  His  a 
valuable  tract  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and 
well  improved  and  in  addition  he  owns  one  hundred 
acres  of  timber  land,  lie  resided  thereon  for  a 
number  of  years  and  by  industry  and  close  atten- 
tion to  his  business  acquired  a  good  capital,  becom- 
ing one  of  the  successful  and  substantial  farmers  of 
the  community.  There  being  evidences  of  coal 
upon  his  land  in  1876  he  sunk  a  shaft,  the  first  in 
that  locality.  As  a  partner  in  this  enterprise,  he 
was  associated  with  his  brother-in-law,  Fred  Maxe. 
and  they  operated  the  mine  or.  a  small  scale  until 
1880.  when  in  connection  with  Mr.  Voge,  Mr.  Mo- 
vers sank  a  shaft,  now  known  as  No.  6,  near  the 
depot.  At  that  time  it  had  an  output  of  twenty 
cars  per  day.  In  1882,  they  sold  to  the  Elsworth 
Coal  Company  who  worked  it  until  1888,  when  it 
became  the  property  of  the  Consolidated  Coal  Com- 
pany. It  now  yields  an  average  of  sixty  car  loads 
daily,  and  is  the  best  mine  in  this  part  of  the  State 
on  the  Wabash  line.  In  the  meantime  Mr.  .Sievers 
embarked  in  general  merchandising,  built  up  an 
excellent  trade  which  forced  him  to  largely  in- 
crease his  stock,  and  in  1886  he  erected  a  fine  store 
building.  Two  years  later  he  sold  out  to  his  son, 
who  had  been  associated  with  him  for  some  time, 
and  A.  G.  Schnaare,  since  which  time  he  has  lived 
a  retired  life. 

As  a  companion  on  life's  journey,  Mr.  Sicveis 
chose  Miss  Louisa  Miller,  and  their  marriage  was 
celebrated  in  Madison  County,  111.  The  lady  was 
born  in  the  same  locality  as  her  husband  in  1882, 
and  alone  she  crossed  the  water  to  America  in  1853. 
Her  patents  lived  and  died  in  Germany,  her  father 
passing  away  in  middle  life,  but  her  mother  reached 
an  advanced  age.  Mrs.  Sievers  has  proved  a  true 
helpmate  to  her  husband,  and  his  success  in  life  is 
due  in  no  small  degree  to  her  able  assistance  and 
encouragement.  Unto  them  has  been  born  one  son, 
August  IL,  who  is  one  of  the  leading  and  wide- 
awake business  men  of  Staunton.  He  was  for  two 
years  chief  clerk  of  shaft   No.  6,   and  later  was  as- 


sociated in  business  with  his  uncle,  U.  Swenker. 
This  partnership  existed  for  about  three  years, 
whin  he  became  connected  with  the  linn  of  .lones. 
Newman  \  Co..  and  to  their  business  be  devoted 
his  energies  until  with  his  father  he  aided  in  estab- 
lishing one  of  the  leading  business  houses  in  this 
place.  The  building  which  was  erected  in  1886,  is 
situated  on  East  Main  Street,  is  two  stories  high 
with  a  basement  and  the  dimensions  are  48x60  feet. 
It  is  arranged  as  a  double  store,  being  divided  into 
'  two  rooms  of  equal  size,  one  of  which  is  occupied 
with  groceries,  the  other  being  well  filled  with  a 
good  line  of  furnishing  goods,  boots  and  shoes  and 
dry  goods.  When  the  father  retired,  She  son 
formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Schnaare,  and  he 
lias  a  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  wide-awake 
and  leading  young  business  men  of  the  place,  lie 
married  Minnie  Voge,  and  they  reside  in  Staunton, 
where  they  are  widely  and  favorable  known.  In 
social  circles  they  figure  prominently,  and  their 
friends  are  many. 

August  Sievers,  Sr.,  and  his  estimable  wife  are 
likewise  held  in  high  regard  for  their  sterling 
worth.  Their  upright,  lives  have  won  then  the 
confidence  and  good-will  of  all.  and  none  are  more 
worthy  of  a  representation  in  this  volume. 


ILLIAM  NIEMEYER.  In  Ml.  Olive  there 
reside  a  few  men  who  have  been  the  found- 
ers and  builders  of  that  thriving,  enterpris- 
ing town  and  one  of  these  is  the  subject  of  our 
sketch,  who  is  a  member  of  the  well-known  firm  of 
Keiser-Nieineycr  Mercantile  Co.  He  is  by  birth 
a  German,  a  native  of  Holzfeld.  Prussia,  where  he 
was  born  July  5,  181").  He  comes  of  a  long  line 
of  German  ancestry  and  for  four  generations  the 
family  have  occupied  the  homestead  on  which  he 
first  saw  the  light  of  day.  The  great-grandfather 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Thirty  Years'  War.  The  grand- 
father. Jurgen  Niemeyer,  spent  his  entire  life  in 
llol/.feld  as  a  farmer,  "lying  at  a  ripe  old  age.  He 
married  a  lady  of  that  country  and  they  are  now 
sleeping  side  by  side  in  the  cemetery  near  their  old 
home.     They  were  followers  of  the  faith  advocated 


800 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


by  Martin  Luther.  The  father  of  our  subject,  F. 
William  Niemeyer,  was  reared  as  a  farmer  and 
succeeded  to  the  ownership  of  the  old  homestead, 
upon  which  ho  died  at  the  age  of  forty-seven  years. 
He  married  Miss  C.  M.  Meddewag,  who  also  came 
of  a  good  German  family  and  died  in  her  native 
province  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight.  In  politics 
the  Niemeyers  were  always  with  the  Conservative 
party,  being  loyal  to  the  crown,  and  were  members 
of  the  Lutheran  Church.  In  their  family  were  five 
children  of  whom  our  subject  is  the  eldest  one  liv- 
ing. He  was  also  the  first  to  come  to  America,  nor 
did  any  others  of  the  family  cross  the  water 
until  he  returned  on  a  visit  to  his  old  home  in 
L883,when  he  brought  back  with  him  his  brother 
and  sister,  August  and  Minnie,  who  have  since 
lived  in  Mt.  Olive  and  are  yet,  single.  Another 
brother,  Henry,  is  married  and  lives  in  the  Father- 
land.    The  eldest  son,  also  William,  died  in  infancy. 

When  he  had  almost  arrived  at  years  of  matur- 
ity, William  Niemeyer  bade  adieu  to  family  and 
friends  and  upon  the  sailing  vessel  "St, '11a.''  crossed 
the  Atlantic,  reaching  New  York  after  a  voyage  of 
fifty-six  days,  lie  then  came  to  St.  Louis  where 
he  arrived  without  means.  As  he  had  to  have 
money  to  provide  for  his  support  he  could  not  be 
very  choice  as  to  the  occupation  in  which  he  en- 
gaged, and  accepted  a  position  as  teamster  in  St. 
Louis.  It  was  a  low  and  rough  class  of  people 
who  were  engaged  in  that  work  and  he  said  it  was 
otic  of  tin  hardest  experiences  ol  his  life.  He  had 
to  bear  the  jeers  and  scoffs  of  a  class  who  to-day 
would  gladly  do  him  honor.  However,  this  work 
afforded  him  a  means  of  sustenance  and  he  labored 
on  for  a  year  that  he  might  there  get  a  start  in 
life.  On  leaving  St.  Louis  he  came  to  Mt.  Olive 
and  worked  upon  the  farm  of  John  C.  Nieman. 
proving  himself  a  worthy  and  valuable  employe. 
He  remained  in  that  service  for  three  years  and 
found  in  his  employer  a  benefactor. 

In  the  meantime,  between  Mr.  Niemeyer  and 
Mr.  Nieman's  daughter  Sophia  there  sprang  up  an 
attachment,  and  on  the  29th  of  April,  186'.»,  their 
union  of  hearts  was  consummated  by  the  union  of 
hands.  They  have  since  lived  and  labored  to- 
gether in  perfect  unity  and  are  now  enjoying  a 
home   which    is  a  model   of   beauty  and    comfort. 


This  palatial  residence  wrs  designed  by  a  St.  Louis 
architect  and  is  built  in  the  most  modern  style,  bring 
supplied  with  hot  and  cold  water  throughout,  heated 
by  furnace  and  supplied  with  everything  which  will 
add  to  the  pleasure  and  happiness  of  the  inmates. 
The  home  has  also  been  brightened  by  the  presence 
of  their  three  interesting  and  intelligent,  children, 
Edward,  Emil  and  Juliet.  They  also  lost  one 
child,  William,  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Nie- 
meyer presides  over  her  home  with  a  grace  and 
dignity  which  indicate  a  true  lady,  and  her  hospi- 
tality is  extended  to  very  many  friends.  Loth 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Niemeyer  are  consistent  members 
and  active  workers  in  the  Lutheran  Church  and 
their  social  status  is  high. 

When  our  subject  left  the  employ  of  his  father- 
in-law  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  establishment  of 
which  he  is  now  one  of  the  proprietors.  lie  has 
been  connected  with  the  firm  since  1873  and  is  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Mt. 
Olive.  The  firm  controls  several  hundred  thousand 
dollars  worth  of  business  annually  and  represents 
by  far  the  largest  portion  of  the  entire  business 
interests  of  the  town.  They  also  have  many  other 
interests  elsewhere  in  the  county  and  State  and  for 
push  and  enterprise  they  cannot  be  surpassed. 
Every  branch  of  business  is  represented  by  them 
with  the  exception  of  drugs  and  lumber,  and  all 
this  is  the  outgrowth  of  a  small  general  store. 
Almost  everything  which  Mr.  Niemeyer  has  deter- 
mined to  turn  to  account  as  a  money  making  ven- 
ture has  proved  successful  and  he  litis  worked  his 
way  upward  from  an  humble  position  to  one  of 
wealth.  His  good  judgment  has  served  him  instead 
of  capital  with  which  to  begin  life  :vv\  with  his 
profits  he  has  made  judicious  investments  in  real 
estate,  having  large  landed  property  in  Em  melt 
County,  Iowa,  and  in  Arkansas.  Studying  the 
wants  of  his  customers  and  earnestly  desiring  to 
please  his  patrons  lie  has  by  fair  dealings  and  gen- 
ial manner  built  up  his  fine  trade.  A  warm  hearted, 
generous  man,  he  gives  liberally  of  his  means  to 
all  worthy  interests,  especially  those  calculated  to 
promote  the  general  welfare,  and  to  the  needy  his 
aid  is  always  cheerfully  extended.  By  nature  he 
is  jovial  and  genial,  full  of  life  and  merriment  and 
is  therefore  a  most  pleasant  companion.      Few   if 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


&01 


any  in  the  county  can  number  more  friends  Iban 
Mr.  Niemeyer.  In  politics  be  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican but  his  business  has  so  engrossed  his  attention 
that  be  has  never  found  time  to  devote  to  political 
affairs. 

-    : jg^j^c       :    ■ 


W 


MONTJOY  DORSEY,  a  retired  farmer 
residing  in  Hunker  Hill,  deserves  represen- 
tation in  this  volume  from  the  fact  that  he 
is  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  county  and 
also  because  he  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the 
honored  pioneer  families.  His  father,  Elias  Dorsey. 
was  born  in  Maryland  as  were  also  bis  grandpar- 
ents. Edward  Dorsey.  father  of  Elias,  died  when  the 
son  was  quite  young  and  the  mother  afterward  re- 
moved to  Kentucky,  where  she  became  the  wife  of 
John  Williamson.  She  made  her  home  in  Jefferson 
County,  that  State  until  her  death.  Elias  Dorsey, 
when  quite  young  accompanied  his  widowed 
mother  to  Kentucky,  settling  upon  a  farm,  where 
he  made  his  home  until  after  Mrs.  Dorsey's  second 
marriage,  when  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he 
enlisted  in  the  War  of  1812,  under  Col.  Richard 
Booker,  serving  throughout  the  struggle,  lie  with 
his  regiment  marched  to  New  Orleans  but  arrived 
at  that  place  just  after  Gen.  Jackson  had  come  off 
conqueror  in  the  '-tearless  battle."  When  the  war 
was  over  he  returned  with  his  Colonel  to  Shelby 
County.  Ky..  and  married  the  daughter  of  his  com- 
manding fficcr.  Miss  Martha  R.  Booker,  who  was 
born  and  reared  in  that  county.  Her  parents  were 
both  natives  of  Virginia,  whence  in  an  early  day, 
they  emigrated  to  Kentucky,  where  they  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.  The  Colonel  was  a  brave 
man  who  faithfully  served  his  country  well. 

After  their  marriage  Elias  Dorsey  and  his  wife 
took  up  their  residence  on  a  farm  in  Jefferson 
County,  Ky..  but  the  lady  died  about  1835.  Her 
husband  was  again  married,  his  second  union  being 
with  Mrs.  Sally  Williamson,  a  native  of  Baltimore, 
Md„  and  the  widow  of  Commodore  Williamson,  of 
the  Tinted  States  Navy.  Mr.  Dorsey  also  survived 
his  second  wife  and  in  18GG  came  to  Illinois,  mak- 
ing his  home  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Edward  Win- 
chester,   of   Bunker    Hill,  until    his  death,   which 


occurred  March  2,  1872.  at  the  age  of  seventy-six 
years.  He  was  a  hard  working  man  and  by  his  in- 
dustry   and    perseverance  became   quite  wealthy, 

owning  at  one  time  Several  thousand  acres  of  land, 
the  greater  part  of  which  he  bequeathed  to  his  chil- 
dren, before  his  death.  His  honesty  and  integrity 
was  proverbial  and  the  greatest  confidence  was 
manifested    in   Mr.  Dorsey  by  all   who   knew  him. 

!  His  life  is  a  grand  example  of  what  can  be  accom- 
plished through  honest  industry,  perseverance  and 
good  management.      He  was  outspoken    in  defense 

I  of  the  right;  neither  fear  nor  favor  could  keep  him 
silent.  He  was  devoted  to  his  country  and  its 
cause  and  on  one  occasion  when  being  asked  why 
he  did  not  accept  a  Government  contract  offered 
him  he  replied  in  his  usual  emphatic  manner  that  if 
he  should  do  so  and  act  honestly  as  a  patriot  the 
profits  would  be  too  small  for  the  trouble  and  he 
did  not  intend  to  defraud  his  country.  This  speech 
serves  as  an  index  to  his  whole  life.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Jackson  Democrat.      He    was  identified  with 

j  no  religious  organization  but  believed  in  doing 
right  for  right's  sake.  One  of  nature's  noblemen, 
no  death  in  the  commui  ity  has  been  more  sincerely 
mourned. 

W.  Mont  joy  Dorsey,  whose  name  heads  this 
sketch,  was  born  on  the  old  homestead  in  Jefferson 
County,  Ky.,  October  11,  1823,  and  is  the  sixth 
in  the  family  of  thirteen  children,  numbering  nine 
sons  and  four  daughters,  all  of  whom  grew  to  ma- 
ture years,  while  eleven  were  married  anil  six  are 
yet  living.  Our  subject  was  reared  in  the  usual 
manner  of  farmer  lads  and  attained  his  majority  in 
his  native  county.  lie  was  yet  a  single  man  when 
he  came  to  Bunker  Hill,  and  married  Miss  Hen- 
rietta C.  Green,  who  was  born  in  Sing  Sing.  Wi'St- 
chester  County,  N.  Y.,  August  4,  1828.  Her  par- 
ents. Capt.  Stephen  and  Letitia  (Quick)  Green, 
were  also  natives  of  Westchester  County  and  be- 
longed to  families  of  good  standing  in  the  Empire 
State.  Samuel  Green,  the  father  of  the  Captain, 
was  a  relative  of  Gen.  Green,  of  Revolutionary 
fa  He  and  the  family  was  connected  with  the  Society 
of  Friends.  The  Quick  family  is  of  French  origin. 
Samuel  Green  and  his  wife  both  lived  to  a  very  ad- 
vanced age,  the  former  being  quite  old  at  the  time 
of  his  death  and  the  latter  was  in   her  ninety-ninth 


802 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


year.  They  died  in  the  county  of  their  nativity, 
where  they. had  lived  during  the  Revolutionary 
War.  aud  their  old  home  is  still  standing.  The 
families  on  both  sides  are  very  aristocratic  in  the 
true  meaning  of  the  word,  their  members  being 
people  of  pure  character  and  temperate  habits, 
many  of  whom  attained  to  positions  of  distinction. 
Stephen  Green  was  one  of  a  large  family  and  in 
Westchester  County,  N.  Y.,  was  reared  to  manhood 
upon  a  farm.  He  followed  the  sea  for  many  years 
and  arose  to  the  rank  of  Captain  of  a  coasting  ves- 
sel plying  around  the  Atlantic  Coast.  On  account 
of  ill-health  he  was  at  length  forced  to  abandon 
that  pursuit  and  in  1836  emigrated  with  his  family 
to  Illinois,  settling  at  what  is  now  Shipman,  but 
then  not  a  building  stood  upon  the  site  of  the 
town.  Capt.  Green's  home  was  one  of  the  first 
white  settlements  made  in  that  section  Mid  all 
around  him  stretched  miles  of  unbroken  prairie, 
lie  entered  his  land  from  the  Government,  began 
to  make  improvements  and  developed  a  good  farm 
upon  which  he  made  his  home  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  March  10,  IS.")  I.  The  county 
lost  one  of  its  best  citizens  who  was  revered  for 
his  uprightness  and  his  sterling  worth,  lie  took 
no  active  part  in  public  life  and  though  often  so- 
licited by  the  Whig  party  to  become  ;i  candidate 
for  positions  of  honor  and  trust,  he  always  declined, 
preferring  to  devote  his  entire  attention  to  his  busi- 
ness interests  and  the  enjoyment  of  his  home  life. 
The  death  of  his  wife  occurred  in  Shipman  a  few 
years  prior  to  his  decease,  she  being  fifty-four  years 
of  age  when  called  to  her  final  rest. 

Unto  Captain  and  Mrs.  Green  were  born  thirteen 
children,  of  whom  seven,  three  sons  and  four 
daughters  are  yet  living,  the  eldest  being  eighty- 
four  years  of  age.  The  family  possess  an  unusual 
amount  of  vitality  and  are  noted  for  longevity. 
Mrs.  Dorsey  was  carefully  reared  by  her  worthy 
parents  and  is  a  refined  and  accomplished  lady, 
possessed  of  many  virtues  and  fine  womanly  quali- 
ties. She  retains  all  the  aristocratic  characteristics 
of  her  people  and  like  them  is  reserved  and  justly 
proud  of  her  family  record.  By  her  marriage  five 
children  have  been  born  but  only  two  are  n"ow  liv- 
ing. Lucy,  the  elder,  is  the  wife  of  Joseph  S. 
Hayes,  a  resident  farmer  of  Dorchester  Township; 


and  Howell  M.,  who  wedded  Christina  Stookey, 
resides  in  Gillespie,  being  also  a  farmer  by  occupa 
tion.  The  children  now  deceased  are  Robert 
Hornsby.  William  Booker  and  Frances  Cordelia. 
Mr.  Dorsey,  his  wife  and  daughters  are  members  of 
the  Episcopal  Church  and  in  politics  he  is  a  stanch 
Democrat. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  the  large  landowners  in 
Macoupin  County,  Jiis  possessions  aggregating 
more  than  one  thousand  acres.  He  has  won  the 
greater  part  of  his  fortune  since  coming  to  this 
county  in  1847.  He  first  settled  in  Gillespie 
Township,  living  for  a  time  with  his  brother  and 
then  removed  to  his  own  lands,  which  were  en- 
tirely des' ituie  of  improvement  when  he  became 
the  owner.  He  was  an  enterprising  and  successful 
farmer  and  as  his  financial  resources  were  in- 
creased he  judiciously  increased  the  amount  of  his 
acreage.  He  continued  to  reside  on  his  farm  in 
Gillespie  Township  until  March,  1867,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Bunker  Hill,  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home.  There  is  little  of  the  land  of  which  he  is  now 
proprietor  but  what  is  tinder  cultivation,  lying  in 
Dorchester,  Staunton  and  Gillespie  Townships,  the 
most  being  in  Gillespie  Township,  about  two  miles 
from  the  village  of  that  name.  Few  men  arc  more 
widely  known  than  Mr.  Dorsey  and  none  more  fa- 
vorably so.  His  long  residence  in  this  community, 
covering  a  period  of  forty-four  years,  numbers 
him  among  the  early  settlers. 


'*?$$'&*'• 


JACOB  D.  WAGNER,  who  resides  on  sec- 
tion 4,  Gillespie  Township,  is  one  of  the 
oldest  native  born  citizens  of  Illinois.  He 
(®/i  was  born  within  two  and  a  half  miles  of  Up- 
per Alton,  in  Madison  County,  October  2!),  1814, 
and  is  a  son  of  Peter  Wagner,  a  native  of  Virginia, 
who  there  grew  to  manhood.  For  two  and  a  half 
years  he  served  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  after  he 
had  fought  through  many  holly  contested  battles 
he  was  honorably  discharged,  having  never  re- 
ceived a  wound.  When  still  a  single  man  became 
to  Illinois  but  afterward   returned  to  his  old  home 


rORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


sn:i 


and  married  a  Virginian  lady,  .Miss  Elizabeth  Deck. 
Their  wedding  tour  consisted  of  a  trip  to  Illinois 
in  1813,  and  they  began  their  domestic  life  near 
Alton,  between  the  forks  of  the  Wood  River, 
where  Mr.  Wagner  secured  from  the  Spanish  claim 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land.  On  that 
farm  our  subject  was  born  and  the  family  resided 
until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  when  in  1834, 
parents  and  children  came  to  Macoupin  County, 
where  the  father  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land,  eighty  of  which  was  prairie  and 
eighty  a  timber  tract.  'This  farm  was  situated  not 
far  from  Prairie  View,  and  there  the  parents  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Mr.  Wagner  dying  at 
the  age  of  sixty-three  years,  his  wife  in  the  fifty- 
fourth  year  of  her  age.  They  had  lived  to  see  this 
section  of  this  country  improved  and  developed  to 
a  great  extent.  When  they  first  came  to  Macoupin 
County,  but  two  settlements  had  been  made  on  the 
prairie  for  miles  around  them,  those  being  the 
homes  of  John  Hilyard  and  .lames  Gray.  Mr. and 
Mrs.  Wagner  were  people  of  worth  and  ability, 
highly  respected  by  all  who  knew  them  and  when 
called  to  their  final  icst  many  warm  friends 
mourned  their  death. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  eldest  of  thir- 
teen children,  ten  of  whom  grew  to  mature  years, 
while  five  are  yet  living,  three  being  residents  of 
this  county.  Jacob  was  reared  amid  the  wild  scenes 
of  frontier  life  and  the  occupation  at  .•■hicli  he  la- 
bored during  bis  boyhood  he  has  followed  through 
his  mature  years.  The  first  land  which  he  owned 
consisted  of  an  eighty-acre  tract,  which  he  entered 
from  the  Government  in  Hilyard  Township,  near 
Plainview.  He  further  completed  his  arrangements 
for  a  home  by  his  marriage  with  Miss  Lucinda  Mc- 
Donald, the  wedding  taking  place  in  the  vicinity 
of  his  childhood  home.  The  lady  was  born  in 
White  County,  Tenn.,  in  181C,  and  is  a  grand- 
daughter of  John  McDonald,  who  came  to  this 
country  from  Scotland  as  a  soldier  in  the  British 
Army  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  never 
returned  to  his  native  land,  but  made  a  settlement 
in  this  country  and  died,  it  is  thought,  in  Tennes- 
see. David  McDonald,  father  of  Mrs.  Wagner, 
lived  in  Tennessee  for  many  years  and  finally  came 
to  Illinois,  settling    in   Madison  County  during  its 


pioneer  days.  Subsequently  he  came  to  Macoupin 
County  and  afterward  he  and  his  wife  removed  to 
Dent  County,  Mo.,  where  they  both  passed  away 
when  well  advanced  in  years.  The  mother  of  Mrs. 
Wagner,  was  in  her  maidenhood  Miss  Jane  Miller, 
of  Tennessee. 

Our  subject  and  his  wife  began  their  domestic 
life  upon  a  farm  in  Hilyard  Township,  but  after 
the  birth  of  their  first  child  they  removed  to  Jef- 
ferson County,  where  he  purchased  forty  acres  of 
new  land  and  began  the  development  of  the  farm. 
They  had  lived  at  that  place  nine  years  when  the 
death  of  Mrs.  Wagner  occurred,  at  the  age  of  thir- 
ty-three. She  was  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church,  a  most  excellent  lady,  and  at  her  death 
left  five  children,  all  of  whom  are  yet  living — 
Clarinda,  wife  of  Ash  Neily,  of  Carlinville  Town- 
ship; Elizabeth,  wife  of  Daniel  Adams,  a  resident 
farmer  of  Colorado;  Mary  A.,  wife  of  William  F. 
Lilly,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  at  Harvell,  Mont- 
gomery County,  III.;  William,  who  wedded  Miss 
Mary  Gillespie,  and  is  living  in  Raymond,  111.; 
John,  who  married  Rosa  Smith,  and  is  a  farmer  of 
Gillespie  Township  Ten  days  after  the  death  of 
his  first  wife  Mr.  Wagner  left  Jefferson  County  and 
returned  to  Macoupin  County,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  He  was  again  married  in  Gillespie  Town- 
ship, his  second  union  being  with  Mrs.  Gincy  Hud- 
dlestun,  nee  Barney,  who  was  horn  in  Craig  County, 
Ky..  September  20,  1817,  and  is  a  (laughter  of  John 
and  Sarah  (Martin)  Barney,  In  their  native  State, 
Kentucky,  they  were  reared  and  married  ami  re- 
sided upon  a  farm  until  Mr.  Ramey's  death  at  the 
age  of  fifty  years.  His  widow  afterward  eatne  to  Il- 
linois, settling  in  Gillespie  Township,  Macoupin 
County,  where  she  died  in  her  seventy-ninth  year. 
She  and  her  husband  were  members  of  the  old 
school  Baptist  Church.  Gincy  Barney  was  eigh- 
teen years  of  age  when  sha  came  with  her  mother 
to  Illinois  and  a  few  years  later  she  became  the 
wife  of  Joseph  Huddlestun,  who  died  in  (iillespie 
Township  in  the  prime  of  life,  leaving  five  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  now  deceased  except  Newton, 
who  resides  in  Raymond,  111.,  upon  a  farm.  He 
married  "Lucy  Duhurst. 

Mr.  Wagner  has  resided  upon  his  present  farm 
since  the  day   on  which   President   Lincoln    was  a 


804 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


seconil  time  inaugurated.  He  owns  one  hundred 
and  sixty-five  acres  of  arable  land  in  his  home 
faun  and  eighty  acres  on  section  7,  of  the  same 
township.  Everything  about  the  place  is  kepi  in 
neat  order  and  there  are  good  buildings,  amply 
sufficient  for  the  shelter  of  his  stock.  He  has  led 
a  busy  and  useful  life  and  as  a  result  has  acquired 
a  comfortable  competence.  Since  casting  his  first 
Presidential  voto  for  Van  Buren,  he  has  supported 
the  Democratic  party,  lie  and  his  wife  occupy  a 
warm  place  in  the  hearts  of  many  of  the  people 
who  reside  in  this  community  and  the  high  es- 
teem which  is  accorded  them  is  but  their  just   due. 


* 


j/_^  ENRY  MILLER.  One  is  almost  led  to  won- 
\\  der  at  uiues  if  the  agricultural  district  of 
Germany  is  not  nearly  depopulated  for  so 
roai  y  of  its  representatives  have  emigrated 
to  this  land  and  here  made  striking  successes  in  their 
chosen  calling.  Henry  Miller  is  one  of  many  who 
has  found  Central  Illinois  a  profitable  place  in 
which  to  cast  his  lines  and  has  here  made  a  home 
upon  section  3,  of  Mt.  Olive  Township,  at  which 
place  he  has  lived  for  a  great  many  years. 

Mr.  Miller  has  a  fine  farm  which  comprises  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  a  good  part  of 
which  is  under  cultivation.  Besides  this  he  has 
two  hundred  and  seventy-eight  acres  of  land  in 
Montgomery  County.  His  efforts  in  an  agricul- 
tural direction  have  been  crowned  with  success,  and 
he  has  suceeded  in  amassing  more  than  a  compentcy. 
He  is  a  native  of  Hanover,  Germany,  being  there 
born  January  16,  1813.  He  is  proud  of  the  fact 
that  lie  is  of  good  parentage,  his  father  and 
mother  being  worthy  representatives  of  the  best 
middle  class  of  German  people;  they  lived  and  died 
in  Hanover. 

Our  subject's  early  training  was  in  the  direction 
of  farm  labor,  as  his  father  was  a  farmer  and  nat- 
urally he  assumed  the  duties  in  boyhood  at  his 
home.  Later  he  became  a  laborer  on  a  farm  and 
when  about  twenty  eight  years  old  determined  to 
start  out  in  life  for  himself.  He  set  out  for  Amer- 
ica on  a  sailing-vessel  that  left  Bremen  and  landed 


in  Baltimore  after  a  voyage  of  several  weeks.  From 
his  first  landing  place  he  went  to  Louisville,  Ky., 
where  he  remained  for  three  years  after  which  he 
went  South  and  spent  one  winter  in  Nevv  Orleans 
and  Memphis,  Tenn.  Thence  he  went  to  si.  Louis, 
and  after  a  few  days  stay  at  this  last  mentioned 
place  he  came  to  Macoupin  County,  and  has  since 
made  this  his  hone. 

Mr.  Miller  was  married  in  Mt.  Olive  Town- 
ship, to  Miss  Henrietta  Stabel,  who,  like  himself, 
was  of  German  birth  and  parentage,  having  come 
to  this  country  at  the  early  age  of  seventeen  years 
with  a  neighbor  of  her  parents.  Her  parents  with 
all  their  children,  excepting  herself,  lived  and  died 
in  Germany.  She  was  a  true  and  noble  wife  help- 
ing her  husband  both  materially  and  spiritually  to 
make  a  good  home.  She  is  now  fifty- four  years  of 
age  being  born  April  II,  1837.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs 
Miller  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  They 
are  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  ten  sons  and 
three  daughters,  who  in  order  of  birth  are  as  fol- 
lows: Mary,  Henry,  Anna.  Charles,  William,  Fred, 
August,  John,  Hernial,  Louis,  Edward,  Frank  and 
Henrietta.  Of  these  the  eldest  daughter  is  the  wife 
of  Fred  Mounke.a  farmer  in  Montgomery  County. 
Henry  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lena  Abe- 
leng,  they  are  farmers  ii.  Montgomery  County; 
Anna  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Ewich  and  resides  in 
Mt.  Olive;  Charles  took  to  wife  Miss'Doia 
Scwheitfegcr  and  lives  on  a  farm  in  this  township, 
The  remaining  children  all   reside  at  home. 

]  ONRAD  E.  HENSEN  of  the  firm  of  Hensen 
Bros.,  a  well-known  resident  of  Virden,  was 
^^7  born  near  Hamburg.  Germany, April  3,  186f>. 
He  is  a  son  of  Frederick  and  Lena  (Westfall)  Hen 
sen,  who  were  both  natives  of  the  same  locality. 
The  father  of  our  subject  learned  the  trade  of  a 
cabinet-maker,  which  lie  followed  in  his  native  land 
until  18G8,  and  then  with  his  family  emigrated  to 
America  and  made  his  new  home  in  Geneseo,  Henry 
County,  III.  There  he  followed  his  trade  until 
1888  and  then  went  to  Litchfield,  and  worked  in 
the  car  shops  for  one  year.  He  now  makes  his  home 
with  the  son  whose  name  heads  this  sketch. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


805 


The  parents  of  our  subject  reared  four  children, 
Henry,  Augusta,  Conrad  K.  and  Julia.  Conrad  was 
but  three  years  old  when  be  came  to  America  with 
his  parents.  He  received  bis  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Geneseo.  When  be  was  a  lad  of  fif- 
teen years  he  began  work  in  a  creamery,  finding 
work  there  a  portion  of  each  year  for  four  years. 
The  remainder  of  his  time  he  found  employment  in 
dressing  poultry  for  the  market. 

For  three  winters  this  young  man  was  thus  em- 
ployed at  Mattoon, Coles  County,  from  there  going 
to  Chicago,  leaving  the  latter  place  in  1887,  to  en- 
gage in  the  business  for  himself  in  Yiiden,  buying 
eggs  and  shipping  poultry.  He  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  his  brother  Henry,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Hensen  Bros.  With  true  German  frugality  and 
caution,  they  commenced  their  business  in  a  small 
way,  hid  have  increased,  it  from  year  to  year  and 
now  have  branch  establishments  a<  Litchfield,  Car- 
linville.    Palmyra   and  Carrollton   and   carry   on   a 

business  of  over  |250,l a  yea'-.     In    1889  they 

elected  a  brick  building  in  Virden,  two  stories    in 
height  and  34x70  feet  in  dimensions. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Hensen.  April  10,  1889,  was 
an  event  of  great  interest  in  bis  life.  His  bride 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Margaret  Gabel.  She 
was  born  in  Dorchester,  Macoupin  County,  III., 
and  is  a  lady  of  worth  and  intelligence  who  is  a  Ik 
companion  for  this  enterprising  and  upright  citi- 
zen. One  child  has  crowned  this  union,  little 
Charlie,  who  is  the  darling  of  the  home. 


p.ATllAi\IKL  ( 
)/'  ing  citizens  of 


ATHANIEL  CARRICO,  one  of  the  lead- 
if  Honey  Poinl  Township,  may 
justly  be  classed  among  the  most  eater- 
prising  and  successful  farmeisof  Macoupin  County, 
his  fine  farm  bearing  witness  to  his  thrift,  ability 
and  skillful  management.  He  is  now  the  owner 
of  six  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  of  well-im- 
proved land,  with  substantial  buildings  and  all  the 
modern  machinery  in  use  on  a  model  farm,  and, 
in  fact,  everything  conducive  to  the  comfort  and 
convenience  of  the  enlightened  farmer. 

A   native  of  Illinois.  Mr.  Carrico  was  born   near 


Kane,  in  that  part  of  Greene  now  included  in 
Jersey  County,  September  9,  1883,  and  is  the  son 

of  Nathaniel  CarricO,  a  Kenluckian  by  birth.  The 
father  of  the  latter.  Dennis  Carrico,  was  born  in 
Chelsea  County,  Mil.,  and  was  of  early  French  an- 
cestry. In  1688  three  brothers  came  to  America 
as  members  of  Lord  Baltimore's  colony,  and  one 
of  these  was  ihe  great-great-grandfal her  of  our 
subject. 

Dennis  Carrico  lived  in  his  native  Maryland 
until  he  attained  manhood,  and  became  a  wheel- 
wright by  trade.  While  still  young  he  went  to 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  married  a  Miss  Clark. 
From  the  Keystone  State  he  went  to  Kentucky, 
where  he  remained  a  few  years,  and  his  next  move 
was  to  St.  Louis  County,  Mo.  At  that  time  there  were 
but  few  white  people  living  west  of  the  Mississippi 
and  St.  Louis  was  but  a  trading  pos' .  He  resided 
there  some  years,  and  then  came  lo  Illinois  in 
Territorial  days,  and  became  one  of  the  early  pio- 
neers of  Greene  County.  He  made  a  claim,  and 
when  the  land  came  into  the  market  entered  it 
from  the  Government  and  first  erected  a  set  of 
lug  buildings.  In  those  days  there  was  quite  a 
demand  for  spinning  wheels,  and  he  followed  his 
trade  a  part  of  the  time,  making  those  useful  arti- 
cles, and  the  remainder  devoting  himself  to  farm 
ing.  He  finally  erected  a  frame  house  on  his 
homestead,  which  is  still  standing.  His  farm  was 
located  eight  miles  west  of  Kane,  and  there  his 
deaili  took   place  in    185  1 . 

Nathaniel  Carrico.  Si.,  was  but  a  small  boy 
when  his  parents  went  lo  Missouri,  and  in  that 
State  he  was  reared.  He  came  to  Illinois  when  a 
young  man  and  entered  several  tracts  of  Govern- 
ment land  in  Jersey  County,  ami  built  on  the  tract 
near  Kane.  There  he  made  his  home  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  which  was  brought  to  a  close 
when  scarcely  past  its  prime,  his  death  occurring 
November  7.  is.",.;.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
w:is  Mary  Brown, a  native  of  St.  Louis  County.  Mo., 
was  again  married,  her  second  husband  being 
James  Cooper,  she  was  the  mother  of  four  chil- 
dren by  In  i  first  marriage  and  eight  by  her  sec- 
ond union.  Her  last  days  were  passed  with  her 
children  and  she  died  in  March,  1885,  at  an  ad- 
vanced age.  Her  father.  Griffith  Brown, was  a  South- 


SOG 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


erner,  horn  either  in  South  Carolina  or  Georgia. 
He  married  Sally  Foster,  and  after  that  event 
came  North  and  located  in  Missouri  at  a  very  early 
day  of  its  settlement.  The  removal  was  made 
with  packhorses,  the  family  taking  with  liiem  all 
their  earthly  effects.  Mr.  Brown  improved  a  farm 
a  few  miles  north  of  .St.  Louis,  and  there  dwelt 
until  death  called  him  hence. 

As  we  have  seen,  our  subject  is  a  descendant  of 
the  early  pioneer  stock  of  this  State,  and    he  grew 
up  in  his  native  county  and    under    pioneer  influ- 
ences to  a  stalwart,  self-reliant,  energetic  manhood. 
lie  continued  to  live  in  Jersey  County  until  1852, 
in   the  meantime  (1850)  visiting   this  county   and 
entering   two   Hundred   acres  ol   Government    land 
on  sections  1  and  12,  Honey  Point  Township.      In 
1852  he  went  to  Iowa  and   resided    there  with  an 
uncle  until   1854,  when    he  came  to  Honey    Point 
Township,  and   since   that   time    has  been  a  valued 
resident  of  this  part  of  the   county,  active    in  de- 
veloping its  agriculture  and  a    potent  factor  in    its 
prosperity.      In  the   management  of  his   affairs  he 
has   displayed   more    than    ordinary    acumen    ami 
business  ability,  and  has  gathered  together  a  valu- 
able property,  the  possession  of  which  entitles  him 
to  a  place  among  tha  most  extensive  landholders 
of  the    township.      He  has  a   clear,  vigorous   mind 
of  his  own,  and  exercises  his  right  to  maintain  his 
own  opinions  on  subjects  in  which  he  is  interested, 
and  thus  we  find  him  a  strong    supporter  of   the 
policy  of  the  Republican  party. 

In  1856  Mr.  Carrico  was  married  to  Miss  Jane 
Mitchell,  a  native  of  Brushy  Mound  Township, 
and  a  daughter  of  Elijah  and  Jane  (Moore)  Mitch- 
ell. After  a  happy  wedded  life  of  more  than 
twenty  years  Mrs.  Carrico  died  in  1879.  The  fol- 
lowing are  the  names  of  the  children  born  of  that 
marriage:  Mary  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  (George 
W.Drake;  Nacy  A.,  deceased:  Margaret  J.;  Na- 
thaniel and  Laura,  both  deceased;  John  G.,  Lula, 
Jessie  S.,  deceased;  George  B.,  Martha,  Nora;  and 
Phoebe  M.,  deceased.  The  union  of  Mr.  Carrico 
and  his  present  amiable  wife  was  celebrated  in 
1886,  and  the  bride  on  this  interesting  occasion 
was  Mrs.  Virginia  B.  (Decker)  Williams.  By  her 
first  marriage  Mrs.  Carrico  became  the  mother  of 
two   children — Mary     E.    G.    and    Albert    G.    G. 


Three  children  have  been  born  to  her  and  Mr.  Car- 
rico, and  they  have  been  named  Virginia  B.,  Dot- 
tie  and  Frances  A.  The  various  members  of  the 
family  are  highly  esteemed  and  are  well  known 
both  in  the  business  and  social  world. 


ON.  CHARLES  A.   WALKER,  of    Carlin- 

ville,  is  a  distinguished  member  of  the  bar 
of    Macoupin     County.     He   was    born    in 
Tennessee,  four  miles  from  Nashville,  Au- 
gust 21,  1826.   His  father,  Abraham  S..was  a  native 
of  the  same  State  and  was  a  son  of  Charles  Walker, 
who  was  born  in  Rowan  County,  N.  C,  in  1765,  of 
Scotch  parentage.  Charles  Walker,  the  grandfather 
of  our  subject,  removed  to  Logan  County.  Ky.,  in 
the  early  days  of  its  settlement,  and  from  there  he 
subsequently  went   to  Tennessee,  of  which  he  was 
one  of   the  original  settlers.      While  a  resident  of 
Logan  County.  Ky.,  he  married  Matilda  Stephens, 
whose  father,  Abram,  was  born  in  England  in  1870, 
and  •came  to  America  soon  after  the   Revolution. 
He  at   first  settled  in  Virginia,  whence  he  went  to 
Kentucky,  and    from   tliere  removed  to  Davidson 
County.  Tenn.,  dying  there  at  a  ripe  old  age  in  1815. 
Their  son    Abraham  S.,  the  father  of   ex-Senator 
Walker,  was  a  gunsmith   by  trade.     He   removed 
from   Nashville.  Tenn.,  to  Illinois  in  1828.  accom- 
panied  by  his  wife  and  three  children.     His  wife, 
whose   maiden   name  was  Rosina  Phelps,  was  born 
on    the    shores   of    Albemarle  Sound,   N.  C,  Jan- 
uary, 2,    1899.     She  was    a    daughter    of    Joseph 
Phelps  who  was  a  native  of   North   Carolina  and 
was   of  Welsh    descent.     She  died  at  Carlinville, 
February    12,   1875,  having  attained  a   venerable 
age.     Four  children,  Caroline,  Charles  A.,  Tennes- 
see and  James  L.,were  born  to  them,  the  last  named 
died  in  his  boyhood,  in   August,  1851.     Abraham 
S.  Walker  located  in    Madison  County,  where  his 
father-in-law,  Joseph    Phelps,  had   entered  a  tract 
of  Government  land  where  he  resided   until    1830, 
when  he  came  to  Carlinville,  which  was  then  but  a 
small  village  of  four  or   five   buildings,  of  which 
one  was  a  small  frame  house,  the  others   being  of 
logs.     The   only  store   in  the  place  was  owned  by 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


M'i 


Mr.   Plant  who   carried  a  small  stock   of   general 

merchandise  in  the  frame  building.  The  surround- 
ing country  was  for  many  years  sparsely  settled 
and  the  inhabitants  had  but  little  communication 
with  the  outside  world,  as  there  were  no  railways 
and  for  some  lime  only  a  weekly  mail.  All  kinds 
of  game  were  plentiful  and  often  furnished  a  wel- 
come addition  to  the  sometimes  scant  fare  of  the 
pioneer. 

The  father  of  our  subject  bought  a  tract  of  land 
at  Carlinville  on  the  south  side  of  the  public  square. 
He  erected  a  log  house  for  a  dwelling  on  the  south- 
east corner  of  the  square,  and  another  building  of 
logs  for  a  gunsmith  and  blacksmith  shop.  He 
carried  on  the  smithy  until  1836,  and  then  went 
into  the  mercantile  business,  buying  his  goods  at 
St.  Louis  and  transporting  them  with  teams,  taking 
five  days  to  make  the  round  trip.  Mr.  Walker 
continued  in  business  heie  until  1868,  dying  in 
March,  187;"),  at  the  age  of  seventy-four. 

Charles  A.  Walker,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  two  year* old  when  his  parents  brought  him 
to  their  new  home  in  Illinois.  He  grew  with  the 
growth  of  the  country,  witnessing  its  entire  devel- 
opment from  a  wilderness.  He  attended  the  pio- 
neer schools,  one  of  which  was  taught  in  the  old 
Court  House  which  was  built  of  logs.  He  has  in 
his  possession  the  record  of  the  school  for  the  win- 
ter of  1845-46.  The  entire  number  of  scholars  en- 
rolled in  Carlinville  at  that  time  was  forty-two. 
John  Frow  was  the  teacher.  After  leaving  the 
public  schools  our  subject  was  a  student  at  Nhurt- 
leff  College.  Upper  Alton,  until  the  gold  fever  of 
California  broke  out,  when,  becoming  imbued  with 
the  popular  excitement  of  the  day  and  being 
fitted  by  a  vigorous  constitution  to  enjoy  an  over- 
land trip  through  a  wild  and  unexplored  country, 
he  on  the  18th  of  March,  1849,  in  company  with 
Charles  Palmer,  brother  of  Senator  Palmer,  and 
John  Keller  started  for  the  distant  Eldorado. 

Traveling  with  three  yoke  of  oxen  attached  to 
a  wagon,  the  little  party  crossed  the  Mississippi 
River  at  St.  Louis,  and  passing  through  the  State 
of  Missouri,  crossed  the  Missouri  River  at  Inde- 
pendence. They  spent  a  few  days  there  and  then 
went  up  the  north  bank  of  the  river  to  St.  Joseph. 
At  that  time  there  were  no  white  settlers  except  sol- 


diers and  traders  at  a  Government  post  between 
Missouri  and  Sacramento  City, aside  from  the  mis- 
sionarics,  soldiers  and  Mormons  at  Salt  Lake  City. 
Deer,  antelope  and  elk  were  plenty,  and  beds 
of  buffaloes  were  encountered  on  the  plains  and 
even  wild  horses  were  occasionally  seen.  Mr. Walker 
and  his  companions  were  one  hundred  days  in 
journeying  from  St.  Joseph  to  Sacramento.  The 
first  winter  of  his  stay  on  the  Pacific  Slope  he  en- 
gaged  in  mining  near  Placerville,  and  after  that  in 
packing  provisions  from  Marysvillc  to  Feather 
River. 

In    1851  our  subject  returned  to  Illinois  by  way 
of  the    Isthmus,  and    engaged    in   clerking   for   his 
father  until  his  marriage.     After  that  event  he  es- 
tablished  himself  in   business  on  his  own  account. 
In  1856  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  study  of  law 
in  the  office  of  Messrs.  Gilbert  &  Rinaker,  was  ad- 
mitted  to  the  bar  in  1858.  and  since  that  time  has 
been    in    active    practice    at    Carlinville.      He    has 
made  for  himself  a  most  enviable  record  as  an  ad- 
vocate and  stands  to-day  among  the  leading  mem- 
bers  of    the    profession.      He    is  distinguished  by 
strong  common  sense,  a  keen  insight  into  all  legal 
questions    with  which    he    has   to  deal,  and  a  clear, 
practical  style  of  presenting   his  cases  that  makes 
him  popular  with  judge  s.nd  jury.     Mr.  Walker  is 
pre-eminently  adroit  in  elucidating  testimony  from 
witnesses  and   in  dealing  with  juries  and  men  gen- 
erally; he  has  unusual  discernment  as  to  the  value 
of  evidence  and  an  intuitive  knowledge  of  human 
nature.     He  is  happy  in  his  domestic  relations,  as 
by  his  marriage,  November  16,  1852,  to  Miss   Per- 
melia  A.  Dick,  a  native  of  Sangamon  County.  III., 
and  a  daughter  of  Daniel   and  Susan   Dick,  he  se- 
cured  one   of   life's   inestimable  blessings,  a  good 
wife.     Two    children    have   been    born   to  them — 
Lolah  and  Mae. 

Our  subject's  position,  not  only  as  one  of  the 
leading  lawyers  of  the  county  but  as  a  gentleman 
of  culture  and  broad  mind,  liberal  in  his  views,  of 
generous,  genial  nature,  has  made  him  very  influ- 
ential in  the  civic  life  of  this  part  of  the  State. 
In  the  various  high  official  positions  that  he  has 
held  he  has  displayed  that  true  and  disinteretesd 
public  spirit  that  seeks  the  highest  good  of  the  com- 
munity, and    his    name  is   indissoliihlv  linked  with 


808 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RKCORD. 


much  that  has  promoted  the  best  interests  of  the 
city  and  county.  In  the  Court  [louse  agitation  Mr. 
Walker,  by  his  outspoken  views  and  prominent 
position  became  a  leader  in  the  opposition  to  the 
creating  of  a  debt  which  would  weigh  the  county 
down.  In  educational  matters  he  lias  always  taken 
a  deep  interest,  and  as  President  of  the  Hoard  of 
Education,  has  been  potent  in  instituting  many 
needed  reforms  in  the  local  schools.  He  was  au- 
thor of  the  Compulsory  Education  Bill  and  was 
instrumental  in  securing  its  passage  when  it  be- 
came a  law  in  the  session  of  1882-83. 

When  Mr.  Walker  entered  the  arena  of  politics 
he  voted  with  the  Whig  party  but  in  1854  he  be- 
came a  Democrat  and  has  ever  since  been  an  able 
advocate  of  the  tenets  of  that  party.  He  has  sen  ed 
as  Mayor  of  Carlinville,  administering  the  affairs 
of  the  city  with  abilitj  and  public  spirit.  In  the 
year  1862  he  was  elected  to  the  Slate  Legislature 
as  Representative  of  his  district,  and  in  1880  his 
fellow-citizens  sent  him  to  the  State  Senate.  Sound 
statesmanship,  devotion  to  the  interests  of  his  con- 
stituents, and  an  unswerving  adherence  to  the  high- 
est principles  of  honor  and  honesty  marked  bis 
career  as  a  legislator. 


§.$$- 


—  -  0 

&  for  years  boasted  of  being  the  birthplace  of 
some  of  our  most  prominent  men  and  in- 
deed it  is  no  small  honor  to  have  given  to 
the  world  such  men  as  Washington,  Jefferson, 
Adams,  Clay  and  Lee.  There  is  always  a  satisfac- 
tion in  associating  one's  self,  even  in  a  remote  way 
with  those  who  have  accomplished  so  much  in  mak- 
ing our  country  one  of  the  grandest  that  time  has 
ever  known.  Our  subject,  who  resides  on  section 
14,  North  Otter  Township,  is  a  native  of  Virginia. 
His  father,  John  Beckner,  was  also  there  born  and 
his  mother,  Elizabeth  (Cook)  Beckner,  was  also  a 
native  of  the  old  Colonial  State.  There  they  were 
married  and  settled  in  Botetourt  County,  where 
the  father   (bed.     The    mother   followed   him    not 


many  years  after,  passing  away  in  Roanoke  County, 
same  State.  The  grandparents  of  our  subject  were 
John  and  Christens  Beckner,  natives  of  Virginia 
and  Pennsylvania. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  had  ten  children,  he  of 
whom  we  write  being  the  eighth.  He  was  born 
July  22,  1834,  in  the  same  county  in  which  his 
parents  were  married.  Here  he  remained  until  he 
reached  manhood,  enjoying  the  educational  advan- 
tages for  which  his  native  Stale  has  always  been 
noted.  In  1859  he  came  to  Clarke  County,  Ohio, 
there  living  for  five  years,  during  which  time  he 
worked  energetically  and  amassed  a  very  com  tolla- 
ble little  competency.  In  1864  he  removed  to 
Macoupin  County  ami  settled  in  North  Otter 
Township  where  he  has  ever  since  been  a  resident. 
He  has  always  been  a  farmer  anil  has  so  ifltelli- 
gei.tly  conducted  his  work  as  to  make  the  most  of 
I, is  chosen  calling. 

Mr.  Beckner  settled  on  his  present  farm  in  1868- 
69  and  here  he  lias  since  resided.  He  owns  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  and  has  thereon 
erected  a  number  of  buildings  that  supply  the  de- 
mand for  storage  room  for  his  productions.  He, 
himself,  has  a  comfortable  dwelling  that  is  as  in- 
viting inside  as  well  as  out  as  taste  and  refinement 
can  make  it.  He  was  married  in  his  native  State. 
His  bride,  whose  maiden  name  was  Magdalene 
Bruliakcr,  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  She  bore  him 
one  child,  Elizabeth,  and  passed  away  in  North 
Otter  Township  in  October,  1859.  He  contracted 
a  second  marriage,  his  cnoice  being  Miss  Catherine 
Brubaker,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife.  Their  marriage 
took  place  in  North  Otter  Township,  June,  1865; 
like  her  sister,  she  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  there, 
born  June  7,  1846.  Mr.  Beckner  and  his  present 
wife  are  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  eight  of 
whom  arc  still  living.  The  latter  are  Mary.  Laura, 
Susan,  A1  via,  Ida,  Harvey,  Asa  and  Bertha. 

Our  subject  has  shown  his  fitness  for  public  posi- 
tion by  efficiently  discharging  the  duties  of  the 
office  to  which  he  haa^oeen  elected  by  the  people, 
of  School  Director.  Mr.  anil  Mrs.  Beckner  are 
active  members  of  the  German  Baptist  Church. 
The  father  of  Mrs.  Beckner  was  Joel  Brubaker,  who 
was  a  native  of  Virginia.  The  laity's  mother  was 
Elizabeth  (Fisher)  Brubaker,  a  native  of  Franklin 


RESIDENCE!  OF    FRANK    GEHRIG  ,  SEC.  21.,  NILWOOD  TR,  MACOUPIN    CO.,  ILL. 


RESIDENCE    OF      B.    A.    BECKN  ER  ,  SEC.K. ,  NORTH    OTTER   TP.,  MACOUPIN     CO     ILL. 


/  'PBARV 

I'f-IE 

I 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGIiA  PHICAL  RECORD. 


811 


County.  Va.  They  Settled  at  an  early  day  in  that 
State,  the  father  died  in  Roanoke  County,  and  the 
mother  in  Macoupin  County,  111. 

Elsewhere  in  this  volume  appears  a  view  of  the 
comfortable  abode  of  Mr.  Beckner. 


in  Germany,  and  having  always  followed  this  vo- 
cation.    Directly  after  coming  to  this  county  be 

rented  a  farm  in  Brushy  Mound  Township,  and 
after  residing  there  live  years  settled  on  section 
21,  Nilwood   Township. 

To  his  chosen  calling  in   life  Mr.   Gehrig  gives 
his  undivided  attention    and    makes   a  specialty  of 
stock-raising,  which  he  finds   very   profitable.     He 
has  contributed  greatly  to  the  improvement  of  his 
■ — 7  HANK    GEHRIG.      There   is  probably    no       farm  since  he   purchased    it.      The  buildings  are  in 
more  pleasant    farm    in  Nilwood  Township       excellent  condition  and   are  admirably  adapted   to 


than  that  which  is  owned  and  occupied  by 
Mr.  Gehrig,  and  a  view  of  which  accompanies 
this  sketch.  Although  the  acreage  is  not  large, 
yet  every  rod  of  ground  is  made  productive,  or 
set  apart  for  some  useful  purpose.  A  native  of 
Germany,  Mr.  Gehrig  was  born  February  2, 
1839,  and  there  passed  the  days  of  his  boyhood 
and  youth.  When  he  arrived  at  manhood  he  de- 
termined to  seek  a  home  across   the   broad  waters 


their  various  purposes.  Both  Mr.  Gehrig  and  his 
estimable  wife  are  members  of  the  German  Cath- 
olic Church.  The  father  of  our  subject.  Frank 
Gehrig,  died  while  with  his  son  in  Carlinvillc, 
this  State;  the  mother,  Katheriue  Gehrig,  passed 
away  in  Germanj'.  We  may  well  be  proud  of  hav- 
ing so  intelligent  a  German-American  citizen  in 
our  midst,  and  like  many  of  his  countrymen,  he 
has  aided  largely  in  the   development  of  American 


and  sociable. 


of  the  ocean  and  accordingly,  in  the  fall  of  18(!4,  soil;  like  them  also  he  is  warm-hearted,  generous 
lie  emigrated  to  America,  coming  directly  to  Car- 
linvillc, where  he  arrived  February  10,  18G5. 
Since  that  lime  he  has  resided  continuously  in  this 
county  and  has  been  closely  connected  with  its 
later  growth  and   progress. 

Mr.  Gehrig  was  first  married  in  Carlinvillc, 
his  wife  being  Miss  Emma  Michnesser,  who  was 
also  a  native  of  Germany.  She  did  not  long  glad- 
den the  home  of  her  husband  as  she  passed  from 
earth  June  II,  1886.  in  Nilwood  Township.  Mr. 
Gehrig  afterward  married  again,  the  lady  of  his 
choice  being  Miss  Mina  Threde.  who  was,  like 
himself,  a  native  of  the  Fatherland.  Their  mar- 
riage was  celebrated  October  .").  1887,  in  Alton, 
tin's  State,  and  unto  them  two  children  have  been 
born — Dora  and    Frank. 

About  1K74  Mr.  Gehrig  located  upon  Hie  estate 
which  is  still  his  home,  and  which  includes  eighty- 
six  and  one-half  acres.  Considerable  money  has 
been  invested  in  the  improvement  of  the  farm 
and  by  hard  work  Mr.  Gehrig  has  tiansformed  it 
into  a  productive  space,  in  which  the  choicest 
grains  and  vegetables  may  be  found.  Agriculture 
has  always  been  the  chosen  occupation  of  Mr. 
Gehiig,  and  he  thoroughly    understands  the  best 


EREMIAH   CONVERSE,  one  of   the  most 

liberal  and  public-spirited  citizens   of    liarr 
Township,  resides  on   section   20,  where  his 
beautiful    farm    and  excellent    farm   build- 
ings attract  the  eye  of  every  passer-by.    His  father 
was  Alfred  Converse  who  was  born  in  Connecticut 
and  his  mother,  Betsey  Corey,  a  New  Jersey  wom- 
an.    They  etime  from  Vermont  to  Greene  County, 
III  ,  in   1  !s  I  1  and"  made  that  their  permanent    home. 
Our  subject,  had  bis  birth  in    Addisou   County,   N. 
Y.,  March  21.  L822,  and  there  he  grew  to  manhood 
and  resided  until   he  decided   to   emigrate  to  Illi- 
nois, which  was  in   1SI  I.     Two  years  later  he  went 
Iriek    to    the   Green     Mountain    State    to    wed    MlSS 
Lovina  Corey,  who  was  born  in    Addison    County, 
June  2.  1827.     The  marriage  took  place,   Septem- 
ber I-'!.  1846,  and  the  young    rouple    immediately 
came  West  and  made  their  home  in  Greene  ( lounty. 
After  a  long  residence  in  that    county,    Mr.    and 
Mrs.  Converse  thought  best  to  remove   to   Macou- 
metuods  of  fanning,  having  been  reared  on  a  farm        pin  County,  and    moved    upon    a     farm     in     liarr 


812 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Township.  Here  they  have  successfully  carried  on 
1  heir  agricultural  pursuits  and  are  the  owners  »f 
two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  fertile  and  pro- 
ductive   land. 

Six  children  have  brightened  this  home,  namely  : 
Ira  who  married  Emma  D.  Spain;  Helen,  the  wife 
of  David  Stout;  Lucia,  the  wife  of  Elisha  Stout; 
Laura,  Mrs.  Henry  Gary;  Fred  W.,  and  Rufus  E. 
who  married  Lucy  Hicks.  While  living  in  Greene 
County,  Mr.  Converse  made  substantial  improve- 
ments upon  his  farm  there  and  put  it  in  first  '.hiss 
condition.  His  political  views  have  led  him  to 
alliliatc  with  the  Republican  party  and  lie  has  been 
Highway  Commissioner,  an  office  which  he  lias 
filled  with  credit  to  himself  and  great  profit  to  the 
community.  It  is  to  such  men  as  this,  who  by  their 
broad  understanding  of  public  necessities,  unselfish 
devotion  to  public  interest  and  strict,  integrity, 
have  proved  their  fitness  for  public  office,  that, 
anv  community  owes  much  of  its  prosperity  and 
pi  ogress. 

— *-    ~^r~       *-  ' 

ENRY  J.  PRANGE,  a  successful  and  w.  II- 
1  to-do  farmer  of  Cahokia  Township,  who 
resides  on  section  23,  owns  there  an  excellent 
farm  of  two  hundred  and  thirty-eight  acres, 
and  upon  them  he  has  good  farm  buildings,  lie- 
sides  this  tract  he  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  on  section  34,  and  it  is  all  well  improved 
and  rich  prairie  land.  He  has  resided  in  this  town- 
ship since  1877,  and  on  this  farm  the  past  nine 
years.  Formerly  he  had  lived  in  Jit.  Olive  Town- 
shit),  this  county,  and  was  there  reared  and  educa- 
ted to  the  business  of  a  farmer. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  Au- 
gust 23,  1852,  and  is  the  second  son  of  Henry 
Prange,  who  became  one  of  the  earliest  German 
settlers  of  Ml.  Olive  Township.  For  further  inter- 
esting minutia  in  regard  to  this  worthy  family,  we 
refer  the  reader  to  the  biographical  sketch  of  the 
father  which  is  found  on  another  page  of  this 
R]  i  ord.  Our  subject  was  only  one  year  old  when 
his  parents  came  to  the  United  States  in  1853.  The 
family  voyaged  in  a  sailing  vessel  and  landing  in 
New  Orleans,  journeyed  North  and  settled  in  Ma- 


coupin County,  which  has  been  their  permanent 
home  from  that  day  to  this. 

Henry  was  married  in  Cahokia  Township,  this 
county.  March  G,  1878,  to  Wilhelmina  Eickmeyer, 
who  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  December  21,  1859. 
She  was  eighteen  months  old  when  her  parents, 
William  and  Wilhelmina  (Kruse)  Eickmeyer,  re- 
moved from  St.  Louis  to  Cahokia  Township,  and 
settled  upon  the  farm  where  they  are  yet  living. 
This  venerable  couple  are  still  living,  and  stand 
high  as  good  citizens  of  this  county.  They  were 
born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  and  were  there  reared 
and  married.  Two  children  were  born  unto  them, 
and  one  was  taken  from  them  by  death  before  they 
came  to  this  country.  They,  as  well  as  their  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Prange,  are  faithful  and  devoted  members 
of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Prange  have  been  born  six 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  home  with  their 
faithful  and  devoted  parents.  They  are  as  follows: 
Anna  W.,  Lydia  W.,  Mary  W.,  Minnie  S..  John  H. 
and  William  II.  'I his  family  stands  high  in  the 
community,  the  father  being  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent among  the  German-American  citizens  of  the 
county.  His  neighbors  have  twice  given  to  him 
the  position  of  Township  Collector,  which  he  has 
filled  with  credit  to  himself  and  profit  to  his  neigh- 
bors. 


OBERT  TUCKER,  who  resides  on  section 
27,  North  Palmyra  Township,  is  a  promi- 
nent and  successful  fanner  and  tile  manu- 
facturer. Like  many  other  residents  of 
this  county,  he  is  of  Southern  lineage.  His  father, 
Robert  Tucker,  was  a  Virginian  and  his  mother, 
Margaret  Ellis,  having  been  bom  in  Kentucky. 
Their  first  Illinois  home  was  in  Morgan  County,  to 
which  they  came  from  Kentucky,  and  after  having 
lived  there  about  a  year  emigrated  to  Missouri, 
where  Robert  Tucker,  Sr.,  died  in  Clay  County. 
The  family  then  returned  to  Kentucky  and  settled 
in  Marion  County.  The  widow  afterward  married 
William  Powers  and  settled  in  Casey  County, 
Ky.,  where  that  gentleman  died.  Being  a  second 
time  left  a  widow  this  lady  returned  to  Illinois  and 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


8 1 3 


settled  in  Macoupin  County,  dining  the  Inst  part  (if 
the  decade  of  the  '(Jus.  Her  life  ended  in  Scott- 
ville  Township,  in  August.  1878.     Three  sons  ami 

one  daughter  blessed  her  first  marriage  of  whom 
Robert  was  the  youngest. 

The  subject  of  this  brief  review  was  born  in 
Clay  County.  Mo..  March  II,  1835, and  lived  with 
his  grandfather,  Isaac  Kllis,  until  he  was  about 
nineteen  years  old.  In  1854  became  to  Macoupin 
County  and  hired  out  to  the  late  Isom  Dalton.  in 
a  brick  factory,  and  remained  with  him  for  six 
months.  For  another  eighteen  months  he  was  en- 
gaged in  farm  work  and  then  decided  to  begin 
independently  for  himself.  He  rented  land  for 
two  years  in  North  Palmyra  Township,  and  in  this 
way  prepared  for  future  prosperity. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  O'Neal,  of  whom  our  readers 
will  find  a  sketch  upon  another  page  of  this  vol- 
ume, made  a  wedding  for  her  daughter  Sarah  at 
her  home  in  North  Palmyra  Township,  June  13, 
1858,  This  daughter  was  then  wedded  to  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  Mrs.  Tucker  was  born  in 
North  Palmyra  Township,  April  14,  1810.  and 
there  she  had  grown  to  a  beautiful  and  attractive 
young  womanhood.  Mrs.  O'Neal  made  the  young 
couple  welcome  to  reside  upon  her  farm  for  three 
or  four  years,  after  which  they  settled  on  section 
•1~ .  of  Palmyra  Township,  where  Mr.  Tucker  has 
since  been  a  resident,  In  the  spring  of  1879  he 
built  the  tile  works  on  his  farm  and  has  since  car- 
ried them  on  in  connection  with  his  culture  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty-six  broad  and  rich  acres.  He 
nas  erected  a  pleasant  home  and  has  made  good 
improvements  upon   his  land. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tucker  are  the  parents  of  four 
children:  Elizabeth  A.,  Lewis  L.,  Grant  C.  Olis 
C.  The  eldest  son  died  when  seven  months  old. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tucker  have  trained  their  children 
acceding  to  the  doctrines  and  duties  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  and  are  themselves  active  members 
of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  much  of  the  prosperity 
which  these  young  people  are  meeting  in  life  may 
well  be  ascribed  to  the  judicious  instruction  and 
education  which  was  given  them  by  their  parents. 
Mrs.  Tucker  is  a  woman  of  unusual  ability  and 
character  and  makes  her  mark  in  the  community 
where  she  resides.     Mr.  Tucker  has    well  filled  the 


position  Of  School  Director  and  while  in  that  office 
materially  advanced  the  interest  of  education.  The 
political  doctrines  which  he  endorses  are  those  of 
the  Republican  party.  Mrs.  Tucker  is  a  sister  of 
Mrs.  .1.  P.  (iibbs,  whose  husband  is  elsewhere  re- 
corded in  this  volume.  Their  pleasant  home  is 
the  scene  of  frequent  and  happy  social  reunions 
and  their  hospitality  is  well-known  throughout  the 
township. 


~i-^3XEHr>~i- 


^j=^:-:or<;k  w. 

'if  ^wf   I>a'm.vrrl'  is 
^^||    active    busii 


yr^ZORGK  W.  .JOHN,  a  respected  citizen  of 
is  no',  at  present  engaged  in  any 
iness  enterprise.  He  has  in  for- 
mer years  been  connected  with  mercantile  and  man- 
ufacturing affairs  and  he  has  also  had  some  interest 
among  the  agriculturists  of  this  section,  as  the 
owner  of  a  good  piece  of  outlying  land.  He  is 
classed  among  the  intelligent,  law-abiding  and  use- 
ful members  of  the  community,  and  is  known  to 
possess  the  true  public  spirit,  which  is  manifested 
in  his  connection  with  those  projects  which  tend 
to  develop  the  material  and  civil  resources  of  the 
country. 

The  John  family  was  established  in  America  in 
Colonial  times  by  <  )wen  John,  a  native  of  Wales. 
He  set  up  his  home  in  Chester  County,  Pa.,  which 
was  the  birthplace  of  the  succeeding  generations 
until  the  time  of  our  subject.  The  second  of  the 
family  in  the  direct  line  was  William,  the  next 
Owen  and  the  next  Evan.  The  last  named  was  a 
natural  mechanic  and  worked  at  cabinetmaking  and 
shoemaking.  In  1838  he  removed  to  this  Slate. 
traveling  with  a  team  to  Wheeling,  W.  Va.,  and 
there  embarking  on  a  river  boat  and  via  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi,  readied  Alton.  Upon  disembark- 
ing, he  resumed  the  journey  with  his  team.  Spring- 
field being  bis  objective  point,  That  now  thriving 
city  was  then  but  a  village  and  tne  surrounding 
country  was  sparsely  settled. 

After  spending  six  months  there  Mr.  John  re- 
moved to  Auburn,  where  he  opened  a  cabinet-shop 
and  followed  the  trade  until  1846.  That  year  he 
bought  a  home  on  Hart's  Prairie.  Morgan  County, 
and  lived  there  until   1858i  in  the  meantime    work- 


814 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ing  in  a  machine  shop  at  Waller's  Mills.  His  next 
removal  was  to  Palmyra,  this  county,  where  he 
bought  a  lot  am)  built  a  house.  After  living  in 
the  village  a  few  years  he  bought  land  a  short  dis 
tance  south  of  town  and  resided  there  until  after 
the  death  of  his  wife,  from  which  time  he  made  his 
home  with  his  children.  The  maiden  nan  e  of  his 
wife  was  Angeline  Mercer  and  she  was  a  native  of 
Maryland.  The  family  included  six:  children,  one 
son  and  five  daughters  and  four  of  the  household 
band  are  now  living. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  born  in  Maryland, 
May  7,  1833.  He  was  five  years  old  when  he  came 
to  this  Stale  and  he  has  a  vivid  recollection  of  the 
incidents  of  the  journey  and  of  pioneer  life  here  at 
a  time  when  deer  and  wolves  were  plenty  in  Ma- 
coupin County.  He  made  his  home  with  his  par- 
ents until  he  was  twenty-six  years  old,  although  he 
had  been  doing  for  himself  sonic  time  before  he  es- 
tablished a  home  elsewhere.  In  1854  he  built  a 
sawmill  in  Morgan  County  and  operated  ii  until 
1S58,  then  removed  the  plant  to  Palmyra  and  car- 
ried on  the  same  work  here  until  1861.  At  that 
time  he  decided  to  make  a  change  of  occupation. 
and  selling  the  mi'l  he  took  up  a  mercantile  life. 
He  carried  on  business  two  years,  then  sold  out  and 
bought  an  interest  in  the  tloiiring-mill.  To  the 
operation  of  this  he  devoted  his  attention  twenty 
years  and  when  that  period  had.  elapsed  disposed  of 
his  interest  and  entered  upon  a  life  of  leisure.  He 
still  owns  a  good  farm  two  miles  north  of  the  vil- 
lage, that  he  bought  some  years  since 

Mr.  John  was  married  first  in  I85JJ  to  Cynthia 
E.  Kino:.  That  lady  was  born  in  North  Palmyra 
Township  and  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  King. 
She  died  in  1862.  leaving  two  daughters,  Nettie 
and  Cynthia  E.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  John 
was  solemnized  in  1866  and  his  bride  was  Mis. 
Elizabeth  M.  Hodges  nee  Rice.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Elizabeth  Rice  and  widow  of 
Samuel  Hodges.  Her  union  with  our  subject  re- 
sulted in  the  birth  of  four  cli'ldi-cn,  two  of  whom 
survive,  namely:  Myrtle  and  Charlie.  The  mother 
of  these  children  died  in  1879  and  in  1881  Mr. 
John  was  married  to  Rachel  D.  Yoakley.  This 
lady  is  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  a  daughter  of  E. 
J$.  and   Eliza   Yoakley.     She  is  a  member  in  good 


standing  of  the  Methodist.  Episcopal  Church  and 
Mr.  John  is  also  identified  with  that  religious  body. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Republican  party  and  is  al- 
ways to  be  found  at  the  polls  exercising  the  right 
of  suffrage,  as  he  thinks  every  loyal  citizen  should. 


jolIN  MONTGOMERY,  a  retired  farmer 
living  in  Brighton,  has  resided  in  Illinois 
since  her  territorial  days  and  has  therefore 
Keen  an  eyewitness  of  her  entire  growth  as 
a  State.  With  the  history  of  two  of  her  counties, 
Madison  and  .Macoupin,  he  has  been  prominently 
connected  and  this  volume  would  be  incomplete  if 
his  life-record  was  omitted.  He  has  seen  the  broad 
prairies  of  the  State  transformed  into  excellent 
homes  and  farms,  towns  and  villages  spring  up, 
countless  industries  and  manufactories  introduced, 
while  miles  upon  miles  of  railroad  have  been  built, 
penetrating  every  nook  and  corner  of  this  vast 
State. 

Mr.  Montgomery  has  lived  in  this  county  for 
lifty-two  years.  lb'  was  bom  in  Madison  County, 
six  miles  from  Alion,  February  7.  1817,  and  be- 
longs to  an  old  family  that  had  come  to  Illinois  in 
the  early  part  of  the  present  century  and  located 
on  territorial  land.  His  father,  William  Montgom- 
ery, was  a  native  of  Virginia  but  was  reared  in 
Kentucky  and  when  a  young  man  sought  a  home 
in  Madison  County.  III.  Responding  to  the  coun- 
try's call  for  troops,  he  served  throughout'  the  en- 
tire War  of  1812,  and  for  his  meritorious  service 
was  made  Captain  of  his  company.  When  the  war 
was  over  he  returned  to  his  old  home,  where  he 
lived  until  his  death  which  occurred  at  the  age  of 
sixty  five  years.  The  land  which  he  entered  from 
the  Government  is  still  in  the  possession  of  the 
family,  being  now  the  properly  of  his  son,  Hamp- 
ton. William  Montgomery  was  married  in  Madi- 
son County  to  Miss  Sallie  Ratten,  a  native  of 
Virginia.  Her  father  emigrated  with  his  family 
from  Virginia  to  Illinois  and  became  the  first  white 
settler  on  what  has  since  been  known  as  Ratten 
Prairie,  where  he  lived  and  died.  He  was  a  prom- 
inent citizen    ami    pioneer.      The   death    of    Mrs. 


IJBRARy 

or  t«f 

UN»VFRcitv  r 


4& 


t.  m» 


-:-V 


6EORQE    W.  ADAMS. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


817 


Montgomery  occurred  some  six  years  prior  to  her 
husband's  decease,  she  was  to  him  a  true  help- 
mate and  a  most  estimable  lady.  Our  subject  was 
the  second  in  order  of  birth  in  their  family  of 
twelve  children,  seven  of  whom  are  yec  living. 

John  Montgomery  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  twenty -three  years  of  age,  being  reared 
among  the  wild  scenes  of  pioneer  life  and  then 
came  to  this  county,  where  he  began  work  on  a 
new  farm.  He  has  been  twice  married,  his  first 
union  being  with  Miss  Mercy  Love,  a  native  of 
Cape  Cod,  Mass.,  who  with  her  parents  came  to 
Illinois  during  her  childhood.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Love 
were  prominent  people  of  this  community  and  here 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Mrs.  Mont- 
gomery was  also  a  lady  of  many  excellencies  of 
character  and  her  death,  which  occurred  at  the  age 
of  forty  years,  was  mourned  by  many  friends  out- 
side of  her  immediate  family.  By  that  union  have 
been  born  four  children — Thomas,  who  wedded 
Abigail  Ebberman,  is  living  in  Ft.  Collins,  Colo., 
where  he  formerly  occupied  the  position  of  County- 
Clerk;  Miranda  is  the  wife  of  Abraham  Wood,  and 
their  home  is  in  Woodhurn,  III.;  John  P.,  who 
wedded  Lena  Sanns,  is  living  on  his  father's  farm ; 
anil  May  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  Frank  Stubblefield. 

Mr.  Montgomery  was  again  married  in  this 
county,  his  second  union  being  with  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Jackson,  who  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Ind., 
September  7,  1833,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Andrew 
and  Susanna  Johnson,  the  former  a  native  of  Indi- 
ana and  the  latter  of  South  Carolina.  They  were 
married  in  the  Hoosier  State,  where  they  resided 
until  1865,  when  they  came  to  Illinois,  locating  in 
Macoupin  County.  Here  both  died  when  well 
advanced  in  years.  When  Elizabeth  Johnson  was 
a  young  maiden  she  went  to  Arkansas,  where  she 
met  and  married  Peter  Jackson,  who  died  in  that 
State  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Montgomery  have  a  pleasant  home  in  Brighton, 
where  they  expect  to  spend  the  remainder  of  their 
days.  They  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church, 
in  the  work  of  which  they  take  an  active  interest 
and  by  all  who  know  them  they  are  held  in  high 
esteem.  In  polities,  Mr.  Montgomery  is  a  Demo- 
crat. He  made  farming  his  life-occupation  and  in 
this  county  cleared  and  improved  land,  developing 


it  into  an  excellent  farm.  As  i  he  result  of  his  in- 
dustry,   perseverance   and    g I    management    he 

acquired  a  handsome  property  and  in  his  declining 
Mars  he  is  now  living  a  retired  life,  enjoying  the 
fruits  of  his  former  toil. 


* -6~H§ 


-^ 


/p^EORCK  W.  ADAMS.  The  name  of  this 
[If  <=-  gentleman  was  for  many  years  a  familiar 
^$=^1  one  among  the  people  of  Macoupin  County, 
where  he  entered  upon  and  finished  a  most  worthy 
career.  His  portrait  presented  on  the  opposite 
page  represents  a  citizen  widely  known  and  honored 
wherever  known.  Not  only  was  he  a  witness 
of  the  development  of  Macoupin  County  from  a 
comparatively  unimportant  portion  of  the  state 
to  its  present  position  among  the  foremost  coun- 
ties, out  he  aided  in  its  progress  and  his  history  is 
closely  interwoven  with  that  of  the  county.  His 
life  was  a  busy  one;  realizing  that  we  are  not  here 
merely  to  "  kill  time"  he  aimed  to  fill  his  life  with 
useful  deeds.  It  may  truly  be  said  of  him  that  he 
was  one  of  those 

"  Who  comprehend  their  trust  and  to  the  same 
Keep  faithful  with  a  singleness  of  aim; 

And  therefore  do  not  stoop  or  lie  in  wait 
For  wealth  or  honor  or  for  worldly  state; 

Whom  they  must  follow,  ou  whose  head  must  fall. 
Like  showers  of  manna,  if  they  come  at  all." 

The  parent-.!  history  (if  Mr.  Adams  is  fully 
given  in  the  biographical  sketch  of  his  brother, 
tides  M..  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  We  will 
merely  relate  the  most  important  events  in  his  life 
and  those  incidents  which  most  powerfully  affected 
his  destiny.  Prior  to  his  demise  he  was  a  farmer 
of  Brushy  Mound  Township,  anil  occupied  one  of 
the  oldest  homesteads  of  the  county.  He  was  the 
son  of  William  C.  and  Margaret  (Ward)  Adams, 
who  came  to  Illinois  in  1828,  becoming  pioneers  in 
what  was  at  that  time  a  wilderness,  where  wild 
animals  and  Indians  roamed  unmolested.  There 
were  neither  railways  nor  free  schools,  and  farming 
was  conducted  after  the  most  primitive  style.  In 
that  sparsely  settled  section  the  father  made  a 
settlement  near  Dorchester  and  afterward  improved 
a  farm   in  what  is  now  Brushy  Mour.d  Township. 


818 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


In  the  log  cabin  which  was  the  pioneer  home  of 
his  parents,  in  Brushy  Mound  Township,  George 
\V.  Adams  was  born  November  12,  1847.  He  was 
reared  to  a  stalwart  manhood  in  his  native  place 
and  gleaned  a  common-school  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  boyhood.  His  attention  was  mainly 
given  to  agricultural  pursuits  and  having  a  predi- 
lection for  rural  labors  he  naturally  chose  farming 
as  his  life  vocation.  When  quite  young  he  was 
orphaned  by  the  death  of  his  father,  after  which 
he  continued  to  reside  with  his  mother  on  the  home 
farm.  This  place  was  his  home  during  his  entire 
life  with  the  exception  of  four  years  passed  in 
Montgomery  County. 

In  his  wife  Mr.  Adams  found  a  true  helpmate, 
one  who  doubled  his  joys  and  divided  his  sorrows. 
She  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  E.  Dowdall. 
and  was  born  in  Greene  County,  this  State,  to  John 
S.  and  Ellen  (Witt)  Dowdall.  The  marriage  of 
our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife  was  celebrated 
August  13,  1868,  and  four  children  born  of  the 
union  are  living  at  present.  Laura  E..  Margaret  E., 
Cora  B.  and  George  W.  Four  children  are  deceased. 
Politically  Mr.  Adams  was  a  stanch  upholder  of  the 
Democratic  party.  His  death  occurred  May  IS, 
1891,  when  only  in  the  prime  of  a  useful  life.  As 
a  husband,  he  was  tender  and  devoted;  as  a  father 
he  reared  his  children  to  nobly  act  their  part  in  the 
battle  of  life;  as  a  citizen,  he  was  upright  and 
patriotic.  Although  his  large  circle  of  acquaint- 
ances deeply  mourn  his  untimely  demise,  they 
realize  that  he  has  left  behind  him  that  which  can- 
not fade  away  — the  example  of  an  honorable  life. 

OHN  CHURCHILL  KING,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Palmyra,  was  born  on  a  farm  on 
section  32,  of  North  Palmyra  Township, 
November  14,  1837.  His  father,  Joseph 
King  was  born  in  Todd  County,  Ky.,  as  was 
also  his  grandfather.  Joseph  King  was  reared  in 
Kentucky  and  after  his  marriage  came  from  there 
to  Illinois  in  1835,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and 
two  children.  They  made  the  entire  journey  over- 
land with  ox-teams,  bringing  with   them   all   their 


earthly  possessions.  His  financial  circumstances 
were  very  limited  and  although  most  of  the  land 
in  the  county  was  for  sale  at  $1.25  per  acre  he 
could  not  purchase.  He  rented  land  for  a  time 
and  then  soon  as  he  hail  the  means,  he  entered 
fort}'  acres  of  timber  and  brush  land  upon  section 
32,  of  North  Palmyra  Township  and  built  a  log 
cabin  on  the  place.  He  with  his  own  hands  rived 
the  boards  for  the  roof  and  chinked  the  cracks 
with  chips  and  clay.  At  that  time  there  were  no 
railroads  through  this  region  and  for  a  number  of 
years,  Alton  and  St.  Louis  were  the  nearest  mar- 
kets and  the  people  lived  altogether  on  the  product 
of  the  farm.  Somewhat  later  Mr.  King  purchased 
more  land  and  finally  had  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  arable  land  all  under  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Abigail  D.  Floyd.  She  was  born  in  Virginia, 
a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary  Floyd.  During 
the  early  years  of  her  pioneer  life  she  carded, 
spun,  wove  and  made  the  garments  with  which  she 
clothed  herself  and  the  children,  for  homespun 
was  not  only  the  fashion  but  a  necessity  of  those 
days.  After  the  death  of  her  husband  she  resided 
with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  George  A.  Norvel,  and 
died  at  her  home.  She  reared  six  children,  Charles 
F.,  Mary  A.,  James  T.,  Cynthia  E.,  John  C.  and 
Lucinda  J. 

John  King  attended  the  pioneer  schools  in  a  log 
school-house.  In  building  this  house  one  log  was 
left  out  on  one  side  the  full  length  of  the  building 
to  admit  light.  Along  under  this  primitive  win- 
dow, holes  were  bored  and  pins  inserted  in  them, 
and  upon  them  laid  a  board,  which  served  as  a 
desk  for  the  larger  scholars.  The  seats  were  made 
by  spliting  logs  and  hewing  one  side  smooth. 
There  were  no  backs  to  these  seats  and  the  heat  of 
the  fireplace  served  in  lieu  of  stove  or  furnace. 
He  commenced  to  assist  his  father  on  the  farm  as 
soon  as  he  was  large  enough  to  be  of  use  and 
resided  with  his  parents  until  he  reached  his  ma- 
jority. He  then  worked  out  for  others  for  a  \  ear 
and  afterward  took  charge  of  his  father's  farm  for 
two  years. 

The  young  man  was  now  given  thirty  acres  of 
good  land  by  his  father,  and  he  removed  the  log 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


819 


house  which  bis  father  had  buill  Lo  its  present 
location    upon    this  farm    and   there   commenced 

housekeeping.  After  four  years  he  sold  this 
property  and  bought  sixty  acres  in  the  same  town- 
ship and  also  a  residence  in  the  village  of  Palmyra. 
After  living  there  one  year  he  sold  the  property 
and  bought  eighty  acres  in  South  Palmyra  Town- 
ship and  made  his  home  there  until  1875.  He 
again  sold  his  property  and  purchased  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  adjoining  the  village.  He  has 
made  an  addition  lo  the  village  for  which  he  platted 
seine  forty  acres,  much  of  which  he  has  disposed 
of  for  residence  lots  and  he  is  still  carrying  on  the 
farm  with  the  remainder  of  the  land,  in  1890  he 
platted  an  addition  of  four  acres  to  Oak  Hill 
Cemetery. 

The  marriage  of  John  Churchill  King  to  Sarah 
Elizabeth  John  was  solemnized  November  15,  I860. 
This  lady  was  born  in  Sangamon  County  where 
her  parents  resided.  Her  father,  Evan  John,  was  a 
native  of  Chester  Count}',  Pa.  He  was  a  son  of 
Owen  John  who,  as  well  as  his  grandfather  William, 
was  a  native  of  the  same  county.  The  great-great- 
grandfather of  Mrs.  King  was  also  Owen  John  and 
a  native  of  Wales,  who  came  to  America  in  the 
Colonial  days  and  made  his  home  upon  a  farm  in 
that  county.  William  John  the  great-grandfather 
of  Mrs.  King  married  Rachel  Rodgers.  His  sun 
Owen  was  married  iu  Chester  County  and  there 
spent  the  remainder  of  bis  days,  and  the  father  of 
Mrs.  King  went  to  Maryland  when  a  young  man 
and  there  married  Angeline  Mercer.  She  was  born 
in  Cecil  County,  Md.  and  was  a  daughter  of  George 
W.  and  Sarah  (Everson)  Mercer.  In  1840  he  came 
to  Illinois  and  made  his  residence  for  awhile  in 
Springfield,  and  afterward  removed  to  Auburn, 
Sangamon  County  where  be  followed  bis  trade  of 
a  cabinet-maker. 

The  father  of  Mrs.  King  lived  in  Auburn  until 
1846,  and  then  removed  to  Morgan  County  and 
settled  on  Hart's  Prairie  buying  land  and  engaging 
in  farming,  while  at  the  same  time  he  worked  at 
bis  trade.  He  resided  there  until  1858  and  they 
removed  to  Palmyra  and  bought  a  home,  and  later 
bought  land  half  a  mile  south  of  the  village  where 
they  resided  until  the  death  of  his  wife  and  then 
made    his   home  with    his  children  until  his  own 


death  which  took  place,  February  22.  1889.  He 
had  been  bereaved  of  his  wife  some  eighl  year's 
previOU3  she  passing  away  in  July,   1881. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  King  have  two  children,  both  sons, 
.Joseph  E.  and  Lewis  M.  Mr.  King  is  a  member 
of  the  Palmyra  Lodge  No.  348  I.  0.  <  >.  F.  lie  is 
a  man  who  is  intelligent  and  wide  awake  to  all 
matters  of  public  interest  a, id  he  casts  his  vote  and 
influence  with  the  Republican  party.  His  intelli- 
gence  and  natural  ability  make  him  a  leader  among 
his  townsmen  ami  he  has  been  placed  upon  the  Vill- 
age Board.  His  family  stands  well  in  social  circles 
and  is  respected  and  beloved  for  its  intelligence 
and  hospitality. 

•     -<♦- *i$^. «w 

ylLLIAMCARLING.SR.  Many  of  the  most 
prominent  citizens  of  Macoupin  County 
and  the  most  thorough  and  energetic 
farmers  and  business  men  are  to  he  found  among 
our  British  American  citizens  and  among  them  we 
are  pleased  to  call  the  attention  of  our  readers  to 
"William  Catling,  who  was  born  in  Newcastle, 
Northumberland  County,  England,  on  New  Year's 
Day,  1824.  His  father,  Peter  Carling,  was  liorn  in 
Dublin,  Ireland,  and  there  received  his  early  train- 
ing and  education,  but. afterward  went  to  Fngland 
and  was  there  married  in  Northumberland  County. 
He  was  a  sailmaker  and  followed  his  trade  in  that 
country  for  several  years. 

The  father  of  our  subject  chose1  for  Ins  wife 
Catherine  Duncan,  who  was  born  in  Kirkendlighl. 
Scotland,  and  died  iu  Northumberland  County, 
having  become  the  mother  of  three  children,  John, 
William  (our  subject)  and  James.  'I  his  son.  Will- 
iam, had  been  reared  in  his  native  county  and  at 
twelve  years  of  age  had  been  apprenticed  to  a 
tailor,  with  whom  he  remained  for  fifteen  months, 
and  then  traveled  for  a  time  and  afterward  engaged 
in  mining.  He  made  his  first  visit  to  America  in 
1848  are!  remained  here  for  eighteen  months,  after 
which  he  returned  to  England  and  resided  there 
until  1853. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  again  decided  to  ley 
his   fortune   in   the    New  World,  and  with   his   wife 


820 


PORTRAIT  AND  UK  (GRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


and  two  children  set  sail  in  the  fall  of  1853  from 
Liverpool,  making  his  ocean  voyage  in  a  sailing 
vessel  named  "The  Philadelphia."  They  landed 
in  the  city  for  which  their  vessel  was  named  after 
seven  weeks  and  three  days  spent  upon  the  briny 
deep.  They  located  near  Akron,  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  where  they  engaged  in  mining  and  re- 
mained until  1857,  when  they  came  to  Illinois  and 
made  their  home  in  Belleville.  Here  they  remained 
for  three  months  only  and  then  went  to  Alton  and 
after  eight  months  they  came  to  this  county  and 
settled   mi  the  farm  where  he  now  resides. 

The  emigrant  was  now  prepared  to  purchase  a 
home  and  in  1863  bought  a  tract  of  land  composed 
of  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  one  hundred  and 
sixty  of  which  was  improved  and  the  rest  in  pas- 
ture land,  lie  had  been  married  in  1848  in  the  old 
home  across  the  sea.  His  bride  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Elizabeth  Moulter.  She  was  horn  in 
County  Durham,  England,  and  was  a  daughter  <■•' 
William  and  Klizabeth  (Chambers)  Monitor,  the 
former  being  a  native  of  Scotland  and  the  latter  of 
County  Durham.  England,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Carling 
died  May   I,  1890. 

The  second  wife  of  our  subject  was  Mrs.  Sarah 
(Dixon)  Fay  and  she  is  a  native  of  County  Durham, 
England.  Mrs.  Calling's  grandfather,  Ralph 
Dixon,  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade  and  spent  his 
entire  life  in  his  native  land.  Her  father,  Robert 
Dixon,  followed  mining  in  his  native  land  until 
1833,  and  then  came  to  America  and  located  at 
Pittsburg,  Pa.,  where  three  years  later  his  wife  and 
three  children  joined  him.  In  1837  the  family  re- 
moved to  Ohio,  where  they  resided  until  1857, 
after  which  they  spent  one  year  in  St.  Louis.  In 
1858  Mr.  Dixon  removed  to  Point  Precinct,  Cal- 
houn County,  and  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land 
in  the  forks  of  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  Rivers. 
Here  he  died  February  11,  1859.  The  maiden 
name  of  Mrs.  Dixon  was  Margaret  Hay.  She  was 
born  in  County  Durham  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Sarah  (Turner)  Hay.  She  still  resides 
on  her  home  farm  in  Calhoun  County. 

Mrs.  Carling  was  eight  years  old  when  she  came 
with  her  mother  to  America.  They  journeyed  on 
the  sailing  vessel  -'Shakespeare"  and  landed  in  New 
York   after  what  was  considered  a  short  voyage  of 


twenty-seven  days.  This  lady  was  first  married  in 
Armstrong,  Pa.,  in  1851.  being  then  united  to  Mr. 
William  Fay.  They  lived  in  Pennsylvania  until 
1857  and  then  after  a  year's  residence  in  St. 
Louis,  bought  ii  farm  in  Point  Precinct,  which  Mrs. 
Calling  still  owns.  Mr.  Fay  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits  ami  resided  in  Calhoun  County  until 
his  death,  which  took  place  on  Christmas  Day, 
1884. 

Mr.  Calling  has  three  children  living,  namely: 
William,  John  and  Sarah  Ellen.  Mrs.  Carling  has 
eight  children:  Robert,  James.  Elizabeth  .1.,  Mar- 
garet A.,  John  F.,  George  Edward,  Nettie  and 
Nellie,  the  two  last  named  being  twins.  Mr.  Car- 
ling has  been  a  life-long  Democrat,  but  was  strenu- 
ously opposed  to  slavery,  and  although  surrounded 
by  many  who  sympathized  with  the  pro-slavery 
element,  cast  his  vote  in  our  national  crisis  for 
Abraham  Lincoln  and  Gen.  Grant.  He  has  served 
for  eight  years  .as  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  for  six 
years  has  represented  his  town  on  the  County 
Board  of  Supervisors.  This  in  a  few  words  gives 
a  sketch  of  the  life  of  one  of  the  worthy  citizens 
dt'   Seottville  Township. 


s&^W 


R.  B("I)I>.  He  of  whom  we  write  is  a  suc- 
cessful druggist  of  Bunker  Hill  where  he 
has  been  doing  a  large  and  paying  business 
for  a  good  many  years,  located  on  the 
southwest  corner  of  Washington  and  Warren 
Streets,  known  as  the  "old  drug  store."  It  was 
originally  established  by  John  A.  Delano  in  1852. 
He  and  his  heirs  were  succeeded  by  H.  R.  Budd  in 
May,  1890,  who  still  continue  to  keep  the  large 
trade  of  the  house  that  is  well  known  as  the  prin- 
cipal drug  store  in  the  city.  Mr.  Budd  had  form- 
erly been  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Budd  Bros., 
druggists,  of  this  place  since  1874,  and  this  part- 
nership existed  until  1879,  when  the  company  dis- 
solved and  the  subject  of  this  sketch  became  the 
head  of  the  busines  where  he  now  is.  It  is  a  thor- 
oughly well-equipped  store  with  a  main  floor,  second 
story  and  basement. 

Mr.  Budd  has  a  thorough  knowledge  of  his  busi- 


.'ORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


821 


ncss,  having  grown  up  in  it.  He  has  lived  all  his 
life  in  this  county,  with  the  exception  of  four 
years  which  he  spent  in  England  where  he    was   in 

school.  He  was  born  in  the  western  part  of  this 
county.  September  16,  1853.  He  lived  with  his 
parents  until  he  was  nearly  of  age  when  he  em- 
harked  in  business  for  himself  and  lias  since  made 
a  decided  success  of  commercial  life.  He  may 
truly  be  called  a  self-made  man. 

At  an  early  age  Mr.  Budd  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Emily  C.  Payne.  She  was  born  in 
Macoupin  County,  and  belonged  to  a  family  who 
had  lived  in  the  county  for  many  years,  and  her 
parents  are  still  residents  of  Bunker  Hill.  Mrs. 
liudd  was  carefully  reared  while  at  home  and  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  the  county.  She  is 
an  intelligent  and  charming  woman,  holding  a 
prominent  place  in  the  society  of  the  town  and 
proving  an  efficient  helpmate  in  all  her  husband's 
undertakings. 

Mrs.  Budd  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church  in  which  she  is  known  in  all 
good  words  am]  works.  Mr.  Budd  is  present.  Mas- 
ter of  Blue  Lodge,  No.  151, F.  &  A.  M.  of  Banker 
Hill.  He  takes  an  active  part  in  all  municipal 
matters,  is  public  spirited  in  the  extreme,  one  who 
is  in  need  of  a  helping  hand  or  kindly  word  never 
appealing  to  his  generous  heart  in  vain.  In  politics 
Mr.  Budd  is  a  radical  Democrat,  the  principles  of 
that  parly  agreeing  more  with  his  ideas  of  personal 
rights. 


LBERT  SAWTELL  is  classed  among  the 
intelligent  young  farmers,  natives  of  this 
county,  who  are  now  materially  assisting 
in  carrying  on  its  great  agricultural  inter- 
ests. For  some  years  he  has  had  charge  of  the 
home  farm  in  Chesterfield  Township,  upon  which 
he  was  born  February  13,  1861.  He  is  a  son  of 
Thomas  Sawtell  who  was  born  in  Somersetshire, 
England.  He  in  turn  was  a  son  of  James  Sawtell, 
who  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  life-long  resident 
of  that  English  shire. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  and  married 
in     his    native  land,  and  made  his  home  there  until 


1858.     In  that  year  he  emigrated    to    this  country 

with  his  wife  and  the  child  that  had  been  born  to 
them  in  their  old  home.  The  little  family  set  sail 
from  Liverpool  and  landed  at  New  York  after  a 
long  ocean  voyage,  and  the  father  first  rented  land 
in  Morgan  County,  this  state.  Two  years  later  he 
came  to  Chesterfield  Township  and  bought  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  on  which  stood 
a  log  hoii.>e  and  stable  and  a  few  acres  were  under 
cultivation.  He  energetically  set  about  making 
further  improvements,  and  in  due  time  developed 
a  line  farm,  which  he  increased  in  size  uniil  at  the 
time  of  his  death  he  owned  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  choice  land,  all  lying  in  a  body. 
His  demise  in  April,  1S77  removed  a  good  citizen 
from  the  township  where  he  had  done  Valuable 
work  in  opening  up  the  agricultural  resources  of 
this  section.  He  was  blessed  with  a  faithful  help- 
mate, who  was  born  in  the  same  shire  as  himself, 
her  maiden  nann  being  Elizabeth  Atyeo.  They 
reared  six  children — lames,  William,  Charles, 
Albert,  Eliza  .1    and  Francis. 

lie  of  whom  these  lines  are  written  passed  his 
childhood  in  the  home  of  his  birth,  and  as  he  grew 
to  man's  estate  received  a  good,  practical  training 
in  agriculture  that  has  been  of  benefit  to  him  since 
he  began  life  as  an  independent  farmer.  For  some 
years  he  has  had  the  management  of  the  old  home- 
stead, and  is  conducting  his  farming  operations 
with  the  thrift,  prudence  and  foresight  that  insure 
profit. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  with  Miss  Cora 
May  Corgan  was  duly  celebrated  in  May,  1888. 
Mrs.  Sawtell  was  born  near  Tain  a  roa.  Perry  County, 
Hi.,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Milton  and  Cordelia 
(Marshall)  Corgan.  Her  father  is  also  a  native  of 
this  Stale,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Mary  Cor- 
gan. He  is  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Perry  Count}-. 
Mrs.  Sawtell's  mother  is  a  native  of  Connecticut 
and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Margaret  Marshall. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sawtell's  married  life  has  been  hal- 
lowed to  them  by  the  birth  of  twin  children,  whom 
they  have  named  Frank  and  Fanny. 

Mr.  Sawtell  is  a  young  man  of  good  personal 
habits  and  his  life  is  guided  by  those  principles  of 
honor  and  honesty  that  mail<  a  true  man.  His 
political  sentiments  coincide  with    the    tenets    pro- 


822 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


mulgated  by  the  Republican  party.  Both  he  and 
his  amiable  wife  hold  a  high  place  among  the 
Christian  members  of  their  community  as  consist- 
ent members  of  the  Congregational  Church. 

y  OSEPH   W.    HARSHBARGER,  one  of  the 

Southern  born  citizens  of  Girard  Township, 
bad  his  nativity  one  mile  from  Dayton, 
Rockingham  County.  Va.,  June  4,  1827. 
Hi-  father,  John  J.  Harshbarger  was  a  Pennsyl- 
vanian  by  birth  and  tiie  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, Henry  Harshbarger  was  formerly  a  resident 
Of  Pennsylvania  anil  moved  from  there  to  Rocking- 
ham County,  Va., where  he  bought  a  farm  anil  made 
Ins  home  until  1851.  He  then  sold  out  and  moved 
to  Montgomery  County,  Ohio,  where  be  bought  a 
farm  and  resided  until  his  death. 

The  father  of  our  subject  wa9  reared  in  Virginia 
and  there  learned  from  his  father  the  trade  of  a  wag- 
onmaker^nd  followed  it  in  connection  with  farming. 
After  marriage  lie  bought  a  faun  two  and  one-half 
miles  south  of  Dayton,  Rockingham  County,  and 
resided  there  for  several  years.  This  he  sold  after 
some  time  and  bought  another  farm  near  Cross 
Keys  in  the  same  county  and  still  continued  at  his 
trade  and  farming.  He  resided  in  that  neighbor- 
hood until  his  death. 

Margaret  Early  was  the  maiden  name  of  the  lady 
who  became  the  mother  of  our  subject.  Her  na- 
tive home  was  Rockingham  County.  Va.,  and  she 
was  the  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Migdaline  (Wen- 
ger)  Early,  who  were  natives  of  the  Keystone  State. 
She  died  on  the  home  farm  at,  Cross  Keys  some 
years  before  her  husband's  demise.  Their  son 
Joseph  received  ins  training  in  farm  work  from 
his  father  and  resided  with  him  until  be  had  reached 
his  majority,  after  which  he  bought  a  fine  tract  of 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  Augusta 
County,  Va.  In  this  purchase  he  was  joined  by 
his  brother-in-law,  George  Hollar,  and  they  fanned 
together  for  ten  years.  One  roof  sheltered  both 
families  and  during  that  time  fifteen  children 
gathered  in  the  double  household.  Joseph  llars- 
barger  then  sold  out  his  interest   and   returned     to 


Rockingham  County  where  he  bought  land  one 
mile  east  of  Dayton  and  resided  on  that,  farm  all 
through  the  period  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion. 

The  district  where  our  subject  lived  during  the 
years  of  the  Civil  War  was  run  over  by  both  arm- 
ies, North  and  South,  and  was  considered  a  base 
of  supplies  for  both.  They  subsisted  on  that  part 
of  the  State  and  anything  that  was  eatable  was 
quickly  seized  by  them  and  what  they  could  not 
carry  away  they  frequently  destroyed.  He  and  his 
family  endured  great  hardships  all  through  'hose 
days  and  were  subject  to  frequent  raids  upon  their 
property.  In  1864  he  took  his  family  to  Dayton, 
Ohio,  as  he  was  given  free  transportation  by  the 
Government.  There  they  remained  for  one  year 
and  when  they  returned  to  their  old  home  found 
it  a  sad  and  desolate  place.  The  buildings,  includ- 
ing a  handsome  brick  house  that  had  cost  $1,500 
were  heaps  of  ashes.  All  his  stock  had  been  stolen 
and  everything  about  the  place  destroyed.  With 
undaunted  courage  he  went  to  work  and  rebuilt 
and  stocked  his  farm,  and  resided  there  until  1370, 
when  he  sold  out  his  property  and  came  to  Ma- 
coupin County,  III.  Here  he  rented  a  farm  for  a 
year  and  then  bought  the  property  on  which  he 
now  resides  on  section  19,  Girard  Township.  Here 
he  now  has  a  prosperous  and  attractive  farm  and 
carries  on  general  farming. 

It  was  January  25,  1849,  when  Catherine  Flory 
became  the  wife  of  Joseph  W.  Harshbarger.  This 
lady,  like  himself  was  a  Virginian  by  birth  and  had 
her  nativity  near  Dayton.  Rockingham  County. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  Michael  and  Sarah  Flory 
and  died  December  11,  1873,  leaving  her  husband 
and  seven  children  to  mourn  her  loss.  Her  children 
bear  the  name?  of  Sarah,  Elizabeth,  Mary  A..  Re- 
becca B.,  Amanda  C,  Isaac  J.  and  Abraham  S. 

The  second  marriage  of  our  subject  took  place 
November  23,  1884,  and  he  was  then  united  with 
Mrs.  Barbara  (Brubaker)  Frantz,  who  was  born  in 
Clark  County.  Ohio,  October  14.  1841.  and  was  a 
daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Barbara  Brubaker  of 
whom  tlK-  reader  will  learn  more  at  length  in  the 
sketch  of  Jonathan  Brubaker  which  appears  in  this 
Record. 

She  was  married  in  her  native  county  January  30, 
1859,  to  Michael  Frantz  who  was  born  in  Ohio  and 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


823 


was  the  son  of  Michael  and  Susan nah(  Nelier)Fraui/.. 
In  1869  he  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  the  east- 
ern part  of  Girard  Township,  where  he  bought  a 
farm  and  made  a  home.  Afterward  he  sold  this 
and  bought  eighty  acres  on  section  19,  which  was 
his  home  until  May  22,  1877,  when  he  was  called 
hence.  By  this  first  marriage  Mrs.  Harsh barger  had 
six  children — Jonathan,  Martha,  Susan,  Jacob, 
Peter  and  Ezra.  Both  our  subject  and  his  wife  are 
earnest  and  active  members  of  the  German  Baptist 
Church,  in  the  communion  of  which  they  find  true 
fellowship  and  abundant  opportunity  for  useful- 
ness. 


<Sp^)  RASMUS  A.  C.  TEANEY,  a  well-known 
fe  citizen  of  Ban-  Township,  and  a  son  of 
1 1' — ■■?;  Francis  C.  and  Mary  (Huff)  Teaney,  resides 
on  section  32.  His  parents  were  both  Virginians 
by  birth,  and  came  to  Greene  County,  this  State, 
in  1833,  and  there  the  mother  died.  The  father 
some  years  later  passed  away  while  at  the  residence 
of  his  son  in  this  county. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  a  large  family  of  children. 
His  native  place  is  Augusta  County,  Va.,  where  he 
was  boru  March  19,1821.  As  he  came  to  Gieene 
County,  111.,  with  his  parents  when  a  boy,  he  grew 
to  manhood  here  and  chose  his  bride  from  among 
the  girls  of  Greene  Count}'.  He  was  united  in 
marriage  on  March  8.  1848,  with  Miss  Rebecca 
Sloughler,  who  became  the  mother  of  six  children, 
namely:  John  P.,  who  married  and  resides  in  Ar 
kansas;  Henry;  Susan,  the  wife  of  Washington 
Bailey;  Albiua,  the  wife  of  F.  E.  Bill;  Rebecca. 
the  wife  of  Thomas  Morris;  and  Melvina,  who 
died  in  childhood.  The  mother  of  these  chil- 
dren passed  away  from  earth  in  Barr  Township  in 
1862. 

The  second  marriage  of  our  subject  occurred  on 
August  28,  1 802.  when  he  was  united  with  Mrs. 
Sarah  J.  Baikley,  of  Greene  County.  She  was 
born  in  Washington  County,  Tenn.,  and  her 
maiden  name  was  Wattenbarger,  and  at  the  time 
of  her  marriage  with  Mr.  Teaney  she  was  the 
widow  of  John  Barkley,  who  died  in  Fayette, 
Greene   County,  III.      By   her   marriage   with  that 


gentleman  she  had  three  children,  of  whom  George 
Barkley,  who  married  Mattie  Stubs,  is  the  only 
survivor.  By  her  marriage  with  Mr.  Teaney  she 
became  the  mother  of  eight  children,  namely: 
Erasmus  V..  who  married  Miss  Carrie  Cole;  Lama 
I'...  the  wife  of  Howard  Class:  Oscar,  Edward, 
William,  Viola  and  Ethel,  besides  one  child  who 
died  in  infamy. 

Mr.  Teaney  always  exhibits  a  lively  interest  in  po- 
litical and  social  movements,  lie  is  a  member  of 
the  Grange  and  an  active  promoter  of  whatever  lie 
judges  best  to  develop  the  neighborly  and  economic 
interests  of  the  farming  community.  His  political 
views  bring  him  into  sympathy  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  He  has  followed  farming  through 
life,  and  has  erected  upon  his  land  an  excellent  set 
of  barns  and  outbuildings,  besides  an  attractive 
and  commodious  home.  His  one  hundred  and 
thirty-three  acres  is  probably  as  good  land  as  can 
be  found  in  the  county,  and  its  prosperous  condition 
speaks  well  for  the  man  who  has  cultivated  it  for 
years. 

IIARLKS  W.  TIETSORT,    cashier   of    the 
Medora  Bank,   of  which  he  was  one  of  the 

'^^P  founders,  is  a  whole-souled,  generous  spir- 
ited man,  of  broad  views,  of  spotless  character  and 
high  repute,  who  is  an  honor  to  the  citizenship  of 
this  town,  with  whose  financial  interests  he  is  so 
closely  identified,  and  whose  welfare,  materially, 
educationally  and  morally,  he  has  endeavored  in 
every  way  possible  to  promote,  whether  in  his 
capacity  as  a  business  man,  as  a  civic  official  or  as 
a  private  citizen. 

Mr.  Tietsort  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  early 
pioneer  families  of  Michigan,  and  is  a  native  of 
that  part  of  the  country,  born  at  Cassopolis,  Cass 
County,  December  17,  1837.  His  father,  A  brain 
Tietsort,  was  bmn  in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  July  16, 
1SII2.  a  son  of  Abrain  II.  Ticlsort.  an  early  settler 
Of  that  region.  The  latter  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
February  6,  1777.  and  he  in  turn  was  a  son  of 
Peter  Tietsort,  who  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  in 
17  11.  The  great-great-grandparents  of  our  subject 
were  natives   of   Holland,  who   came   to    America 


821 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


early  in  Colonial  times  and  settled  in  New  Jersey. 
Peter  Tietsort  and  his  brother  William  were  among 
the  early  settlers  of  Kentucky  in  the  days  when 
that  State  was  a  territory.  They  resided  there  a 
few  years,  but  the  Indians  becoming  troublesome, 
they  removed  to  15utler  County,  Ohio,  and  were 
pioneers  there.  Peter  Tietsort  died  in  that  county 
in  1831  in  the  home  of  his  brother  William. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject  married  Mar- 
garet Baata,  who  was  born  January  C,  1785.  lie 
removed  to  the  Territory  of  Michigan  and  was  a 
pioneer  farmer  of  Cass  County,  lie  improved  a 
farm  on  the  shore  of  Stone  Lake,  and  there  his  life 
was  brought  to  a  close  February  1,  1847.  His  wife 
survived  him  until  September  8,  1854,  when  she 
too  passed  away. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  married  in  Butler 
County,  Ohio,  March  24,  1826,  to  Rachel  Thomp- 
son. She  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  duly  17,  1807, 
and  is  still  living  at  a  venerable  age,  making  her 
home  with  her  eldest  daughter  in  Orleans  County, 
N.  Y.  About  1828  the  parents  of  our  subject  re- 
moved to  the  forest  wilds  of  the  Territory  of 
Michigan,  becoming  pioneers  of  Cass  County.  Mr. 
Tietsort  entered  a  tract  of  Government  land,  a  part 
of  which  is  now  included  within  the  corporate 
limits  of  Cassopolis,  and  he  was  prominent  in 
founding  the  village,  as  when  it  was  plat'.cd  he 
donated  a  half  of  the  public  square,  and  laid  out  a 
part  of  the  village,  the  site  being  then  heavily 
wooded.  He  pursued  his  trade  as  a  cabinet  maker 
there  the  remainder  of  his  life,  which  was  termin- 
ated by  his  death  May  31,  1842.  The  following  is 
the  record  of  his  children:  John,  born  in  Ohio, 
November  27,  1827,  is  a  resident  of  Cassopolis; 
Julia  Ann,  wife  of  John  Gates,  of  Orleans  County, 
X.  V.,  was  the  first  white  child  born  at  Cassopolis, 
July  3,  1833  the  date  of  her  birth,  and  she  was  for 
several  years  a  teacher  at  Albion  College;  Perry 
A.,  born  September  10,  1832,  is  a  resident  of  De- 
troit, Mich.;  Ira,  born  September  16,  1835,  is  also 
a  resident  of  Detroit;  and  Charles  \V.  is  the  subject 
of  this  biography. 

Charles  Tietsort  was  in  his  fifth  year  when  his 
father  died,  and  he  was  soon  after  adopted  by  a 
distant  relative,  Peter  Tietsort,  with  whom  he  came 
to  Illinois  in  1856,  where  he  lived   for  a  time  on  a 


farm.  He  received  a  practical  public  school  edu- 
cation, and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  commenced  clerk- 
ing in  a  store  at  Fidelity.  He  was  thus  employed 
until  1867,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
father-in-law,  William  T.  Whitfield,  and  opened  a 
general  store  at  Fidelity.  In  1869  he  sold  out  his 
interest  in  that  establishment,  and  going  to  Jersey- 
ville,  was  in  the  grain  business  there  two  years.  In 
1871  he  went  to  Tecumseh,  Neb.  and  opened  a  res- 
taurant and  confectionery  store,  which  he  managed 
until  1873.  Returning  then  to  Jersey ville,  he  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  clerk  in  the  First  National 
Bank  in  that  city.  He  continued  to  act  in  that 
capacity  and  as  book  keeper  until  1877.  In  that 
year  he  and  his  brother-in-law,  S.  H.  Bowman,  and 
Klias  Cockrell  established  a  bank  at  Medora,  open- 
ing it  for  business  the  1st  day  March.  The  bank 
was  re  organized  in  187'J,  and  Mr.  Tietsort  was 
elected  cashier,  an  office  which  he  still  holds.  The 
affairs  of  the  bank  are  ably  administered,  and  it  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  institutions  of  the 
kind  in  this  part  of  the  State,  its  credit  standing  at 
the  highest  point  in  monetary  circles,  and  it  has 
undoubtedly  contributed  greatly  to  place  the  pros- 
perity of  this  county  on  a  solid  financial  basis. 

Mr.  Tietsort  has  been  twice  married.  July  23, 
1862,  he  was  wedded  to  Miss  Emiiy  Jane  Whit- 
field, a  daughter  of  Wilson  T.  and  Jane  (Kuhn) 
Whitfield.  She  was  a  native  of  Preble  County, 
Ohio,  born  August  11,  1843,  and  she  died  Febru- 
ary 24,  1865,  leaving  one  son,  Charles  Henry,  who 
was  born  October  12,  1863.  The  second  marriage 
of  our  subject,  which  took  place  January  14,  1869, 
was  with  Miss  Cornelia  Frances  Bowman.  She  was 
born  January  19,  1845,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Charles  H.  and  Mary  (Hooper)  Bowman.  Her 
union  with  our  subject  has  brought  them  one  son, 
Walter  Bowman,  who  was  born  October  8,  1879. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tietsort  also  have  an  adopted  daugh- 
ter, Kate  Davis,  who  was  born  December  26,  1859, 
and  whom  they  took  to  their  home  and  hearts  in 
July,  1 870,  and  have  reared  her  as  tenderly  and 
carefully  as  if  she  were  of  their  own   blood. 

Mr.  Tietsort  has  always  exerted  a  wholesome 
influence  on  the  life  of  the  community  since  he  be- 
came a  resident  of  Medora,  and  his  name  is  associ- 
ated not  only   with  its   material   progress,  but  also 


GILES     M .    ADAMS. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


827 


with  all  things  that  have  tended  w>  its  moral  elev- 
ation.    He  ami    his   wife  are  among  the   leading 

members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Prohibitionist.  Socially,  he  is  a  member  of 
Fidelity  Lodge,  No.  152,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  of  Kem- 
per Lodge,  No.  596, 1.  O.O.  P..  and  of  Medora  En- 
campment, lie  has  held  various  public  offices. 
For  thirteen  years  he  has  been  Notary  Public,  lie 
has  faithfully  served  the  interests  of  Medora  as  a 
member  of  the  village  Board  of  Trustees,  and  as 
one  of  the  Board  of  Education. 


-m— 


^=^)ILES  M.  AD 
f|[  <—  few  pioneers 
%J$   of  this  gentle 


ILES  M.  ADAMS.  The  recollections  of 
9  extend  further  back  than  those 
eman,  who  holds  an  honorable 
place  among  the  farmers  of  Brushy  Mound  Town- 
ship and  occupies  one  of  the  oldest  homesteads  of 
the  county.  His  portrait  presented  on  the  op- 
posite page  represesents  the  lineaments  of  one 
whom  all  delight  to  honor  and  whose  long  life  of 
usefulness  well  entitles  him  to  the  respect  not  only 
of  his  contemporaries  in  the  settlement  of  the 
county,  but  of  the  younger  generation  who  are  en- 
joying the  fruits  of  his  labors. 

In  the  early  part  of  this  century  there  resided 
in  the  State  of  Virginia  a  gentleman  bearing  the 
name  of  Daniel  Adams.  He  removed  from  that, 
his  native  Stale,  to  Kentucky  and  bought  a  large 
tract  of  land  at  Poplar  Cave.  Unfortunately  he 
lost  his  land  through  a  defective  title,  and  after- 
ward removed  to  Tennessee  where  it  is  supposed 
the  remainder  of  his  days  were  passed.  His  son, 
William  C,  the  father  cf  our  subject,  was  born 
January  12.  1803,  either  in  Virginia  or  Kentucky. 
He  accompanied  his  father  in  his  removal  to  Ten- 
nessee and  was  there  married  to  Margaret  Ward, 
a  native  of  Alabama. 

In  1828  the  father  of  our  subject  emigrated  to 
Illinois  with  his  wife  and  the  children  who  had 
been  born  to  them  in  Tennessee,  making  the  journey 
Northward  with  teams.  He  first  stopped  in  Madi- 
son County  for  a  time,  but  in  1830  came  to  this 
county.  At  that  time  there  was  but  \\-\v  white  set- 
tlers here,  and  deer,  wolves  and  othei  kinds  of  wild 


animals  were  very  numerous.     He  entered    Gov- 
ernment land  near  Dorchester,  and  for   nearly    live 

years  lived  in  the  log   house    that   he    built  there. 
At  the  expiration  of  tint  time    he    Bold    his    place, 
and  coming  to  what  is  now  Brushy   .Mound  Town- 
ship, entered  Government  land,    which    forms    the 
homestead  now  occupied  by  his   son,    our   subject. 
There  were  no  railways  here  for   some    time    after- 
ward, and  Alton  was  the  nearest  market,  the  conn 
try  being  still  only  partly    settled    and     in    a     wild 
condition;  as  there    were    no   mills   in   this   county 
the  father  had  to  go  either  to    Alton    or    Edwards- 
ville  to  gel  his  grain  ground.      His  farm  work  was 
done  by  oxen,  and  he  was  compelled  to  US3    prim- 
itive farming  machinery  extant  in  that  day.   When 
he  was  scarcely  past  the  prime  of  life    he   departed 
from  the  seines  of  his  labors,  dying    January    29, 
1854,  and  thus  a  useful  and  respected  pioneer   was 
taken  away  from  the  community.      His  widow-sur- 
vived him  many  years,  her    death    occurring    July 
17,  1883,  on  the  home  farm.     She  was  the  mother 
of    twelve    children — Giles  M.,   Moses    H.,    Sally 
Eveline,  John  J.,  Nancy,  Jesse  B.,  Elizabeth,  Dan- 
iel E.,  Eliza  .1..  James,  George  W.,  and  Francis  M. 
Giles  M.  Adams,  whose  portrait   is  presented  on 
another  page,  was  born    in    Knox    County,    Tenn., 
May  9,  1820.      lie  was  about  three  years  old  when 
the  family  came  to  this  State  and   remembers   well 
the  incidents  of  pioneer  life    here.      Schools     were 
not  free  in  his  early  boyhood,  but  were  conducted 
on  the  subscription  plan,  each  family    paying    tui- 
tion according  to    the    number    of    children     they 
sent.     The  anhoolhouse  that  our  subject    attended 
was  a  log  building  and  the  seats  were  slab  benches 
without  backs  or  desks  and  supported    by    wooden 
pins.      Mr.  Adams  was    never    separated    from   his 
parents  until  their  death  and  he  now  owns  and    oc- 
cupies the  old  homestead;    having    never    married 
he  made  his  home  with  his   brother    George     until 

the  death  of  the  latter,     lie  is  a  g I,   practical 

farmer,  carries  on  his  agricultural  operations  so  as 
to  make  money,  and  is  one  of  the  solid  men  of  the 
township,  where  he  is  held  in  universal  respect  for 
his  many  sterling  qualities.  In  his  political  views 
he  is  a  sound  Democrat. 

The  brother  of  our  subject,  George  W., departed 
this  life  May  18,  1891.    He  was  born  in  the  pioneer 


828 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


home  of  his  parents  in  Brushy  Mound  Township, 
November  12,  1817.  He  was  reared  and  educated 
iu  his  native  township  and  in  due  time  became  an 
excellent  farmer,  who  carried  on  his  operations  suc- 
cessfully. He  was  quite  young  when  his  father 
died  and  continued  to  live  with  his  mother  on  the 
home  farm.  With  the  exception  of  four  years 
spent  in  Montgomery  County  he  was  a  continuous 


Elizabeth  Taylor,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and 
a  daughter  of  William  Taylor,  one  of  the  heroes 
of  the  Revolutionary  War.  They  came  to  Illinois 
in  1829,  and  located  upon  the  farm  of  our  subject 
when  Macoupin  County  was  yet  in  its  infancy. 
They  bore  the  usual  experiences  ar.d  hardships  of 
pioneer  life,  and  with  the  early  history  of  the  com- 
munity were  prominently  connected.     Mr.  Adams 


resident  of  this  county  until    his   death.    His    wife,       secured  some    of  his    land    from    the  Government 


with  whom  he  was  united  in  marriage  August  13, 
1868,  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  E.  Dowdall, 
and  was  a  native  of  this  State,  born  in  Greene 
County,  to  John  S.  and  Ellen  (Witt)  Dowdall. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adams  had  eight  children,  four  of 
whom  are  now  living — Laura  E.,  Margaret  E., 
Cora  15.  and  George  W.  George  W.  Adams  was  a 
stanch  upholder  of  the  Democratic  party.  He  was 
a  good  citizen,  a  kind  husband  and  father,  and  his 
neighbors  always  found  him  helpful  and   obliging. 


* 


-H — 


»^7>RANCIS  M.  ADAMS  is  one  of   the  oldest 


and  the  old  home  was  the  scene  of  action  during 
the  greater  part  of  his  life.  When  he  was  well 
advanced  in  years  he  went  to  live  with  his  son, 
William  W.  in  Montgomery  County,  where  he 
died  at  the  aye  of  sixty-eight.  His  wife  survived 
him  some  time  passing  away  at  the  age  of  three- 
score years  and  ten. 

Our  subject  was  the  third  child  and  second  son 
of  their  five  children.  His  entire  life  has  been 
passed  upon  one  farm.  Under  the  sheltering 
roof  of  trie  old  home,  or  in  wandering  through  the 
woods  or  over  the  prairies  his  boyhood  days  were 
passed.  Later,  when  he  had  gained  sufficient 
strength,  he  was  put  to  work  at  farm  labor  and 
the  furrows  upon  many  a  broad  acre  were  first 
turned  by  him.      His  education  was  acquired  in  the 


native  born  citizens  of  Gillespie  Township, 
/1P"V  his  birth  having  occurred  .Tuly    1.  1833,  on       subscription    schools,   for   public  schools    had   not 


section  20,  Gillespie  Township — the  farm  which 
he  still  makes  his  home.  He  is  a  representative  of 
one  of  the  most  honored  pioneer  families  of  the 
community,  his  father.  Giles  M.  Adams,  having 
here  located  in  1829.  He  belongs  to  an  old  Vir- 
ginian family.  His  grandparents,  Daniel  and  Sarah 
(Stallion)  Adams,  were  natives  of  the  Old  Domin- 
ion, from  whence  they  removed  with  their  family 
to  Overton  County,  Ky.,  and  thence  to  Ten- 
nessee. Subsequently  the  grandparents  came  to 
Illinois  after  their  son  Giles  had  here  located  and 
spent  a  number  of  years  in  Macoupin  Con  it  v. 
Their  last  days  were  spent  in  Bond  County,  where 
they  died  at  an  advanced  age.  By  trade.  Daniel 
Adams  was  a  blacksmith  and  followed  that  occupa- 
tion in  connection  with  farming. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Virginia, 
and  when  young  removed  with  his  parents  to  Ken- 
tucky and  Tennessee.  He  was  living  in  the  latter 
State  when  he  attained  his  majority  and  not  long 
afterward   he    was    united    in    marriage  with  Miss 


been  established  at  that  early  day.  He  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Elizabeth  K.  Grimes,  who 
was  born  in  this  county  in  February,  1840,  and  is 
a  daughter  of  William  and  Nancy  (Wagner) 
Grimes,  natives  of  Maryland,  who,  when  young, 
came  to  Illinois  where  they  were  married.  For 
some  years  Mr.  Grimes  followed  the  trade  of  a 
blacksmith,  but  later  gave  his  attention  to  farming. 
He  is  now  living  a  retired  life  in  Christian  County, 
at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  He  is  numbered 
among  the  pioneers  of  Macoupin  County,  and  was 
one  of  its  respected  citizens.  His  wife  died  in  the 
prime  of  life.  Mrs.  Adams  is  the  eldest  of  their 
three  children,  all  of  whom  arc  yet  living. 

By  the  union  of  our  subject  and  his  worthy  wife 
were  born  six  children,  but  four  died  in  infancy. 
Mary  S.  is  now  the  wife  of  Philip  Teter,  a  resident 
of  Gillespie  Township;  and  Nancy  V.  is  attending 
school.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adams  are  well-known  peo- 
ple of  this  community  and  are  held  in  universal 
esteem.     In  politics  he   is   an    advocate   of  Demo- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


829 


cratic  principles  bul  rotes  independently  of  party 
ties.  He  was  the  second  Supervisor  of  Gillespie 
township,  and  has  served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace 
and  Road  Commissioner,  filling  all  the  offices  in  an 
efficient  manner,  which  has  won  him  the  commen< 
dation  of  all  concerned.     He.  is  a  member  of  Lodge 

No.  4312,  Farmers'    Mutual    Benefit   Associati 

and,  on  joining:  its  organization,  was  elected  its  first 
Vice  President.  In  his  business  career,  Mr.  Adams 
has  prospered  and  is  now  the  owner  of  a  valuable 
farm  of  four  hundred  and  sixty-four  acres,  of 
which  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres  are  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation. 


LVAII  C.  MOFFETT  of  section  3,  North 
Palmyra  Township,  is  an  active  and 
energetic  young  man  of  Macoupin  County. 
His  father  the  late  Chauncy  W.  Moffett, 
M.  D.  was  born  in  New  York  in  1826.  His  parents 
moved  from  New  York  to  Columbiana  County,  Ohio 
when  the  Doctor  was  a  little  fellow  of  four  years 
and  in  the  Buckeye  Slate  he  grew  to  manhood.  He 
came  to  Illinois  during  the  '40s  and  at  Jackson- 
ville, 111.,  in  the  month  of  August,  1849  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Amelia  E.  Vancil  who 
was  born  in  North  Palmyra  Township,  May  31, 
1828.  This  lady  is  the  daughter  of  Edmund  C.  and 
Mary  (Byars)  Vancil. 

Mr.  Vancil  was  born  in  Logan  County,  Ky„  May 
8,  1799,  and  there  he  passed  the  early  part  of  his 
life  but  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  came  to  Marion 
County,  III.,  where  he  grew  to  manhood.  He  was 
married  in  Jackson  County  III.,  August  15,  1824, 
to  Miss  Mary  Byars,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky. 
February  7.  1804,  and  had  removed  with  her  par- 
ents when  she  was  four  years  old  to  Jackson  County 
III.,  and  who  came  with  them  in  the  fall  of  1K27  to 
Macoupin  County.  They  lived  north  of  Yirden 
for  a  while  and  in  1828  they  settled  in  North  Pal- 
myra Township  where  he  has  since  been  a  resident 
and  is  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  in  the  county.  His 
wife  died  May  25,  1890,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-six  years. 

After  the  marriage  of   Dr.   .Moffett  and  his  wife 


thej  lived  for  one  year  in  Sangamon  County 
and  then  removed  to  Christian  County  where  he 
followed  his  profession  for  a  year,  after  which  on 
account  of  ill  health,  they  removed  to  Texas  and 
remained  until  the  close  of  the  war,  in  which  Dr. 
Moffett  was  an  active  participant.  They  afterward 
lived  in  Arkansas  foi  some  t  wo  years,  and  then  re- 
lumed to  Illinois  and  sell  led  in  North  Palmyra 
Township.  While  on  a  visit  to  Texas  to  settle  up 
his  business  affairs.  Dr.  Moffett  was  stricken  down 
and  died. 

Mrs.  Moffett  is  the  mother  of  eight  children  six 
of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Chauncy  \V. ;  Portia, 
the  wife  of  1  liram  Gilkerson  ;  Ocea  E. ;  Ilosea  ( )., 
Alvus  II.  and  Alvah  C.  One  son  Lot  died  in  in- 
fancy and  a  daughter  Aletha  at  the  age  of  twenty 
years.  The  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  with  good  buildings  and  first-class  improve- 
ments is  operated  by  our  subject  in  company  with 
his  brother  Hosea  O.  and  their  attention  is  devoted 
largely  to  the  raising  of  stock  in  which  they  are  re- 
markably successful. 


•INMNM1 


T 


/OHN  SCHWAB,  The  original  of  this  sketch 
engages  in  general  farming,  having  located 
on  a  fine  tract  of  land  on  sections  29  and  30, 
of  Brighton  Township.  His  farm  comprises 
two  hundred  and  fifty-nine  acres  Of  improved  land, 
and  like  most  of  his  fellow  countrymen  his  prud- 
ence and  economy  in  the  management  of  his  agri- 
cultural affairs  have  resulted  in  the  amassing  of  more 
than  a  competency. 

Mr.  Schwab  has  lived  in  this  township  and 
county  since  1853,  having  come  hither  while  yet  a 
young  man  with  but  a  few  dollars  in  his  pocket. 
He  is  a  native  of  Switzerland,  and  his  birthplace 
is  the  Canton  Bar  en,  being  born  in  January,  1825. 
lb  is  proud  of  the  fact  that  he  comes  of  an  old 
Swiss  family,  and  one  whose  history  is  closely  iden- 
tified with  that  of  one  of  the  most  stirring  epochs 
in  the  history  of  the  old  Republic.  He  is  the  only 
member  of  his  family  who  left  home  for  the  United 
States. 

Mr.  Schwab  early  learned  the  trade  of  a  butcher 


830 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  Germany  which  lie  followed  for  several  years. 
After  a  short  stay  in  Germany  he  returned  home 
and  then  set  out  for  this  country,  taking  passage  al 
Havre  De  Gras,  France.  He  took  passage  in  Octo- 
ber, 1851,  on  a  sailer  for  the  city  of  New  York.  He 
immediately  proceeded  after  landing,  to  Ohio,  and 
thence  went  to  Missouri.  Later  he  proceeded  to 
Alton,  and  thence  to  this  township  and  county. 

The  subject  of  this  biographical  notice  was  mar- 
ried in  this  county  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Sawarwin. 
She  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  came  of  German 
parents  who  lived  and  died  in  their  native  country. 
She  came  with  two  sisters  to  the  United  States  when 
about  twenty-four  years  old.  leaving  Antwerp  in 
1853,  and  arriving  in  New  Orleans,  where  they 
stayed  for  a  short  time  coming  thence  to  Alton  and 
afterward  to  Macoupin  County.  Mrs.  Schwab  is 
a  worthy  representative  of  the  feminine  sex.  She 
has  been  a  hard  working  woman  and  has  greatly 
aided  her  husband  in  his  efforts  in  accumulating  a 
competency.  Seven  children  have  come  to  brighten 
their  hearthstone  and  be  a  hope  of  their  parents. 
They  are:  Fred,  John,  William, George,  Lizzie,  Reka 
and  Anna  J.  Of  these  Fred  wedded  Carrie  Ilan- 
nold,  and  at  present  is  a  resident  of  Alton.  John 
is  a  butcher  engaged  in  the  shop  of  Phil  Lauch  of 
Brighton;  William  remains  at  home  assisting  with 
the  farm  duties:  George  is  now  at  Alton;  Lizzie  is 
the  wife  of  Philip  Hermes,  now  a  farmer  in  Madi- 
son County;  Reka  contracted  herself  to  Adolph 
Schnaberg,  a  farmer  who  lives  in  this  township; 
Anna  J.  is  still  at  home,  and  on  her  depends  much 
of  the  brightness  of  the  home  circle.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Schwab  attend  the  Presbyterian  Church.  The  gen- 
tleman is  a  voter  with  the  Democratic  party  taking 
a  lively  interest  in  both  local  and  national  politics. 


<"«(  jfoEYE  G.  SCHMIDT,  a  farmer  and  stock- 
\j-\In  raiser  living  on  section  24,  Gillespie  Town- 
W^fl  ship,  is  numbered  among  the  early  settlers 
of  the  county,  dating  his  residence  from  1851. 
He  is  of  German  birth,  having  been  born  in  old 
Friesland,  in  the  province  of  Hanover,  in  1831. 
His  parents  were  farming  people  of  that  localit}', 


where  the}'  spent  their  entire  lives.  The  father. 
Carl  Schmidt,  died  about  the  age  of  fifty  years 
and  three  months,  and  his  wife,  whose  maiden 
was  Weptke  Weyne,  was  only  thirty-six  years  of 
age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  In  their  family  are 
five  children,  four  sons  and  a  daughter,  all  of 
whom  are  jet  living  and  are  residents  of  this 
country. 

Our  subject,  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  was 
the  first  to  brave  the  dangers  of  an  ocean  voyage. 
He  left  the  land  of  his  nativity  on  the  17th  of 
September.  1851,  sailing  from  Bremen  and  landing 
at  New  Orleans  after  a  long  voyage  of  eight  weeks 
and  two  days.  Eleven  days  more  elapsed  and  he 
then  arrived  in  Alton,  111.,  where  he  made  his 
home  until  the  following  spring,  when  he  came  to 
Macoupin  County.  A  short  time  afterward,  Mr. 
Schmidt  led  to  the  marriage  altar  Miss  Antke 
Schoen,  who  was  born  in  the  same  locality  as  her 
hushaid.  Her  parents  lived  and  died  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Hanover,  were  farming  people,  and  in  re- 
ligious belief  were  Lutherans.  Accompanied  by  a 
younger  sister,  Mrs.  Schmidt  ciossed  the  Atlantic 
in  1853.  coming  by  way  of  the  New  Orleans  & 
Alton  route  to  Macoupin  County,  III.,  where  two 
of  her  brothers  had  located  some  time  previous. 
With  them  she  remained  until  her  marriage,  when 
she  took  her  place  as  mistress  of  her  husband's 
home.  They  lived  for  a  time  upon  a  farm  in  Gil- 
lespie Township,  and  in  18G1  removed  to  their  pres- 
sent  home  on  section  24,  where  a  highly  cultivated 
tract  of  land,  comprising  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  pays  a  golden  tribute  to  the  care  of  the 
owner.  Nearly  all  of  the  improvements  seen 
thereon  are  the  work  of  Mr.  Schmidt's  hands,  and 
his  success  in  life  is  due  entirely  to  his  own  efforts 
and  the  able  assistance  of  her  with  whom  he  has 
now  traveled  life's  journey  for  more  than  a  third 
of  a  century.  Mr.  Schmidt  is  numbered  among 
the  leading  and  influential  citizens  of  his  town- 
ship, who  has  ever  born  his  part  in  the  upbuilding 
and  advancement  of  the  community's  interests.  As 
every  true  American  citizen  should  do,  he  exercises 
his  right  of  franchise,  and  in  political  sentiment  is 
a  Democrat.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church  of  Gillespie. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schmidt  have  been  born  five 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


831 


children,  and  the  family  circle  yet  remains  un- 
broken. Charles  who  married  Wetka  Moermann  is 
now  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  Gillespie; 
Benjamin,  who  was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Gretka 
Men  nan,  carries  on  the  grocery  trade  in  Venice, 
III.;  John,  a  resident  fanner  of  Gillespie  Town- 
ship, wedded  Atke  Schmidt;  Fred  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  connection  with,  bis  brother  John;  and 
.lessie,  who  completes  this  family,  is  at  home.  The 
Schmidt  household  is  noted  for  its  hospitality  an  ' 


marriage,  wedding  George  Gates.  The  son  Samp- 
son was  born  in  Muhlenberg  County,  April  25, 
1815,  and  remained  with  his  mother  during  her 
lifetime,  lie  was  about  ten  years  old  when  she 
was  taken  away  and  he  was  then  bound  out  to  a 
cabinetmaker  living  in  Christian  County,  lie  was 
not  well  treated  and  his  spirit  rebelled  and  when 
about,  a  twelvemonth  had  passed  he  ran  away.  His 
master  soon  found  him  and  took  him  back,  but  he 
watched   an  opportunity    and  a  few    weeks   later 


it  is  one  of  the  worthy  German  families  in  this  again  left,  this  time  making  bis  way  back  to  his 
part  of  the  county.  In  1883  ihe  father  returned 
to  Germany,  where  he  spent  some  weeks  in  visiting 
boyhood  scenes  and  in  renewing  old  acquaintances. 
He  has,  however,  no  desire  to  again  live  in  that 
country,  having  found  a  pleasant  home  in  Amer- 
ica, where  his  business  career  has  been  blessed  with 
prosperity,  he  being  now  the  owner  of  four  hun- 
dred acres  of  land. 


-*•;:■•#•■: 


|ps^»  AMPSON  GROVES,  a  retired  farmer  now 
^5     living  in  Carlinville,  probably  lias  as  much 

v£-J»  personal  knowledge  of  the  progress  of  this 
county  as  an}'  man  now  living  within  its 
bounds.  He  came  here  more  than  half  a  century 
ago,  when  it  was  sparsely  settled  and  much  of  the 
land  was  still  owned  by  the  Government,  and  Car- 
linville was  a  hamlet  with  its  houses  mostly  of 
logs.  There  were  no  railroads  in  the  county,  and 
Alton  and  St.  Louis  were  the  nearest  markets  and 
depots  for  supplies.  Deer  and  wolves  roamed  at 
will  over  the  unsettled  districts  and  frequently 
came  very  near  the  scattered  farmhouses.  Long 
years  of  earnest  and  well-directed  efforts  secured  to 
Mr.  Groves  a  goodly  amount  of  property,  and 
since  1888  he  has  been  living  in  Carlinville,  enjoy- 
ing the  ease  and  comfort  that  arc  so  lilting  for 
those  of  advancing  years. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Solomon  and 
Elizabeth  (Dukes)  Groves,  who  for  some  years 
made  their  home  on  a  farm  in  Muhlenberg  County, 
Ky.  The  father  died  there  about  1821  and  the 
mother  some  years  later,  she  having  made  a  second 


native  county,  where  he  found  a  safe  harbor  with 
his  brother  Jacob.  In  1885  he  accompanied  a 
colony  to  this  State,  the  company  including  his 
brother  Jacob  and  the  l.arnctls. 

Young  Groves  spent  the  winter  in  Sangamon 
County  and  in  the  spring  of  1 83C  came  to  this 
county.  He  worked  at  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  in 
.■■nil  about  Carlinville  until  the  next  year,  when  he 
returned  to  Kentucky  on  a  visit.  He  made  the 
round  trip  on  horseback,  spending  a  few  weeks 
amid  the  scenes  of  his  boyhood  and  youth,  and 
then,  returning  hither,  he  again  took  up  his  trade 
and  followed  it  until  1848.  That  year  he  entered 
a  tract  of  Government  land  on  section  3,  Honey 
Point  Township,  and  still  later  look  up  eighty 
acres  adjoining.  His  first  improvement  was  the 
clearing  of  a  space  on  which  to  build  a    log    house 

and  after  beginning  housekeeping  therein   he  i - 

tinned  his  work  on  the  property,  bringing  it  under 
subjection  and  placing  upon  it  a  good  set  of  build- 
ings. He  lived  on  the  farm  until  1869,  then  made 
Carlinville  his  home  seven  years  anil  a  half,  after 
which  he  returned  to  the  latin.  lie  made  his  per- 
manent removal  at  the  time  before  mentioned,  and 
is  now  occupying  a  pleasant  town  house. 

An  event  of  much  interest  to  Mr.  Groves  and  to 
Miss  Catherine  Armstrong  took  place  June  20, 
1844,  it  being  their  union  in  the  matrimonial  tie. 
The  bride  was  born  in  Botetourt  County,  Va.,  Jan- 
nary  14,  1825.  Her  father.  Watson  Armstrong, 
was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, lie  came  to  this  state  in  1830,  accompanied 
by  his  wile  and  three  children,  traveling  with 
teams  and  camping  on  the  way.  He  settled  in 
Sangamon  County  near  Auburn  and  died  there. 
The  mother  of  Mrs.  Groves  bore  the  maiden  name 


832 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  Ann  Wineman.  She  too  was  born  in  Virginia 
and  her  parents  were  Frederick  and  Catherine 
Wineman.  Frederick  Wineman  is  believed  to 
liave  been  born  in  Pennsylvania  as  lie  went  from 
that  State  to  Virginia.  After  the  decease  of  Mr. 
Armstrong  his  widow  married  John  Hutton  and 
they  came  to  this  county  about  1838,  settling  at 
Shaw's  Point.  Soon  afterward  Mr.  Hutton  left 
home  and  was  never  again  heard  from.  His  widow 
entered  Government  land  and  provided  a  home 
for  her  children.  She  mariicd  a  third  time,  wed- 
ding Cephas  Gillette,  and  went  to  Springfield, 
where  she  spent  her  last  years. 

Mrs.  Groves  was  carefully  reared  and  given  in- 
struction in  the  domestic  aits  that  were  formerly 
considered  necessary,  as  the  manner  of  life  differed 
materially  from  that  of  today.  She  knew  well 
how  to  card,  spin  and  weave,  and  during  the  early 
years  of  her  married  life  clothed  her  family  in 
homespun  made  by  her  own  hands.  She  is  an  ex- 
cellent, housekeeper  and  has  been  a  wise  and  affect- 
ionate mother  as  well  as  a  companion  in  whom  her 
husband  could  safely  trust  for  encouragement  and 
sympathy.  The  family  is  made  up  of  six  sons  and 
daughters,  all  living  but  the  second,  Emily,  who 
died  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-two  years.  The 
survivors  are  Ellis  J.,  Ann  E.,  George  Watson, 
Sampson  S.  and  Fred  Grant.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Groves-  belong  to  the  Christian  Church  and  they 
are  conscientious  and  earnest  in  their  efforts  to 
live  aright. 


WILLIAM  M.  DRENNAN.  An  honorable 
record  is  a  suitable  subject  for  gratification, 
and  a  man  does  well  to  call  to  mind  those 
facts  in  his  history  to  which  his  posterity  may  look 
with  pride.  One  who  has  begun  life  with  no  means 
and  by  his  industry  and  perseverance,  with  no  aid 
except  that  given  by  a  frugal  and  affectionate  wife, 
has  attained  a  handsome  competency  and  provided 
for  his  children  the  advantages  which  every  father 
should  aim  to  give  them,  may  well  feel  pride  in  his 
record.  Such  a  man  is  William  M.  Drennan,  who 
resides  on  section  21,  North  Otter  Township. 


The  late  Joseph  Drennan,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  Kentucky,  in  1814,  and  his  wife, 
Elizabeth  Withrow,  was  born  in  Sangamon  County, 
this  State,  in  1823.  In  that  county  was  their  early 
married  home,  but  in  1849  they  removed  to  Macou- 
pin County,  and  settled  in  what  is  now  North  (  Hter 
TowDship.  There  they  made  their  home  for  some 
years,  but  in  1860  the  mother  was  taken  away  from 
her  happy  household  by  the  hand  of  death,  while 
the  father  died  in  1*72. 

This  estimable  couple  had  seven  children,  of 
whom  our  worthy  subject  is  the  eldest.  His  native 
home  was  in  Sangamon  County,  this  State,  where  he 
was  born  November  4,  1842,  and  he  was  thus  some 
seven  years  old  when  his  parents  removed  to  North 
Otter  Township,  a  here  he  received  his  education 
and  his  thorough  and  systematic  training  upon  the 
farm.  Before  he  had  reached  his  majority  the  War 
of  the  Rebellion  had  broken  out,  and  though  only 
a  boy  he  fell  that  he  must  help  the  cause  of  I  he 
Union  and  defend  the  honor  of  the  old  flag,  and 
with  the  consent  of  his  loyal  and  self  sacrificing 
parents  he  left  his  home  and  joined   the  army. 

Our  young  hero  enlisted  August  14,  1862,  in 
Company  li.  One  Hundred  and  Fourteenth  Illinois 
Infantry,  his  term  of  service  extending  over  three 
years.  The  following  conflicts  were  the  most  im- 
portant in  which  he  took  part:  Jackson,  (Miss.) 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  Brandon,  Miss.,  Guntowu  and  Tu- 
pelo. He  did  brave  duty  in  all  his  army  exper- 
iences and  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  at 
Springfield.  III.,  anil  returned  to  bis  old  home  in 
North  Otter  Township,  which  has  with  this  excep- 
tion, been  his  home  since  1849. 

Mr.  Drennan  has  throughout  life  followed  agri- 
cultural pursuits  and  upon  his  fine  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  valuable  acres  he  has  erected  as 
comfortable  and  convenient  a  set  of  farm  buildings 
as  can  be  found  within  many  miles.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  North  Otter  Township,  April  24,  1866,  to 
Miss  M.  L.  Johnston,  one  of  the  daughters  of  Isaac 
B.  and  Elizabeth  (Berry )  Johnston.  This  worthy 
couple  were  born  in  Muhlenberg  County,  Ky.,  but 
did  not  meet  until  they  were  living  in  Macoupin 
County,  where  Mr.  Johnston  made  Miss  Berry  his 
second  wife.  They  were  married  in  Illinois  and 
settled    in   North  Palmyra    Township,    until  their 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


838 


removal  in  1851,  to  North  Otter  Township,  where 
the  father  died  April  20,  1856.  The  mother  sur- 
vived him  some  thirty  -one  years  and  died  in  Edgar, 
Neb.,  in  1887.  By  this  marriage  Mr.  Johnston  had 
six  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Drennan  is  the  second 
in  order  of  birth.  She  was  horn  in  North  Palmyra 
Township.  March  20,  1845. 

Three  hright  and  sprightly  children  came  to  bless 
the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Drennan,  and  they  bear 
the  names  of  William  ().,  Elizabeth  E.  and  Cora  E. 
In  the  spring  of  18'JO  Mr.  Drennan  was  elected 
Supervisor  of  North  Otter  Township,  and  has  been 
Treasurer  of  the  Board  of  Highway  Commissioners 
for  several  years  and  for  twelve  years  has  been  a 
member  of  this  board.  He  is  prominent  in  educa- 
tional movements  and  while  upon  the  Board  of 
School  Directors  was  efficient  in  maintaining  a  high 
standard  for  the  school.  He  has  ever  taken  an 
active  part  in  political  movements  and  is  often 
chosen  as  a  delegate  to  the  County  Conventions  of 
the  Democratic  party,  and  during  the  summer  of 
1888  he  was  a  delegate  from  Macoupin  County,  to 
the  State  Democratic  Convention,  which  was  held 
at  Springfield,  and  which  nominated  (icn.  John  M. 
Palmer  for  Governor.  Mrs.  Drennan  has  carefully 
trained  her  children,  not  only  in  the  practical 
duties  of  life  but  also  in  religious  matters,  and  she 
is  united  with  them  in  the  communion  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church. 

The  boyhood  of  our  subject  was  one  that  was  full 
of  struggles,  for  his  parents,  like  many  at  that  early 
day,  were  very  poor.  Wh?n  a  boy  of  seventeen 
years  he  was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  and 
up  to  the  time  when  he  enlisted  in  the  army  he  had 
been  working  upon  a  farm  for  wages.  The  winter 
previous  to  his  enlistment  he  worked  for  his  board 
and  attended  school,  and  the  first  winter  after  his 
return  from  the  army  he  again  worked  for  his  board. 
In  the  spring  of  1866  he  rented  of  Mathew  With- 
row  a  farm  in  North  <  Hter  Township,  and  two  years 
later  bought  ten  acres  of  brush  land  in  the  same 
township.  Here  he  lived  for  a  year,  after  which  he 
built  a  cabin,  and  as  he  had  come  into  possession 
of  a  small  tract  of  land  he  removed  his  cabin  to  the 
spot  where  his  beautiful  home  now  stands.  As  fast 
as  he  was  able  he  added  to  his  little  estate  by  pur- 
chase until  now  he  owns  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred 


ami  foity  acres,  upon  which  he  has  first-class  im- 
provements and  a  pleasant,  attractive  and  conven- 
ient home.  'The  beautiful  surroundings  Of  this  home 
and  the  spirit  of  hospitality  and  true  friendliness 
which  pervades  its  moral  atmosphere  makes  it  o 
favorite  resort  for  the  neighbors,  who  so  highly 
esteem  this  gentleman  for  his  good  qualities  and 
who  honor  him  for  his  past  record  "I  early  devo- 
tion to  his  country.  Mr.  Drennan  has  in  his  pos- 
session the  first  gun  that  came  into  Sangamon 
County.      It  was  carried  by  his  grandfather. 


■■■-^., 


fl       JfclLLIAM    CHISM    is  a  worthy    represent- 
\      /    alive  of  the  successful   farmers  and  stock- 

\y§y  raisers  of  Western  Mound  Township,  who 
are  so  intimately  associated  with  its  material  pros- 
perity. He  is  a  native  of  this  county,  Chesterfield 
Township  is  his  birthplace  and  August  20,  1847, 
the  date  of  his  birth.  He  is  descended  from  one  of 
the  earliest  pioneer  families  of  this  county.  His 
father,  John  Chism,  was  born  in  Hardin  County, 
Ivy.,  and  was  a  son  of  William  Chism.  who  was  a 
Virginian  by  birth.  lie  became  a  pioneer  of  Har- 
din County,  where  he  resided  until  about  1829, 
when  he  came  to  Illinois  with  ox-teams,  bringing 
his  household  goods  along  and  cooking  and  camp- 
ing by  the  way.  He  located  in  what  is  now  West- 
ern Mound  Township,  taking  up  a  tract  of  Govern- 
ment land  which  he  entered  at  the  land  office  at 
Kdwardsville.  He  developed  a  farm,  on  which  he 
made  his  home  until  his  mortal  career  was  closed 
in  death. 

The  father-  of  our  subject  was  nine  years  of  age 
when  his  parents  brought  him  to  Illinois,  and  he 
was  reared  under  pioneer  influences.  He  received 
his  education  in  the  primitive  schools  of  the  early 
days  of  the  settlement  of  the  State,  which  were 
taught  on  the  subscription  plan,  in  log  houses  fur- 
nished with  rude,  homemade  furniture.  After 
marriage  he  rented  land  three  years  in  Chesterfield 
Township,  and  then  bought  a  place  one  and  one- 
fourth  miles  north  of  Medina,  where  he  lived  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  which  was  brought  to  a 
close  at  a  ripe  age  in  February  1881.     The  maiden 


834 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


name  of  his  wife  was  Rachel  Skeen,  and  she  still 
lives  on  the  farm  where  she  assisted  her  husband  in 
the  upbuilding  of  a  comfortable  home.  She  is  a 
native  of  Tennessee,  and  a  daughter  of  John  Ander- 
son Skeen.  She  lias  reared  ten  children  to  good 
and  useful  lives. 

When  our  subject  was  born  the  county  was  still 
in  the  hands  of  the  pioneers,  and  he  has  witnessed 
much  of  its  growth,  ;is  his  life  has  been  passed  here 
amid  its  pleasant  scenes  and  his  education  was  ob- 
tained in  its  schools.  He  early  received  a  thorough 
practical  drilling  in  all  kinds  of  farm  work,  and  in 
due  time  became  an  enterprising,  successful  farmer 
and  raiser  of  stock.  He  remained  an  inmate  of 
the  parental  household  until  he  married,  and  he 
then  established  a  home  of  his  own  on  section  31, 
Western  Mound  Township.  He  busied  himself 
about  its  cultivation  and  improvement,  interesting 
himself  in  various  branches  of  agriculture,  and  con- 
tinuing to  reside  on  that  form  until  1890,  when  he 
bought  the  farm  adjoining  upon  which  he  has  since 
made  his  home. 

Mr.  Chism  married  in  1868,  Mary  E.  Haynes,  a 
native  of  Jersey  County,  III.,  and  in  her  lie  has 
found  a.  wife  devoted  to  his  interests,  who  has 
heartily  co-operated  with  him  in  his  life-work. 
Six  children  have  hallowed  their  marriage  named 
as  follows:  John  French,  Thomas  A.,  Charles,  Nel- 
lie, Willie  and  Lester. 

Our  subject  is  an  intelligent,  wide-awake  man, 
possessing  in  a  good  degree  those  qualifications  that 
make  a  man  self  reliant  and  helpful,  and  his  ntigh 
bors  find  him  friendly  and  obliging.  His  wife  has 
in  him  a  considerate  husband,  his  children  an  indul- 
gent father,  and  his  county  a  good  citizen.  We 
may  add  that  the  Republican  party  has  in  him  a 
warm  supporter. 

This  biographical  review  would  be  uncomplete 
without  some  further  reference  to  the  antecedents 
of  the  wife  of  our  subject.  Mrs.  Chism's  father, 
John  Haynes.  was  born  in  Rockingham  County. 
Ya..  and  he  was  very  young  when  his  father  died. 
He  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  five  sons,  and 
he  was  six  years  old  when  his  mother  removed  to 
Ohio  and  settled  in  the  wilds  of  Preble  County, 
where  he  was  reared  and  married.  In  1845  he  came 
from  thereto  Illinois,  making  the  journey  overland 


and  bringing  a  part  of  his  household  goods  with 
him.  He  settled  two  miles  from  Jersey  ville,  where 
he  rented  land.  A  few  years  later  he  settled  near 
Medora,  in  Chesterfield  Township,  and  that  was  his 
home  until  death  called  him  hence  at  a  ripe  age. 
The  maiden  name  of  Mrs.  Chism's  mother  was 
Sarah  Stoner.  She  is  a  native  of  Ohio  and  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Stoner.  She  is 
living  at  a  venerable  age,  at  Jersey  ville. 


^ 


J*^* 


J&S,  ULLEN  C.  GIBSON  is  a  worthy  member 
I  _  of  the  farming  community  of  this  county, 
\^y  and  his  farm,  with  its  well  tilled  fields  and 
many  excellent  improvements,  compares  favorably 
with  the  best  in  Girard  Township.  Mr.  Gibson 
was  born  in  Rutherford  County,  Tenn.,  near 
Murfreesboro,  February  1,  182  •"> .  His  father, 
James  Gibson,  was  a  son  of  one  of  the  early  pio- 
neers of  that  county.  He  was  a  stock-raiser  and 
had  a  large  number  of  horses  that  used  to  feed  on 
the  canebrake.  As  the  country  became  settled  he 
pushed  on  to  the  frontier,  and  thus  in  183(1  lie 
came  to  Illinois,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  three 
of  their  children  with  their  families,  making  the 
trip  by  land,  bringing  all  their  household  goods 
along,  and  camping  by  the  wayside  at  night  dur- 
ing their  journey.  After  twenty-one  days  of 
travel  they  arrived  at  their  destinat ion  in  Morgan 
County,  and  selected  suitable  locations  on  Young- 
blood's  Prairie,  seven  miles  southwest  .of  Franklin, 
The  grandfather  of  our  subject  purchased  a  tract 
of  wild  land,  mostly  prairie,  built  on  it  and  act- 
ively commenced  the  improvement  of  a  farm,  but 
death  cut  short  his  career  the  same  fall.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Rebecca  Robinson. 
She  survived  her  husband  some  years  and  finally 
died  at  the  home  of  her  son  Isham  in  this  county. 
She  reared  six  children  to  maturity — Betsy.  Patsy, 
Sally,  James,  John  and  Isham,  all  of  whom 
came  to  Illinois,  and  John  and  Patsy  are  now  de- 
ceased. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  and  mar- 
ried in  Tennessee.  He  bought  a  tract  of  bluegrass 
land     southwest    of    Murfreesboro,    and    engaged 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  farming  and  stock-raising.     He  was   much  op 
posed   to  the  institution   of  slavery,  and  on   that 
bccount  decided  to  emigrate  to  a  free  stale.  Hence 
lie  came  to   Illinois  in    1S30,  accompanied    by  his 

father  ami  other  members  of  the  family,  as  before 
related.  He  bought  land  in  .Morgan  County,  on 
Younghlood's  Prairie,  and  moved  into  the  rude  log 
cabin  that  stood  on  the  place.  That  dwelling  was 
a  primitive  affair,  with  its  roof  covered  with 
boards  split  by  hand  and  held  in  place  by  poles. 
boards  split  made  the  door  which  had  wooden 
hinges  and  a  wooden  latch,  with  the  string  always 
out,  betokening  the  hospitality  of  the  family.  The 
chimney  was  of  earth  and  sticks,  and  no  nails  were 
used  in  the  construction  of  the  building,  wooden 
pins  taking  their  place.  This  humble  abode  was 
but  a  type  of  those  occupied  by  the  few  white  set- 
tlers in  that  wild,  sparsely  inhabited  region,  where 
there  were  but  few  evidences  of  civilization. 
There  were  no  railways,  and  the  pioneers  had  to  go 
across  the  country  over  rough  roads,  or  no  roads 
at  all,  to  Alton  seventy  miles  away,  to  obtain 
necessary  supplies  and  to  market  their  grain  and 
other  produce.  Mail  facilities  were  of  the  poorest, 
and  before  stage  routes  were  established  the  mad 
was  brought  with  ox-teams  or  on  horseback.  That 
was  in  the  days  before  envelopes  were  used,  and 
was  prior  to  the  era  of  cheap  postage.  Twenty- 
five  cents  were  charged  for  each  letter,  and  money 
being  a  scarce  article,  often  the  whole  neighbor- 
hood was  searched  to  find  enough  to  pay  the 
requisite  postage. 

The  father  of  our  subject  won  an  honorable 
place  among  the  pioneers  of  Morgan  County,  con- 
tributing his  quota  to  its  development.  He  cleared 
quite  a  farm,  which  he  provided  with  good  frame 
buildings,  and  otherwise  improved  it.  and  there  in 
his  comfortable  home  his  life  was  terminated  by 
death  January  24,  1855.  His  wife,  who  was  Han- 
nah Meredith  prior  to  her  marriage,  is  thought  to 
have  been  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  to 
have  been  of  Welsh  lineage.  She  attained  the 
venerable  age  of  eighty-seven  years,  dying  in 
Morgan  County  in  August,  188:5.  She  was  the 
mother  of  five  children,  named  William,  John, 
Cullen  C  Rebecca  and  Martha. 

A  lad  of  seven  years   when   he  was  brought   to 


Illinois,  our  subject  has  a  distinct    recollection  of 

the  incidents  of  frontier  life  in  a  newly  settled 
country,  and  he  grew  to  a  stalwart  manhood  under 
the  invigorating  influences  of  pioneer  times.  He 
lived  with  liis  parents  until  his  marriage,  and  then 
bought  land  adjoining  the  old  home,  on  which 
stooil  a  substantial  log  house  that  was  considered 
a  line  dwelling  for  those  days,  UB  it  was  built  of 
of  hewn  logs,  shingles  covered  the  roof,  it  had  a 
puncheon  Boor,  and  the  chimney  was  made  of 
brick.  In  that,  abode  he  and  his  wife  spent  the 
first  few  years  of  their  happy  wedded  life,  and 
four  of  their  children  were  born  under  its  shelter- 
ing roof.  In  1864  Mr.  Gibson  sold  that  place,  and 
coming  to  this  county,  he  bought  the  farm  that  he 
now  occupies,  which  comprises  one  hundred  and 
and  seventy-three  acres  of  soil  of  surpassing  fertil- 
ity, finely  located  close  to  the  village  of  Girard. 
Ai  the  time  of  purchase  the  buildings  upon  it 
were  of  a  poor  claS8,  which  lie  immediately  re- 
placed with  a  new  set  of  a  belter  order.  In  May, 
1888,  they  were  burned,  entailing  a  heavy  loss,  and 
then  Mr.  Gibson  erected  the  neat  dwelling  and 
outbuildings  that  now  adorn  the  place. 

September  ID,  1843,  was  the  date  of  the  mar- 
riage of  our  subject  with  Miss  Nancy  .1.  Daugh- 
erty. who  was  born  in  Lincoln  County,  Ky.,  May 
■>■>.  1*27.  John  Daugherty,  her  father,  is  thought 
to  have  been  a  native  of  the  same  State,  of  which 
his  father.  Charles  Daugherty.  was  a  pioneer 
farmer.      His   list  yens    wire   spent   there. 

Mis.  (Jibsou's  father  was  left  an  orphan  at  an 
early  age.  His  early  life  was  passed  in  his  native 
State,  and  he  was  there  married.  In  the  fall  of 
1830  he  emigrated  to  Illinois  with  his  wife  and  the 
tWO  Children  that  had  been  born  to  them  ill  their 
old  home,  making  the  removal  with  teams.  He 
settled  on  Youngblood's  Prairie,  purchasing  a  tract 
of  land,  on  which  stood  a  log  cabin,  which  became 
the  home  of  the  family  for  a  number  of  years. 
In  that  early  day  the  people  were  obliged  to  live 
in  the  most  primitive  fashion,  and  labor-saving 
machinery  was  an  unknown  quantity  to  the  farmer 
in  carrying  on  his  work.  The  grain  was  cut  with 
a  sickle  until  the  cradle  came  into  use,  and  there 
were  no  threshing  machines,  the  grain  being  laid 
on  the  ground  and  tramped  out   \,\    ,,\en  or  horses. 


;s;;i; 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


There  were  no  fanning  mills,  and  it  took  three 
people  to  winnow  the  grain,  one  to  pour  it  out, 
while  two  fanned  it  with  a  sheet.  As  Mrs.  Gib- 
son's parents  were  among  the  early  pioneers  of 
Morgan  County,  her  education  was  obtained  in  the 
primitive  pioneer  schools  of  those  early  days  of  the 
settlement  of  that  county.  She  became  accom- 
plished in  the  art  of  spinning  anil  weaving  wool 
and  flax,  and  in  her  early  married  life  dressed  her 
family  in  cloth  of  her  own  manufacture. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gibson  have  twelve  children,  as 
follows:  Serilda,  wife  of  Frank  Gates;  James, 
John,  Charles,  Hannah,  wife  of  James  Wirt; 
Sarah,  wife  of  George  Garst;  George;  Rinda,  wife 
of  Henry  Showalter;  Isaac,  Henry,  (ullen,  and 
Lizzie,  wife  of  John  Stowe. 

Our  subject  and  his  wife  are  people  of  true  li'li 
g'ous  character. who  are  highly  thought  of  in  their 
community  as  good  neighbors  and  useful  citizens. 
They  and  all  but  three  of  their  children  are  mem- 
bers of  the  German  Baptist  Church,  two  of  their 
sons  being  preachers  of  that  denomination,  and 
every  good  work  finds  in  them  hearty  support. 


GEORGE  W.  SCHMIDT   is  extensively   cn- 
iness   as  a  dealer  in    general 


i^iEOKliE  W.  SCH 
l||  „  gaged  in  busines 
V^|!    hardware,  tin  wan 


re  and  farming  implements, 
his  establishment  being  located  at  the  corner  of 
Macoupin  and  Chestnut  Streets  in  the  thriving 
village  of  Gillespie,  where  he  has  carried  on  oper- 
ations since  1882.  He  began  business  on  a  small 
scale  and  as  his  trade  increased,  enlarged  his  stock 
until  he  has  now  a  well-filled  store  which  indicates 
that  he  receives  a  liberal  patronage. 

Mr.  Schmidt  was  born  in  Hesse-Castle,  Fursten- 
hagen,  Germany,  September  1,  1839,  and  is  a  son  of 
Nicholas  and  Elizabeth  (Geisce)  Schmidt,  both  born 
in  the  Fatherland.  The  former  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty-six  years,  but  the  mother  is  still  living  at 
the  age  of  seventy-seven.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
German  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  as  was  her 
husband.  In  their  family  were  nine  children,  our 
subject  being  the  second  in  order  of  birth,     John 


was  the  first  to  come  to  America,  crossing  the  At- 
lantic in  1856.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out  he 
enlisted  at  Philadelphia  in  the  service  of  his  adopted 
country  and  wore  the  blue  until  peace  was  once 
more  restored.  Not  long  after  he  died  of  sickness 
contracted  in  the  army.  Mrs.  Eliza  Fisher,  a  sister, 
also  came  to  this  country,  crossing  the  water  in 
company  with  our  subject.  She  makes  her  home 
Brighton. 

George  Schmidt  began  learning  the  carriage-mak- 
ing trade  in  Hamburg,  Germany,  where  he  worked 
from  1855  until  1860.  He  then  entered  the  regu- 
lar army  of  his  country,  serving  for  a  short  time. 
Again  resuming  work  at  his  trade  he  was  employed 
as  a  journeyman  until  1865,  which  year  witnessed 
his  emigration  to  America.  He  took  passage  at 
Bremen  upon  the  sailing  vessel  ''Mozart"  and  after 
a  voyage  of  thirty-five  days  landed  in  New  York 
City,  whence  he  came  at  once  to  Illinois.  The  first 
year  after  his  arrival  he  spent  in  Palmyra  and  then 
took  up  his  residence  in  Dorchester,  Macoupin 
County,  where  lie  built  a  wagon  shop  and  began 
business  on  his  own  account.  He  was  at  first  alone 
but  later  associated  with  him  Charles  Hoffman,  a 
sketch  of  whom  appears  on  another  page  of  this 
work.  Their  partnership  continued  until  1875, 
when  on  account  of  failing  health  Mr.  Schmidt  had 
to  abandon  that  business,  and  sold  out  to  C.  Theuer. 
He  then  embarked  in  the  hardware  business,  carry- 
ing on  a  store  at  that  place  until  1882,  when  he 
removed  his  stock  to  Gillespie. 

On  the  28th  of  February,  1869,  in  Upper  Alton. 
Mr.  Schmidt  was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss 
Louisa  Theuer,  who  was  born  in  St.  Louis.  Mo., 
September  17,  1850,  and  is  of  German  descent. 
Her  father,  Edward  Theuer,  was  a  Saxon  and  her 
mother  was  a  native  of  Baden.  After  coming  to 
this  country  they  were  married  in  St.  Louis  and  are 
now  residents  of  Upper  Alton,  where  Mr.  Theuer 
engages  in  gardening.  Mrs.  Schmidt  was  a  maiden 
of  five  summers  when  her  parents  removed  to  Upper 
Alton  where  she  resided  until  her  marriage.  By  their 
union  have  been  born  seven  children  as  follows: 
Charles  and  Mary,  now  deceased;  George  W.,  Ed- 
ward and  William  who  assist  their  father  in  carry- 
ing on  the  business,  and  Emma  and  Alvena  at 
home.     The    parents  and  children  are  all  members 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


y-',i 


of  the  German  Evangelical  Church.  In  politics 
Mr.  Schmidt  was  formerly  a  Republican  but  now 
votes  with  the  Democratic  parly,  and  since  he 
came  to  Gillespie  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  town 
Board.  A  public-spirite.1  and  progressive  citizen, 
lie  takes  an  active  interest  in  all  that  pertains  to 
the  welfare  of  the  community  and  ranks  high  among 
his  business  associates,  and  in  social  circles  as  well. 
His  fair.il \  holds  an  enviable  position  in  the  social 
world  and  the  Schmidt  household  is  noted  for  its 
hospitality. 

Sgf§a 

JOSEPH   ENGLAND.     One   of   the  pioneer 

settlers  of  this  .State  who  has  experienced 
the  vicissitudes  of  a  farmer's  life  from 
early  settlement  to  the  present  time  is  he 
whose  name  is  at  the  head  of  this  sketch.  He  owns 
and  resides  on  the  farm  located  on  section  34, 
North  Otter  Township.  The  encouragements  and 
discouragements  of  life  are  all  familiar  to  him, 
having  passed  through  drought  ami  flood,  grass- 
hopper scourge  and  blight  and  having  had  his 
heart  gladdened  by  such  luxuriant  crops  as  only 
Central  Illinois  can  produce  when  the  genius  of  the 
weather    is    in  a  propitious  mood. 

( >ur  subject's  father  was  John  England;  his  mother 
was  Linnie  (Hall)  England.  Thej  were  both  prob- 
ably natives  of  Tennessee,  whence  they  came  to 
Morgan  County,  III.,  remaining  there  only  one  year. 
They  then  came  to  Macoupin  County  early  in  the 
'30s  and  settled  in  North  Otter  'Township  where 
they  lived  until  their  death.  .  The  original  of  our 
sketch  was  one  of  the  older  members  of  his  father's 
family.  He  was  born  in  Morgan  County.  Tcnn., 
December  29,  1818.  He  came  to  Macoupin  County 
with  his  parents  and  lived  nude:'  the  home  roof 
until  he  had  attained  to  years  of  manhood.  He  is 
proud  of  the  fact  that  lie  is  o;ie  of  the  oldest  set- 
tlers in  North  (  Uter  'Township  and  also  of  Macoupin 
County. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  his  native  county 
December  lit,  1839.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was 
Mary  A.  Hays.  The  lady  was  born  in  Martin 
County,  [nd.,  April  10,  1824.  Her  parents  were 
William  and  Elisabeth  Hays.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eng- 


land have  been  the  parents  of  thirteen  children. 
'They  are  Nancy,  l.ucinda,  John.  William,  Samuel, 
Klisha,  Benjamin  P.,  James  !•'..  Elizabeth,  George  F., 
Thomas  .1..  Sebird,  Joseph  II.     The  eldest  daughter 

became  the  wife  of  W.  S.  Bond  and  died  in  North 
Otter  'Township  when  forty-five  ye  ir-  of  age;  Lu- 
Cinda  ia  the  wife  of  John  M.  Hays;  John  married 
Mary  S.  Thurman;  William  died  in  childhood; 
Samuel  married  Ellen  Swift;  Elisha  took  to  wife 
Ada  M.  England;  Benjamin  married  Mary  Adcock; 
James  F.  is  deceased;  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of 
Joseph  Norvel;  George  married  Elizabeth  Adcock; 
Thomas  married  Mary  Harlan;  Sebird  died  in 
infancy,  Joseph  II.  when  twenty-three  years  of 
age. 

Mr.  England  has  always  been  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, lie  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  and  one 
half  acres.  He  has  erected  a  good  class  of  build- 
ings upon  his  farm  and  the  place  is  well  improved. 
Mrs.  England  died  in  North  Otter  Township.  Au- 
gust 1"J,  1877.  Our  subject  is  a  man  wdio  is  liberal 
in  his  religious  views.  No  man  in  the  township  or 
county  knows  so  much  of  the  history  of  the  locality 
and  of  men  who  have  been  prominent  here  as  does 
our  Bubject.  lie  is  genial  and  hospitable  and  al- 
though "lie  has  lived  more  than  the  allotted  three- 
score ,-ind  ten  his  friends  hope  that  he  will  survive 
many  years. 

v  ,AMES  H.  SMALLEY,  who  is  successfully 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  sheep-rais- 
ing on  section  35,  Ililyard  'Township,  h;.s 
the  honor  of  being  a  native-born  citizen  of 
this  COUnty,  his  birth  Inning  occurred  on  the  old 
Smalley  homestead  in  Hunker  Hill  'Township,  in 
1810.  We  have  no  authentic  record  concerning 
the  early  history  of  the  Smalley  family  and  its  es- 
tablishment in  America,  but  know  that  the  pa- 
ternal grandfather  of  our  subject,  Samuel  Smalley, 
came  of  an  old  New  Jersey  family  of  English  He- 
brew origin,  lie  was  twice  married  in  his  native 
State,  and  with  his  second  wife  and  his  children, 
emigrated  to  Illinois,  traveling  from  Pittsburg 
with  a  one  horse  team.      He  located  ill  Bunker  Hill 


838 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Township  when  the  city  of  that  name  was  a  mere 
hamlet.  Securing  lands  he  improved  a  good  prop- 
el ty  and  lived  to  see  all  of  his  children  established 
in  good  homes  of  their  own.  He  and  his  wife  hotli 
died  on  the  old  homestead  at  an  advanced  age. 
They  were  members  of  the  Baptist  Church  and 
were  well-known  among  the  early  settlers  ol  this 
community.  The  usual  trials  and  hardships  of  pi- 
onee/  life  fell  to  their  lot.  such  as  having  to 
live  upon  corn-meal  which  was  ground  in  a  coffee- 
mill.  For  some  time  the  family  which  numbered 
twrntv-one  persons,  lived  in  a  small  log  cabin,  yet 
in  the  course  of  time  Samuel  Smalley  became  one 
of  the  prosperous  men  of  the  community. 

Andrew  Smalley.  father  of  our  subject,  was  born 
in  Somerset  County,  N.  .1.,  in  1815,  and  in  that 
State  learned  the  hatter's  trade,  which  he  followed 
for  several  years.  About  a  year  previous  to  his 
emigration  Westward,  he  married  Miss  Julia  Cox, 
who  was  born  and  reared  in  Sussex  County,  and 
was  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Restore  Cox,  a  soldier  of 
the  War  of  1812,  who  in  that  struggle,  won  his  ti- 
tle. After  the  death  of  his  wife,  the  Captain,  then  an 
old  man.came  to  Illinois  and  spent  his  last  days  in  the 
home  of  his  daughter.  On  coming  West.  Andrew 
Smalley  and  his  wife  at  once  began  the  work  of 
acquiring  a  property.  He  seemed  eighty  acres  of 
land  from  the  Government,  upon  which  he  built 
if  cabin  and  in  true  pioneer  style,  began  life.  Prac- 
ticing industry  and  economy,  his  financial  resources 
were  then;  increased  and  from  time  to  time  he 
made  judicious  investments  of  his  capital  in  real 
estate  until  he  became  owner  of  about  twelve  hun- 
dred acres  of  fine  land,  all  lying  within  the  borders 
of  Macoupin  County  except  one  quarter  section  in 
Kansas.  His  land  was  divided  into  good  faims, 
upon  which  he  placed  many  excellent  improve- 
ments. No  man  did  more  for  the  development 
and  upbuilding  of  this  township  than  Andrew 
Smalley.  and  he  became  one  of  the  prominent  and 
influential  as  well  as  the  prosperous  citizens  of  the 
community.  In  all  his  labors  he  was  ably  assisted 
and  seconded  by  his  estimable  wife  who  proved  a 
true  helpmate  to  him.  She  was  born  in  1817,  and 
died  at  their  home  in  Bunker  Hill,  in  1872,  in  the 
faith  of  the  Baptist  Church,  of  which  she  was  a 
consistent   member.     Andrew    Smalley   was   again 


married,  his  second  union  being  with  Mrs.  John- 
son, who  is  yet  living  and  makes  her  home  in  Bun- 
ker Hill,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  Church  also,  and  lived  an  up- 
right life,  worthy  the  esteem  of  all.  Industry  and 
enterprise  characterized  h'S  career,  and  fairness 
marked  all  of  his  business  dealings.  In  his  death 
the  county  lost  one  of  her  best  citizens. 

Our  subject.  James  H.  Smalley.  is  the  eldest  of 
four  surviving  children,  out  of  a  family  of  six. 
His  entire  life  has  been  spent  in  this  county,  and 
its  growth  and  development,  he  has  witnessed 
from  an  early  day.  Traveling  life's  journey  with 
him  as  his  faithful  wife,  is  Miss  Emma  Hopper, 
their  marriage  having  been  celebrated  in  Bunker 
Hill  in  1862.  She  was  born  in  Booneville.  End., 
February  7,  1842,  and  her  parents.  Rev.  J.  V.  and 
Lucinda  (Johnson)  Hopper,  were  natives  of  the 
Buckeye  State,  where  they  were  reared  and  mar- 
ried. After  the  birth  of  their  first  child,  a  daugh- 
ter, they  removed  to  Indiana,  but  in  a  few  years 
returned  to  Ohio.  Subsequently  they  came  to  Ill- 
inois, settling  near  Bunker  Hill.  Where  Mr.  Hop- 
per improved  and  operated  a  farm.  He  also  en- 
gaged in  preaching  as  a  minister  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  and  after  years  of  hard  labor  retired  to 
private  life,  removing  to  Bunker  Hill,  where  he  is 
now  living  at  the  age  of  seventy  seven  years,  while 
his  wife  has  attained  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 
Their  family  numbered  seven  children  of  whom 
six  are  yet  living. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smalley  have  been  born  a 
family  of  five  children,  and  death  has  not  once  vis- 
ited the  home.  Charley  O.,  the  eldest,  is  now  con- 
nected with  a  street  or  corapan}'  of  St.  Louis, 
where  he  makes  his  home;  L.  Etta,  Herbert  H., 
Arden  E.  and  Edward  ().,  are  still  with  their  pa- 
rents. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smalley  attend  the  Baptist 
Church,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  has 
traveled  extensively  through  the  North  and  West, 
and  was  one  of  the  first  to  engage  in  mining  in 
Leadville,  Colo.  For  a  half  century  he  has  resided 
in  Macoupin  County,  and  with  the  history  of  its 
agricultural  interests  his  name  is  inseparably  con- 
nected. He  owns  one  of  the  best  farms  in  Hilyard 
Township,  and  in  connection  with  its  cultivation, 
is  extensively   engaged    in   sheep  raising,  in  which 


lie  has  met  with  excellent  success.  He  possesses 
good  business  ability,  is  enterprising  and  pro- 
gressive, and  is  accounted  one  of  the  valued  citi- 
zens of  the  neighborhood. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


«;}■! 


| — -i  WANK  FRIEDE,  who  is  engaged    in   gen. 

L^g   eral  merchandising  in  Mt.  Olive,  was  horn 

\  on  the  10th  of  May,  1859,  in  Edwardsville, 
111.,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles  J.  and  Sophia  (Han- 
nan  )  Friede,  who  were  natives  of  Prussia,  Germany, 
where  they  grew  to  mature  years.  The  father 
alone  and  the  mother  in  company  with  her  parents 
emigrated  to  this  country  in  1854,  sailing  from 
Bremen  to  New  Orleans  and  then  came  up  the 
river  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Edwardsville,  where  a 
few  3'cars  later  the  young  people  were  married. 
Mr.  Friede  followed  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  and 
when  well  advanced  in  years  came  with  his  wife  to 
this  county,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives,  the  father  dying  in  1881,  at  the  age  of 
fifty -seven  years,  the  mother  passing  away  in  1880, 
when  fifty  years  of  age.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  and  Mr.  Friede  was  a  Catholic  in 
religious  belief.  Our  subject  is  the  eldest  of  the 
family  of  whom  three  are  yet  living — Ernst,  who 
is  now  married  and  resides  in  East  St.  Louis;  and 
Sophia  who  makes  her  home  in   this  city. 

Frank  Friede,  whose  name  heads  this  notice, 
resided  at  home  until  1874,  when  he  went  to  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  spent  three  years  in  learning 
the  trade  of  a  confectioner.  On  the  expiration  of 
that  time  he  came  to  Mt.  Olive  and  established 
business  in  that  line,  carrying  on  operations  with 
considerable  success  for  seven  years,  when  in  1884, 
he  embarked  in  general  merchandising.  Six  years 
later  he  erected  a  fine  brick  store  building,  75x30 
feet  and  two  stories  in  height  with  abasement.  It 
is  well  tilled  with  staple  and  fancy  groceries,  cloth- 
ing, dry  goods,  hats  and  caps,  boots  and  shoes, 
etc. 

Mrs.  Friede,  wife  of  our  subject,  was  in  her 
maidenhood  Miss  Frances  Schoen.  She  was  born 
in  Montgomery  County,  III.,  in  1864,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Albert  and  Anna  (Akerbauer)  Schoen, 


natives  of  Germany,  who  on  coming  to  ibis  coun- 
try had  located  in  Illinois.  After  their  marriage 
they  settled  in  Montgomery  County,  where  Mr. 
Schoen  improved  a  good  farm.  I  laving  acquired 
a  good  competence,  he  and  his  wife  removed  to 
Mt.  Olive  where  they  are  now  living  retired,  both 
being  well  advanced  in  years.  Unto  Mr.  and  .Mrs. 
Friede  have  been  born  an  interesting  family  of 
time  children,  all  sons — Charles  F.  Albeit  .1.  and 
William   A. 

Mr.  Friede  holds  membership  with  the  Catholic 
Church  and  his  wife  belongs  to  the  Lutheran 
Church.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and  for 
many  years  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Council 
and  for  three  yeais  was  President  of  the  Board.  He 
is  now  serving  as  Supervisor  of  Mt.  Olive  Town- 
ship, which  was  cut  off  from  Staunton  Township 
in  188:;.  One  of  the  young  business  men  of  the 
place  he  has  succeeded  in  winning  an  excellent 
trade,  having  acquired  his  patronage  by  fair  deal- 
ing, courteous  treatment  and  a  desire  to  please  his 
customers.  As  a  citizen  he  is  true  to  every  duty 
and  he  ranks  high  both  in  business  and  social 
circles. 

— -mm- — 


GEORGE  W.  WIVES.  Among  the  extensive 
farmers  of  Barr  Township,  the  biographer 
may  well  mention  the  name  which  appears 
at  the  head  of  this  paragraph.  Mr.  Rives  is  the 
son  of  James  Rives  and  Elizabeth  Hood,  both  nat- 
ives of  North  Carolina,  who  have  resided  in  Kent- 
ucky, previous  to  their  migration  to  Illinois. 
Having  arrived  in  the  Prairie  State  they  settled  in 
Greene  County,  about  the  year  1834  and  there 
the}'  died. 

Our  subject  first  saw  the  light  in  Greene  County, 
May  13,  1837,  and  there  he  took  his  early  training 
upon  the  farm,  and  in  the  district  school,  and  did 
not  come  to  this  county  until  about  the  time  he 
reached  his  majority,  lie  then  settled  ii|  on  sec- 
tion 21 ,  Barr  Township,  in  1858,  but  returned  to 
his  native  county  two  years  later,  to  bring  for  his 
bride.  lie  was  married  January  2.">,  I860  to  Mis 
Jemima  Deal,  i  daughter  of  George  and  Lucy 
(Rismiller)    Deal,   natives    of    Pennsylvania.      Mr. 


840 


PORTRAIT  AM)  BIOGRAPHICAL  RFX'ORD. 


Deal  died  in  Luzerne  County,  Pa.,  and  the  mother 
in  Christian  County.  III.  Their  daughter  Jemima 
was  born  in  North  Hampton  County,  Pa.,  March 
9,   1838. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rives  were  granted  ten  bright 
and  interesting  children,  namely:  Charles  P.;  Wil- 
liam H.,  who  married  Miss  Anna  Skaggs;  James 
L.,  who  married  Miss  Emma  Jones;  Augustus  M., 
George  E.,  Lenora  E.,  John  M..  Harry  E.,  Fvcr- 
ette  A.  and  Stephen  C.  These  children  are  all 
being  brought  up  in  the  faith  of  the  Christian  reli- 
gion, and  are  given  excellent  opportunities  of  edu- 
cation, the  parents  being  intelligent  and  thought- 
ful and  desirous  of  the  best  good  for  their  children. 
They  are  both  earnest  members  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  and  in  politics  Mr.  Hives  is 
attached  to  the  Republican  party.  Fanning  and 
stock-raising  absorb  the  greater  part  of  Mr.  Rives' 
interest  and  efforts  and  he  is  successful  in  his  en- 
deavors. He  is  the  prosperous  owner  of  seven  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  ali  in    Barr  Township. 


home.  He  was  married  at  his  home  in  Carlinville, 
November  30, 1880,  to  Miss  Carrie  Bird,  the  eldest 
daughter  of  Joseph  Bird,  of  Carlinville.  She  was 
a  native  of  Macoupin  County,  where,  she  was  born 
August  17,  1866. 

The  young  couple  set  up  housekeeping  in  the 
village  where  their  marriage  took  place  and  there 
remained  for  four  years.  September  1884,  he  re- 
moved to  Nilwood  Township,  and  set'led  on 
section  1  where  he  has  ever  since  been  a  resident. 
He  has  always  devoted  himself  to  agricultural 
pursuits  and  owns  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  on  which  are  a  series  of  buildings 
that  speak  well  in  appointment  and  convenience, 
of  the  judgment  and  taste  of  their  owner. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  (lore  are  the  parents  of  three  sons 
and  one  daughter.  They  arc,  Forrest  Bird,  Victor 
Morris,  Joseph  Herald,  Gladys  Isabella.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  Gore  is  an  uneomprising  Democrat.  Our 
subject  is  an  enterprising,  vigorous  man.  He  is  a 
lover  of  home  and  family  and  on  ail  sides  in  his 
house  can  be  seen  evidences  of  culture  and  refine- 
ment. Mrs.  Gore  is  a  woman  of  unusual  personal 
attraction,  and  while  devoted  to  her  family,  is  the 
center  of  the  social  life  in  her  neighborhood.  She 
dispenses  with  rare  grace,  the  hospitality  of  their 
home  and  happy  is  the  stranger  who  gains  entrance 
into  that  home. 


ORREST  D.  GORK.  There  is  a  well  known 
aphorism  that  blood  will  tell.  The  gentle- 
man whose  name   heads    this    sketch    is   a 

worthy  representative  of  a  family  that  for  years  has 

been    distinguished  by    virtue  of    the   intellectual 

superiority,  mental  vigor  and  business  capacity  and 

push    of    its   members.     He   is  a  son  of  the   Hon. 

David   and  (indrella  (Keller)  (J  ore  of  Carlinville, 

the  former  of  whom  is  a  man  noted  for  his  broad 

intellectuality,   and  the  prominent  position  he  has 

successfully  filled  in  public  life. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Chesterfield,  Macoupin 

County,  October   1.  1854,  and  is  now  a  resident  on 

his  farm    in    Nilwood    Township    his    place  being 

located  on  section  4.      He  passed  the  early  years  of 

his    life    in    his    native  township  and   until  seven 

years   of  age,  when   his   parents  moved  to  Carlin- 
ville, where  he  grew  to  manhood.     There  he  passed 

his  years  as  do  most  of  the  village  lads,  engaged 

in  school  life  and  the  sports  of  boyhood,  until  he 

reached  mature  years  when    life  was  serious  before  After    coming  to    this   county   this  young  man 

him,  and    he  began  to  think  of  making  himself  a       took  to  himself  a  wife  in  the  person  of  Caroline  M. 


THEODORE  J.  TEANEY,  a  brother  of 
E.  A.  C.  Teaney,  who  is  elsewhere  sketched 
in  this  volume,  is  a  representative  of  a  well 
known  and  honorable  family,  whose  life  in  Ban- 
Township,  lias  given  them  a  just  claim  to  the  re- 
spect and  esteem  of  their  neighbors.  The  father 
Francis  C.  and  the  mother  Mary  (Huff)  Teaney 
are  spoken  of  more  at  length  in  the  biography  of 
the  other  son.  In  a  family  of  twelve  children, 
Theodore  is  the  fifth,  the  date  of  his  nativity  being 
June  20.  1825.  He  was  born  in  Augusta  County, 
Va.,  ami  came  to  Greene  County.  III.,  with  his  par- 
ents and  there  grew  to  manhood. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


M  I 


Colby,  who  became  the  mother  of  six  children, 
namely:  Silas  F.,  died  in  boyhood:  Alpheua  L. 
died  :it  the  age  of  fourteen;  Mary  the  third  child 
was  taken  away  al  the  age  of  sixteen;  Sylva  L.  is 
the  wife  of  Thomas  Tabscott;  Eri  E.  married  Miss 
Jennie  Maxwell;  Theodore  J.  married  Miss  Nora 
Havens.  Mrs.  Caroline  Teaney  died  in  Hair  Town- 
ship many  years  ago  leaving  her  family  to  deeply 
mourn  her  loss. 

The  second  wife  of  our  subject  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Martha  J.  Vaughn  and  she  brought  her 
husband  five  children,  John  A.,  George  A.,  Ephraim 
E.,  Cora  O.  and  Martha  .1.  Thei]  mother  was 
taken  from  them  in  1884.  The  present  Mrs.  Tea- 
ney was  before  her  marriage  with  our  subject, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Drake)  Shelton.  .She  is  a  woman 
of  ability  and  influence  and  takes  an  active  part  in 
religious  affairs,  filling  a  useful  sphere  of  influence. 
Tne  political  views  of  Mr.  Teaney  have  led  him  to 
affiliate  with  the  Democratic  party.  lie  has  always 
followed  agricultural  pursuits  and  has  not  given 
his  time  to  office  seeking.  His  farm  of  one  huiv 
dred  and  thirty-eight  acres,  shows  the  mark  of 
patient,  persevering  endeavor  and  a  thorough  un- 
derstanding of  the  needs  of  agriculture.  Mr. 
Teaney  is  wide-awake  upon  educational  themes  and 
has  served  as  School  Director.  Their  pleasant 
home  is  the  scene  of  a  cordial  hospitality  and  fre- 
quent reunions  of  friends  of  genial  nature  and 
true  culture. 


^ 


^2})  APT.  LEVI  M.  HESS.  The  days  of  the 
f|(  Civil   War  have  not  so  far  passed  into  his- 

^^^/  tory  as  to  have  impaired  the  personal  inter- 
est which  the  present  generation  should  take  in 
those  heroes  who  battled  bravely  for  the  Union 
and  the  honor  of  the  old  flag.  We  still  have  among 
us  men  in  the  prime  of  life  who  were  the  heroes  of 
those  days,  and  the  patriotic  impulses  of  our 
younger  people  may  well  be  stirred  by  a  recountal 
of  their  sufferings  and  conflicts.  We  are  there- 
fore doubly  pleased  to  present  a  sketch  of  Capt. 
Hess,  whose  record  both  in  times  of  peace  and  times 
of  war  is  worthy  of  publication. 


Our  subject  was  born  on  a  farm  two  miles  smith 
of  Goshen,  Elkhart  County.  Ind.,  October  15,  1840. 
His  father,  Elias  Hess,  was  a  native  of  Franklin 
County,  Ohio,  born  in  1810,  and  was  the  Bon  of 
the  Rev.  Bolser  Hess,  of  Germany,  who  came  to 
America  in  the  early  Colonial  days  and  settling 
with  his  fallal's  family  near  Bedford,  Pa,  He 
was  quite  young  when  he  became  an  emigrant  and 
was  reared  in  Pennsylvania  and  became  a  pioneer 
of  Franklin  County.  Ohio.  He  resided  there  until 
1  82!»  when  he  removed  to  Elkhart  County,  Ind. 

At  that  time  that  section  of  the  country  was 
very  sparsely  settled  and  Indians  still  lingered  near 
them.  The  county  was  not  yet  organ i/.ed  and  the 
land  was  not  in  market  until  three  years  after  this 
pioneer  "squatted"  upon  the  tract  which  he  chose 
for  his  home.  As  soon  as  it  was  possible  he  entered 
two  sections  of  land  within  two  miles  of  the  present 
site  of  Goshen.  He  had  erected  a  log  house  in  the 
woods  and  at  once  began  to  clear  the  land.  No 
railroads  nor  canals  furnished  means  of  transit 
through  that  section,  and  Ft.  Wayne,  fifty-three 
miles  distant  was  the  nearest  market. 

Bolser  Hess  was  a  successful  man  and  acquired  a 
handsome  property,  dying  in  1858.  He  was  a 
preacher  in  the  Baptist  Church  and  very  useful  in 
his  work  among  his  pioneer  neighbors.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  wife  was  Sarah  Immell  and  she  was  of 
French  ancestry.  She  spent  her  last  years  here 
with  her  children. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  but  nineteen  years 
old  when  his  parents  settled  in  Elkhart  County, 
and  he  remained  at  home  for  some  time  after  his 
marriage,  as  his  father  desired  his  help  upon  the 
homestead.  He  then  gave  him  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  which  was  a  portion  of  his  orig- 
inal entry,  and  there  he  resided  until  after  the  war. 
when  he  sold  out  and  removed  to  Marshall  County, 
buying  a  farm  there  which  he  still  owns,  although 
he  resides  in  Hois  D'Arc,  Mo. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Lucinda  Wright.  She  was  born  near  Wheel- 
ing. W,  V:i..  and  was  a  daughter  of  Enoch  and 
Jane  (Abshire)  Wright.  She  died  on  the  home 
farm  in  Marshall  County,  Ind.,  after  having  reared 
to  maturity  thirteen  of  her  fourteen  children. 
Three  of  them,  Ezra,  Isaiah  and  our  subject  served 


842 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


sis  soldiers  in  the  late  war.  The  former  was  killed 
in  the  powder  explosion  at  University  Place  in  the 
Cumberland  Mountains  of  Tennessee.  Isaiah  was 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Jonesboro,  Ga. 

Levi  Mess  was  reared  upon  the  farm  and  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  the  breaking  out  of 
the  war.  He  enlisted  at  the  first,  call  for  troops, 
April  15,  1861,  joining  Capt.  Haskell's  company. 
The  company  was  not  accepted  and  he  again  en- 
listed at  the  second  call  in  July  of  the  same  year, 
joining  Company  B,  Twenty-ninth  Indiana  Infan- 
try. In  1804  he  was  transferred  to  Company  G 
and  continued  to  serve  with  this  regiment  until 
after  the  close  of  the  war. 

The  young  man  enlisted  as  a  private  and  was 
promoted  to  Sergeant  and  then  to  First  Lieutenant, 
and  December  G,  1864,  he  received  the  commission 
of  a  Captain  anil  was  placed  in  command  of  Com- 
pany G,  of  which  he  had  charge  through  the  re- 
mainder of  his  term  of  service.  He  was  discharged 
with  the  regiment  at  Marietta,  Ga.,  and  paid  (iff  at 
Indianapolis,  December  12,  1865. 

Returning  home  Capt.  Hess  decided  ti>  prepare 
himself  more  fully  for  business  life,  and  going  to 
Chicago,  entered  Eastman's  Business  College  where 
he  graduated  in  1866.  He  then  accepted  for  a 
short  time  a  position  as  book-keeper  in  a  stove 
store  in  that  city,  before  returning  to  Goshen. 
From  there  he  went  to  Springfield,  Mo  ,  where  lie 
engaged  in  teaching  and  farming  until  1871,  when 
he  came  to  Macoupin  County  and  bought  a  farm 
in  Virden  Township,  which  property  he  still  owns. 
He  engaged  in  fanning  till  1881  and  then  forme  1 
a  partnership  with  John  F.  Huston  for  the  purpose 
of  engaging  in  the  hardware  and  furniture  busi- 
ness, combining  with  this  the  sale  of  agricultural  im- 
plements under  the  firm  name  of  Hess  &  Huston. 

The  happy  marriage  of  Capt.  Hess  and  Miss 
Annie  B.  Clay  took  place  in  August,  1866.  This 
lady  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Lucy  (Webber) 
Clay.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hess  were  granted  two 
beautiful  daughters,  whom  they  have  brought  up 
in  the  faith  of  the  Christian  Church  and  educated 
according  to  the  best  opportunities  of  which  they 
could  avail  themselves.  Martha  is  now  the  wife 
of  John  W.  Sumner  and  Lulu  is  at  home  with  her 
parents.     Mr.  Hess  is  connected    with  the  Virden 


Lodge  No.  161,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  and  the  Girard 
Chapter  No.  281.  also  with  the  Virden  Lodge  No. 
534,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  is  prominently  identified  with 
the  John  Baird  Post  No.  285,  G.  A.  R. 


rtt        fifcEYE  H.  WEYEN,  deceased,   was  born    in 
\jsJ//    Hanover,  Germany,  October  20,  1820,  and 

\jyvj  died  at  his  home  in  Cahokia  Township,  on 
March  15,  1889,  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 
In  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads  his  boyhood 
days  were  passed  and  in  the  common  schools  of 
Germany  he  acquired  his  education.  The  year 
1851  witnessed  his  emigration  to  America,  lie  was 
then  a  young  man  and  had  resolved  to  ti 3-  his 
fortune  in  the  New  World,  of  whose  advantages 
and  opportunities  he  had  heard  so  much.  The 
vessel  on  which  he  took  passage  sailed  from  Bremen 
to  New  Oilcans,  whence  became  up  the  Mississippi 
River  to  Alton.  He  began  life  in  Madison  County 
as  a  fanner.  Some  years  later  his  parents  also  came 
to  the  United  States,  locating  in  Macoupin  County, 
where  they  resided  until  death,  both  being  well  ad- 
vanced in  years  when  they  passed  away. 

While  residing  in  Alton,  Mr.  Weyen  was  joined 
in  wedlock  with  Miss  Mate  Johnson,  also  a  native 
of  the  Province  of  Hanover,  Germany,  born 
February  17,  1827.  When  a  young  woman  she 
bade  adieu  to  the  Fatherland  and  her  people  and  on 
the  same  ship  in  which  her  sweetheart  had  taken 
passage,  she  crossed  the  waters  to  America.  Her 
home  she  made  in  Alton  until,  just  a  year  after  her 
arrival  in  this  country,  she  became  the  wife  of  Mr. 
Weyen.  They  continued  their  residence  in  Madi- 
son County  for  some  nine  years,  living  upon  a  farm 
and  then  came  to  Macoupin  Count}-,  in  1865,  the 
husband  purchasing  land  on  section  8,  Cahokia 
Township.  When  they  were  married  their  cash 
capital  consisted  of  only  $5  but  they  started  out  in 
life  together  hand  in  hand,  determined  to  win  suc- 
cess and  at  length  a  large  and  finely  improved  farm 
of  six  hundred  acres  was  yielding  to  them  a  golden 
tribute.  Thereon  Mr.  Weyen  continued  to  make  his 
home  until  his  death.   He  was  a  man  of  great  energy 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


si;; 


and  perseverance,  possessed  also  of  g 1  manage-  Father's   farm  was  the  scene   of  his  early  training 

ment  and  excellent  business  ability.    The  obstacles  and    be  received    such    intellectual   stimulus   and 

which  arose  in  his    path, -he    made    to  serve  other  education  as  was  to  be  found  in  the  pioneer  schools 

than  adverse  purposes  and  where  many  a   man    of  of  Macoupin  County.     In  those  fundamental  insti- 

less  resolute  character  would    have   despaired,  he  tutions  of  learning  a  noble  start  was  given  to  many 

seemed  to  lake   fresh   courage  after  an   encounter  a  worthy  citizen,  for  although  their  course  was  not 

with  difficulties  and  to  press  forward  with  renewed  a  broad  one  the  drill  was.decp  and  the  effect  en- 


zeal.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat  and  in  re 
ligions  belief  a  Lutheran.  In  hisdeath  the  county 
lost  one  of  its  best  citizens,  bis  neighbors  a  kind 
friend  and  his  family  a  loving  and  considerate  hus- 
band and  father. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weyeti  were  hum  six  chil- 
dren and  with  the  exception  of  John  who  died  in 
childhood,  all  are  yet.  living.  Heye  who  wedded 
Minnie  Meinicke  owns  and  operates  a  farm  in  Honey 
Point  Township;  Mary  is  the  wife  of  <  leorge  <  tster- 
camp  who  owns  an  excellent  farm  in  the  same 
town;Tace  wedded  A  Hie  Schmidt  and  resides  on  a 
part  of  the  old  homestead;  Tt-nnie  married  John 
W.  Schmidt,  they  reside  in  Gillespie  Township; 
John  still  lives  with  his  mother  and  assists  her  in 
her  business  affairs.  Mrs.  YVeyen  is  still  living  on 
the  large  farm  in  Cahokia  Township  which  she  has 
successfully  managed  with  the  help  of  hei 
since  her  husband's  death,  she.  too,  is  a  member 
of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  is  a  lady  whose  many 
excellencies  Of  character  have  won  her  many  friends. 
Her  youngest  son  wdio  has  the  burden  of  the  farm 
work  upon  his  shoulders,  is  a  young  man  of  excel 
lent  business  ability,  wide-awake  and  progressive 
and  will  doubtless  have  a  successful  career. 


-:- 


O  *— 


SLOUGH    F.    LOVELESS.     Among    the    n 

prominent   families   in   Bird    Township  who 


have  made  their  mark  in  the  farming  com- 
munity by  the  thoroughness  and  efficiency 
of  their  work  and  the  sterling  value  of  their  char- 
acter, wo  find  the  one  represented  by  the  gentle- 
man whose  name  appears  at  the  bead  of  this  brief 
life  review.  A  resume  of  Ihe  family  history  will 
he  found  with  the  biography  of  his  brother,  -1.  II. 
Our  subject  was  horn  in  this  township,  June  2. 
1843,  aisd  here  he  has  grown  up  to  manhood.     His 


during.  This  son  was  one  of  the  younger  in  his 
father's  household  and  he  made  his  home  under  the 
parental  roof  until  his  man  ; 

Snali  A..  Sell  was  the  maiden  name  of  the  lady 
who  became  Kirs.  Hugh  F.  Loveless  March:!.  1864. 
al  St.  Louis.  Mo.  Her  parents.  Michael  and  Sarah 
(Brown)  Sc||  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and 
Virginia  respectively.  They  had  made  their  home 
in  Indiana  some  time  previous  to  their  coming  to 
Macoupin  County.  111.,  which  was  at  an  call}'  day. 
They  settled  in  Western  Mound  Township,  and 
after  many  years'  residence  there  removed  to  Tiird 
Township  and  afterward  to  ( 'aiTui  ville,  but  spenl 
their  latter  days  in  Nil  wood  Township,  where  Mr. 
Sell  did  June  22,  1886.  The  ag<id  mother  of  Mrs. 
Loveless  still  survives.  They  had  live  sons  and 
four  daughters,  of  whom  Sarah  was  the    fifth. 

Mis.  Loveless  first  saw  Ihe  light  in  Western 
Mound  Township,  May  ■">,  1847,  and  she  made  her 
home  with  her  parents  until  her  marriage.  The 
young  couple  then  settled  in  Bird  Township  upon 

lie    spot   which  they  now  call  home.       Mr.  Loveless 

has  made  a  thorough  siiuly  of  agriculture  and  is 
well  informed  in  regard  to  all  branches  of  farming 
and  stock-raising,  and  more  than  this  has  achieved 
a  practical  success  in  his  efforts.  He  owns  three 
hundred  and  forty  acres  and  has  upon  his  farm  a 
line  set  of  farm  buildings. 

Four  promising  children  came  to  brighten  the 
home  of  our  subject :  one.  Edgar  L.,  died  at  the  age 
of  four  and  one-half  years,  bill  the  others  have 
grown  io  in' a  comfort  and  support  to  their  parents. 
Albert  P.  married  Miss  Etta  Adams  and  Francis 
F.  and  Cora  I-',  are  still  at  home  with  their  parents. 
The  office  of  School  Director  has  been  admirahlv 
tilled  by  our  subject.  In  his  political  views  he  is 
in  favor  of  the  doctrines  Of  the  Democratic  party 
and  he  has  evi'i  ca8t  his  vote  in  ils  favor.  The 
Shiloh  Baptist  Church  is  Ihe  body  of  Christians 
with  which  they  are  connected  and  there  they  have 


844 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


proved  themselves  earnest  and  efficient  workers. 
Mr.  Loveless  is  known  far  and  wide  as  a  prudent 
and  well-balanced  man  whose  natural  character- 
istics, supplemented  by  the  training  which  be  has 
given  himself,  have  made  him  prosperous  anil  influ- 
ential.  His  connection  by  marriage  with  some  of 
the  most  influential  families  in  the  township  also 
added  to  his  social  strength. 


lOBERT  R.  TOMPKINS,  who  passed  away 
from  life  in  Woodburn,  October  3,  1871, 
was  one  of  the  most  respected  and  esteemed 
M|)  citizens  of  that  pleasant  village.  For  a 
few  years  previous  to  his  decease,  he  had  been  re- 
tired from  business  as  a  miller  in  which  line  of 
work  he  had  built  up  a  very  line  business  and  had 
established  a  beautiful  home  in  the  western  part  of 
Woodburn.  He  had  lived  either  in  this  village  or 
in  the  town  of  Bunker  -Hill  since  1835,  when  he 
came  to  this  place  which  is  now  called  Woodburn, 
and  found  it  in  its  primitive  condition,  lie  helped 
to  build  it  up  and  was  one  of  its  leading  citizens. 
In  his  early  years  he  was  a  carpenter,  but  later  took 
the  management  of  the  Woodburn  flouring  mills, 
and  when  they  burned  down  be  rebuilt  near  the 
old  site. 

Mr.  Tompkins  operated  the  new  mill  on  his  own 
account,  until  he  retired  to  enjoy  his  accumulated 
fortune,  a  few  years  prior  to  his  death.  He  had  a 
host  of  friends  in  this  part  of  the  county  and  a 
large  circle  of  acquaintances,  for  the  first  mill 
which  he  managed  was  the  first  one  built  in  this 
county  and  the  early  settlers  used  to  come  to  it  also 
from  Bond  and  Madison  Counties.  The  friendly 
and  upright  dealing  of  this  good  miller  with  his 
customers  ensured  to  him  their  friendship  and  their 
continued  patronage.  As  an  upright.  Christian 
man,  he  had  no  peer  in  that  part  of  the  country, 
lie  was  for  many  years  a  Deacon  in  the  Congrega- 
tional Church,  and  he  took  an  active  interest  in 
everything  which  concerned  Woodburn  and 
Macoupin  County.  He  helped  to  organize  and  was 
one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  Congregational 
Church  and  he  gave   liberally  to  its  work  and  was 


a  faithful  teacher  in  the  Sunday-school.  He  showed 
a  like  interest  in  all  educational  matlers  and  was 
one  of  the  early  advocates  of  the  free  schools  in 
this  part  of  the  State. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Spottsyl- 
vania  Count\',  Ya..  January  5,  1811,  and  there 
grew  up  under  the  care  of  his  worthy  parents,  who 
lived  and  died  in  their  native  count}r.  They  were 
people  who  were  highly  respected  by  all  who  knew 
them.  In  1834,  while  yet  a  young  man,  he  came 
to  this  count}',  having  already  learned  the  trade  of 
a  carpenter.  lie  was  married  at  Woodburn  anil 
chose  for  his  wife  Miss  Susan  Hamilton,  who  was 
born  in  Hampden  County,  Mass.,  March  22,  181'.). 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Lemuel  and  Margaret  (Quig- 
ley)  Hamilton,  natives  of  Massachusetts,  both  be- 
longing to  old  New  England  families. 

Mr.  and  Mis.  Hamilton  grew  up  and  were  mar- 
ried  in  the  Bay  State,  and  were  the  first  settlers  at 
Chester.  Mass.  Here  all  their  children  were  born 
anil  then  as  a  family  they  came  in  1836  by  way  of 
canal  and  river  to  the  western  land.  They  made  a 
six  weeks'  journey  and  landed  at  St.  Louis  and 
afterward  came  to  Edwardsville.  Later  they  came 
on  to  Woodburn,  and  here  Lemuel  Hamilton  and 
his  wife  with  their  unbroken  household  began  their 
new  life.  The}-  were,  however,  somewhat  advanced 
in  years  for  pioneers.  Mr.  Hamilton  died  in 
Woodburn,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years  and 
Mrs.  Hamilton  was  sixty-three  years  old  at  the 
time  of  her  decease.  They  were  both  earnest  and 
consistent  members  of  the  Congregational  Church 
and  found  in  their  church  connections  a  wide  field 
of  usefulness.  Mr.  Hamilton  was  very  decided  in 
his  political  views  but  never  was  an  office  seeker 
or  an  office  holder. 

Mrs.  Susan  Tompkins,  whose  deceased  husband 
is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  youngest  of 
the  two  daughters  and  two  sons  born  to  her  par- 
ents. One  sister,  Mts.  James  B.  Tompkins,  also  of 
Woodburn,  is  yet  living.  The  brothers,  William  and 
James  Hamilton  both  died,  one  in  Bond  County, 
and  one  at  Bunker  Hill.  Both  left  wives  and 
families.  Mrs.  Tompkins  is  a  noble  woman  and  is 
possessed  of  a  true  Christian  character.  She  is  a 
faithful  member  of  the  Congregational  Church. 
She   highly   reveres  the    memory   of  her  departed 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


845 


husband.  They  became  the  parents  of  twelve 
children,  three  of  whom  died  —  Emily,  Susan  and 
Eliza.  Those  who  survive  are:  Ann,  the  wife  of 
Martin  L.  Cat  likor.  a  fanner  in  Montgomery  Coun- 
ty; Mary  II.,  wife  of  Martin  I..  Alford,  residing  in 
Woodburn;  Sarah  A.,  the  wife  of  Andrew  Wilson, 
now  living  at  Rosemond,  III.;  .lane  ('..  wife  of 
Edward  Hollister  of  St.  Louis;  Catherine  1)..  wife 
of  David  Edwards,  operating  a  printing  office  in 
the  same  city;  William  B.,  who  took  to  wife  Miss 
Elizabeth  Woodard  of  Detroit,  where  they  now  re- 
side; Clara  A.,  wife  of  Dr.  C.  E.  Axline.  residing 
at  Lancaster,  Ohio,  where  her  husband  is  a  physi- 
cian and  surgeon;  Fanny  W.  is  at  home  with  her 
mother,  and  Julia  IS.  is  the  wife  of  Benjamin  R. 
Foster  of  St.  Louis.  .Mo.  The  children  of  the 
family  have  all  been  brought  up  in  a  truly  religious 
life  and  have  endorsed  the  faith  of  their  parents 
by  connecting  themselves  with  Christian  Churches. 
They  all  belong  to  either  the  Presbyterian  or  Con- 
gregational Churches. 

JOSEPH  LOWDERMILK.  Among  the 
public-spirited  men  of  Virden  Township, 
few  are  more  wide  awake  in  regard  to  edu- 
cational and   religious  work  and  all  mattets 

which  pertain  to  the  moral  and  material  well-being 
of  the  community  than  he  whose  name  appears  at 
the  head  of  this  brief  sketch.  He  is  the  seventh  in 
order  of  age  in  a  patriarchal  family  of  fourteen 
children,  the  offspring  ot  Jacob  and  Sarah  (  Bent  ley ) 
Lowdermilk,  residents  of  Sangamon  County.  III. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Hamilton  County.  Mo., 
June  5,  1851,  and  was  a  baby  two  years  old  when 
his  parents  removed  to  this  Mate,  settling  in  Mor- 
gan County.  After  one  year's  residence  there  thej 
made  their  home  in  Auburn  Township.  Sangamon 
County,  and  there  this  boy  received  the  advantages 
of  the  common  schools  and  received  industrial 
training  upon  his  father's  farm.  lie  early  chose 
agriculture  as  his  life  work  and  has  ever  devoted 
himself  persistently  and  successfully  to  farming. 
Mr.  Lowdermilk  was  married  November  11.  1869, 
to  Miss  Marv  F.  Stutzinan  at  the  residence  of  tin' 


bride's  father.  She  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Dan- 
iel ('.and  Hannah  (  Wmeland  )  Stutzinan.  Their 
daughter.  Mary  F.  Was  born  October  18,  L850,  in 
Elkhart  County.  Ind.  After  marriage  the  young 
couple  made  their  home  in  Virden  Township  for 

al I  tWOyeirS  anil   then    removed   to   Ricks  Town- 

ship,  Christian  ( lountj  .  this  Mate,  and  resided  there 
for  tour  year-,  after  which  they  returned  to  Virden 
Township  Three  year-  Intel-  they  returned  to 
Christian  County,  where  they  remained  until  the 
spring  of  IS'.MI,  after  which  they  returned  to  Virden 
Township. 

The  gentleman  of  whom  we  write  has  devoted 
himself  principally  to  farming,  although  he  has 
found  both  pleasure  and  profit  in  teaching  music, 
in  which  branch  of  education  he  is  an  enthusiastic 
proficient,  One  hundred  and  thirty-two  acres  of 
rich  and  arable  soil  constitutes  his  farm  and  upon 
it  may  be  seen  the  best  class  of  farm  buildings  and 
a  beautiful  home. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lowdermilk  were  given  eight 
beautiful  children,  viz:  Jda  F.  ;  Lillian  E.  who  died 
April  lfi.  1891  ;  Alvin  A  .  Cora  E.,  Fddie  J.,  Fred- 
die 1)  ,  William  and  Viola,  The  eldest  daughter 
i-  now  the  wife  of  Horace  Eslerbrook.  The  mother 
of  these  children  passed  away  from  earth  Match 
II.  1800.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Lowder- 
milk, which  united  him  with  Miss  Adella  Jumper, 
took  place  November  7,  1890.    He   has  ever  taken 

a  g I  degree  of  interest  in   educational   matter-. 

and  m  his  office  a-  School  Director  has  efficient!}' 
promoted  the  welfare  of  the  township.  His  polit- 
ical views  ally  him  with  the  Democratic  party,  and 
as  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  be  is  an  efficient 
worker  in  religious  movements. 


•fe^E 


^N 


EV.  THOMAS   MILTON  METCALF,  we'l 

known  and  honored    as  a  resident   of    Car- 
'    \       linville.  and  as  n  minister  of  the  Missionary 

\£)  Baptist  denomination,  was  born  in  Hop- 
kin-  County.  Ky..  November  10,  L828.  His  father, 
William  Metcalf,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Christian  County, 
Ivy..  December  7.  1809.  I  li-  father.  William  Met- 
calf.   Sr.,     was    a   native    of    North    Carolina.      lie 


846 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


grew  to  manhood  in  that  State,  and  subsequently 
became  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Christian 
County,  Ky.  He  resided  there  a  few  years, 
and  then  removed  to  Hopkins  County,  where 
he  purchased  a  tract  of  timber  land.  In  18:55  he 
emigrated  thence  to  Illinois,  and  became  a  pioneer 
of  Macoupin  County,  buy  ing  bind  in  Barr  Town- 
ship, where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  made  his 
home  until  his  death. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  to  agricul- 
tural pursuits,  and  his  father  gave  him  a  tract  of 
timber  land  in  Hopkins  County,  which  he  farmed 
until  1835.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Illinois,  ac- 
companied l>v  Ids  wife  and  four  children,  utakii  g 
the  entire  journey  overland,  bringing  all  his  earthly 
possessions  with  him,  camping  and  cooking  by 
the  way.  After  fifteen  days  travel  the  family  ar- 
rived in  Macoupin  County  on  the  22d  of  April. 
Mr.  Metcalf  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  Government  land  in  Barr  Township,  and  also 
bought  a  quarter-section  nearby  in  Western  Mound 
Township.  There  was  a  log  house  on  Hie  place 
which  he  purchased,  and  in  the  month  <>i  Septem- 
ber he  moved  into  it  with  his  family.  At  that 
lime  the  surrounding  country  presented  a  far  dif- 
ferent appearance  from  what  i!  does  to-day,  as  it 
was  in  a  wild,  sparsely-settled  condition,  with  uo 
railways  or  other  means  of  communication  with 
the  outside  world,  except  rough  prairie  roads  or 
Indian  trails.  For  many  years  after  that  St.  Louis 
was  the  nearest  market  and  depot  for  supplies. 

Mr.  Metcalf  resided  on  his  first  purchase  tun 
years,  and  then  bought  two  hundred  acres  of  bind 
across  the  line  in  Greene  County,  lie  remained 
there  until  1857,  when  he  removed  to  Girard, 
where  he  now  lives  retired  at  the  venerable  age  of 
eighty-one  years.  The  good  wife  who  has  jour- 
neyed by  his  side  for  over  half  a  century  is  still 
with  him.  She  was  born  in  Muhlenberg  County, 
Ky.,  January  1,  1812.  and  her  maiden  name  was 
Huldah  A.  Davis.  Her  father,  William  Davis,  was 
born  either  in  Virginia  or  Kentucky.  lie  was  a 
son  cf  Richard  Davis,  who  is  thought  to  have  been 
a  native  of  England.  Richard  Davis  went  from 
Virginia  to  Kentucky  in  the  early  days  of  its  set 
t lenient,  and  was  a  pioneer  of  that  State.  The 
removal  was    made   by    pack   horses,  and    the  wife 


carried  one  of  the  two  children  in  her  arms,  and 
the  other  rode  on  the  horse  behind  her,  attached  to 
her  by  a  surcingle.  At  that  lime  there  were  but 
few  white  settlers  in  Kentucky,  and  the  aboriginal 
inhabitants  were  so  hostile  that  the  pioneers  lived  in 
forts  and  when  they  cleared  and  cultivated  their 
bind  bad  a  guard,  that  they  might  not  be  surprised 
and  massacred  by  the   savages. 

The  great-grandfather  of  our  subject  located 
at  first  on  the  banks  of  the  Kentucky  River,  but  he 
afterward  removed  to  Hopkins  County,  seem  ing  a 
large  tract,  of  land  and  cleared  a  farm,  on  which 
he  spent  his  remaining  days.  His  wife  also  died 
there.  Her  maiden  name  was  Ann  Childs,  and  she 
w  is  a  native  of  Virginia.  The  grandfather  of  our 
subject  was  reared  in  Kentucky,  and  resided  there 
until  1822,  when  he  went  to  Mississippi.  Three 
years  later  he  returned  to  Hopkins  County,  Ky., 
and  resumed  farming  on  the  old  homestead,  which 
he  never  afterward  left  until  death  called  him 
hence.  Tin1  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Messa- 
niah  Karl,  and  she  was  born  in  South  Carolina,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Nancy  (Burns)  Earl.  She 
also  died  on  the  old  Davis  homestead. 

Our  subject  was  seven  years  old  when  became 
to  Illinois  with  his  parents,  lie  attended  the  pio- 
neer schools,  and  assisted  on  the  farm  during  his 
vouth.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  be  taught  one  term 
of  school,  lie  then  studied  medicine  one  year, 
but  concluded  thai  profession  was  not  suited  to  his 
taste,  and  turning  his  attention  to  mercantile  pur- 
suits, engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  general  store.  After 
three  years  behind  the  counter  his  health  failed, 
and  he  engaged  in  farming  < year.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  that  time  he  established  himself  in  the 
mercantile  business  at  Greenfield,  which  he  carried 
on  from  1852  until  1855.  In  the  latter  year  he 
removed  to  Girard  and  entered  the  lumber  business 
as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  McKinney  &  Thomp- 
son, and  later  he  engaged  in  the  hardware  busi- 
ness. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  our  subject  was 
converted,  and  at  the  age  of  thirty  he  joined  the 
Missionary  Baptisi  Church,  and  has  thus  from  his 
youth  up  devoted  himself  earnestly  to  the  advance- 
ment of  religion.  When  he  was  forty-eight  years 
of  age  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  has  served  as 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


sir 


pastor  .it  Carlinville  and  Nilwood,  besides  supply- 
ing the  pnlpil  of  Charitj  ('lunch  in  Bird  Town- 
ship, three  years,  and  lie  has  done  much  to  build 
up  his  beloved  church  dnrin"  these  years  thai  lie 
has  la  bore  I  so  faithfully. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Metcalf  was  married  at  Waverly, 
Morgan  County,  January  29,  1850,  to  Miss  Emma 
L.  Thayer.  .Mrs.  Metcalf  was  born  at  Amhersl 
Hampshire  County,  Mass.,  July  19,  1832,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Asahel  Thayer,  who  was  hum  in  the  same 
county  and  state  it  is  supposed.  His  father  was 
Josiah  Thayer,  who.  as  far  as  known,  spenl  his  en- 
tire life  in  that  county.  His  wife  was  Avis  How- 
ard, she  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts.  Mrs. 
Metcalf's  fatberpassed  his  early  years  in  his  h 
state,  and  when  a  young  man  engaged  in  mercan- 
tile business  and  later  in  the  manufacture  of  car- 
riages at  Amherst.  In  1889  he  came  to  Illinois  and 
located  at  Chatham,  Sangamon  County,  where 
he  resided  until  1844.  In  that  year  he  removed 
to  La  Grange,  Mo.,  whence  he  returned  to 
Chatham  two  years  later.  A  few  months  after 
that,  he  opened  a  general  store  at  Waverly,  Morgan 
County,  which  he  managed  until  1877.  He  then 
went  to  Taylorville  to  live  with  a  daughter,  and 
died  there  one  month  later.  The  maiden  name  of 
his  wife  was  .Mary  Cannon,  and  she  »  a-  also  a  native 
of  Hampshire  County.  Mass.  She  died  at  Wav- 
erly. Met-  father.  Josiah  Cannon,  was  of  Massa- 
chusetts birth,  and  spent  his  whole  life  in  his  native 
State. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Metcalf  have  no  children  of  their 
own, but  they  have  nobly  acted  the  part  of  father  and 
mother  to  no  less  than  four  children,  whom  they 
have  reared  and  educated.  Their  adopted  daugh- 
ter, Kate  Milton  Metcalf,  is  now  the  wife  of  X. 
Y.  Hall,  of  Brushy  Mound  Township,  and  they 
have  one  child,  named  Howard  Metcalf  flail.  Lucy 
.1.  McBride,  Charles  M.  Kinney  ami  Ida  F.  Wyn- 
koop,  are  the  others  reared  by  our  Subject  anil  his 
wife.  Lucy  married  James  F.  Duncan,  of  Western 
Mound  Township,  and  they  have  live  children. 
Charles,  who  resides  al  Carlinville,  is  married  ami 
has  four  children.  Ida  married  John  C.  Helm  it'll, 
of    Denver,  and  they  have  One  child. 

Mr.  Metcalf  was  a  Whig  in  politics  until  the 
formation    of  the   Republican    parly,   since    which 


time  he  has  been  identifi  al  with  that,  lie  ha-  hi  Id 
several  responsible  public  offices,  and  has  always 
shown   himself  to    he   earnestly    interested    in  the 

welfare  of  his  town  and  county  wherever  he  re- 
sided, lie  served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  Greene 
County,  and  also  at  Girard,  from  is;,;,  until  1866. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Village  Board  of  Trus- 
tee-. I. oil,  .-it  Waverly  and  al  (  '.  irard.  and  during 
Lincoln's  administration  he  was  Postmaster  at, 
Girard.  In  1869  he  was  elected  Clerk  of  Macou- 
pin County,  ami  removed    to  Carlinville,  of  which 

lie  lias  since  I, ecu  a   resident.       He  was  re-elected  in 

1878  to  that  office  and  served  two  full  terms. 


AM ES  M.  ATCHISON,  who  is  engaged  in 
general  merchandising  in  Gillespie,  is  one  of 
the  native  citizens  of  this  county.  He  was 
born  in  Bunker  Hill,  January  10,  1860,  and 
i-  a  -on  of  Elridge  Atchison,  a  native  of  Tennes- 
see, who  in  his  youth  learned  the  trade  of  a  car- 
penter and  cabinet-maker.  While  still  single  he 
came  to  Illinois  ami  in  Edwardsville  met  and  mar- 
ried his  wife,  whose  maiden  nam  •  was  Kucehia 
Wilson.  She  was  horn  in  Kentucky  and  during  her 
maidenhood  settled  in  Madison  County.  Some 
time  after  their  marriage   Mr.  Atchison  and  his  wife 

came  to  this  county,  where  he  embarked  in  farm- 
ing iiea.-  Bunker  Hill.  He  became  one  of  the  prom- 
inent and  leading  citizens  of  this  community  and 
served  as  Postmaster  of  the  city  of  Bunker  Hill  for 
a  number  of  years,  tilling  the  office  daring  Presi- 
dent Lincoln's  administration  ami  again  under 
President  Grant.  At  length  he  -esigned,  since 
which  lime  he  has  been  living  a  retired  life,  lie 
is  now  eighty  years  of  age  and  one  of  the  well- 
known  and  highly  respected  people  of  the  commu- 
nity. His  wife  has  attained  the  age  of  three-score 
and  ten  and  she  is  a  in<  mber  of  tin  Baptist  Church. 
()u  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  Mr. 
Atchison  joined  its  rank-  and  at  the  last  election 
supported  Benjamin  Harrison  for  the  Presidency. 
The  Atchison  family  during  the  late  war  was  rep- 
resented by  tli''  father  and  three  sons;  the  former, 
with  his  son   Thomas  enlisted  iii   the  Seventh  III- 


818 


rOKTKALT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


inois  Infantry,  Mr.  Atchison  being  at  that  time 
fifty -one  years  of  age.  Thomas  continued  in  the 
service  until  the  close  of  the  war.  The  father  was 
honorably  discharged  for  disability,  suffering  from 
the  hardships  and  trials  of  army  life.  The  other 
two  sons,  Alex  C.  and  Nathan  I).,  both  enlisted  at 
the  early  part  of  the  war.  the  former  becoming  First 
Lieutenant  of  Company  A,  Ninety  seventh  Illinois 
Infantry.  He  was  killed  a>  the  battle  of  Yieks- 
burg,  at  which  time  he  was  commanding  a  com- 
pany, as  the  Captain,  Mr.  Woods  was  then  off 
duty.  Nathan  enlisted  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years 
and  though  young  proved  himself  a  brave  soldier. 
After  participating  in  many  engagements  lie  was 
shot  by  the  enemy  at  Altoona  Pass.  Ga. 

Mr.  E.  Atchison  was  placed  on  the  pension  rolls 
in  1877  for  disabilities  received  in  the  service  of 
his  country,  at  the  rate  of  $12  per  month  from  the 
time  of  his  discharge  from  the  army,  aggregating 
about $2,000.  He  remained  a  pensioner  until  1886, 
when  under  the  administration  of  President  Cleve- 
land, after  having  applied  for  an  increase  in  Ins 
pension,  he  was  cut  down  to  ?  I  per  month,  which 
he  refused  to  accept  and  wrote  the  Commissioner 
of  Pensions  to  that  effect.  He  remained  off  the 
rolls  until  1891,  when  he  was  again  restored  to  the 
pension  rolls  at  the  rate  of  *17  per  month,  and  now 
draws  that  amount. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  tenth  in  order  of 
birth  of  the  family  of  eleven  children,  six  of  whom 
are  yet  living.  He  was  reared  to  manhood  in  Bun- 
ker Hill  and  vicinity  and  in  the  public  schools  ac- 
quired his  education.  He  married  in  1882  Miss 
Elizabeth  Roberts,  who  was  born  September  10, 
1860,  in  Bunker  Hill.  Her  parents  were  'William 
and  Mary  (Lewellyn)  Roberts.  The  father  was  a 
wheelwright  and  wagon-maker  by  trade,  which  oc- 
cupations he  followed  for  many  years.  He  came 
from  Kentucky,  his  native  State,  to  Bunker  Hill, 
where  he  died  at  the  age  of  fifty  years.  He  was  a 
Democrat  in  politics  and  a  prominent  citizen  of 
the  community.  His  widow,  a  native  of  Virginia, 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  still  survives 
him  and  is  now  about  sixty  years  of  age.  Nine 
children  were  born  of  this  union,  of  whom  seven 
are  yet  living. 

Mr.  Atchison  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church 


and  his  wife  of  the  Methodist  Church;  they  are 
widely  known  throughout  this  community,  ta  ng 
rank  among  the  leading  young  people  of  Gillespie. 
In  politics  our  subject  is  a  Republican  and  keeps 
himself  well  informed  on  all  the  leading  questions 
of  the  day,  both  political  and  otherwise.  He  is 
recognized  as  a  straightforward,  upright  business 
man  who  well  deserves  the  liberal  patronage  which 
he  now  receives.  lb;  entered  upon  his  mercantile 
career  in  1875,  in  the  employ  of  T.  E.  Dow,  and  in 
1886,  when  that  gentleman  established  a  branch 
house  in  Gillespie,  Mr.  Atchison  was  placed  in 
charge  continuing  as  manager  of  the  store  for  two 
years,  when  in  1888  he  became  owner.  He  carries 
a  full  line  of  goods  and  by  his  earnest  desire  to 
please  his  customers,  his  genial  manner  and  fair 
dealing,  has  built  up  an  excellent  trade. 


■  -#••:■• 


viSOl     of  an  old  Sci 

///   *    of   the   cliara 

<^JJ  grandfather 


NDREW  Mi  DONALD,  of  Gillespie,  comes 
of  an  old  Scotch  family  and  inherits  many 
racteristics  of  that  race.  The 
of  our  subject.  George  Mc- 
Donald, after  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  crossed 
the  Atlantic  to  America  and  located  in  Kentucky 
about  1798.  Many  years  later  he  followed  the 
course  of  emigration  which  was  steadily  drifting 
Westward  and  in  182s  took  up  his  residence  in 
Greene  County,  HI.  He  left  Kentucky  on  account 
of  his  opposition  to  slavery,  and  after  settling  m 
Greene  County  he  was  again  married  when  quite 
old.  He  was  a  worthy  and  highly  respected  gentle- 
man and  passed  away  when  well  advanced  in  years. 
James  McDonald,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
a  native  of  Scotland,  and  in  that  country  learned 
the  trade  of  a  stone-cutter.  When  a  young  man 
he  accompanied  his  father  to  America  and  in  Ken- 
tucky was  married  to  a  lady  who  died  in  that 
State  in  the  prime  of  life.  Of  that  union  there 
were  born  five  children,  but  only  two  are  now  liv- 
ing. James  McDonald  subsequently  made  a  home 
in  Greene  County,  111.,  where  he  was  a  second 
time  married,  his  union  being  with  Miss  Mary  All- 
man,  a   lady  of  Welsh  and  English  descent.     They 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


849 


spent  their  entire  married  lives  in  Greene  County, 

where  James  McDonald  died  ai  the  age  of  sixty- 
five  years,  and  li  is  wife  when  forty  years  of  age.  lie 
was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church  and  his 
wife  a  Presbyterian,  and  they  were  highly  respected 

citizens  of  the  community  in  which  they  made 
their   home. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  only  three  and  a 
half  years  old  when  his  father  was  called  to  his 
final  rest  and  by  an  uncle  and  an  aunt  he  was 
reared,  remaining  at  their  home  until  after  the 
breaking  out  of  the  late  war,  when,  in  1862,  he 
joined  the  hoys  in  blue  of  Company  1,  Ninety- 
first  Illinois  Infantry.  The  company  was  com- 
manded by  Capt.  S.  H.  Culver,  and  the  regiment 
at  the  order  of  Col.  H.  M.  Day  proceeded  South- 
ward, They  met  the  enemy  in  battle  at  Elizabeth, 
Ky.,  at  which  place  a  detachment  of  the  regiment 
was  captured,  Mr.  McDonald  being  among  the 
number.  Later,  however,  they  were  paroled  and 
on  rejoining  the  command  were  sent  to  the  South. 
Another  battle  occurred  at  Morganza,  and  for 
some  time  they  fought  the  enemy  in  their  own 
Stronghold.  Mr.  McDonald  was  a  second  time 
captured  near  Blakeley,  Ala.,  and  held  by  the  ene- 
my for  some  weeks.  He  was  placed  within  the 
walls  of  Meridian,  Miss.,  prison.  He  had  many 
narrow  escapes,  having  at  one  time  had  his  Kg 
broken  while  on  skirmish  duly  and  on  another 
occasion  the  eagle  on  his  cartridge  box  saved  his 
life.  A  bullet  struck  the  metal  and  rebounded. 
but  the  force  was  great  enough  to  knock  him 
down.  When  the  war  was  over  he  was  honorably 
discharged  at  Springfield,  111.,  July  27.  18G5.  He 
still  has  in  his  possession  the  old  canteen  which  he 
carried  throughout  the  service.  He  has  a  brother, 
(ieorge  McDonald,  that  served  during  the  war  in 
Company   D,  Fourteenth  Illinois  Infantry. 

Mr.  McDonald  immediately  returned  to  Greene 
County,  where  for  some  lime  he  again  worked  at 
his  trade  of  carpentering.  It  was  in  that  county 
on  the  25th  of  November,  186'.).  that  he  wedded 
Miss  Sarah  F.  Farmer,  who  was  born  in  Tennes- 
see, near  the  Kentucky  line.  November  2.3,  1844, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  I),  and  Mary  E. 
(Gooch)  Farmer,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Tennessee.     They  removed  to  Illinois  about  1847, 


and  after  living  in  Wayne  County  for  a  time, 
took  up  their  residence  in  Macoupia  County, 
where  Mr.  Farmer  died  in  lHH.j,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-live  years.  Throughout  his  life  he  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits.  His  widow  still  survives 
and  makes  her  borne  with  Mrs.  McDonald  at  the 
age  Of  sixty-nine  years.  She  is  a  second  cousin 
of  the  Hon.  Thomas  Benton.  Her  family  is  noted 
fur  longevity.  Her  husband  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  to  which  she  too  belongs,  and 
no  better  citizens  ever  resided  in  this  community. 
The  grandfather  of  Mrs.  McDonald  served  in  the 
War  of  1812,  anil  the  greatgrandfather  was  a 
Revolutionary  hero. 

By  the  union  of  our  subject  and  his  wife  has 
been  born  a  daughter,  Mary  Adella,  an  accom- 
plished and  well  educated  young  lady,  who  assists 
her  father  in  the  duties  of  the  post-office.  Mr. 
McDonald  is  a  Presbyterian  in  religious  faith, 
although  not  a  member  of  the  church,  but  his 
wife  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Church.  They 
take  great  pleasure  in  collecting  old  coin  and  other 
relics  and  have  almanacs  of  every  year  back  to 
1840,  In  their  possession  are  also  a  number  of 
walking  sticks,  family  heirlooms,  which  were 
brought  from  Scotland  to  this  country,  and  are 
over  three  hundred  years  old.  In  politics  Mr.  Mc- 
Donald is  a  stalwart  Republican,  prominent  in 
local  affairs,  and  for  sixteen  years  has  been  a  cen- 
tral committee  man  in  Gillespie  Township.  He 
has  also  been  Township  Clerk,  and  is  now  the 
Postmaster  of  Gillespie.  -V  valued  citizen,  a  faith- 
ful soldier  and  a  capable  official,  he  is  well  deserv- 
ing of  a  representation   in  this  volume. 

r^YOBKRT  D.  QUIGLEY  owns  and  operates 
\s\  a  fine  farm  of  one  bundled  and  sixty  acres 
'  \\\  on  section  .'in,  (Jillespie  Township, where  he 
\£)  has  resided  for  the  long  period  of  thirty- 
four  consecutive  years.  In  addition  to  this  he 
owns  eighty  acres  of  timber  land.  The  fine  build- 
ings seen  upon  the  place,  the  many  improvements, 
the  well  tilled  fields  and  good  grades  of  stock,  all 
indicate  the  thrift  and  enterprise  of  the  owner  who 


P.iO 


PORTRAIT  AND   HIOCKAPIIICAL  RECORD. 


is  numbered  among  the  successful  ami  well-to-do 
farmers  in  this  locality.  He  is  a  native  of  Ala- 
bama, his  birth  having  occurred  in  the  city  of 
Mobile,  October  18,  1832.  The  Quigley  family  is 
of  Irish  descent  and  of  Presbyterian  belief.  It  was 
established  in  America  by  emigrants  from  the 
Emcrld  Isle  who  crossed  the  Atlantic,  settling  in 
New  Jersey  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  War.  and 
subsequently  removing  to  Alabama.  The  grand- 
parents of  our  subject  were  Daniel  and  Mar 
Quigley.  He  served  in  the  Colonial  Army  during 
the  War  for  Independence  and  in  later  years  went 
to  Mobile,  Ala.,  where  both  he  and  his  wife  died 
at  an  advanced  age, 

William  Quigley,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  and  reared  in  New  Jersej  and  in  Trenton,  in 
1825,  led  to  the  marriage  altar  Eliza  Somers,  who 
was  born  near  Camden  and  was  a  daughter  of  Isaac 
and  Hannah  Somers.  natives  of  England. 
their  marriage  they  emigrated  to  tic  United  Slates, 
settling  in  New  Jersey.  Their  removal  caused  a 
break  in  the  family  chain,  where  if  the  records  were 
clear,  it  would  entitle  the  descendants  to  a  large 
fortune.  They  continued  to  reside  in  New  Jersey 
during  the  remainder  of  their  lives  and  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Society  of  Friends.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wil- 
liam Quigley  s i  after  their  marriage  went   South 

to  Mobile.  Ala.,  where  for  some  years  before  he 
had  been  engaged  as  a  mason  and  bricklayer. 
Afterward  lie  became  a  contractor  and  was  the 
architect  of  many  of  the  leading  buildings  in  that 
city,  where  he  had  first  located  when  it  was  a  small 
town.  In  Mobile  he  spent  his  entire  active  life 
and  died  of  scarlet  fever  in  1836,  at  the  a  ol 
thirty-five  years.  Mrs.  Quigley  afterward  returned 
to  the  North  and  spent  her  last  days  al  the  home 
of  her  son  George  William  in  Gillespie  Townsh  p. 
She  was  born  in  1X01.  and  died  July  II,  1869.  In 
their  family  were  five  children,  of  whom  Rol 
Cordelia  and  George  W.  are  yet  living. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  was  the  fourth 
in  order  of  birth,  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native 
city  and  acquired  an  excellent  education,  under 
the  tutorship  of  Prof.  Norman  Pinney,  a  graduate 
of  Yale  College  and  a  prominent  educator  ol  the 
South.  Into  his  mini!  was  instilled  lessons  of  in- 
dustry, such  as  would  prove  of  practical  benefit  to 


him  and  he  has  never  forgotten  the  excellent  train- 
ing of  his  youth.  lie  wis  only  three  years  old 
when  his  father  died  but  be  remained  in  Mobile 
until  twenty  years  of  age.  when  he  accompanied 
his  mother  to  Illinois  and  since  his  marriage  has 
resided  upon  the  farm  which    is  still  his  home. 

On  June  7.  1855,  Mi'.  Quigley  was  joined  in  wed- 
lock with  Miss  Mar)  J.  Parks,  a  native  of  Christian 
County,  Ky.,  and  a  daughter  of  James  and  Mary 
P.  (Harlan)  Parks.  They  were  both  natives 
of  Virginia,  aid  emigrated  with  their  respective 
families  during  their  childhood  to  Kentucky,  where 
they  grew  !•>  mature  years  and  were  married.  Six 
children  were  horn  unto  them  in  that  State  and 
thej  then  cniiie  in  1833  to  Illinois,  traveling  oxer- 
land  with  teams  to  Gillespie  Township,  Macoupin 
County,  where  Mi'.  Parks  purchased  a  small  farm. 
lie  died  two  years  Inter.  His  wife  survived  him 
many  years,  dying  in  1884,  when  a  very  old  lady. 
They  adhered  to  tie'  faith  of  their  ancestors  and 
were  members  of  Hie  Presbyterian  Church. 

I'nto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Quigley  have  been  bom  five 
childri  n,  bul  one  died  in  infancy  and  Mary  is  also 
deceased.  Walter  S.  married  Sarah  Spillman  and 
is  a  farmer  of  Ililyard  Township:  Hubert  P.  and 
Jessie  C.  are  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Quigley  are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  hold  a  high 
position  in  tin-  social  world  and  are  numbered 
among  the  highly  res| ted  people  of  this  com- 
munity. He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  has 
held  a  number  of  local  offices, 


Y  OSEPH  HOWELL,  a  furniture  dealer  and 
undertaker  of  Brighton,  who  has  carried  on 
business  at  this  place  since  1859,  is  of  Eng- 
lish birth.  His  grandfather,  William  How- 
ell, was  born  and  reared  in  Gloucestershire, 
England,  where  throughout  his  business  life  he  fol- 
lowed blacksmilhing  and  when  well  advanced  in 
years,  died  near  the  place  of  his  birth.  John  How- 
ell, father  of  our  subject,  also  a  native  of  Glouces- 
tershire, was  a  broadcloth  weaver  and  followed 
that  occupation  foi  some  time.  He  married  an  Eng- 
lish lady.  Miss  Martha  Jones,    who   spent   the  days 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


85 1 


of  her  maidenhood  in  Gloucestershire.  Some  years 
attei  their  marriage  they  removed  to  Leeds,  York- 
shire, where  Mr.  Unwell  spent  the  remainder  of  his 

life  except  two  years  which  he  passed  :;!  the  home 
of  our  subject  in  this  Country.  His  wife  (lied  in 
1856,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years  and  like  her  hus- 
band was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church.,  In 
their  family  were  four  sons  ami  a  daughter.  The 
latter  died  at  her  home  in  Brighton,  III.,  in  1881  ; 
Samuel  was  married  and  died  in  England,  from  in- 
juries received  while  casting  shot  for  the  Crimean 
War.  The  brothers  sldl  living  are  William  and 
Henry,  both  of  whom  arc  married,  have  families 
and  reside  in  Leeds,  England.  The  latter  is  a  boot 
and  shoe  manufacturer  and  the  former  is  proprietor 
of  a  sash  and  door  factory. 

We  now  take  up  the  personal  history  of  Joseph 
Howell,  who  was  born  in  Gloucestershire,  England. 
January  1,  1828,  and  when  a  lad  of  ten  summers 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Leeds,  where  the  days 
of  his  boyhood  and  youth  were  passed.  He  served 
for  seven  years  as  a  clerk  behind  the  counter  of  a 
general  store  and  thus  familiarized  himself  with 
business  methods.  When  he  had  attained  to  ma- 
tuie  years  he  chose  as  a  helpmate  on  life's  journey 
Miss  Jane  Warburton,  who  was  born  and  reared  in 
Bradford,  England,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Abraham 
and  Sarah  (Senior)  Warburton,  natives  of  Brad- 
ford, where  they  resided  many  years,  the  father 
being  an  engineer  at  that  place.  However,  in 
1850,  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  with  his  family  and 
made  a  settlement  in  Brighton  Township,  Macou- 
pin County,  III.,  where  for  eight  years  he  made  his 
home,  removing  thence  to  Montgomery  County, 
where  he  died  in  1871.  His  wife  survived  him 
two  years  passing  away  in  1873.  They  left  four 
children:  Mrs  Emma  Tennis  and  Mrs.  Harriet 
Brown,  of  Carlinville,  111;  George,  who  is  married 
and  engages  in  merchandising  in  Colorado;  and 
.lane,  the  honored  wife  of  our  subject. 

In  England  there  was  born  unto  Mr.  ami  .Mis. 
Howell  one  child  and  with  their  little  son  thej 
took  passage  on  the  sailing  vessel  -'The  Express." 
which,  after  nine  weeks  and  two  days,  dropped  an- 
chor in  the  harbor  of  New  Orleans.  Coming  up 
the  Mississippi  River,  they  landed  at  Alton  on  the 
8th  of  May,   1850,  just  fourteen   weeks  from   the 


time  the\    left   their  home  in   Leeds       Some   months 

later  they  came  to  Brighton,  where  they  still  reside, 
at  d  here  the  family  has  been  increased  by  the 
birth  of  four  children:  Edwin  S.  was  born  in 
England,  married  Susan  Wilson,  who  died  April 
2  1,  1891;  he  is  engaged  in  the  practice  of  Law 
in  East  St.  Louis:  Eliza  is  Hie  wife  of  David 
A.  Rice,  a  resident  farmer  of  Waubansee  County. 
Kan  :  Julia  is  the  wife  of  <;.  M.  French,  a  train 
despatcher  on  the  Indianapolis  a-  St.  Louis  Rail- 
road, living  at  Mattoon,  III.;  Alfred  . I., who  married 
Mary  Johnston,  is  an  undertaker  and  dealer  in  ear- 
pets  in  Alton.  III.:  Jennie* M.  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  T. 
II.  Hall,  of  Alma,  Kan.  The  children  were  all  pro- 
vided with  good  educational  advantages,  such  as 
would  til  them  for  tin'  practical  duties  of  life,  and 
Julia  and  Edwin  were  successful  teachers  for  sev- 
eral   years. 

As  before  stated.  Mr'.  Howell  began  business  in 
his  present  line  in  1859.  He  carries  a  full  and 
complete  line  of  undertaking  supplies  and  also  a 
good  Stock  of  furniture  of  the  latest  Styles,  and  is  a 
straightforward,  upright  business  man  who  is  highly 
esteemed  by  all  who  know  him.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  leading  members  and  active  workers  iH  the 
Baptist  Church,  in  which  Mr.  Howell  has  served  as 
Deacon  for  thirty  vears.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch 
Republican  and  has  held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  five  years  and  lias  also  served  as  a  mem- 
ber oftheTowii  Board.  A  public-spirited  and  prog- 
ressive man,  he  is  numbered  among  the  valued 
citizens  of  the  community. 


•  OHN  C.  HOLLOW'AV.  Among  the  retire, 1 
farmers  who  have  done  gooil  service  in  the 
earlier  days  of  Macoupin  County,  and  who 
now  in  their  later  yens  are  enjoying  the 
fruits  of  their  labor  with  a  conscience  at  ease  and 
au  active  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  community, 
we  are  pleased  to  mention  the  gentleman  whose 
name  stands  at  the  head  of  this  brief  notice.  He 
resides  at  Palmyra  where  with  his  family  he  enjoys 
the  pleasant    home  which  he  has    so  truly    earned. 


852 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD: 


He  was  born  in  Scott  County,  III.,  four  miles  west 
of  Winchester,  April  5,  1836.  His  father  George 
M.  Holloway  was  born  June  14,  1813,  in  Clarke 
County,  Ky.,  and  was  the  son  of  John  Holloway,  a 
native  of  Virginia,  and  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Clarke  County,  who  removed  to  Kentucky  in  verj 
early  days.  This  pioneer  emigrated  to  the  State 
of  Illinois  in  1823,  making  the  trip  overland.  He 
settled  in  what  is  now  .Scott  County  being  one  of 
its  first  settlers. 

At  the  time  that  John  Ilolloway.  Sr..  came  to  this 
State  Indians  were  more  plentiful  than  whites. 
There  was  no  settlement '  whatever  where  Spring-, 
field  now  stands  and  Chicago  was  unhc.vd  of. 
There  was,  however,  a  military  post  there  which 
was  known  as  Ft.  Dearborn.  Tl  e  pioneer  made 
claim  to  a  tract  of  Government  land  tour  miles 
west  of  Winchester  and  resided  there  until  his 
death  in  1841.  His  son  George  resided  with  his 
parents  until  his  marriage,  and  then  took  charge  of 
the  old  homestead  and  continued  his  residence  I  here 
for  many  years.  The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of 
our  subject  was  .Mary  Elizabeth  New.  She  was  born 
in  Kentucky  and  her  father  John  N'<  w  was  a  native 
of  Virginia.  She  reared  to  man':;  and  voraan's  es- 
tate eight  of  her  nine  children  .  namely:  Lucinda, 
our  subject.  Permelia.  Mary  E.,  Martha.  Ellen.  Sa- 
niantha  A..  Lucy  E.  and  Wealthy. 

The  one  of  whom  we  write  had  his  (>  irly  training 
and  education  upon  the  home  farm  and  in  the  pio- 
neer schools  of  Scott  County  and  lie  has  lived  to 
see  a  wonderful  growth  in  this  seel  ion.  as  since  his 
birth  the  wild  prairies  have  given  place  to  richly 
cultivated  farms,  fruitful  orchards,  populous  towns, 
anil  tracts  crossed  by  many  a  stirring  railroad 
train.  In  his  early  years  there  was  no  railroad  in 
his  vicinity  and  Naples,  on  the  Illinois  River,  was 
the  nearest  market  for  supplies  and  at  which  to  dis- 
pose of  the  products  of  the  farm.  Deer,  turkeys 
and  other  kinds  of  game  abounded,  and  the  gar- 
ments of  his  childhood  were  made  by  the  mother's 
hand  from  cloth  which  she  had  manufactured  with 
her  carding  comb,  her  spinning  wheel  and  her 
loom. 

The  young  man  resided  with  his  parents  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one  ami  then  bought 
eighty    acres    of  land  near  Winchester  ami  livsd 


there  for  four  years.  He  then  sold  this  property 
and  bought  one  hundred  acres  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  Winchester  and  after  residing  there  foi  a  year 
sold  it  at  an  advance  and  came  to  Macoupin  County, 
purchasing  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in 
South  Palmyra  Township.  He  added  to  his  land 
by  purchase  at  different  times  and  now  has  five 
hundred  acres.  He  resided  on  this  farm  until  1887 
and  then  after  a  few  months  residence  in  Carlin- 
ville  built  the  pleasant  home  where  he  now  resides 
in  South  Palmyra  Township. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Holloway  with  Miss  Nancy 
Baker,  took  place  in  1850.  The  lady  was  born  in 
Adams  County,  111.,  and  was  the  daughter  of  John 
Baker;  her  married  life  was  to  be  of  brief  duration 
for  she  died  in  I8G0.  Ilis  second  marriage  was  in 
December.  1865,  when  he  was  united  with  Miss 
Lucy  E.  Smilhson,  a  native  of  Clarke  County,  Ky.. 
whose  father,  .1.  Wesley  Smithson,  was  born  in 
South  Carolina.  His  father,  John  Smithson,  re- 
moved fn.m  South  Carolina  to  Ohio,  and  thence  to 
Kentucky,  where  he  resided  for  a  time  in  Bourbon 
County,  lie  then  went  to  Clarke  County  and 
bought  a  home  six  miles  south  of  Winchester. 
There  he  lived  for  many  years  before  coming  to 
Illinois,  where  he  died  at  the  home  of  his  son  Will- 
iam, near  Winchester.  Scott  County.  III.  The 
father  of  Mrs.  Holloway  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm  in  Kentucky  and  resided  there  until  1859, 
when  he  came  to  Illinois  and  resided  in  Scott 
County  until  after  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  He 
then  went  to  Missouri  and  made  his  home  in  La- 
fayette County,  and  afterward  in  Johnson  County, 
where  he  passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-one. 
His  wife,  a  native  of  Clarke  County.  Ky.,  was 
Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Patrick  Henry  Danielson,  a 
native  of  Kentucky.  The  great-grandfather,  John 
Danielson.  was  born  in  Virginia  and  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Kentucky.  He  lived  for  a  time  in 
Bourbon  County  and  was  one  of  the  men  who  cut 
away  the  canebrake  and  cleared  the  ground  where 
the  first  courthouse  was  built  in  Paris,  Ky.  He 
secured  land  in  Clarke  County,  built  a  log  cabin 
and  began  to  clear  a  farm. 

When  the  War  of  1812  broke  out  John  Daniel- 
son enlisted  and  while  he  was  absent  in  service  his 
wife  and  servants  cared  for  the  property.     After 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


his  return  he  improved  his  place  considerably  and 
remained  a  resident  there  until  his  death.  His  sou, 
tbe  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Hollo  way,  was  a  blacksmith 
by  trade  and  in  1854  went  to  Johnson  County, 
Mo.,  and  bought  a  farm  of  sixty  acres  near  Fay- 
etteville,  on  the  Warronsbnrg  and  Lexington  road, 
where  he  resided  until  his  death.  The  maiden 
name  of  liis  wife  was  Sarah  Sbaer.  Her  father. 
Jacob  Shaer,  was  of  German  parentage  and  bom 
in  Maryland.  He  was  one  of  the  Erst  settlers  of 
Bourbon  County.  Ky.,  find  spent  his  last  years 
there.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth 
Unemaher,  and  she  died  in  Paris  at  the  age  of  one 
hundred  and  four  years.  'The  mother  of  Mrs.  Hol- 
loway  still  has  her  home  in  Johnson  County.  Mo.. 
but  spends  most  of  her  time  with  her  children. 

Mr.  Holloway  has  by  his  first  marriage  two  ehil- 
drcn  living,  George  W.  and  .John  L.  The  former 
married  Emma  Sims  and  the  latter  Mary  Holloway 
and  has  two  sons — Arthur  L.  and  Cleva  C.  Mrs. 
Hollowaj  is  an  earnest  and  efficient  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church.  To  our  subject  and  his  wife  six 
children  have  been  born,  namely:  Etts  B.,  Oliver 
C,  Charles  A.,  Mary  E.,  Myrtle  and  Nora  C.  Etta 
married  Mr.  August  Depheide  and  has  one  child, 
lima.  These  children  of  an  honored  and  honorable 
family  are  well  sustaining  the  reputation  of  their 
ancestors  and  are  worthy  and  esteemed  members  of 
society. 


,    GEORGE  MORRISON  is  engaged  in    general 
I        _    farming  on  section  !3,    Hilyard    Township, 


/p^)EORGE 
VJl    where  1 


he  has  made  his  home  for  tin'  long 
period  of  twenty-iwo  consecutive  years.  He  pur- 
chased the  farm  in  1868,  and  has  since  resided 
thereon.  It  now  comprises  two  bundled  acres  of 
valuable  land,  all  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
The  fields  are  well  tilled  and  in  the  barn  are  found 
excellent  grades  of  stoeU.  The  buildings  are  such 
as  should  be  seen  upon  a  model  farm  and  almost 
all  of  the  improvements  are  the  work  of  Mr.  Mor- 
rison's hands,  standing  as  monuments  to  his  thrift 
and  enterprise. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was    born    in    County 


Deny,  Ireland.  December 22,  I840,and  is  descended 
from  Scotch-Irish  ancestry.  His  paternal  grand- 
parents spent  their  entire  lives  in  the  north  of  the 
Emerald  Isle.  Henry  Morrison,  the  father  of  our 
■t.  was  also  a  DHtivcof  Counlv  Derry.  and  in 
the  usual  maimer  of  fanner  lads  he  was  reared  to 
manhood  in  the  county  of  his  birth,  where  lie  mar- 
ried  Mis~  Martha  Taylor,  and  in  their  later  years 
they  emigrated  with  their  children  to  America. 
sailing  from  Belfast  in  1846,  on  a  vessel  which  af- 
ter Some  weeks  reached  the  harbor  of  New  York  in 
safety.  They  spent  the  first  year  of  their  residence 
in  this  country  in  Genesee  Ciamty.  N.  Y..  after 
which  they  travelled  from  Buffalo  by  way  of  the 
Lakes  to  Chicago,  by  wagon  to  Peru,  and  down 
the  Illinois  River  to  Alton,  where  they  spent  one 
year.  They  then  came  to  Hilyard  Township,  and 
for  a  time  lived  upon  a  rented  farm  until  Mr.  Mor- 
rison was  able  to  purchase  land.  The  old  home- 
stead in  Hilyard  Township  isstill  their  place  of  res- 
ilience. Mr.  Morrison  has  now  reached  the  age  of 
eighty-two  and  his  wife  is  about  three-score  years 
and  ten.  They  are  Scotch  Presbyterians  in  religi- 
ous faith  and  are  numbered  among  the  honored 
pioneers  of  Hilyard  Township  where  they  have 
man)  friends.  In  their  family  were  seven  children 
and  witii  one  exception  all  are  living. 

Our  subject,  who  is  the  eldest,  spent  the  days  of 
his  boyhood  and  youth  under  the  paternal  roof  and 
in  the  common  schools  acquired  his  education. 
Extensive  reading  and  observation  have  made  him 
an  intelligent  man  and  he  keeps  binself  well  in- 
formed concerning  all  matters  of  general  interest, 
also  upon  the  political  issues  of  the  day.  Whatever 
success  he  has  achieved  in  life  is  i\uv  to  his  own 
efforts  and  he  need  never  fed  ashamed  of  the  posi- 
tion to  which  he  has  attained  for  his  fellow  towns- 
men and  those  who  know  him  all  speak  of  him  in 
terms  of  praise  He  was  married  in  Carlinvillc  to 
Miss  Rebecca  T.  Jones,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born 
in  Allen  County,  October  22,  1848.  When  a  child 
of  three  years  she  was  brought  to  this  county  by 
her  parents,  Ambrose  and  Mary  (Wilson)  Jones, 
who  were  also  natives  of  Kentucky  and  on  coming 
1. 1  Illinois  settled  iii  Greene  County.  Later  they 
resided  in  Jersey  Count)  for  a  time  and  thence  came 
to  this  county,  locating  on  a    farm    in    Gillespie 


85  1 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Township,  where  Mr.  Jones  died  in  1872.  at  the  age 
of  sixty  years.  His  widow  still  survives  him  and 
is  living  on  the  old  homestead  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
nine.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church, 
as  was  her  husband  and  in  polities  he  was  s  Repub- 
lican. Seven  children  grace  the  union  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Morrison,  five  of  whom  are  yet  living — M. 
Burtie,  Jessie  E.,  George  W..  James  H.  and  Flossie 
R.     Nettie  and  an  infant  are  now  deceased. 

Mr.  and  Mis.  Morrison  adhere  to  the  faith  of 
their  forefathers  and  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  while  in  polities  he  is  a  stalwart  Re- 
publican. A  pleasant,  genial  man,  affable  in  man- 
ner, he  has  won  many  friends  and  Ids  wife  is  like- 
wise held  in  high  esteem.  Our  subject  enlisted  in 
Company  G.,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-third  Regi- 
ment Illinois  Infantry,  and  was  on  'guard  duty  at 
Rock  Island  during  his  term  of  enlistment. 


* ^§-*-£~ 


o  B  K  R  T    DRURY  is  a  respected  member 

/{  of  the  farming  community  of  Brushy  Mound 
\\  Township,  where  he  owns  eighty  acres  of 
land,  pleasantly  located  on  section  27,  and 
provided  with  good  buildings  and  other  improve- 
ments, a  fine  orchard  adding  value  to  the  place. 
A  Southerner  by  birth,  Mr.  Drury  was  born  in 
Danville,  Ky.,  April  9,  1841.  His  father  was  John 
J.  Drury,  also  a  native  of  that  State,  Beardstown 
is  his  birth  place.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject 
was  born  in  Maryland  and  came  of  English  ancestry. 
When  a  young  man  he  went  to  Kentucky  where  he 
married.  He  settled  six  miles  from  Beardstown  on 
the  Mooresville  road,  and  became  a  pioneer  farmer 
of  that  section.  His  death  took  place  in  1833, 
from  an  attack  of  cholera,  he.  his  wife  and  three  of 
his  children  dying  within  a  few  weeks. 

John  Drury  was  thus  left  an  orphan  when  he  was 
seventeen  years  old.  He  went  to  Louisville  to 
learn  the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  and  followed  it  for 
a  time.  He  finally  had  the  great  misfortune  to 
lose  his  eyesight  by  the  formation  of  a  cataract, 
and  has  been  blind  for  fifty  years.  He  resides  in 
Nilwood  Township,  this  county,  and  is  now  eighty 
years   old.     His  wife  was   Mary   Buckman    in    her 


maiden  days,  who  was  born  in  Marion  County,  Ky. 
her  father.  John  Buckman,  was  a  native  of  Mary- 
land, and  a  pioneer  of  Marion  County.  Ky.,  where 
he  improved  a  plantation,  his  land  being  worked 
by  slave  labor.  It  was  close  to  the  town  of  Ray- 
wick,  and  for  many  years  he  was  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile business  there.  He  died  in  1855.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Sarah  J.  Matingly, 
and  she  was  also  a  native  of  Maryland.  She  died 
on  the  old  Kentucky  homestead  in  1842.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  departed  this  life  in  January 
1875.  These  six  children  were  born  of  her  mar- 
riage. John,  Robert,  James,  William.  Charles  and 
Mary   F. 

Robert  Drury  was  twelve  years  old  when  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Illinois.  The  family, 
consisting  of  the  father,  mother  and  six  children, 
started  for  their  new  home  in  October,  bringing 
their  household  goods  with  them,  ami  making  the 
journey  with  two  horses  and  one  wagon.  They 
camped  and  cooked  by  the  way  at  night,  and  after 
eighteen  days  travel  arrived  at  Honey  Point  Town- 
ship. They  visited  a  family  in  that  place  for  tlree 
weeks,  (hiring  which  time  Mr.  Drury  rented  a  log 
cabin  in  Brushy  Mound  Township,  into  which  they 
moved,  living  there  until  spring,  then  farming  one 
year  inthesnmo  township.  The  father  then  bough*, 
a  farm  in  Bird  Township,  and  upon  that  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  reared.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  pioneer  schools,  which  were  taught  in 
a  log  house.  In  that  early  day  deer  were  very 
numerous  and  were  seen  in  large  droves.  Tin 
people  lived  in  a  very  primitive  way,  as  the  luxur- 
ies and  often  the  comforts  of  life  were  hard  to 
procure,  and  their  dress  was  mostly  of  homespun 
cloth. 

Our  subject  resided  with  his  parents  until  after 
his  marriage,  which  occurred  December  30.  1863, 
when  he  was  wedded  to  Miss  Mary  F.  Pearson,  who 
has  rendered  him  invaluable  assistance  in  the  up- 
building of  their  home.  Their  union  has  brought 
to  them  five  children,  whom  they  have  named 
Charles  C,  Mark  W.,  Robert  O..  Frank  N.  and 
Dais3'.  Mrs.  Drury  is  a  native  of  this  county, 
Gillespie  Township  being  her  birthplace. 

In  1864  Mr.  Drury  bought  a  farm  in  Gillespie 
Township,  and   resided  there  until   1870,  when  he 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


855 


moved  t<>  Missouri.  A  year  later  he  returned  to 
Macoupin  County,  and  purchased  the  place  where 
he  now  lives  in  Brushy  Mound  Township.  He  has 
devoted  his  energies  to  its  cultivation  and  improve 
meut  with  good  results,  and  from  its  productive 
soil   derives  a  comfortable  income. 

Politically,  Mr.  Drury  casts  his  vote  with  the 
Democrates  in  national  elections,  but  in  local 
elections  he  is  independent,  supporting  the  man  he 
considers  best  fitted  for  office  regardless  of  party. 
His  social  affiliations  are  with  I  lie  Farmers'  Mutual 
Benefit  Association,  and  he  is  a  member  of  Elm- 
wood  Lodge.  No.  2948.  He  has  held  the  office  of 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  has  served  his  township 
as  Assessor  and  Collector. 


I  ICHAEL  SWENK,  a  retired  farmer  living 
at  Shipman,  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  prop- 
l"  erty  there.  He  moved  into  town  in  1886, 
being  then  seventy -five  years  of  age,  and 
feeling  that  be  was  entitled  to  ease  during  the 
remnant  of  his  days.  His  career  from  his  early 
life  had  been  industrious  and  enterprising,  and  he 
had  accumulated  sufficient  of  this  world's  goods  to 
feel  no  anxiety  for  his  future  support.  While 
building  up  a  good  home,  he  bad  given  his  family 
many  comforts,  and  bad  taken  part  in  such  piojects 
as  were  instituted  in  the  neighborhood  for  the  gen- 
eral good  and  promised  well  for  the  community. 
He  has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  since  1857, 
and  is  therefore  well  acquainted  with  its  progress 
for  considerable  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury. 

Mr,  Swcnk  is  a  son  of  the  Buckeye  State,  born 
in  Montgomery  County,  October  10.  1811.  He 
conies  of  Pennsylvania  families,  and  his  parents 
were  Jacob  and  Catherine  (Ilcning)  Swenk,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  the  Keystone  State.  lie  was 
but  a  small  boy  when  his  father  died,  leaving 
eight  children,  all  now  deceased,  except  Michael 
and  one  sister.  He  lived  with  a  brother-in-law  for 
a  time,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  began  his 
apprenticeship  to  a  hatter,  and  from  that  time  lived 
among  strangers.     He  learned  his  trade  at  Frank- 


lin, Ohio,  and  followed  it  for  several  years,  but  in 
1853  be  went  to  Casa  County,  Mich.,  bought 
land  and  turned  his  attention  to  farming.  He 
lived  there  until  he  came  to  this  State,  and  Bettled 
not  far  from  shipman.  buying  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  if  slightly-improved  land.  He  con- 
tinued the  work  that  had  been  bfgUO  OD  the  prop- 
erty, and  before  he  left  it  bad  changed  it  into  a 
well-regulated  estate,  with  every  needful  farm 
building   and   other   adornment. 

Mr.  Swenk  was  married  in  Ohio  to  Miss  Sarah 
Wood,  a  native  of  the  Buckeye  state,  who  died  in 
Jersey  County.  III.,  leaving  no  children.  The 
present  wife  of  our  subject  was  formerly  Mrs. 
Charity  K.  Crane,  nee  Eaton,  and  was  living  in 
Michigan  at  the  time  of  their  marriage.  She  is  a 
well-informed,  efficient  woman,  who  shares  with 
her  husband  the  respect  of  their  acquaintances. 
Of  this  union  three  children  were  born,  but  the 
parents  have  been  bereft  of  all.  One  died  in  in- 
fancy,  one  in  childhood,  and  Samuel  J.  after  he 
had  grown  to  manhood.  Mr.  Swenk  gives  his  po- 
litical allegiance  to  the  Democratic  party. 


I 


|  SRAEL  CIIAPPKLL.  In  noticing  the  proini 
nent  and  successful  agriculturists  of  Honey 
Point  Township  we  find  Mr.  Chappell  occupy- 
ing a  front  rank.  A  man  of  more  than  ordinary 
ability  and  sound  judgment,  he  has  exercised  no 
small  influence  in  iiis  community,  and  at  the  same 
time,  by  bis  industry  and  perseverance,  lias  gained 
a  competence.  His  residence  and  surroundings 
indicate  in  a  marked  manner  to  what  good  purpose 
be  has  employed  his  time  for  so  man)'  years,  he 
having  a  most  carefully  tilled  farm,  whereon  be 
has  instituted  all  modern'  improvements.  The 
buildings  (Mid  appurtenances  are  well  appointed, 
and  indicate  the  good  taste  and  ample  means  of 
the  proprietor. 

A  native  of  Devonshire.  England,  Mr.  Chappell 
was  born  February  5,  1.825.  His  parents  were 
Bartholomew  and  Grace  (Gean)  Chappell.  who 
were  also  natives  of  thai  famous  English  shin. 
Their    lives    were    passed    then'    until    1833,    when. 


856 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD: 


with  their  eight  children,  they  set  sail  from  Liver- 
pool in  the  month  of  October  in  an  American- 
bound  ship,  and  after  a  voyage  of  nine  weeks  and 
four  days  landed  at  New  York.  They  tame  di- 
rectly to  Illinois,  and  located  in  Jersey  County, 
where  the  father  purchased  a  tract  of  land  includ- 
ing a  part  of  Gilliam's  Mound.  About  fifty  acres 
were  improved,  and  there  was  a  log  house  on  the 
place.  Mr.  Chappell  erected  frame  buildings,  im- 
proved his  land,  and  increased  the  acreage  of  his 
farm  so  that  at  one  time  he  had  four  hundred  acres 
of  land.  Death  closed  his  career  in  1867,  and  his 
community  was  thus  deprived  of  a  valued  citizen, 
who  hail  done  much  to  upbuild  the  township,  and 
his  memory  is  held  in  respect  as  one  of  its  early 
pioneers.  He  was  twice  married,  and  by  his  first 
marriage  had  six  children,  all  of  whom  came  to 
America,  and  these  a'/e  their  names:  Ann,  John, 
Bartholomew,  Elizabeth,  Susan  and  William.  His 
second  wife,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  who  was 
the  daughter  of  Richard  <  lean,  survived  him,  her 
death  not  occurring  until  1871,  when  she  passed 
away  in  the  home  of  her  daughter  in  Jersey 
County.  She  reared  seven  children,  as  follows: 
Lucinda.  Solomon,  Israel,  Ephraim, Thirza,  Mahala 
and  Richard. 

Israel  Chappell  was  in  his  eighth  year  when  his 
parents  brought  him  to  the  United  States,  and  he 
can  remember  well  the  incidents  of  pioneer  life  in 
the  early  years  of  the  settlement  of  this  State.  At 
that  time  deer  and  bears  were  very  numerous  i:: 
Jersey  County,  and  also  coons,  wild  turkeys,  and 
other  game.  For  many  years  there  were  no  rail- 
ways in  the  county,  and  Alton  was  the  nearest 
market  for  supplies.  Young  Chappell  attended  the 
pioneer  schools,  the  first  one  heing  taught  in  the 
kitchen  of  a  neighbor,  as  there  were  then  no  free 
schools.  The  grain  then  was  cul  with  a  cradle  and 
threshed  by  a  flail.  The  mother  carded,  spun  and 
wove  wool  and  linen  with  which  to  clothe  her 
children,  and  cooked  the  meals  for  the  family  before 
a  rude  fireplace. 

Our  subject  resided  with  his  parents  until  1846, 
and  then  commenced  life  for  himself,  working  on  a 
farm  for  18  a  month,  continuing  thus  employed 
until  1850,  when  he  went  to  California.  He  left 
Jersey  County  the  1st  of   May  and  made  the  entire 


journey  across  the  plains  and  mountains  with  a 
mule  team,  arriving  at  Sacramento  on  the  1th  of 
August  without  mishap.  With  the  exception  of 
the  Mormons  at  Salt  Lake  City,  there  were  hut 
very  few  white  settlers  west  of  St.  Joseph,  Mo., 
until  California  was  reached.  Antelope,  elk  and 
deer  abounded  on  the  plains,  and  buffaloes  were  to 
be  seen  in  large  numbers.  There  were  also  plenty 
of  Indians,  who  were  hostilely  disposed,  rendering 
traveling  very  dangerous.  Upon  arriving  in  Cali- 
fornia Mr.  Chappell  engaged  in  mining,  and  resided 
thereuntil  1852,  when  he  returned  to  Illinois  by 
the  way  of  the  Isthmus. 

Prior  to  going  to  the  Pacific  coast  our  subject 
had  bought  a  tract  of  wild  prairie  land  in  what  is 
now  Honey  Point  Township,  and  the  year  following 
his  return  he  settled  on  it,  and  has  lived  here  con- 
tinuously since.  The  homestead  consists  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  choice  land,  and  he 
has  erected  a  good  set  of  frame  buildings,  planted 
fruit  and  shade  trees,  and  made  all  modern  im- 
provements. Besides  his  home  farm  he  also  owns 
one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Shaw's 
Point  Township,  and  eighty  acres  in  Lancaster 
County,  Neb.,  and  is  one  of  the  substantial  men  of 
his  community. 

March  30,  1834,  Mr.  Chappell  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Sophia  Hunt,  who  was  born  in 
the  same  shire  as  her  husband.  Her  father,  George 
Hunt,  wis  also  a  native  of  Devonshire,  where  he 
married  Sophia  Willoway,  and  spent  his  entire  life. 
His  wife  was  also  of  Devonshire  birth,  and  was  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Charity  Willoway.  At 
her  husband's  death  she  was  left  with  six  children. 
She  afterward  became  the  wife  of  James  Hunt, 
brother  of  her  firsl  husband,  and  in  1849,  with  ten 
children,  came  to  America.  The  family  located  in 
the  town  of  Stafford,  about  live  miles  east  of  I'.ata- 
via,  Genesee  County,  N.  Y..  where  Mr.  Hunt  died 
some  years  later.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Chappell  is 
still  living,  aged  eighty-seven,  and  resides  on  the 
home  farm.  The  children  by  her  first  marriage 
were  named  Charity,  Frances.  Thomas,  William, 
Elizabeth  and  Sophia.  Those  by  her  second  mar- 
riage were  Mary  J.,  Ann,  James  and  Matilda. 

Of  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chappell  there  are 
five  children   living:      Israel  Watson.  George    Mil- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


857 


ton,  Sophia  Grace,  James  Richard  find  Cora  May. 
Sophia  is  Ulfc  wife  of  Samuel  Dugger,  of  Shaw's 
Point  Township.  Mrs.  Chappell  is  actively  inter- 
ested in  religious  matters,  and  holds  membership 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


GEORGE  V.  SMITH,  one  of  the  worthy  and 
respected  citizens  of  Shaw's  Point  Town- 
V_^,  ship,  was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England, 
July  16,  1832.  Here  lie  passed  his  boyhood  and 
youth,  and  when  nineteen  years  old  came  to  Amer- 
ica, making  his  home  for  six  years  in  Huron  County 
Ohio.  There  he  engaged  in  farming.  In  August, 
1857.  he  came  to  Macoupin  County,  and  located  in 
.Shaw's  Point  Township,  where  he  has  since  been  n 
resident.  He  owns  two  hundred  and  ten  acres  upon 
which  he  has  made  good  improvements.  He  carries 
on  general  farming. 

Mr.  Smith  was  married  in  Carlinville,  February 
4,  1860,  to  Miss  Harriet  Keller,  who  was  born  in 
Henry  County,  Ky.,  August  10,  1817.  and  died 
April  23,  1891.  She  came  to  this  State  with  her 
parents  in  her  girlhood.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  public- 
spirited  man  who  is  ever  an  active  promoter  of  all 
movements  for  the  improvements  of  the  township 
and  the  well  being  of  its  residents.  He  has  set  a 
good  example  for  his  neighbors  in  the  improve- 
ments he  has  placed  upon  iiis  farm  and  all  unite  in 
praising  the  condition  of  his  property.  His  polit- 
icals views  are  embodied  in  the  declarations  of  the 
Democratic  platform,  and  lie  is  deeply  interested  in 
the  success  of  that  party;  he  has  never  sought  for 
office  and  prefers  to  devote  his  entire  attention 
to  agricultural  pursuits. 

^St>  ALEli  CAPPS.     There  is  probably  no  farmer 

ill  °*  North  Palmyra  Township  who  has  at -e 

Vi/  a  better  farm,  better  buildings  and  a  higher 
reputation  as  a  man  of  ability  and  intelligence  than 
he  whose  name  stands  at  the  head  of  this  paragraph. 
The  beautiful  farm  attracts  the  eye  of  every  passer- 


by. Its  neat  and  commodious  buildings  speak  well 
for  the  management  of  the  farm  and  the  neatness 

and  productiveness  of  the  hind  attest  thorough  Cul- 
tivation and  rich  soil.  Mr.  Capps  is  not  content 
with  mere  material  prosperity,  however,  for  he  de- 
\  ules  much  lime  and  thought  to  matters  of  general 
intelligence,  being  a  great  leader. 

John  Capps.  the  father  of  our  subject.  was  a  Vir- 
ginian, and  his  wife.  Sallie  T.  Gilmer  was  born  in 
Kentucky.  Their  marriage  t<«>k  place  in  Adams 
County.  III.,  where  he  carried  on  a  woolen  factory 
in  Columbus,  that  county,  After  engaging  in  this 
business  for  some  two  or  three  years  he  returned  to 
Kentucky  on  account  of  failure  of  health  and  died 
therein  1843.  His  bereaved  widow  long  survived 
him  and  finallv  passed  away  while  with  her  children 
in  this  county  in  February,  1888, 

This  so:i  Caleb  was  born  in  Winchester,  Clarke 
County.  Ivy..  March  2;!,  1840.  When  he  was  three 
years  old  he  went  with  his  mother  to  Adams 
County.  111.,  and  lived  there  three  or  four  years 
and  then  came  to  Greene  County,  III.,  and  after  a 
few  years  removed  to  this  county.  At  the  age  of 
fourteen  years  he  le. lined  the  trade  of  machinist, 
at  which  he  worked  until  he  reached  his  majority. 
In  1861,  he  engaged  in  farming  settling  on  a  tract 
of  land  on  section  31,  North  Palmyra  Township, 
farm  that  was  entered  by  his  father  prior  to 
marriage.  Since  his  location  in  this  township  he 
has  devoted  himself  exclusively  to  farming  and 
Stock-raising  with  the  exception  of  time  which  he 
spent  in  the  army  in  the  service   of   his  country. 

Our  subject  enlisted  in  October,  1864,  in  Company 
A.  Thirty-second  Illinois  Infantry  in  the  defense  of 
the  old  Hag.  He  served  about  one  year  and  was  with 
Sherman  in  his  march  to  the  sea.  During  the  latter 
part  of  his  service  he  was  detailed  as  acting  Com- 
missary Sergeant  for  his  regiment.  His  marriage 
in  Hair  Township,  took  place  January  3,  1872  and 
made  him  the  happy  husband  of  Elizabeth  Maxfield 
a  daughter  of  Robert  II.  and  Sarah  .1.  (Petetish) 
Max  field.  Mr,  Maxfield  was  a  Kentuekian  and  his 
wife  a  Virginian,  and  they  were  early  settlers  in 
Hair  Township,  whither  they  came  in  the  '30s. 
He  followed  the  carpenter's  trade  when  he  was  a 
young  man  although  farming  was  his  chief  business 
through  life.      He  died  in  liarr   Township.  June  15. 


858 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


1876,  and  li is  wife  still  resides  at  the  old  hometcad, 
where  Mrs.  Capps  was  born  February  11,  1811. 

The  political  views  of  Mr.  Capps  are  in  accor- 
dance with  the  declarations  of  the  Democratic  party 
and  in  its  progress  and  prosperity  he  takes  a  great 
interest,  for  he  believes  its  teaching  and  policy 
are  those  best  fitted  to  insure  the  welfare  of  the 
country  and  the  prosperity  of  the  citizens.  Upon 
his  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  he  has 
erected  a  good  home,  excellent  barns  and  such  out- 
houses as  are  needed  to  cany  on  farm  work  in  the 
best  way.  He  has  himself  done  most  of  the  work 
upon  this  farm  and  upon  the  buildings. 


DROF.  CHARLES  ROBERTSON.  The  vital 
and  liberal  tendencies  of  the  Prairie  state 
have  given  fresh  impulse  and  breadth  of 
vision  to  many  a  man  of  Eastern  blood  and 
breeding.  A  man  with  scientific  instincts  finds  in 
the  West  a  freedom  from  traditions  and  a  stimulus 
to  investigate  which  he  might  have  missed  in  a 
narrower  sphere.  Macoupin  County  is  justly 
proud  of  tile  record  of  the  gentleman  whose  name 
appears  at  the  head  of  this  sketch,  as  he  is  acknow- 
ledged to  be  one  of  the  leading  scientists  of  our 
country,  having  made  a  special  study  of  botany 
and  entomology  and  being  a  discoverer  inthe  path 
which  Spengel,  Darwin  and  Hermann  Muller  pointed 
out. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  a  native  of  this 
county,  being  born  in  Carlinville  June  12.  1858. 
His  father.  Dr.  William  A.  Robertson,  was  bom 
near  Liberty,  Bedford  County,  Ya.,  October  27, 
1803.  His  father,  Dr.  William  Robertson,  was  a 
practicing  physician  and  moved  from  Virginia  to 
Knoxville,  Ten'n  ,  in  1803,  soon  after  the  birth  of 
his  son.  lie  resided  there  for  a  short  time  and 
then  went  to  Kentucky,  where  he  settled  in  Lex- 
ington, but  after  a  short  time  removed  to  Harrods- 
burg  and  followed  his  profession  there. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  quite  young  when 
his  father  moved  to  Kentucky.  He  attended  school 
at  New  London  Academy  in  Virginia,  and  com- 
mencing  the  study  of   medicine  quite  early,  grad- 


uated at  Transylvania  College.  He  practiced  for 
a  time  in  Kentucky  and  in  1830  emigrated  to  Illi- 
nois, making  his  home  at  Edwardsville,  in  Madison 
County.  A  little  later  he  practiced  his  profession 
in  Alton,  but,  subsequently  abandoned  it  and  en- 
gaged in'farming.  In  1835  he  removed  to  Carlin- 
ville, where  ten  years  later  he  engaged  in  general 
merchandising.  He  was  a  man  of  rare  good  sense 
and  of  more  than  ordinary  financial  ability.  He 
was  possessed  of  considerable  literary  ability  and 
was  liberal  with  his  wealth,  his  private  charities 
being  numerous  and  his  donations  to  institutions 
of  learning  and  religion  generous.  He  died  Feb- 
ruary 5.  1880,  leaving  behind  him  a  precious  mem- 
ory as  a  heritage  to  his  children. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  married  October 
18,  1842,  to  Nancy  H.,  daughter  of  Rev.  Charles 
Halliday.  She  was  born  near  Scotfsville,  Allen 
County,  Ivy.,  November  II,  1821.  Her  father, 
Kev.  Charles  Halliday.  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Md. 
His  father,  .lames  Halliday,  was  a  native  of  Annan- 
dale,  Dumfrieshire,  Scotland,  and  came  to  America 
in  Colonial  times,  making  a  settlement  in  Baltimore. 
Charles  Halliday  "as  fifteen  years  old  when  his 
father  died.  He  was  educated  in  Baltimore  and 
Fredericksburg  for  the  ministry  of  the  Presbyter- 
ian Church,  but  before  entering  it  he  joined  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  became  a  preacher 
in  that  denomination. 

He  who  is  now  known  as  Prof.  Robertson  received 
his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Carlin- 
ville, and  finally  advanced  to  Blackburn  University 
and  in  1880  became  a  teacher  in  that  institution, 
taking  up  the  branches  of  botany,  physiology  and 
Greek.  He  taught  until  1886  since  which  time  he 
has  attended  to  the  affairs  of  his  private  business 
and  pursued  his  independent  studies.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Ad- 
vancement of  Sciences,  of  the  Cambridge  Entomo- 
logical Club,  of  the  Western  Society  of  Naturalists, 
of  the  Indiana  Academy  of  Science  and  of  the 
Entomological  Society  of  France.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  November,  1879,  to  Alice  McDonald  Yen- 
able,  a  native  of  Indiana.  They  have  one  child 
named  Mary.  Prof.  Robertson  is  independent  in 
politics  and  is  a  contributor  to  the  following  jour- 
nals:    Botanical  Gazette,  Transactions  of  the  Amer~ 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


859 


ican  Entomological  Society,  Transactions  of  I 
Louis  Academy  of  Science,  Entomological  News,etc. 
It  is  fortunate,  Indeed,  for  science  when  such  men 
as  this  have  the  means  to  free  them  from  sordid 
caves  and  enable  them  to  devote  themselves  untir- 
ingly to  scientific  researches. 


y.li.LIAM  JOINER,  a  representative  fanner 
ami  stock-raiser  residing  on  section  8,  Bird 
Wyi  Township,  is  a  son  of  George  and  Mary 
(Pulliam)  Joiner,  natives  of  the  old  Dominion. 
They  emigrated  to  the  Prairie  state  from  Kentucky, 
where  they  settled  near  Jacksonville  where  the 
father  died.  The  mother  afterward  came  to  Ma- 
coupin County,  where  she  survived  her  husband 
many  years  and  died  at  the  home  of  our  subject 
in  Logan  County,  this  State. 

William  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  seven 
children.  He  was  born  in  Morgan  County,  this 
State.  May  2.  ls.'io.  He  grew  to  manhood,  spend- 
ing most  of  bis  youth  in  Macoupin  County,  and 
when  about  twenty- live  years  old  he  removed  to 
Logan  County  and  made  it  his  home  from  the 
spring  of  I860  till  the  fall  of  1876,  when  he  re- 
turned to  this  county  and  settled  on  section  8,  of 
Bird  Township,  which  has  since  been  his  place  of 
residence.  He  has  been  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  and  stock-raising  and  now  owns  two  hun- 
dred eighteen  and   a  half  acres  of  fine  arable  land. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Joiner  with  Sarah  L.  Nevins 
was  solemnized  November  22.  I860.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  James  15.  and  Miranda  (Simsi  Nevins. 
After  marriage  they  settled  in  North  Palmyra 
Township.  Mrs.  Nevins  was  called  away  from 
earth  in  August,  1880.  and  her  husband  passed 
away  at  the  residence  of  ow  subject  January  11. 
1890.  Seven  of  their  children  lived  to  years  of 
maturity,  of  whom  Mrs.  Joiner  was  the  second. 
She  was  born  hi  North  Palmyra  Township  August 
5,  1840,  and  received  a  good  common-school  edu 
cation. 

Our  subject  and  bis  estimable  wife  are  the  happy 
parents  of  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  were  reared 
to  maturity;  Thomas   K..  Lucy  A.,  Ida  M.,  James 


\\'..  otis  C,  Man  Z.,  and  the  youngest  is  named 
Noah  C.  The  first  burn  took  to  wife  Eudors  A. 
Casteel;  Mary  '/..  became  the  wife  of  Edward  Hart- 
wick. 

Ml.  Joiner  has  held  the  oilier  of  School   Director 

of  his  township  in  which  position  he  not  onl.v  did 
credit  to  himself  but  to  his  constituents,  lie  has 
served  in  that  capacity  for  over  twenty-Seven  years. 
In  his  political  views  he  affiliates  with  the  Repub- 
lican party  of  which  he  is  a  stanch  adherent.  Re- 
ligiousbj  he  is  a  consistent  and  active  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church.  He  is  a  man  who  is  held  in 
high  repute  by  his  fellow-citizens  and  always  ap- 
proves any  movement  which  will  enhance  the 
prosperity  of  the  community. 


^*T 


-1*^- 


w 


AMES    E.   WAGGONER,   who    resides    on 


section  8,  Brighton  Township,  and  is  en- 
gaged quite  extensively  in  the  dairy  business 
\vj  is  one  of  the  honored  of  the  pioneers  of 
1834.  By  his  parents  he  was  brought  here  when 
live  years  old  from  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  where  be 
was  born  on  the  8th  of  September,  18291.  His 
father,  George  Waggoner,was  a  native  of  Maryland, 
and  his  grandfather,  George  Waggoner,  Sr.,  was 
born  on  the  high  seas,  while  his  parents  were  emi- 
grating from  Germany  to  America,  prior  to  the 
Revolutionary  War.  The  family  settled  in  Balti- 
more. .Md.,  where  the  grandparents  of  George 
Waggoner.  Jr.,  lived  and  died.  He  grew  to  man- 
hood in  that  State  and  removed  with  his  parents 
to  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  prior  to  the  War  of  1812, 
during  which  war  he  served  his  country;  with  oth- 
ers of  his  regiment  he  came  nearly  starving  to 
death,  they  being  deprived  of  food  for  several 
days.  Before  the  war  lie  was  joined  in  wedlock 
with  Miss  Mary  Baker,  who  was  horn  in  Maryland 
of  German  descent,  her   ancestors  having  come  to 

this  country  in  early  Colonial  days.  One  of  the 
family  made  a  settlement  by  a  ninety-nine  years' 
lease  upon  forty  acres  of  land  in  the  heart  of  Harris- 
hnrg,  and  eighty  acres  in  the  cit\  of  Philadelphia. 
lie  never  married,  and  the  connecting  link  which 
makes    his    rightful  heirs    the    proper  owners,    has 


860 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


been  lost.  After  the  marriage  of  George  Wag- 
goner and  li is  wife,  the  parents  of  our  subject,  they 
resided  for  some  years  near  Knoxville,  Tent).,  but 
becoming  digusted  with  the  practices  of  slavery, 
decided  to  make  their  home  in  a  free  State  and  lo- 
cated in  Madison  County,  III.  This  was  in  183-1. 
They  settled  near  Alton,wherc  they  resided  for  some 
years,  but  afterward  came  to  this  county  to  make 
their  home  with  their  daughter,  Mrs.  Joseph  An- 
drews, at  whose  house  they  died  when  well  ad- 
vanced in  years.  Like  their  ancestry  they  were 
adherents  of  the  Methodist  faith,  and  were  highly 
respected  people. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  their  twelve  children,  nine 
of  whom  are  yet  living,  are  married  and  have  fam- 
ilies. They  have  all  prospered  in  their  business 
affairs  and  are  leading  citizens  of  the  various  com- 
munities where  they  reside.  James  Waggoner  was 
reared  to  manhood  under  the  parental  roof.  Sep- 
tember 28,  1856,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Almira  Mundy,  since  which  they  have  resided  near 
Brighton,  Macoupin  County.  Almira  (Mundy) 
Waggoner  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  December  2.  1837, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Rowland  and  Asenatb  (Kel- 
logg) Mundy,  natives  of  the  Empire  Stale  and  pio- 
neer settlers  of  Illinois.  Seymour  Kellogg,  father 
of  Mrs.  Mundy,  surveyed  and  laid  out  the  city  of 
Jacksonville,  and  several  other  towns  in  Illinois. 
He  was  one  of  the  prominent  and  honored  early 
settlers  in  that  part  of  the  State.  He  served  as 
Colonel  in  the  War  of  1812.  and  died  in  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  April  15,  1827.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mundy  were 
married  in  St.  Louis,  where  they  resided  some  years, 
when  the}"  removed  to  Lexington,  Mo.  Six  years 
of  their  lives  were  there  passed,  after  which  they 
returned  to  St.  Louis,  and  subsequently  they  spent 
some  years  in  Whitehall,  G/eene  County.  111.,  go- 
ing thence  to  Madison  County  and  finally  taking  up 
their  residence  in  Brighton,  where  the  father  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years,  and  the  mother 
when  eighty  years  of  age;  they  were  members 
of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  people  whose  man}' 
excellencies  of  character  won  them  a  host  of 
friends. 

Mrs.  Waggoner  is  one  of  eight  children,  of  whom 
three  are  now  living.  By  her  marriage  she  has 
become  the  mother   of  five   children — George   R., 


who  is  now  serving  as  Township  Collector,  and  re- 
sides at  home;  Louada,  wife  of  Monroe  Forward, 
who  is  engaged  in  farming  and  operates  a  creamery 
at  Piasa,  III.;  Nellie  Almira,  who  is  attending  the 
Normal  School  at  Bushnell,  111.;  James  E.,  Jr., 
and  Homer  O.,  at  home.  In  politics  Mr.  Wag- 
goner affiliates  with  the  Republican  party  and  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church. 
They  are  numbered  among  the  leading  and  repre- 
sentative people  of  the  community  where  they 
have  so  long  made  their  home,  and  their  many 
friends  hold  them  in  high  regard.  Mr.  Waggoner 
is  one  of  the  successful  and  enterprising  farmers 
and  dairymen  of  Brighton  Township,  where  he 
owns  two  hundred  ami  eighteen  acres  of  highly 
improved  land.  He  also  raises  a  good  grade  of 
stock,  and  keeps  on  hand  thirty  cows  for  dairy 
purposes.  His  farm  is  well  supplied  with  modern 
conveniences  and  equipments,  and  the  neat  appear- 
ance of  the  place  indicates  the  thrift  and  industry 
of.  the  owner. 

ffi  AMES  L.  TIETSORT,  a  retired  farmer  who 
is  passing  his  declining  years  pleasantly  with 
his  good  wife  in  the  village  of  Girard,  where 
he  is  greatly  esteemed,  was  born  in  one  of 
tin-  pioneer  homes  of  Ohio,  on  a  farm. one  mile 
from  Middletown,  Butler  County,  January  30, 
1822,  being  the  date  of  his  birth.  His  paternal 
grandfather  was  a  native  of  Holland,  who  emi- 
grated to  America  and  is  supposed  to  have  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life  in  New  Jersey.  His  son 
William,  the  Lather  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  that 
State  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  He  subsequently 
became  a  pioneer  of  Kentucky,  whence  he  re- 
moved to  Butler  County,  Ohio,  of  which  he  was 
an  early  settler.  He  finally  went  from  there  to 
Cass  County,  Mich.,  after  a  number  of  years,  and 
there  his  life  was  brought  to  a  close  at  a  ripe  old 
age. 

William  Tietsort  was  eight  years  old  when  his 
parents  removed  to  Butler  County,  Ohio,  in  the 
early  years  of  its  settlement.  Cincinnati  was  then 
'out    a    hamlet,    and    the   State    was  a    wilderness. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


B61 


There  he  grew  to  manhood  and  married  and  con- 
tinued his  residence  in  that  State  until  1832.  whin 
lie  went  with  his  family  to  the  Territory  of  Michi- 
gan, traveling  with  teams  and  taking  all  lii<  earthly 
possessions  with  him.  He  located  in  Cass  County, 
in  Volinia  Township,  and  became  one  of  its  most 
useful  pioneers,  doing  his  share  of  the  hard  labor 
hy  which  its  rich  agricultural  resources  were  devel- 
oped, and  becoming  one  of  the  prosperous  farmers 
of  his  community,  hewing  out  a  fine  farm  from  the 
wilderness,  on  which  he  erected  substantial  frame 
buildings  and  made  other  valuable  improvements. 
It  was  his  home  until  his  long  life  wf>s  brought 
to  an  honorable  close  in  1872.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Sarah  Law,  did  not  long  survive 
him.  but  died  in  1S7:>.  She  was  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia and  a  daughter  of  James  Law.  who  was  also 
a  Virginian  by  birth  and  was  a  pioneer  of  Litt- 
ler County,  Ohio.  She  had  been  twice  married, 
the  name  of  her  first  husband  being  Huff.  She 
reared  fourteen  children  to  maturity. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  was  an  active  lad 
of  ten  years  when  the  family  settled  amid  the  pri- 
meval wilds  of  Cass  County,  Mich.,  and  he  well  re- 
members the  primitive  condition  of  the  country 
in  that  region,  where  Indians  were  more  plen- 
tiful than  witites  and  deer  and  other  kinds  of 
game  abounded  in  the  forests  and  on  the  open 
prairies.  There  were  no  railways  there  for  some 
years  and  the  settlers  had  to  go  St.  Joseph,  a  dis- 
tance of  thirty  miles,  to  market  their  produce  and 
to  obtain  supplies.  Money  was  scarce  and  the  people 
lived  on  what  they  could  raise  on  their  land  and 
on  wild  game.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was 
skillful  in  carding,  weaving  and  spinning  flax,  hemp 
and  wool  and  clad  her  children  with  cloth  made 
by  her  own  hands.  The  first  dwelling  in  which 
the  family  lived  after  settling  in  their  new  home 
was  of  the  regular  pioneer  type  and  was  buill  by 
the  father  of  white  oak  logs,  boards  being  rived  to 
cover  the  roof  and  puncheon  hewn  for  the  floor. 

Mr.  Tietsort  made  the  best  of  his  opportunities 
for  obtaining  an  education,  which  were  very  lim- 
ited. The  pioneer  schools  which  he  attended  were 
taught  in  the  log  house  of  those  times,  that  were 
furnished  with  slab  benches  and  had  no  desks. 
He    was    reared   to  habits  of    industry  and  early 


gained  a  knowledge  of  agriculture,  while  assisting 
his  father  in  clearing  his  land.  He  mule  his  home 
with  his  parents  until  liia  marriage.  For  two  years 
after  that  he  managed  the  old  homestead.  In 
1856  he  and  his  family  started  with  a  team  and 
made  an  overland  journey  to  this  State,  as  he  had 
wisely  decided  to  take  ad  wantage  of  the  many  su- 
perior advantages  offered  by  the  rich  soil  and  ge- 
nial climate  of  Illinois  toa  skillful,  practical  fanner. 

After  his  arrival  he  located  eight  miles  east  of 
Jerseyville.  where  he  farmed  as  a  renter  ten  years. 
A.  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  purchased  eight] 
H  it  s  of  land  two  miles  southeast  of  Girard.  lie 
worked  with  a  good  will  and  in  a  few  years  placed 
it  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  made  many 
valuable  improvements  and  in  due  time  bought 
eighty  acres  adjoining  the  entire  tract,  which  is 
deeded  to  his  son.  The  old  home  is  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  making  one  of 
the  most  desirable  farms  in  the  neighborhood.  In 
1887  he  removed  from  his  farm  into  the  village  of 
Girard,  where  lie  purchased  his  present  substantial, 
comfortable  home,  wherein  he  and  his  wife  live  re- 
tired in  the  enjoyment  of  the  fruits  of  their  early 
years  of  labor. 

November  30.  1854,  was  the  date  of  the  marriage 
of  Mr.  Tietsort  and  Mi.ss  Harriet  E.  Gould.  They 
have  one  son,  Melvin  Harvey.  He  married  Miss 
Edna Thacker,  a  native  of  this  county  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Zaehariah  Thacker,  of  whom  an  extended 
sketch  appears  on  another  page  of  this  volume. 
They  have  two  children,  James  H.  and  Nona  K. 

Mrs.  Tietsort  was  born  in  White  Lake  County. 
Mich..  February  11,  1X.",7.  a  daughter  of  one  of  its 
pioneers.  James  Harvey  Gould.  He  was  a  native 
of  Massachusetts  and  a  son  of  William  Gould, 
who  is  supposed  to  hive  been  a  native  of  the 
-line  Male.  He  removeil  from  there  to  Michigan 
while  it  was  yet  a  territory  and  lived  for  a  few- 
years  in  White  Lake  County.  He  then  took  up  his 
residence  in  Port  Byron,  X.  Y..  but  some  years 
after  that  be  returned  to  Michigan  and -pent  his  last 
\eais  ill   CaSS  County,  that   Stale. 

The  father  of  Mis.  Tietsort  was  reared  and 
married  in  Massachusetts.  He  subsequently  became 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  White  Lake  County, 
Mich.     A  few  years  later  he  returned  Eastward  as 


8G2 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


far  as  Port  Byron,  N.  Y.  where  he  resided  a  few 
years.  Returning  to  Michigan,  he  hought  a  tract 
of  forest-covered  land  in  Cass  County,  and  l>y  hard 
pioneer  labor  cleared  a  good  farm,  on  which  he 
erected  suitable  buildings,  lie  departed  this  life  in 
1864,  full  of  years.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife 
was  Elizabeth  Quimby.  She  was  also  a  native  of 
Massachusetts  and  was  a  daughter  of  a  Revolution- 
ary soldier.  She  died  on  the  old  Michigan  home- 
stead in   L876. 

Our  subject   has  accumulated  a  competency  by 
persistent  labor,  by  that  wise  economy  that   knows       tied  in   Alton,   where  he   was  a  pioneer  and  where 


years  old.  The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our 
subject  was  Mary  Simmons,  and  she  was  born  in 
Delaware  and  died  in  1831.  She  had  two  children, 
our  subject  and  his  brother  John,  who  still  resides 
in  Wilmington. 

The  father  was  a  second  time  married,  to  Rachel 
Grubb  and  by  her  had  one  child,  Rebecca  Our 
subject  served  for  five  years  in  Centerville,  learn- 
ing the  trade  of  a  blacksmith,  and  followed  it  in 
Delaware  until  1850,  when  became  to  Illinois  by 
the  way  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers  and  set- 


how  to  spend  as  well  as  to  save  and  by  the  exer- 
cise of  sound  judgment  in  his  dealings.  He  lias 
earned  a  place  among  our  most  respected  citizens, 
and  his  honesty  and  uprightness  in  all  the  affairs  of 
life  have  gained  him  the  trust  of  all  who  know  him. 
He  and  his  wife  are  firm  believers  in  the  Baptist 
faith  and  have  been  among  the  most  faithful  mem- 
bers of  that  church  since  they  connected  themselves 
with  it. 


ARMAX  G.  TALLEY.  a  promiuent  citizen 

of  Shipman,  was  born  in  that  part  of 
Wilmington,  Del.,  which  was  then  know- 
as  the  village  of  Brandywine.  His  birth 
occurred  January  28,  1828,  and  his  father,  Isaac 
Grubb  Talley,  was  born  in  the  same  vicinity 
and  was  the  son  of  llarman  Talley  whose  ancestors 
were  among  the  first  settlers  of  that  State,  lie  resided 
near  Wilmington  for  many  years,  and  then  made 
his  way  to  Ohio  and  became  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Muskingum  County.  He  lived  there  until  1850, 
after  which  he  emigrated  to  Ogle  County,  this 
State,  and  after  a  few  years  came  to  Piasa.  this 
county,  where  he  died. 

The  father  of  our  subject  grew  to  manhood  in 
his  native  State  and  was  there  married  before  com- 
ing to  Illinois.  It  was  about  the  year  1856  when 
he  settled  in  Macoupin  County,  making  his  home 
in  Shipman  Township,  where  he  bought  a  farm  and 
resided  for  four  years  and  then  sold  and  returned 
to  his  native  home,  dying  in  Wilmington,  Del., 
February    22,    1888,    when    he    was    eighty-seven 


he  opened  the  first  blacksmith  shop  in  that  village, 
carrying  on  business  there  until  the  breaking  out  of 
the  war. 

The  young  man  enlisted  September  3,  1864,  in 
Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Forty-fourth  Illi- 
nois [iifantry,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
being  mustered  out  as  a  Sergeant  of  the  Provosl- 
Guard  in  1865.  The  following  year  he  engaged  in 
farming  on  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land" 
which  he  had  purchased  about  a  mile  east  of  Piasa. 
There  he  resided  until  1887,  and  then  leaving  his 
sons  in  charge,  retired  from  active  business  and 
made  his  home  in  Shipman. 

Louisa  Ann  Hedges  was  the  name  of  the  lady 
who  became  the  wife  of  our  subject  in  1850,  and 
she  died  on  the  home  farm  in  1879.  The  second 
marriage  of  Mr.  Talley  took  place  in  1885,  and 
brought  to  his  home  a  bride  in  the  person  of  Mrs. 
Mary  (Martin  )  Quick,  a  native  of  New  York.  By 
his  first  marriage  our  subject  had  five  children, 
namely:  William,  llattie,  Dora,  Lula  and  Harman 
Grubb.  Our  subject  and  his  good  wife  are  both 
earnest  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  he  is  a  thorough  Republican  in  his  political 
views  and  has  served  for  ten  years  as  Postmaster  of 
Piasa.  His  son  William  married  Miss  Laura  Kel- 
sey,  and  his  daughter  Dora  became  Mrs.  W.  B. 
Waggoner. 

The  present  Mrs.  Talley,  as  well  as  her  father  and 
grandfather  was  born  in  the  Green  Mountain  State, 
and  her  father  who  was  a  blacksmith,  followed  that 
trade  both  in  Vermont  and  in  Susquehanna 
County.  Pa.,  and  afterward  in  Steuben  County, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  finally  purchased,  a  farm  and  man- 
aged it  in   connection  with  the   work  of  his  trade. 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


863 


The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Lurinda  Coleman, 
and  she  was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Hannah 
(Cross)  Coleman  of  Vermont. 

Mrs.  Tallev's  first  marriage  was  when  she  was 
eighteen  and  united  her  with  Mr.  Bennett,  a  black- 
smith, who  Came  to  Illinois  in  18">!>,  and  carried  on 
his  trade  ir.  Shipman  until  his  death  in  April,  1865. 
Her  second  husband,  Mr.  Parker  Quick,  of  Missouri, 
was  a  farmer  who  came  to  Shipman  and  died  here 
in  1873.  She  has  two  children  by  her  first  marriage, 
Gertrude,  who  is  now  Mis.  Silas  Webster,  and  Je- 
rome C,  who  married  Sophie  Harris. 


AMES  E.  WOOD.     The   death  of  this  gen- 
tleman, which  occcurred  on  June  13,  1891, 
removed   from     this    county    one    who   had 
for   nearl}'     sixty  years     been   closely    con- 
nected with  its  development.      Following  the  OCCU 
pation  of   a   general    farmer,    he    resided   on  a  line 
tract  of  land   in    Bunker    Hill    Township,    and  was 
the  owner  of  two    hundred  and    thirty  acres  which 
had    been    improved   under   his   own    management. 
June  16,  1832.  marked  his  arrival  in  this  township 
and  since  that  time  he  worked  his  way  to  the  com- 
petency   which     surrounded     his     declining   years. 
Some  nine  seasons   were   passed   on  the  Mississippi 
River  as  a  keel  boater,  and  many  and  strange  were 
his  experiences  as  a    pioneer    boatman.      By  means 
of  this  work  he  gained  his  first  money  to  purchase 
land.     His    first   purchase    comprised   forty   acres, 
bought  at  a  low  rate,  but  he  was  compelled  to  bor- 
row the  money  to  pay  twenty-live    per  cent.  down. 
and    gave    personal   security    to  enable  him  to  ef- 
fect    the    purchase.     Aside    from    the    time    spent 
upon  the  Mississippi,  he  resided  upon  this  farm  al- 
most continuously  from  his  arrival  here.      A  hard- 
working and  energetic   man,    he    achieved    success 
financially,  and  at  the  time  of  his  decease,  was  liv- 
ing retired  from  life's  active  duties. 

Before  narrating  more  fully  the  various  inci- 
dents of  importance  in  the  life  of  our  subject,  we 
will  briefly  record  the  genealogy  of  the  Wool  fam- 
ily which  began  in  America  in  1 755.  Samuel  Wood 


was  born  in  Leicestershire,  England,  May  2  or  3. 
1737.  He  emigrated  to  America  in  1755,  and  al- 
though really  unfitted  for  military  service,  being  a 
ciipplc.  he  went  into  the  army  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  He  was  a  ri pe  schi ila r  and  was  pri- 
vate secretary  to  President  George  Washington. 
He  -pent  most  of  his  life  in    Loudoun  County,  \  a  , 

but  in  Ins  later   years    removed    to  Ea-I     IV -sec, 

and  there  died  full   of  years    and    h s.      He  first 

married  a  Miss  Robertson,  and  of  that  union  one 
daughter,  named  Mary,  was  burn.  This  daughter 
was  reared  by  her  grandfather  in  South  Carolina 
and  married  .lames  Hendricks. 

The  second  wife  of  Samuel  Wood  was  known  in 
maidenhood  as  Sarah  Reives,  and  seven  sons  were 
born  of  the  marriage,  viz:  William,  .lames,  Sam- 
uel. Thomas.  Abram.  John  and  George.  Willi  on, 
who  was  born  June  13,  1773,  was  married  in  lsl  1. 
to   Nelly   Ryan,  and  their  live  children   were  named 

as  follows:     Washington,  Eliza,  Thomas  J.,  James 

W..  and  Mezany.  The  first  wife  dying,  he  after- 
ward married  Mary  Cargile.  and  the  one  son  born 
Of  this  union.  William,  died  January  II,  1851. 
James  Wood,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  Oct- 
ober 26,  1774,  in  Loudoun  County,  Va.,  near  the 
falls  of  the  Potomac  River.  On  March  11,1794, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Susanna  Renfro.  a 
Virginian,  who  had  been  reared  to  womanhood  in  a 
fort  i:i  Eastern  Tennessee,  near  Knox  villi'. 

Eleven  children  comprised  the  family  of  James 
and  Susanna  Wood,  namely:  William,  Sarah,  John 
1'..  Nancy,  Samuel.  Thomas  James  E..  Naomi. 
David  and  Abigail.  During  the  War  of  1812,  the 
father  enlisted  under  Gen.  Harrison,  and  lost  his 
health  while  in  service  as  a  valiant  defender  of 
American  rights.  His  death  occurred  September 
<!.  1849.  After  his  marriage  he  had  lived  (in  a 
farm  in  Cumberland  County,  Kv..  and  all  of  his 
children  were  natives  of  Kentucky  or  Tennessee. 
Finally,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  eight  chil- 
dren, he  removed  to  Illinois,  making  the  trip  over- 
land with  learns.  Their  first  home  was  made  in 
June,  1 832,  on  the  farm  where  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  passed  almost  his  entire  life. 

The  father  having  entered  land  from  the  (iov- 
en.inent  in  1831,  had  his  deed  signed  by  President 
Jackson,  and  this  document    is   yet    in   the  family, 


864 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  land  having  never  been  transferred  except, 
from  father  to  son.  Here  on  that  beautiful  prairie 
the  father  and  mother  ended  their  days,  the  father 
passing  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-eve  and  the 
mother  when  seventy-nine  years  old.  They  were 
members  of  the  old  school  Baptist  Church.  He 
was  a  strong  Democrat.  Possessing  a  retentive 
memory  and  being  a  well  read  man,  he  was  an  in- 
teresting conversationalist,  and  could  relate  many 
thrilling  reminiscences  of  pioneer  life  in  the  War 
of  1812. 

Another  member  of  Grandfather  Wood's  family 
was  his  namesake,  Samuel,  who  was  born  March 
30,  1777,  married  Naomi  Renfro,  and  became  the 
father  of  five  children,  viz:  Mary.  William.  James, 
Isaac  ami  Andrew.  The  fourth  son  in  the  grand- 
father's family  was  Thomas,  born  August  25, 
1779,  in  Loudoun  County,  Va. ,  and  married  to 
Mary  Bayles,  becoming  the  parent  of  seven  chil- 
dren by  this  union.  In  1779,  Grandfather  Wood 
emigrated  to  Washington  County,  Tenn.,  where 
Abram  was  born,  September  19,  17*1.  He  was 
married  to  one  Polly  Hunt,  April  20,  1802,  and 
they  had  four  children.  John  Wood  was  born  in 
Washington  County,  Tenn.,  September  28,  178.'!. 
His  wife  was  known  in  maidenhood  as  Sarah 
Crouch,  and  a  large  family  of  children  gathered 
around  their  fireside.  George  Wood  was  born  in 
Washington  County,  Tenn..  September  10,1787, 
married  Elizabeth  Ervine,  and  unto  them  seven 
children  were  born. 

James  E.,  of  this  sketch,  was  the  fourth  son  and 
fifth  child  of  the  ten  granted  to  his  parents.  He 
and  his  two  brothers,  Samuel  and  D.  B.,  became 
fanners  in  this  township,  and  the  latter  sti!l  resides 
here,  Samuel  having  reached  the  age  of  eighty-six. 
Their  parents  lived  to  see  five  generations  of  their 
own  family  in  their  house  at  once.  Upon  reaching 
manhood  our  subject  was  married  to  Rose  B. 
Thomas,  who  was  born  in  St.  Clair  County,  111., 
June  9,  1817.  She  is  the  daughter  of  David  and 
Peggy  (Barry)  Thomas,  the  maternal  grandfather 
being  Capt.  Andiew  Barry,  of  Revolutionary  fame. 
The  parents  were  natives  of  South  Carolina  and 
came  North  to  St.  Clair  County.  111.,  when  this 
State  was  still  a  territory.  After  laboring  as  pi- 
oneers there  several  years,  they  sold  out  and  came 


to  Macoupin  County,  entering  land  near  Plain- 
view,  and  there  dying  at  the  ages  of  sixty-two  and 
seventy- one  respectively.  Mrs.  Thomas  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mis. 
Wood's  paternal  grandfather,  John  Thomas,  was  a 
native  of  Wales,  and  when  a  young  man  came  to 
America,  locating  in  Smith  Carolina,  and  removing 
thence  with  his  children  to  the  territory  of  Illinois. 
He  was  elected  one  of  the  first  Territorial  Clerks, 
when  court  convened  at  Kaskaskia,  111.  At  an  ad- 
vanced age  he  died  in  St.  Clair  Count)-. 

Mrs.  Wood  was  one  of  the  younger  of  her  pa- 
rents' eight  children  and  is  the  only  one  now  sur- 
viving. She  is  a  woman  of  character  and  ability, 
and  worthy  of  the  admiration  with  which  she  is 
regarded  in  the  community.  She  is  the  mother  of 
four  children,  only  one  of  whom  is  living.  Charles 
died  when  less  than  twenty -two  years  old;  Alfred 
K.  passed  away  at  the  age  of  thirty  two.  He  mar- 
ried Amanda  Phillips  and  became  the  father  of  one 
child.  Melvina,  who  did  not  survive  infancy.  Ab- 
raham I),  took  to  wife  Maranda  Montgomery,  and 
of  their  four  children  two  survive — Charles  Ar- 
thur and  Elizabeth.  They  reside  on  a  farm  in  this 
township. 

In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which 
she  is  an  earnest  member,  Mrs.  Wood  finds  a 
broad  field  for  activity.  Mr.  Wood  also  belonged 
to  the  same  church,  and  was  a  Democrat  in  his  po- 
litical views,  having  cast  his  first  ballot  for  Jack- 
son and  continued  to  vote  that  ticket  until  his  de- 
mise. Socially,  he  was  identified  with  the  Masbnic 
order.  He  had  a  wonderful  store  of  historical  in- 
formation, which  had  been  told  him  by  his  parents 
or  had  been  learned  by  his  own  researches  in  this 
Western  country,  and  these  facts  and  narratives 
would  make  a  large  and  interesting  volume  if  com- 
piled. 


+       ~$£ + 


JLEXANDKE  BITTERS,  of  the 
W  I  firm  of  Steidley  &  Butters,  dealers  in 
li  general  hardware,  of  Gillespie,  is  of 
English  birth  and  comes  of  a  family  who 
for  generations  have  resided  in  that  country.  He 
crossed  the  water  and  established  a  home  in   the 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


865 


United  States.  He  was  born  in  County  Durham, 
in  1826,  ami  there  grow  to  manhood.  For  a  time 
lie  worked  in  the  mines  of  that  country,  bul  in 
l$~r>,  having  determined  to  seek  his  fortune  in 
America,  lie  embarked  from  Liverpool,  and  on  the 
16th  of  September,  landed  ii:  New  York  City, 
whence  lie  made  his  way  to  Elizabethtown,  Pa.  In 
the  mines  of  that  section  lie  was  employed  until 
1856.  For  fourteen  years  lie  was  a  resident  of  Car- 
linville,  III  .  and  helped  to  sink  the  tirst  mines  at 
that  place  in  1868.  On  coining  to  Gillespie  he 
helped  to  sink  the  coal  shafts  at  this  place  and  vaa 
boss  of  the  mine  for  some  time.  He  was  concerned 
directly  in  the  sinking  of  the  Dorsey  shaft,  and  is 
one  of  the  prominent  miners  of  the  State.  It  lias 
been  his  business  during  the  greater  part  of  his  life, 
and  he  received  many  communications  from  differ- 
ent State  and  Government  geologists  and  profes- 
sors of  that  science  for  his  knowledge  of  geology, 
especially  of  the  coal  petiod,  far  surpasses  that  of 
many  who  have  made  of  geology  a  special  study. 
He  gathered  one  of  the  finest  collections  of  fossil 
Gsh  in  the  United  States  and  has  recently  sold  the 
same  to  the  State  of  Illinois  for  £1,000.  It  is  now 
exhibited  in  the  museum  at  Springfield.  Mr.  Bat- 
ters has  also  acquainted  himself  with  the  mines  in 
the  Southern  part  of  1 1  lion  is.  This  State  fur- 
nishes a  splendid  field  for  research,  and  perhaps  no 
one  is  better  informed  concerning  the  mining  inter- 
ests than  he.  Two  years  were  also  spent  by  him 
in  the  mines  of  Missouri. 

While  residing  in  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Butters  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  Craig,  who  was 
born  and  reared  in  Cumberland  County,  England. 
She  crossed  the  broad  Atlantic  in  1853,  and  im- 
mediately afterward  was  married,  having  plighted 
her  troth  to  Mr.  Butters  ere  he  left  his  native  land. 
She  was  born  at  Garigal  Gate,  England,  on  the 
13th  of  September,  182-j,  and  was  a  lady  of  many 
excellencies  of  character.  She  was  called  to  her 
final  rest  on  the  6th  of  February,  1891,  while  re- 
Biding  in  Gillespie,  being  then  sixty-five  years  of 
age.  Man}-  friends  shared  with  her  husband  in  his 
great  loss.  Four  children  were  bom  unto  them — 
Mary  A.,  Sarah  A.,  John  A.,  and  Sarah  A.,  but  all 
died  before  the  mother. 

Mr.    Butters  is  one  of  the   leading    citizens  of 


Gillespie,  prominent  in  all  public  affairs  and  found 
in  Hie  front  rank  of  every  enterprise  calculated  to 
benefit  the  community,     lie  is  a  sound  Republican 

in  political  sentiment,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Labor  Statistics  of  Illinois.  He  has 
been  engaged  in  Ins  present  business  since  April. 
1890,  when  he  bought  out  the  interest  of  William 
Dickey,  one  of  the  original  owners  of  the  store, 
and  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Steidley  & 
Butlers,  dealers  in  general  hardware.  They  have 
a  full  and  complete  stock  and  are  doing  a  good 
business,  such  as  is  deserved  by  gentlemen  of  their 
worth  and  standing. 

m.  : ag^jUgr,       :    ,: 

AMES  ().  PATTERSON.  Among  the  pros- 
perous fanners  and  public-spirited  residents 
of  Bird  Township,  we  are  pleased  to  mention 
{^J  the  gentleman  whose  name  stands  at  the  head 
of  this  brief  sketch.  His  worthy  parents,  Abraham 
and  Melinda  (Kirkland)  Patterson,  were  early  set- 
tlers in  Jersey  County.  III.,  where  they  remained 
until  the  father  was  called  away  by  death.  The 
mother  afterward  removed  to  Greene  County,  this 
Mate  where  she  died.  They  had  seven  children. 
of  whom  our  subject  was  the  sixth.  His  birth  took 
place,  January  25,  1840,  in  Jersey  County,  111. 
He  was  early  bereaved  of  his  father,  and  when  ten 
years  old  left  his  home  and  came  to  Macoupin 
County.  Since  that  time  he  has  made  his  residence 
here,  and  has  been  one  of  the  reliable  and  respected 
Citizens  of  the  county.  When  he  was  a  youno- 
man  he  atone  time  engaged  in  the  threshing  bus- 
iness, and  from  the  time  he  was  fourteen  vears 
old  until  he  was  twenty-two,  he  worked  in  a  saw- 
mill Aside  from  this  he  has  followed  agricultural 
pursuits. 

In  18()l  Mr.  Patterson  bought  the  line  farm 
where  he  now  lives.  This  consists  of  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  broad  and  productive  acres.  Upon 
this  farm  he  has  erected  as  line  a  set  of  farm  build- 
ings, as  may  be  found  in  a  ride  of  many  miles. 
The  residence  i^  commodious  and  attractive,  and 
the  bams  well  adapted  to  farm  work,  lie  is  a  man 
Of  enterprise  and   forethought   and  always   strives 


- 


PORTRAIT  AM)  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


to  keep  his  properly  ia  such  a  condition  as  will  in- 
crease its  value  and  promote  not  only  his  own 
prosperity  but  the  comfort  of  his  stock. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject.  November  14.  1861, 
was  an  event  which  opened  the  way  to  a  life  of 
sreat  domestic  happiness.  His  bride,  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Doty,  is  a  lady  whose  beautiful  Christian 
character  and  sound  judgment,  make  her  not  only 
highly  respected  but  much  beloved  by  all  in  the 
community.  She  was  born  in  this  county  in  Marcb, 
1839. 

The  eight  children  who  have  blessed  this  happy 
union  are  as  follows:  Lionn  E.,  Charles  M.,  who 
has  married  a  Miss  Stewart;  Robert  15.:  William 
E.;John  V..  who  died  when  about  eighteen  years 
old:  Minnie  M..  Marion  Elbert  and  James  M.  Mr. 
Patterson  is  deeply  interested  in  all  matters  of 
public  interest,  especially  in  educational  affairs, 
and  he  always  gladly  promotes  movements  for 
the  betterment  of  his  fellow-citizens,  especially 
in  the  line  of  education  of  the  young.  He  has 
held  the  office  of  School  Director  for  several 
years.  His  political  views  are  expressed  in  the 
platform  of  the  Democratic  party  and  he  i<  eai 
and  hearty  in  his  advocacy  of  these.  Ilis  good  wife 
is  a  worthy  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  this  family  is  respected  and  admired 
by   their  neighbors. 

HARLES  M.  EDWARDS.   Among  u.. 

prominent  and  progressive  tanners  in  Scott- 
ville,  we  are  pleased  to  mention  this  gentle- 
man who  has  cultivated  the  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  which  he  entered  many  years 
ago  and  who  has  made  of  it  a  garden  spot  in  the 
county.  He  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  in 
Scottville  Township,  June  28,  1844.  Peter  Ed- 
wards, his  father,  has  been  a  prominert  farmer  in 
Morgan  and  Macoupin  Counties  and  was  a  Virgin- 
ian by  birth.  He  went  from  that  Sate  with  his 
parents  and  resided  in  Kentucky  until  1825,  when 
be  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Morgan  County, 
becoming  one  of  its  pioneers  there. 

When  ibis  family  came  hither   the   greater   part 


of  Illinois  was  still  in  the  hands  of  the  Govern- 
ment, being  a  true  frontier  region  and  the  settle- 
ment for  many  years  was  very  slow,  while  deer. 
turkeys  and  oilier  kinds  of  game  abounded.  The 
Edwards  bought  property  in  Morgan  County  and 
resided  there  until  is;?'.)  when  they  came  to  Ma- 
coupin County  and  entered  eighty  acres  of  land  in 
Scottville  Township,  and  there  resided  until  the 
death    of    the    father    on   the  17lh    of   May.    1847. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Frances  Peinberton  and  her  birth  was  in  Wayne 
County,  Ky.,  November  12.  1807.  Her  father, 
George  Pemberton  was  born  in  Virginia  of  Eng- 
lish parentage,  his  father  having  come  to  this  coun- 
try during  the  Colonial   times. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  reared  in 
Virginia  and  after  his  marriage  there  went  to  what 
is  now  West  Virginia  and  from  there  to  Kentucky 
about  the  year  I  sim>,  thus  becoming  one  of  the  pi- 
oneers of  that  State,  lie  selted  in  Wayne  County, 
and  bought  a  trad  of  timber  land  and  with  his 
ax  hewed  oul  a  Splendid  farm  about  eighteen  miles 
from  Monticello.  He  resided  there  till  his  death 
in  1832  and  his  good  wife,  .lane  Miller,  daughter 
of  Frederick  Miller  of  Virginia  came  to  Illinois 
in  1834  and  there  resided  for  about  a  year  when 
she  died  in   1  835. 

Tiie  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  and  reared 
in  Wayne  County.  Ky..  and  there  had  her  early 
training,  learning  as  did  the  pioneer  girls  of  that 
day  to  card,  spin  and  weave  and  in  her  early  mar- 
ried life  she  usi  d  to  manufacture  all  the  clothing 
used  in  her  family.  In  1833  she  made  her  first 
visit  to  Illinois,  traveling  on  horseback  and  being 
fourteen  days  on  the  road.  In  1836  she  returned 
to  Kentucky  and  after  a  few  months"  visit  there 
agaiu  made  her  home  in  Illinois.  Although  she  is 
now  quite  advanced  in  age  her  mind  is  clear  and 
her  disposition  is  most  cheerful  and  delightful. 
She  now  makes  her  home  with  her  son.  Three  of 
the  six  children  of  these  parents  are  now  living 
and  of  the  nine  children  of  the  father  by  his  pre- 
vious marriage  all  have  passed  away. 

He  of  whom  we  write  had  his  training  and  edu- 
cation in  his  native  township  and  his  home  through- 
out life  has  been  upon  the  old  homestead.  His  mar- 
riage in  1868  brought  to  his  home  a  worthy  bride 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  the  person  Of  Mercy  A.  Hill    who    was    |„,rn    at 
Connersville,  Ind..  an.)  is  a  daughtei  :  ,min 

Bad  Elizabeth   Bill.      Five  children    have  1.1  -• 
the  home  of  oar   subject:  Frances,  Lizzii 

W.,  Mary  Ella.  Charles  If.   The  eldest  is  now  mar- 
ried to  Mr.  John  T.Owens.     In  the  early  da 

t::e  township.  Mr.  Edwards  was  active  in  it<  • 
i/.ation  and  government  and  was  its    first    .\--     • 
He  i-  ;.  Democrat  in  his  political  views  and    « 
with  that  party. 


DAM  DEAHL.    Of  German- American  par- 

^_J  entnge  our  subjec'  has  inherited  from  tiie 
one  side  prudence,  thrift,  and  intellectual 
vigor,  with  a  tendency  to  analyze  and  care 
for  detail;  from  the  maternal  side  he  gets  the  inher- 
itance of  nerve,  quickness  of  perception  and  prompt 
decision.  His  father  was  Andrew  Deal)!,  a  native 
of  Germany.  His  mother  was  Matilda(Shultz)I)eahl. 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  The  parents  resided 
prior  to  their  coming  to  this  Male,  in  Maryland 
and  removed  hither    in    the     year     I"  ming 

directly  to  Macoupin  County,  ami  settling 
tion  23. of  Shipman  Township,    whereon  their    - 
a?  present  resides. 

Mr.  Deahl's  parents  removed  to  Nebraska  in 
1879,  and  died  in  Lancaster  County  of  that  Stale. 
They  had  a  large  family  of  whom  our  subject  was 
the  second.  He  was  born  in  Allegany  County. 
Md..  March  1^.  1*4".  and  his  marriage  took  place 
in  the  same  county.  Ma\  19,  1861.  There  they 
lived  until  the  fall  of  1865  when  with  his  family 
and  accompanied  by  his  father's  family  he  came 
to  Macoupin  County. 

For  the  first  ten  years  after  their  settlement  here 
our  subject  was  engaged  in  carpenter  work  in  Ship- 
man  Township,  which  trade  he  had  learned  in  his 
native  State.  On  the  parents'  removal  to  Nebraska 
he  traded  with  his  father  for  the  farm  where  he 
now  lives.  It  now  comprises  three  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  and  he  has  erected  thereon  a  tine  resi- 
dence, containing  all  the  comforts  and  couvenie 

that  modern  life  considers  so  n ssary.      Bes 

this  he  has  also  put  up  other  good   buildings.     His 


barns  a-e  con  |uate    for    the    de- 

mands upon  them.      Mrs.     Delhi's     maiden     name 
w;i<  Elisabeth  S  -        .  ghtet  ^f  John 

ami  Catherine      I'  -       m.     The    former    was 

born  in  Germany,  the  latter  in  Pennsylvania.    ' 
Delhi's  father  was  but  -  -  ..Id  when  lie  came 

rents.  In  the  fall  of  1866 
they  came  to  Macoupin  County,  and  lived  one 
winter  in  Shipman.  thence  reraovins  to  Montgom- 
ery County  where  he  lives  a  retired  life.  He  has 
been  a  farmer  pation  having  been  success- 

ful in  that    line.     Mrs     Deabl    was    one   of 

n  children,  she  being  the  eldest  of  the  familv. 
she  was  born  in  what  was  at  th?t  time  Allegany 
Counly.  now  Garrett  County.  Md.  April  ■>■'>.  I  - 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  and  his  capable  wife 
are  the  parents  of  ten  children,  six  of  whom  are 
still  living.  They  are:  Matilda  C  Susan  K.. 
Henry  C,  Mary  F..  Royal  A.,  and  Virginia.  The 
ised  children  were  taken  away  in  infancy. 
Matilda  is  the  wife  of  Lafayette  Clardy.  Mar>-  F. 
is  the  wife  of  W.  C  lower. 

In  politic-  Mi .  Deabl  is  a  Democrat.  He  an  I 
his  wife  .'.re  members  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church,  in  which  they  take  their  place  not  only  as 
Stanl  and  consistent  atlendanis  but  as  generous 
supporters  and  energetic  helpers  in  every  mea- 
either  philanthropic  or  religious  that  may  be  there 
broached. 

+i-;. 

FNUV    C.    KAB1.F.      The  highly  cultivated 
farm  of   four  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  lo- 
cated in  North  Otter    Township,  on  section 
12,  is  owned  by  Henry  C.  Kxbie.     It  seems 
a  pity  that  so  prep--   --     _  a  man  with  so  fine  and 

sive  worldly        md  one   who     -   - 

fitted    I.,    make   a    happy    home    for   some    sweet 

woman, should  spend  his  days  in  single  Li   - 

but  such  is  the  case,  and  although  the  fact  is  to  be 

deplored,  the  domestic  arrangement  of  the  h<    - 

hold  does  not  seem  to  suffer  for  want  of  wumanlv 

care. 

The"  parents  of  our  subject  were  .lames  and  Su- 
san (Garver)  Kable.  of  whom  a  sketch  will  be 
found  under  the  name  <>f  James  Kable  on  another 


868 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


page  of  this  Record.  Our  subject  was  the  fifth 
child  of  his  father.  He  was  born  in  Miami 
County,  Ohio,  November  8,  1849,  and  there  he 
lived  until  1864,  when  he  came  to  Macoupin 
Count\  with  his  father's  family.  Since  that  lime 
he  has  been  a  resident  of  North  Oiler  Township. 
and  always  engaged  in  agricultural   pursuits. 

Until  the  spring  of  L883  Mr.  Kable  remained 
at  home  with  his  parents.  At  that  time  he  pur- 
chased the  farm  where  he  now  lives.  He  settled 
on  the  same  the  following  year,  and  has  since  been 
occupied  in  i i s  cultivation  and  in  keeping  up  the 
buildings  u.  on  the  place,  lie  gives  his  attention 
wholly  to  farming,  his  favorite  pursuit  being 
the  raising  of  fine  stock,  of  which  he  has  a  large 
number. 

In  polities  Mr.  Kable  is  a  Republican,  and  al- 
though his  fellow-farmers  are  not  generally  in 
favor  of  the  protective  tariff,  that  appealing  more 
to  the  manufacturing  class  than  to  the  agricultur- 
ists, he  of  whom  we  write  feels  that  in  protecting 
the  manufacturer  the  farmers  are  making  their  own 
market. 


■ 


•  IELIAM  1.  GATES.  We  are  gratified  to 
*  be  able  to  place  before  our  readers  the 
'■J^p  name  of  one  who  has  not  only  served  the 
community  well  as  a  business  man,  but  has  also  in 
his  private  life  been  consistently  worthy  of  the  ie 
gard  in  which  he  is  held  by  his  neighbors.  He 
now  has  charge  of  the  business  of  the  Adams  Ex- 
press Company  at  Staunton,  having  had  the  inter- 
ests of  that  company  under  his  personal  control 
ever  since  the  agency  was  here  established.  He 
was  formerly  in  the  grocery  business,  keeping 
both  a  staple  and  fancy  stock.  He  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  the  city  and  vicinity  all  his  life,  and  was 
here  reared  and  educated.  Since  he  reached  the 
age  of  sixteen  he  has  been  in  some  kind  of  busi- 
ness. 

Our  subject  was  born  near  Staunton,  April  2, 1  867, 
and  is  the  son  of  Joseph  C.  and  Sarah  (Bruce) 
<  i  :itos,  natives  of  Ohio,  who  came  to  Illinois  nef ore 
their  marriage  and  settled  in  this  vicinity  on  a 
farm.     Later  they  removed  into  the  city,  and  here 


the  mother  died  in  1887  at  the  early  age  of 
thirty-eight  years.  The  father,  who  still  survives, 
now  resides  here  and  has  reached  the  age  of  fifty  - 
eight. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  at  Edwardsville, 
this  State,  gave  him  a  faithful  and  devoted  wife  in 
the  person  of  Miss  Jennie  llalliday,  who  was  born 
near  Chesterfield,  March  4,  1870.  She  was  early 
orphaned,  as  her  mother  w«is  called  from  earth 
when  this  daughter  was  only  a  few  months  old  and 
the  father  passed  away  before  she  had  reached  the 
age  of  three  years,  but  she  was  carefully  reared  by 
her  paternal  grandmother,  who  is  now  deceased, 
and  on  the  death  of  that  faithful  and  devoted  grand- 
parent, this  lady  fell  heir  to  a  comfortable  fortune. 
She  had  received  a  thorough  and  excellent  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Madison  County,  and 
has  more  than  ordinary  intelligence  and  ability  as 
well  as  refinement. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gates  are  both  members  af  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  Mr.  Gates  be- 
longs to  Lodge  No.  685,  I.  O.  O.  E.,  at  Staun- 
ton, and  has  been  prominently  identified  with  all 
public  movements  in  the  city.  He  is  a  sound  Re- 
publican, as  is  also  his  father,  who  was  a  devoted 
adherent  to  the  Union  cause  during  the  war,  and 
fought  for  three  years  during  that  conflict,  suffer- 
ing much  from  the  exposures  and  privations  of 
army  life.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gates  are  the  happy  and 
proud  parents  of  one  son,  David  Ira,  for  whose  fu- 
ture they  arc  solicitous,  and  upon  whose  training 
they  are  willing  to  bestow  unlimited  care  and  ex- 
pense. 


OBERT  HORTON.  During  the  years  since 
Illinois  has  become  a  richly  cultivated  and 
thickly  populated  State  and  especially 
^®>  since  her  surface  has  been  covered  by  a 
net- work  of  leading  railroads,  a  great  business  has 
grown  up  in  the  line  of  shipments  of  stock  and  he 
of  whom  we  write  has  engaged  extensively  in  this 
line  of  business,  and  has  thereby  accumulated  a 
handsome  property.  His  father,  Oswell  Horton, 
was  the  son  of  Augustine,  who  was  born  and  reared 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


in  Fauquier  County,  Ya.  With  his  wife,  Mary 
Taylor,  lie  emigrated  to  Kentucky  and  settled  in 
Green  County,  where  lie  died  and  she  somewhat 
later  came  to  Macoupin  County,  where  she  lived 
until  called  from  her  earthly  labors  about  I860. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Fauquier 
County,  Ya.,  May  26,  1807,  and  was  about  two 
years  old  when  bis  father  removed  to  Kentucky 
where  this  boy  grew  to  manhood  and  when  he  was 
about  twenty-one  years  old  came  to  Illinois,  where 
he  found  employment  in  Morgan  County  foi 
eral  years  as  agent  for  a  stage  company,  although 
lie  resided  most  of  the  time  at  Springfield.  Later 
lie  took  charge  of  the  Springfield  and  Peoria  and 
Springfield  and  Terre  Haute  stage  lines,  his  duties 
being  those  of  a  general  superintendent.  On  ac- 
count of  failing  health  he  decided  to  devote  him- 
self to  a  farming  occupation  and  in  1  S  12  he  bought 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  North 
Palmyra  Township,  where  he  continued  to  live 
until  his  death,  which  occurred    in   that  Township. 

Matilda  Norvell  was  the  maiden  name  of  her 
who  became  the  wife  of  Oswell  Horlon  in  North 
Palrnyra.Township,  February  22,  1835.  She  was 
born  in  Sumner  County,  Tenn.,  her  father  being 
William  Norvell  and  her  mother  Mary  Payne,  both 
of  whom  were  Tenncsseans  by  birth  and  came  from 
Sumner  County,  that  State,  to  Macoupin  County 
where  they  settled  in  North  Palmyra  Township, 
and  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  ((swell 
and  Matilda  Horton  became  the  parents  of  four 
children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  ant  the 
only  surviving  members  of  their  household  are 
Robert  and  Mary. 

Our  subject  was  the  eldest  of  the  family  and  un- 
born in  Jacksonville.  III.,  December  26,  1836.  lie 
passed  the  first  six  years  of  his  life  outside  of  Ma- 
coupin County  and  then  came  hither  with  his  par- 
ents and  hr.s  since  made  his  residence'  on  his  father's 
old  homestead  where  he  now  resides.  Most  of  his 
education  has  been  gained  in  the  common  schools 
here.  His  marriage  with  Miss  Rebecca  J.  Rice 
took  place  in  North  Palmyra  Township,  March  22. 
1860.  This  lady  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Jasper 
Rice  who  was  born  in  Green  County.  Ky..  May 
13,  1812,  while  her  mother.  Mary  .lone-,  was  born 
in  Cumberland  County.  Ky..  March  19,  lslti.    This 


couple  wire  married  in  North  Palmyra  Township 
on  the  1611)  day  of  May.  1833,  and  made  their 
home  permanently  here.     Mis.  Horlon  was  born  in 

this  township.  May  6,   1843. 

I  ntil  1865  Mr.  Horton  engaged  in  farming  in 
partnership  with  his  father  and  became  one  of  the 
most  energetic  and  successful  fanners  and  traders 
in  this  county,  devoting  hiuiseli  largely  to  buying 
and  selling  stock.  The  old  home  farm  is  supplied 
with  the  very  best  of  farm  buildings  and  the  home 
is  lined  with  even  convenience  and  luxury.     Our 

Subject  and  hi.-  g 1  wife  are  the  happy    parents  of 

four  children:  Kdward  L.,  William  II..  John  I... 
and  Luther  ().  William  II.  is  now  married  to  Miss 
Llizabeth  Rohrer.  Mr.  Horton  makes  Chicago  his 
market  almost  exclusively  foi  his  large  shipments 
of  stock,  which  he  is  able  to  care  for  well  upon  his 
splendid  farm  of  nine  hundred  acres.  He  has  tilled 
the  office  of  Highway  Commissioner,  and  also  that 
hool  Trustee,  and  in  his  political  views  he  is 
in  sympathy  with  the  Democratic  parly.  Mrs. 
Horton  is  a  devout  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  ami  an  active  worker  in  its  charities. 
Our  subject  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  also  of  the  Orange.  No.  1629,  ami  also 
of  the  Macoupin  County  Grange  and  in  the  fall  of 
1890,  he  was  chosen  a  delegate  to  tile  stateGrange 
which  met  at  Springfield. 


BRAHAM  CRAMP.  There  is  nothing 
mine  truly  charming  lo  one  who  appreci- 
ates the  genuine  harmony  of  life,  than  the 
beauties  of  old  age  when  life  has  been 
spent  in  the  diS(  (large  of  duty  and  'he  practice  of 
the  CbriBlian  religion;  ami  such  a  life  we  have  be- 
fore us  in  the  subject  of  this  sketch  who  has  now- 
retired  from  farming  and  is  living  upon  his  home 
on  section  21.  Hilyard  Township,  where  he  has  re- 
sided foi  many  years.  When  he  took  this  farm  of 
one  hundred  acres  in  1S1  I.  it  was  all  wild  land  and 
he  has  made  of  it  a  thoroughly  equipped  and  richlj 
cultivated  estate  and  has  been  a  successful  farmer. 
Besides  this  property  he  has  owned  and  improved 
a  number  of  other  farms, 


870 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mr.  Cramp  came  to  this  county  in  1838  and  since 
that  date  this  has  been  his  home.  He  had  his  birth 
January  20,  1807,  in  Kent  County.  England,  and 
came  to  this  country  in  1832  when  he  was  twenty- 
five  years  old,  making  his  first  home  in  Canada. 
lie  had  previously  been  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Pel- 
!att  who  was  horn  in  Surrey,  England.  They  had 
three  children  when  they  left  their  native  land,  but 
on  the  voyage  one  of  them  sickened  and  died,  and 
they  had  the  inexpressible  grief  of  burying  it  be- 
neath the  waves.  After  living  for  some  time  in 
•  Quebec  they  removed  to  Prescott.  N.  Y..  and  sev- 
eral years  later  carne  to  Illinois,  where  they  have 
led  uneventful  but  most  worthy  lives. 

In-this  township  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cramp  labored 
together  with  success,  and  sixty-three  years  of  mar- 
ried life  had  passed  over  their  heads  before  the 
death  of  the  beloved  wife  and  mother  which  look 
place  May  9,  1888.  She  had  reached  the  age  of 
eighty-two  years.  The  memory  of  her  noble,  kindly- 
anil  truly  lovable  character  is  a  precious  memorial 
which  her  children  and  friends  would  aol  barter 
for  the  proudest  lineage  of  European  nobility. 
She  was  one  of  the  first  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Chinch  when  it  was  formed  in  this 
county^  being  one  of  a  class  of  six  who  initialed 
that  movement,  and  her  husband  is  the  only  one  of 
the  charter  members  now  living.  Mr.  Cramp  is  one 
of  the  venerable  men  of  his  township  who  are  truly 
beloved  by  all  who  come  within  the  scope  of  his 
influence  because  his  character  is  unclouded  by 
stain  and  his  kindly  heart  has  made  him  the  friend 
of  every  man,  woman  and  child. 

Our  subject  came  to  this  country  a  poor  man 
without  a  dollar,  and  he  is  now  in  possession  of 
three  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  the  richest  section 
of  Illinois,  besides  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
which  he  has  disposed  of  to  his  children.  Six  of 
his  ten  children  are  now  living.  Charles,  who  is 
now  a  retired  farmer  and  stock- raiser,  living  in 
Blooraington,  III.,  married  Henrietta  Hopkins. 
William  took  to  wife  Miss  Cora  Rawson,  and  now 
lives  on  a  farm  in  Montgomery  County,  this  State. 
Sarah  M.,  who  has  ever  remained  at  home  and  lias 
acted  a  daughter's  part  most  faithfully  in  the  ten- 
der care  of  her  aged  parents,  still  lives  with  her 
father.      Ruth  R.,  the  widow  of   Thomas    CYse,    is 


now  in  the  asylum  at  Jacksonville,  having  for  some 
years  past  lost  her  mind.  Samuel  took  to  wife 
Miss  Susannah  Heed  and  is  a  prominent  minister 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  East  St. 
Louis.  Ezra,  who  now  resides  at  Raymond,  Mont- 
gomery County.  111.,  married  Miss  Olive  Calloway. 
Not  only  the  parents  but  all  the  members  of  this 
family  are  earnest  and  devoted  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

•-^OLOMOX  N.  SANFORD,  of  Bunker  Hill, 

has  been  a  resident  of  this  county  since 
1857,  and  claims  the  honor  of  being  a  na- 
tive-born citizen  of  Illinois.  He  was  born 
in  Mcnar<l  County,  near  Petersburg, September  14, 
1846,  and  when  six  years  of  age  accompanied  his 
parents  to  St.  Paul,  Minn.  His  father.  Ira  Sanford, 
was  born  in  Vermont  in  1800,  and  belongs  to  one 
of  the  old  New  England  families.  When  he  was 
young,  he  went  to  New  York  and  was  there  mar- 
ried, emigrating  with  his  wife  in  1834  to  Illinois, 
locating  in  Springfield  where  he  embarked  in  the 
mercantile  business.  While  there  he  took  a  con- 
tract on  the  Jacksonville  it  Springfield  Railroad, 
which  was  the  first  road  built  in  the  Slate,  but  the 
company  failed  and  his  fortune  was  somewhat  im- 
paired thereby.  His  wife  died  during  his  residence 
in  Springfield  in  1839,  and  in  Sangamon  County 
he  married  Miss  Emcline  Mattoon.a  native  of  Am- 
herst, Mass.,  where  her  parents  and  grandparents 
had  both  resided.  Her  grandfather,  Gen.  Mat  toon, 
was  a  Revolutionary  soldier  a;.d  a  prominent  citi- 
zen of  the  Ray  State.  His  portrait,  painted  by 
Trumbull,  now  adorns  the  walls  of  one  of  the  lead- 
ing historical  halls  of  Boston.  Mrs.  Sanford's 
father,  Ebenezer  Mattoon,  was  born  and  reared  in 
Amherst  and  became  a  leading  farmer  of  that  part 
of  Massachusetts.  He  married  Lucena  Mayo,  and 
with  their  family  in  1846,  they  came  West  to  Illi- 
nois, settling  near  Bunker  Hill,  where  the  parents 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Mr.  Mattoon 
died  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-eight  years  on 
the  old  farm  and  his  wife,  who  survived  him  some 
years,  died  in  Bunker  Hill,  in  1883,  at  the  very  ad- 


PORTRAIT  AM)  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


vanced  age  of  ninety-two.     They  were  members  of 
the  Congregational  Cburch,  and  were  well  known 

in  lids  county  as  among  its  best  citizens.     In  their 
family  were  twelve  children, ten  of  whom  lived  to  an 
advanced  age.  while  four  yet  survive,  the  eld 
resident  o(  St.  Louis,  being  eighty-six  years  old. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ira  Sanford,  as  before  stated,  re- 
moved to  St.  Paul,  where  the  death  of  the  husband 
occurred  in  1857,  after  which  Mrs.  Sanford  re- 
turned to  Bunker  Hill.  She  long  survived  her 
husband,  dying  at  this  place  in  September.  1886, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-four,  her  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  1812.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church,  and  a  woman  whose  many  excel- 
lencies of  character  endeared  her  to  all.  Mr.  San- 
ford was  a  Presbyterian  in  religious  faith,  and  in 
politics  was  a  Whig  and  Republican. 

Our  subject  returned  with  his  mother  to  Illinois. 
where  his  early  education  was  acquired  and  he 
then  attended  the  YVihiston  Academy,  of  Willis- 
ton,  Vt.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  began 
life  for  himself  and  has  since  been  dependent  upon 
his  own  resources.  He  was  married  in  Bunker 
Hill,  to  Miss  Isa  Shepherd,  a  native  of  that  city. 
born  September  21,  1S52.  and  a  daughter  of  Isaac 
and  Hannah  Shepherd.  Her  parents  were  natives 
of  Cumberland  County.  X.  J.,  where  iheir  child- 
hood days  were  passed,  and  after  their  mairiage 
they  came  to  Bunker  Hill.  Mr.  Shepherd  had 
previously  been  ruairied  and  resided  in  that  town 
as  one  of  its  early  settlers.  His  death  occurred  in 
the  prime  of  life.  His  widow  yet  survives  him 
and  now  makes  her  home  with  our  subject,  at  the 
age  of  seventy  four  years.  She  is  a  consistent 
meniher  of  the  Congregational  Church,  to  which 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sanford  also  belong,  the  former  be- 
ing Treasurer  of  the  church,  while  both  are  active 
workers  for  its  interests.  The  family  numbers  the 
following  children :  Edward.  Anna  1!..  Mary  F., 
William  S.  and  Herbert  B. 

In  1806.  Mr.  Sanford  established  business  in 
Bunker  Hid  as  a  grocer  and  from  the  beginning 
has  had  a  constantly  increasing  trade.  He  first 
carried  on  operations  under  the  firm  name  of  S. 
N.  Sanford  ii  Co.,  and  after  three  years  changed 
the  name  to  Sanford  &  True,  which  company  ex- 
isted for  about  eight  years,    when  Mr.  Sanford  be- 


-;i 


came  sole  proprietor,  having  entire  charge  of  the 
-tore  until  December.  1889,  when  he  sold  out  to 
.1.  II.  Simmons,  who  is  now  in  charge.  With  many 
of  the  leading  industries  and  enterprises  of  Bunker 
Hill,  our  subject  has  I □  and  is  prominently  con- 
nected. He  is  one  of  the  Directors  of  the  Build- 
ing and  Loan  Association,  which  was  organized  in 
1887,  i>  a  stockholder  and  Director  of  the  Bunker 
Hill  Nail  Company,  which  was  established  in  Jan- 
uary. 1890,  and  is  also  Manager  and  Treasurer  of 
die  Boss  Coulter  Company,  which  was  formed  in 
For  fifteen  years  he  has  been  Director  of 
the  Library  Association  and  for  the  same  length 
of  time  has  served  on  the  School  Board  as  Clerk. 
The  cause  of  education  has  tound  in  him  a  warm 
friend,  and  he  has  done  not  a  little  toward  pro- 
moting the  high  standard  of  Bunker  Hill's  schools. 
A  public-spirited  and  progressive  man,  he  is  num- 
bered among  the  valued  citizens  of  the  community 
and  has  ever  manifested  a  commendable  interest 
in  all  that  pertains  to  the  upbuilding  and  welfare 
of  town  and  county.  As  a  business  man  he  is  in- 
dustrious and  enterprising  and  in  consequence  suc- 
cessful. While  in  the  grocery  trade  his  fair  deal- 
ing and  courteous  treatment  won  him  hosts  of 
friends,  and  whoever  he  meets  either  in  business  or 
social  circles,  accord  him  their  high  esteem  and 
good  will. 

K§S* 


RED  L.  BLO.ME.  This  gentleman  is  the 
editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Staunton 
Times,  which  he  has  had  charge  of  since 
September.  1885,  and  has  made  it  a  newsy,  eight 
column  weekly  folio.  It  is  a  spicy  little  paper  edited 
with  considerable  ability,  and  issued  every  Friday. 
He  is  a  practical  printer  and  his  olliee,  in  its  com- 
pleteness for  getting  out  a  paper  and  doing  job 
work,  is  as  good  as  is  to  be  found  in  the  county. 
It  has  been  the  ambition  of  Mr.  Blome  to  improve 
his  paper  from  year  to  year,  and  he  now  contem- 
plates an  increase  in  size  to  a  six  column  quarto, 
which  will  be  as  large  a  paper  as  is  issued  in  Ma- 
coupin County.  It  has  a  good  local  circulation 
which  is  steadily  increasing.  Mr.  Blome  is  a 
practical  man  and  is  working    hard  for  the  good  of 


872 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


the  town  where  he  now  resides,  and  lends  his  aid 
willingly  to  every  enterprise  calculated  to  better 
the  place  and  its   people. 

Prior  to  coming  hither,  Mr.  Blome  had  been  en- 
gaged in  the  publishing  business  in  Warrenton, 
Mo.,  where  he  caricd  on  the  Warrenton  Banner, 
and  where  his  first  newspaper  work  was  done.  After 
serving  his  apprenticeship  there  he  went  Bonanza, 
Colo.,  where  he  took  the  position  of  foreman  on 
the  Daily  Enterprise  until  the  summer  of  1882, 
when  he  went  to  Villa  Grove,  in  the  same  State, 
and  was  there  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Di*- 
patch.  Later  he  returned  to  Mongomery  County, 
Mo.,  ai:d  two  years  after  this  went  to  his  old  home, 
Warrenton.  and  thence,  in  1885.  came  to  Staunton. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Lincoln 
County.  Mo.,  June  5,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of  Lyman 
and  Dorothy  Blome,  who  were  of  German  birth 
and  came  from  the  Fatherland  to  the  United 
States  immediately  after  their  marriage.  Their 
migration  to  this  country  was  in  the  last  half  of 
the  '40s.  and  their  first  settlement  was  made  in  the 
city  of  Chicago,  and  then  for  awhile  in  Washing- 
ton, Mo.  The  father  had  learned  the  boot  and 
shoe  business  in  Germany  and  he  follower!  that 
after  coming  to  this  country.  They  finally  located 
at  Truxton,  Lincoln  County.  Mo.,  and  there  our 
subject  was  bom.  Eight  years  later  the  father 
died  at  the  age  of  forty-seven.  His  widow  is  still 
living  and  makes  her  home  with  the  daughter, 
Mrs.  Mary  Miller,  at  Marys ville,  Cal.  She  is  now 
upwards  of  three-score  years  and  ten  and  in  her 
old  age  is  resting  from  her  labors.  She  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Church  as  was  her  husband  in 
his  lifetime. 

Our  subject  is  the  youngest  of  four  children 
born  to  his  parents  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy, 
and  he  anil  his  sister  Mary  are  all  that  now  remain 
of  that  once  happy  household.  Mr.  Blome  was 
married  in  Staunton  to  Miss  Ella  Jageman  who 
was  born  in  Madison  County  and  had  her  training 
and  education  in  Staunton.  She  comes  from  an  ex- 
cellent family,  being  the  daughter  of  Charles  \V. 
and  Kate  Jageman  who  were  formerly  well-known 
throughout  this  part  of  the  State  and  are  now  liv- 
ing in  Arizona.  She  is  a  woman  of  more  than  or- 
dinary ability    and    brightness    and    is    an  earnest 


worker  in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  The  political 
views  of  Mr.  Blome  cause  him  to  affiliate  person- 
ally with  the  Democratic  party  but  his  paper  is  in- 
dependent in  both  politics  and  religion. 


— .$_ 


)  AMES  S.  THOMPSON.  Among  the  reputa- 
ble  men  who  in  the  conduct  of  business 
matters  and  the  duties  belonging  to  the 
various  relations  of  life  have  acquired  a 
worthy  name,  mention  should  lie  made  of  Mr. 
Thompson  who  is  now  the  Superintendent  of  the 
Macoupin  County  Alms  House,  which  is  located 
on  section  Hi,  Carlinville  Township.  He  was  born 
in  Wayne  County,  III.,  September  5,  1838  and 
there  spent  his  boyhood  days  until  1851  when  he 
started  out  in  life  for  himself,  coming  to  Scotts- 
ville  Ihis  county  where  for  one  year  he  lived  with 
his  brother.  L.  J.  Thompson. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  with  Miss  Rhoda  J. 
Conlee  took  place  in  Palmyra  Township,  this 
county,  March  31,  1858.  This  lady  was  born  in 
the  township  where  she  was  married  on  December 
22,  1837,  ami  there  she  grew  to  womanhood,  re- 
ceiving educational  and  domestic  training.  The 
first  wedded  home  of  this  .young  couple  was  in 
South  Otter  Township,  where  they  rented  land  and 
lived  for  a  year,  and  then  removed  to  South  Pal- 
myra Township,  which  continued  to  be  their  home 
until  18G5.  During  their  residence  there  Mr. 
Thompson  was  for  three  years  engaged  in  the  saw- 
mill business  and  during  the  remainder  of  the  time 
carried  on  farming. 

Our  subject  was  now  tilled  with  a  desire    to    go 
farther  West  and  see  more  of  pioneer  life,  and  sell- 
ing his  property  he  removed   to  Johnson   County, 
Neb.,  where  he  homesteaded  and  farmed  for  a  year 
only  when  he  felt  satisfied  to  return   to   Macoupin 
County    and    make  his  home   in  Girard,  where  he 
acted  as  engineer  for  something  over  a  year.     For 
ten  years  he  then  lived   in  South   Palmyra   Town- 
'    ship,  and  again  sold  his  property  and    bought   one 
I    hundred  acres  in  South  Otter  Township,  and    four 
I   years  later  disposed  of  that  and  bought  a  farm  of 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ninety-five  acres  in  South  Palmyra  Township  which 

lie  now  lias  in  the  hands  of  a  tenant. 

The  appointment  as  Superintendent  of  the  Ma- 
coupin County  Alms  House,  was  made  in  March, 
1888,  and  Mr.  Thompson  has  since  filled  that  posi- 
tion with  great  credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to 
the  people.  This  institution  is  calculated  to  ac- 
commodate about  one  hundred  inmates  and  while  it 
is  conducted  on  business  principles,  kindly  care  is 
given  to  the  unfortunate  inmates  by  both  the  Su- 
perintendent and  his  estimable  wife.  Eight  living 
children  form  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mis.  Thomp- 
son, namely  :  Alice  S.  wife  of  J.  E.  Bacon  ;  Thomas 
M.  married  Miss  Martha  Little;  Clara  1$.,  Mrs. 
John  W.  Kidd;  James  S.  .Ir. ;  George  A.:  Amelia 
.1.  wife  of  Douglas  Davidson;  Olive  M..  and  Will- 
iam R.  M.  They  have  also  laid  to  rest  three  chil- 
dren, John  M.,  Mary  M.  and  Franklin  E. 

Mr.  Thompson  has  held  the  office  of  Road  Over- 
seer of  South  Palmyra  Township,  and  also  that  of 
Highway  Commissioner  for  several  years.  For 
four  years  he  was  Road  Overseer  in  South  Otter 
Township,  and  has  ever  taken  an  active  part  in 
political  affairs,  being  an  ardent  Democrat.  Both 
he  and  his  good  wife  are  devoted  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church. 


E  MANTEL  FRIEDMAN",  sole  manager  of 
the  banking  interests  of  E.  Friedman  it 
I  Co.,  of  Staunton,  and  one  of  the  represent- 
ative business  men  of  that  place,  is  a  native-born 
citizen  of  Illinois,  and  his  entire  life  has  been 
passed  within  the  borders  of  that  State.  H's  birth 
occurred  in  Tazewell  County  on  the  22d  of  Feb- 
ruary. 1854,  and  he  is  of  German  descent.  His 
father.  Mayer  Friedman,  was  born  in  Germany 
and  when  a  young  man  crossed  the  Atlantic  to 
America,  locating  first  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where 
he  became  acquainted  with  and  wedded  Mina  Eich- 
berg,who  was  born  in  Wurtemburg,  Germany, 
and  came  to  America  during  childhood.  After 
their  marriage  they  emigrated  Westward  ami  be- 
came residents  of  Tazewell  County,  III.,  where 
Mr.    Friedman    embarked    in   merchandising  on  a 


small  scale  at  Arminulon.  In  1857  he  removed 
to  Maroa,  which  was  then  a  mere  hamlet,  and 
opened  a  general  merchandise  store,  which  he 
tallied  on  successfully  for  many  years.  From 
the  beginning  his  trade  constantly  increased  and 
he  had  to  proportionately  enlarge  his  stork,  which 
thus  kept  glowing  until  he  was  at  the  head  of  a 
large  establishment.  A-  tin-  result  of  his  indus- 
try, perseverance  and  good  management  he  ac- 
quired a  handsome  property,  and  lie  and  his  wife 
are  now  living  retired  lives,  enjoying  the  fruits 
of  his  former  toil.  He  has  reached  the  age  of  sev- 
enty years  and  his  wife  is  about  ten  years  his 
junior. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  quite  young  when 
the  family  removed  to  Maroa.  where  he  was  reared 
to  manhood  and  acquired  his  primary  education, 
which  was  supplemented  by  a  course  in  one  of 
the  excellent  private  schools  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
His  business   training   was   received   in   his  father's 

si which  he  entered  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  and 

since  that  time  has  been  ever  connected  with  mer- 
cantile interests.  For  some  years  he  was  employed 
as  a  salesman  in  Maroa  and  l'axton,  and  January  1. 
1888,  came  to  Staunton.  In  the  month  of  August, 
1886,  S.  A.  Friedman  established  a  private  bank 
as  a  membe;  of  the  tirm  of  Bichberg,  Friedman 
&  Co.,  under  which  style  business  was  carried  on 
until  September.  1887,  when  a  change  in  the  man- 
agement occurred,  the  bank  becoming  the  prop 
erty  of  S.  A.  Friedman  *  Co.  They  continued 
business  until  February,  1891,  since  which  time 
the  bank  has  been  the  property  of  !•'..  Friedman  & 
Co.  As  before  stated,  our  subject  is  sole  manager, 
and  under  his  able  administration  the  bank  has 
become  one  of  the  leading  financial  institutions  of 
the  community.  It  is  established  on  a  financial 
basis  and  represents  a  capital  of  about  $40,000. 
Business  is  carried  on  in  the  line  of  domestic 
and  foreign  exchange,  "ceciving  deposits,  and  in 
other  branches  of  general  banking  business.  It 
is  located  in  the  fine  structure  which  was  re- 
cently erected  and  is  known  as  the  Quade  Block, 
being  the  finest  business  block  in  tin'  city.  The 
bank  is  complete  in  all  its  appointments  and  is 
equipped  with  an  absolute  burglar-proof  Hall  safe, 
which  is  placed  within  a   lire-proof  vault. 


874 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


August  7,  1890,  Mr.  Friedman  was  married,  in 
Staunton,  to  Miss  Maine  Ripley,  who  was  born  in 
that  city  in  1869,  and  is  a  daughter  of  J.  R.  Rip- 
ley, a  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  The  young  couple  hold  an  enviable  posi- 
tion in  social  circles  and  are  widely  and  favorably 
known  throughout  the  community.  Mr.  Friedman 
is  a  worthy  representative  of  that  class  of  progres- 
sive and  enterprising  business  men  to  whom  the 
city  owes  her  prosperity  and  greatness.  He  is  now 
serving  as  City  and  Township  Treasurer  with 
credit  to  himself  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  con- 
cerned. Socially  he  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  be- 
longing to  the  Blue  Lodge  of  Staunton,  of  which 
he  is  Warden,  and  to  the  Chapter  at  Maroa.  He 
also  holds  membership  with  Staunton  Lodge.  No. 
685,  I.  0.  O.  F.,  in  which  he  has  filled  all  the  chairs 
and  is  now  Treasurer;  and  is  also  a  member  of 
Royal  Lodge,  No.  109,  K.  of  P..  of  Moroa. 


BRAHAM  G.  KABLF.  The  original  of 
this  sketch  is  the  owner  of  and  resident  on 
the  fine  farm  located  on  section  15,  North 
Otter  Township.  He  is  a  son  of  .lames 
and  Susan  (Garver)  Kable,  whose  histjry  will  be 
found  in  the  sketch  of  James  Kable  in  another  part 
of  this  Rkcord.  Our  subject  was  the  second  son 
and  fourth  child  born  to  his  parents,  his  natal  day 
being  December  16,  1844.  Ohio  was  his  native 
State.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  the  State  where  he 
was  born  and  just  as  the  country  was  beginning  to 
think  that  it  could  rest  after  the  turmoil  of  four 
years  of  the  most  terrible  warfare  the  world  has 
ever  known,  our  subject  came  to  Macoupin  County 
with  his  parents,  settling  here  in  March.  186.1.  He 
belonged  to  the  State  Militia  147,  Ohio  Volunteers, 
and  got  a  discharge  when  he  left  the  State. 

Mr.  Kable  continued  to  live  at  home  until  his 
marriage,  at  which  time  he  went  back  to  Ohio  for 
his  bride.  He  was  married  in  Troy,  Ohio,  Febru- 
ary 8,  1866,  the  lady's  maiden  name  being  Mattie 
C.  Stafford,  a  daughter  of  George  P.  and  Elizabeth 
(Pumphrey)  Stafford.  They  were  among  the  early 
settlers  in  Miami  County,  Ohio,  going   there  from 


West  Virginia.  The  Kables  eame  from  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  mother's  death  took  place  at  her 
home,  August  14,  1846,  when  only  twenty-six 
years  of  age;  the  father  still  survives  and  had  three 
children  by  his  first  marriage,  Mrs.  Kable  being  the 
youngest  of  the  family.  She  was  born  in  Miami 
County!  Ohio,  October  18,  1845. 

On  the  marriage  of  our  subject  he  lived  on  a 
farm  given  him  by  his  father  fourteen  years. 
Then  he  purchased  the  farm  where  he  now  resides, 
and  he  is  the  owner  of  four  farms.  Mr.  Kable  has 
always  been  engaged  in  farming,  especially  favor- 
ing the  raising  of  stock.  His  farm  comprises  be- 
tween  four  and  five  hundred  acres  of  land  and  his 
residence  is  a  commodious  and  elegant  dwelling. 
There  are  also  other  buildings  upon  the  farm  in 
which  he  has  invested  a  large  sum  of  money. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kable  are  the  parents  of  four 
children.  They  are  George  J.,  Mary  E.,  Carrie 
M..  and  Eva  M.  The  eldest  daughter  is  the  wife 
of  William  Wallace,  and  resides  in  North  Otter. 
Carrie  M.  was  united  in  marriage  to  William  E. 
Alderson,  and  resides  in  North  Otter.  George  .1. 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Minnie  A.  Ransom,  of 
Pueblo,  Colo.,  and    resides  at  North  Otter. 

Mr.  Kable  Ins  held  some  of  the  minor  offices  in 
the  township,  but  although  he  is  public-spirited 
and  generous,  he  thinks  that  his  own  business 
should  receive  attention  before  that  of   any  other. 

AMES  KABLE,  a  well  known  resident  of 
section  4,  North  Otter  Township,  was  born 
in  Berks  County,  Pa.,  January  3,  1805,  and 
is  a  son  of  Daniel  Kable  and  Mary  Rice, 
both  natives  of  that  State.  They  removed  from 
the  Keystone  State  to  the  Old  Domion  in  1815  and 
there  lived  through  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 
Our  subject  was  but  ten  years  old  when  his  parents 
removed  to  Jefferson  County,  Va.,  where  he  took 
the  remainder  of  his  education  and  grew  up  to  a 
sturdy  and  self-respecting  manhood.  In  1829  he 
decided  to  move  West  and  made  his  home  in 
Greene  County,  Ohio. 

In  this  new  home  our  subject  was  united  in  mar- 


6. 


PORTRAIT  AXD  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


875 


riage  on  May  14,  1837,  with  Mi>>  Susan  Garver, 
daughter  of  Abraham  and  Elizabeth  Garver  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania   and  Maryland   respectively. 

This  lady  was  born  in  Maryland  and  when  quite 
young  removed  with  her  parents  to   Virginia,    and 

when  she  was  about  fifteen  years  old  they  reino\  ed 
to  Clarke  County,  Ohio,  which  continued  the  fam- 
ily home  until  after  her  marriage. 

The  young  married  couple  established  themselves 
in  Greene  County.  Ohio,  and  afterward  removed  to 
Miami  County  where  they  lived  until  1864,  when 
they  came  to  Macoupin  County  and  settled  upon 
a  farm  in  North  Otter  Township,  where  they  have 
since  resided.  They  are  the  parents  of  seven  liv- 
ing children,  namely:  Hannah,  Benjamin  I-'.. 
Eliza,  Abraham  G.,  Henry  C,  Laura  and  Charles 
W.  and  they  have  twice  had  the  grief  which  par- 
ents know  when  they  have  to  lay  in  the  grave  their 
beloved  children.  The  names  of  the  two  who  have 
passed  over  the  dark  river  are  John  and  Isaac. 

Mr.  Kable  has  throughout  life  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  and  with  his  good  wife  he  is  now 
living  at  an  advanced  age.  both  being  members  of 
the  German  Baptist  Church.  This  venerable 
couple  are  spending  their  last  days  in  quiet  retire- 
ment surrounded  by  their  children,  and  all  the  cit- 
izens of  the  township  unite  in  wishing  for  them  a 
calm  and  peaceful  period  as  a  closing  epoch  of  their 
worthy  lives. 


-f-»-S«§NSS=>§-i~^ 


1890. 


ROF.  B.  F.  PEADRO.  This  scholarly 
gentleman  and  ex-Superintendent  of 
Schools  in  Macoupin  Count}',  closed  his 
second  term  in  that  office  in  December. 
He  has  been  a  teacher  in  the  county  since 
1871,  having  come  hither  in  186;").  He  received  his 
education  in  this  county  and  in  the  State  I'nivcr- 
sity  at  Champaign,  graduating  with  the  Class  of 
'81.  He  is  a  thorough  student  and  iias  been  one 
of  the  leading  educators  of  Macoupin  County  since 
the  year  of  his  graduation,  and  in  1882  was  elected 
County  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction.  He 
has  also  been  notable  as  a  lecturer  as  he  has  a  course 
of  six    illustrated    lectures    on     European    topics. 


which  have  wun  for  him  favorable  mention  by  the 
pre-.-  and  an  excellent  reputation  on  the  platform. 

This  gentleman  was  born   in   Campbell    County, 

K\..  and  is  a  a f    I!.  ('•.  Peadro  and  a    grandson 

of  John  Peadro,  both  Virginians,  of  French  ex- 
traction. The  great-grandfather  of  our  subject  was 
a  ioldiei  ami  served  through  the  Revolutionary 
War  under  (Jen.  Washington.  IS.  <!.  Peadro  grew 
up  in  Virginia  and  there  became  an  architect  ami 
merchant,  but  upon  removing  to  Kentucky  changed 
his  occupation  and  became  a  tanner  and  merchant. 
After  removing  into  the  Blue  Grass  State  he  was 
married  to  Bliss  Katie  Still  well,  a  Kentucky  girl, 
belonging  to  an  old  and  well  known  family  of  mat 
section,  her  father.  Joseph  still  well,  having  been  a 
pioneer  there. 

After  marriage  the  parents  of  our  subject  made 
their  home  for  a  number  of  years  in  Kentucky  and 
later  came  to  Illinois,  whence  they  removed  to 
Missouri,  but  they  were  not  contented  there  *nd 
returned  to  Kentucky  and  afterward  came  again  to 
the  Prairie  State,  where  the  father  died  after  reach- 
ing the  age  of  three-score  years.  His  faithful 
companion  is  yet  living  on  the  old  homestead  anil 
is  now  sixty  Ave  years  old.  These  faithful  parents 
were  devoted  members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and 
the  father  in  h'S  political  views  was  a  thorough 
Democrat.  A  thorough  and  liberal  education  was 
provided  for  our  subject  by  his  parents  as  we  have 
already  related.  Prof.  Peadro's  lectures  are  highly 
appreciated  by  his  audiences, as  he  handles  his  sub- 
jects skillfully  and  describes  his  beautiful  views  in 
that  easy  conversational  style  which  is  always 
pleasing  to  listeners. 


lEOBGE  W.  BOWERSOX,  the  genial  Sup- 
ervisor of  Grant  Township,  was  born  near 
Fletcher  in  Miami  County.  Ohio,  March  26, 
l  >s .-,  i .  His  father,  Jacob  Bowereox,  was  born  in 
Uniontown,  Pa.,  October  l">.  1808,  and  his  father, 
Benjamin  Bowersox,  was  a  native  of  the  same 
county.  Our  subject's  great-grandfather  was  born 
in  Germany  and  came  to  America  and  settled  in 
Pennsylvania.     A  blacksmith  by   trade,  our  sub- 


876 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ject's  grandfather  removed  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Ohio  in  1818  and  settled  in  Miami  County.  With 
his  family  of  six  children  he  started  out  to  Ohio 
by  embarking  on  a  datboat  and  they  floated  down 
the  Monongahela  and  Ohio  Rivers.  On  arriving 
at  their  destination  our  subject's  grandfather  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  timber  land  near  the  present  site 
of  Fletcher,  at  a  time  when  there  were  but  few 
white  people,  the  Indians  being  their  most  frequent 
callers.  To  guard  against  the  hostilities  ot  the  red 
men,  the  settlers  resided  near  block  houses,  to 
which  they  tied  in  time  of  danger.  The  old  gentle- 
man turned  his  attention  to  trade  while  his  sons 
cleared  the  farm  and  reduced  the  place  to  a  good 
state  of  order.  There  the  father  remained  until 
his  death. 

Our  subject's  father  had  acquired  considerable 
experience  while  still  a  young  man  in  heavier  farm 
work,  having  assisted  in  clearing  the  land  of  the 
homestead.  He  remained  on  the  farm  until  grown 
and  then  commenced  life  for  himself.  He  went  to 
the  Indian  reservation  and  was  there  engaged  as 
an  Indian  trader  for  a  time,  then  returned  to 
Miami  County  and  in  182S)  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  Scudder.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Jonathan 
Scudder  and  was  born  September,  1807.  in  Greene 
County,  Pa.  After  marriage  our  subject's  father 
entered  a  tract  of  Government  land  near  the  old 
homestead.  There  was  no  railroad  at  the  time  and 
he  became  engaged  in  teaming  on  the  road  from 
Toledo  to  Dayton  and  intervening  points.  In  that 
way  he  earned  money  enough  to  enter  a  tract  of 
Government  land  near  the  old  home  and  then 
turned  his  attention  to  the  improvement  of  the 
land  he  had  purchased. 

Mr.  Bowersox's  father's  house  was  eight  miles 
from  Piqua  on  the  turnpike  from  Columbus  to  the 
last  named  place  and  his  house  was  for  some  years 
a  stage  station.  In  18u3  he  sold  this  and  removed 
to  Macoupin  County,  where  he  secured  a  farm  and 
remained  until  his  death,  which  occurred  October 
17,  1876.  The  mother  of  our  subject  still  survives 
at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  She  has  nine 
children  still  living.  They  are  David,  Rebecca, 
Elizabeth,  Mary,  Sarah,  Margaret,  Benjamin,  Jacob 
and  George  \V.  As  will  be  seen,  our  subject  is 
the  youngest  of  these  children.  The  major  portion 


of  his  education  was  received  in  the  public  schools 
of  Miami  Township.  He  later  attended  school  in 
Macoupin  County  and  was  graduated  in  1872.  The 
following  year  he  commenced  teaching  and  in  that 
way  accumulated  money  enough  to  continue  his 
education  and  entered  the  Indian  Normal  School 
at  Valparaiso,  from  which  he  graduated  with  the 
Class  of  '79. 

During  the  time  Mr.  Bowersox  was  teaching  he 
commenced  the  study  of  law  and  in  1881  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  and  in  188;}  opened  an  office  in 
Guard,  where  he  has  practiced  ever  since.  A 
Democrat  in  his  political  views,  our  subject  has 
filled  various  offices.  He  served  as  Assessor  of  his 
township  for  two  terms  and  also  served  as  Super- 
visor. In  1883  he  was  appointed  County  Super- 
intendent of  Schools  and  elected  to  that  position  in 
1884.  In  1888  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
County  Board  of  Supervisors  representing  Girard 
and  in  1890,  was  again  elected  to  the  same  posi- 
tion, lie  is  a  member  of  the  Girard  Lodge,  No. 
171  A.  F.  A-  A.  M.  and  Girard  Chapter,  No.  132, 
R.  A.  M.,  also  Hiawatha  Lodge  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias. 


D 


Al'HAN  CHAMBERLlN,of  Virden,  whoss 
success  in  life  has  been  such  as  to  attrect 
_  the  attention  of  all  who  know  him,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Marcy.  Oneida  County, 
N.  Y  .  July  30,  1825.  His  father,  Haclialiah  Cham- 
berlin,  was  a  native  of  New  England  and  became 
a  pioneer  in  Oneida  County,  where  he  bought  a 
tract  of  timber  land,  and  having  built  a  log  house, 
commenced  to  clear  a  farm.  He  resided  there 
until  his  death  and  had  in  the  meantime  put  it  in 
first-class  order  and  erected  good  frame  buildings. 
His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Hannah  Delano, 
was  also  a  New  Englander  and  survived  her  hus- 
band for  seven  years.  Their  five  children  are: 
Hannah,  David,  Ira,  Franklin  and  Nathan,  our 
subject  being  the  j'oungest  of  the  family. 

Having  received  his  early  training  upon  the 
farm  and  in  the  district  schools,  he  left  home  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  and  came  to  Illinois  in  June,  1843 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


>77 


traveling  by  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers  to  St 
Louis,  and  then  following  the  Illinois  River  to  the 
mouth   of    Apple   Creek    in   Greene  County.     He 

found  employment  among  the  farmers  neai   i.' 1 

house  at  18  a  month,  and  was  soon  enabled  to  rent 
land,  upon  which  he  resided  in  Greene  County 
until  1840.  During  August  of  that  year  he  re- 
turned to  his  Eastern  home  to  secure  a  bride  and 
in  the  spring  of  1847  returned  to  Greene  County 
and  spent  n  short  time,  and  then  went  hack  to 
Marcy,  where  he  managed  the  old  farm  until  Sep- 
tember. 1848.  He  then  returned  to  Greene  County, 
but  in  the  fall  of  1849  came  to  this  county  and  en- 
tered three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  on  section  5, 
of  what  is  now  North  Otter  Township.  This  was 
prairie  land  and  he  bought  it  on  Mexican  land 
warrants,  so  that  it  cost  him  only  $226.  He  built 
a  frame  house  at  once  and  prepared  ten  acres  for 
culture. 

In  those  days  there  was  no  railroad  here  and 
Alton  was  the  nearest  market,  as  there  was  no  house 
where  Yirden  now  stands,  the  greater  part  of  the 
surrounding  country  being  still  owned  by  the 
Government  and  the  resort  of  wild  deer.  Our 
subject  resided  on  this  land  until  1881,  and  dur- 
ing that  time  had  improved  the  eastern  part  of  it 
and  sold  the  other  half,  and  bought  another  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  upon  which  he  built  his 
home.  In  1881  he  rented  the  farm  and  went  to 
California,  where  he  spent  one  year  in  Sonoma 
County,  after  which  he  returned  to  Virden,  hut  in 
the  fall  of  1882  went  again  to  California,  but  re- 
turned to  Litchfield  in  the  fall  of  1884,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business  for  a  year  and  a 
half  and  then  sold  out  and  came  to  Virden  in  No- 
vember, 1890. 

Here  Mr.  Chamberlin  bought  an  interest  in  the 
hardware  and  furniture  business  and  also  handles 
agricultural  implements,  carriages  and  wagons. 
He  married  Lorelta  Twitchell.  who  was  horn  in 
the  town  of  Waybridge,  Addison  County.  Vt..  and 
a  sister  of  S.  L.  Twitchell,  of  whom  more  will  be 
seen  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  To  this  excellent 
couple  have  been  born  five  children,  namely:  Leo- 
nora, Anna  J.,  Ella,  Minnie  and  Carrie.  Anna  is 
now  the  wife  of  T.  .1.  Turner  and  has  three  chil- 
dren— Mary,   George    and    Lena.      Carrie   man  ii  d 


John  T.  Ryan  and  has  two  children  —  Alma  Louth 
and  Henry  Nathan.  Our  subject  was  bereaved  by 
tin'  death  of  his  wife  on  October  18,  1880.  He  is 
:i  Democrat  m  his  political  affiliations  and  served 
for  seven  years  as  School  Director,  two  years  as 
Assessor,  and  Ave  years  as  Collector  in  North 
( Itter  Township. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  well  known,  not 
only  in  his  township,  but  also  throughout  this  part 
of  the  county,  for  his  sturdy    integrity,  industry 

and   enterprise,    and    for    the  g I   success  which 

lias  attended  his  efforts,  lie  enjoys  the  unfailing 
confidence  of  the  community  and  the  social  es- 
teem of  his  neighbors. 


— 7ERDINAND  WINTER,  farmer  and  sheep- 
j  raiser  is  located  on  section  1.  where  he  tm  k 
up  his  residence  in  1864.  His  early  life 
was  passed  in  Brunswick,  Germany,  which  place 
records  the  date  of  his  birth,  this  important  event 
occurring  February  28.  1816.  There  is  much  in 
the  life  of  Mr.  Winter  to  awaken  the  interest  of 
the  biographical  reader,  for  though  he  has  seen  the 
tide  of  fortune  turn  against  him  at  times,  he  has 
also  gained  many  signal  victories  in  a  hand  to  hand 
struggle  with  the  world.  His  father.  Frederick 
Winter,  who  died  in  Germany,  was  a  prominent 
sheep. raiser  there.  Ferdinand  was  decidedly  a 
precocious  boy  developing  unusual  activity,  vigor 
and  strength  of  mind.  Until  fourteen  years  of  age 
he  assisted  his  lather  and  grandfather  in  the  care 
of  Sheep  and  was  then  engaged  hy  others  until  he 
reached  his  majority,  at  which  time,  obedient  to  the 
laws  of  the  Fatherland)  he  enrolled  his  name  as  a 
member  of  the  German  Army,  serving  live  years, 
a  steady,  faithful  soldier  ever  at  the  post    of   duty. 

-lust  after  his  release  from  army  service  our  sub- 
ject married  Miss  Elizabeth  Korson,  a  woman  both 
energetic  and  ambitious  and  togethei  they  launched 
into  that  branch  of  business  with  which  they  were 
most  familiar,  investing  their  money,  over  $1,500 
in  the  purchase  and  care  of  sheep,  carrying  this 
enterprise  successfully  forward. 

Inspired  with  the  idea  of  seeing  the  New  World 


878 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


they  disposed  of  their  interests  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica, landing  in  New  Orleans  on  July  1.  184.5.  From 
here  they  proceeded  to  St.  Louis  where  they  lived 
seven  years.  During  this  time  Mr.  Winter  vigor- 
ously prosecuted  the  business  of  butchering  but 
success  refusing  to  smile  upon  him  he  closed  bis 
market.  Nothing  daunted  by  this  turn  of  affairs, 
be  commenced  the  buying  and  driving  of  stock  to 
the  St.  Louis  markets.  His  success  and  increased 
finances  led  him  into  a  plan  by  which  he  thought 
to  still  further  enhance  his  wealth  and  in  an  evil 
moment  he  placed  li is  capital  in  an  enterprise 
which  left  his  resources  in  an  impoverished  con- 
dition. This  loss  fell  heavily  upon  him  but  he  went 
bravely  to  work  at  whatever  he  could  find  to  do, 
being  engaged  principally  on  a  steamer  plying  be- 
tween St.  Louisand  New  Orleans.  In  1849  his  wife 
fell  a  victim  to  cholera  and  sank  into  the  grave, 
leaving  her  husband  and  two  children,  Fred  and 
Anstema,  to  weep  over  her  loss.  One  child  born 
to  these  parents  died  in   infancy. 

In  18.51  Mr.  Winter  went  to  Sangamon  County 
where  he  was  employed  by  Charles  S  Hoppin  as 
shepherd.  The  most  important  event  of  the  five 
years  of  his  engagement  with  that  gentleman,  was 
his  marriage  in  1854.  in  St.  Louis,  to  Sophia  Burg- 
doff,  who  died  ten  years  later.  The  story  of  her 
death  is  a  sad  one.  Possessing  an  affectionate  heart. 
she  was  sincerely  attached  to  Fred  Winter,  her 
step-son.  On  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion,  Fred 
entered  the  army,  enlisting  in  the  Third  Illinois 
Cavalry  and  passed  three  years  in  the  service.  At 
Memphis, Tenn.,  he  received  a  wound  from  which 
he  never  rallied  but  died  in  the  hospital  at  that 
place,  in  1804.  Mrs.  Winters,  in  her  anxiety  for 
his  welfare,  betook  herself  to  Memphis  to  care  for 
the  wounded  hoy.  While  there  an  attack  of  swamp 
fever  resulted  in  her  death  which  took  place  a  few 
weeks  after  her  return  to  her  home  in  Carlinville 
Township.  She  was  the  mother  of  two  children, 
one  of  whom  died  while  an  infant;  the  other, 
Ernest  F.,  is  a  fanner  in  South  Otter  Township 
and  inherits  his  father's  propensity  for  sheep-rais- 
ing. 

Upon  severing  his  connection  with  Mr.  H.,  our 
subject  rented  a  tract  of  land,  occupying  it  until 
1864,  when   he  removed  to  Macoupin  Count}-  and 


purchased  an  extensive  farm  in  Carlinville  Town- 
ship. Being  a  prudent  man  of  frugal  habits  and 
living  always  within  his  income,  he  gained  the  re- 
spect and  confidence  of  some  of  the  Springfield 
bankers  and  they  gave  him  such  financial  aid  as 
enabled  him  to  go  to  Michigan  and  make  large 
purchases  of  sheep;  and  the  ample  competence 
which  he  now  enjoys,  shows  that  their  faith  in  his 
integrity  and  executive  ability  was  not  misplaced. 
Ke  commands  the  returns  from  seven  hundred  and 
thirty  acres  of  land  and  is  known  to  have  some  of 
the  very  best  blood  in  his  large  flock  of  over 
six  hundred  sheep  among  them  being  pure  Mer- 
inos and  other  high  grades.  During  the  years 
1863-04,  his  profits  amounted  to  over  #32,000; 
128,000  of  this  he  used  in  buying  land  in  Macoupin 
County. 

.Mi.  Winter's  third  marriage  occurred  in  St. 
I.ouis.  January  11,  1806,  when  he  was  wedded  to 
t  nrolinc  Lutger,  a  native  of  Germany,  born  Octo- 
ber 22,  1840.  Two  children  have  graced  this 
union,  one  of  whom  lived  but  a  short  time;  the 
other.  Henry  II.,  remains  under  the  parental  roof. 
Mr.  Winter  and  his  estimable  wife  are  members  of 
th>-  Oei  man  Lutheran  Church.  His  first  vote  was 
cast  for  Zachary  Taylor,  at  which  time  he  warmly 
advocated  the  measures  of  the  Democratic  party 
luit  upon  the  nomination  of  Abraham  Lincoln  who 
had  befriended  ami  advised  him  while  in  Spring- 
field, and  for  whom  he  had  a  strong  attachment,  he 
connected  himself  with  the  Republican  party  to  the 
principles  of  which  he  is  strongly  devoted. 


UILLIAM  Ol'ADK,  one  of  the  enterprising 
business  men  of  Staunton  who  has  been 
VV  prominently  identified  with  the  upbuilding 
of  the  city,  now  carries  on  a  hotel  in  a  tine  business 
block  which  he  recently  erected.  He  was  born  in 
Weslphalen,  Prussia,  on  June  23,  1833,  and  is  the 
fourth  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  eleven 
children,  numbering  five  sons  and  six  daughters, 
whose  parents  were  Henry  and  Sophia  (Bocherman) 
Quade.  The  father,  also  a  native  of  Prussia,  was  a 
shoemaker    by    trade  and    followed   that    business 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


879 


throughout  his  entire  life.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
fifty-five  years,  and  li is    wife,  who    survived    him 

many  years,  departed  this  life  in  the  seventy  fifth 
year  of  her  age.  They  were  consistent  members 
of  the  Lutheran   Church. 

Only  three  of  the  family  ever  came  to  America. 
Mrs.  Anna  Stein  in  an  was  the  first  to  cross  the  At- 
lantic, coming  in  1853,  and  she  and  her  husband 
now  live  on  a  farm  in  Madison  County,  III.  Ernest 
sailed  across  the  Atlantic  in  18(i7  and  he  is  engag- 
ed in  agricultural  pursuits  in  Madison  County. 
Next  came  our  subject,  who  bade  adieu  to  his  nat- 
ive land  in  September,  18('>7.  boarding  a  steamer  in 
Bremen  and  lauding  at  New  York.  Hence  In' 
made  his  way  to  St.  Louis  and  a  year  later  came 
to  Staunton. 

On-the  voyage  Mr.  t^uade  was  accompanied  by 
his  wife.  Her  maiden  name  was  Mary  Vogelsang. 
and  their  union  was  celebrated  in  Germany.  The 
lady  was  born  and  reared  near  the  childhood  home 
of  her  husband  and  came  of  Prussian  parents  who 
lived  anil  died  in  Westphalen.  Unto  Mr.  •Juide 
and  his  estimable  wife  have  been  born  six  children, 
four  of  whom  are  yet  living — Otto  E.  R.  H.,  who 
aids  his  father  in  the  management  of  his  business; 
William  G.  II.,  who  is  at  home;  Hannah,  the  wife 
of  Rudolph  Dreibholz.  who  is.  employed  as  bar- 
tender in  Mr.  Quade's  hotel  and  is  a  genial,  jovial 
man;  and  Caroline  who  is  still  under  the  parental 
root.      Mary  and  Carrie  died  in  childhood. 

Mr.  ami  Mrs.  Quade  are  members  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Church  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
He  is  numbered  among  the  public-spirited  citizens 
of  the  community  and  is  found  in  the  front  rank 
of  every  enterprise  calculated  to  upbuild  Staunton. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  carried  on  a  saloon  in 
that  place,  and  in  1890,  he  erected  one  of  the  finest 
blocks  in  that  city,  which  is  known  as  the  Quade 
Block.  It  is  an  elegant  structure  built  of  brick 
and  stone  with  one  hundred  feet  frontage  and  a 
depth  of  sixty-five  feet.  It  is  two  stories  in  height 
with  a  basement  and  is  occupied  as  an  hotel  ami 
bar-room  managed  by  Mr.  Quade,  the  dry-goods 
house  of  H.  A.  Jones,  and  tic  banking  establish- 
ment of  E.  Freidman  &  Co.  Mr.  Quade  carries  on 
a  good  hotel,  furnished  with  all  modern  improve- 
ments  and  conveniences,  and  supplied  with  every- 


thing necessary  for  the  comfort  of  his  guests.  He 
is  a  genial  hosl  who  has  won  favor  with  the  travel- 
ing public  and  has  made  many  wo  m  friends  among 

those  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact.  Full  of 
push  and  energy  lie  has  made  everything  he  pos- 
sesses and  the  competence  which  he  has  acquired  is 
sufficient  for  his  declining  years. 


■      F    '■■  • 


ILLIAM    II.  CIJOMWELL.  an    intelligent 


V  >  ILLIAM  II.  CR 
\fij/i  nm'  well-educat 
WW      true   interest    in 


ucated  gentleman  who  takes  a 
all  public  affairs,  resides 
upon  his  farm  at  Honey  Point  Township.  He  was 
born  a  few  miles  east  of  Dayton.  Ohio,  November 
11,  1886.  His  father  Richard  Cromwell  was  a 
native  of  Ilagcrstown,  Mi.,  and  was  of  English 
descent,  and  his  father  was  a  farmer  who  worked 
his  land  by  the1  help  of  slave  labor,  and  died  near 
Ilagcrstown.  The  father  of  our  subject  was  quite 
young  when  he  was  orphaned  by  his  father's  death 
and  he  continued  to  live  in  .Maryland  with  his 
mother  until  the  family  removed  to  Ohio,  where 
the  mother  bought  laud  in  Greene  County,  near 
Xenia,  and  resided  there  until  her  death,  complet- 
ing nearly  a  century  of  honorable  and  virtuous 
life. 

In  1842  the  parents  of  our  subject  came  to  Illi- 
nois moving  with  a  team  and  Una  by  the  way  of 
steamer  on  ihc  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers,  and 
made  their  first  stopping  place  in  Alton.  They 
soon  rented  a  farm  in  Hilyard  Township,  and  later 
bought  a  tract  of  land  here.  Their  first  home  was 
in  a  log  house  but  afterward  they  put  up  a  good 
farm  residence  and  made  their  home  there  for  a 
number  of  years,  after  which  they  lived  for  awhile 
at  Bunker  Hill.  He  was  a  hard  worker  and  had 
excellent  judgment  and  thus  gained  a  good  prop- 
erty, having  at  one  time  four  farms  at  Hilyard 
Township,  besides  his  home  in  Bunker  Hill  where 
he  died  June  .">,  1889. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Caroline  Eichelbcrger  and  she  was  a  native  of 
Hagerstown,  Bid.,  and  now  resides  in  Bunker  Hill. 
Her  nine  children  are  our  subject.  Susan.  Margaret, 
Comfort,  Cynthia,  Catherine,  Mary.  Joseph    and 


880 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


William.  Our  subject  was  in  his  sixth  year  when 
he  came  to  this  county  ami  in  those  days  the  country 
was  very  new,  as  there  was  no  railroad  and  the  near- 
est market  was  at  Alton  twenty  miles  away,  lie 
received  his  education  on  the  farm  and  in  the  dis- 
trict school  and  as  soon  as  old  enough  to  assist 
in  the  farm  work  he  became  an  efficient  helper  an 
this  way. 

Upon  attaining  his  majority  Mr.  Cromwell 
leased  a  tract  of  land  in  Ililyard  Township,  and 
farmed  it  for  nine  years  and  during  that  time  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  fine  timber 
land  in  Honey  Point  Township.  In  the  year  1865 
he  settled  on  this  place  and  has  added  to  it  until  he 
now  has  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  all  under 
cultivation.  lie  was  married  on  the  3rd  of  May, 
1868,  to  Mary  ('.  Hutlon,  who  was  born  in  North- 
ern Illinois  and  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Mar} 
Mutton  who  were  natives  of    Maryland. 

Our  subject  is  a  member  of  Charter  Oak  Lodge 
No.  536,  F.  &  A.  M.  of  Litchfield  and  in  his  political 
views  is  a  stanch  Democrat  having  >-:i*t  his  first 
Presidential  vote  for. lames  Buchanan,  lie  served 
for  two  years  as  County  Coroner  and  has  been  the 
Supervisor  of  Honey  Point  Township, besides  serv- 
ing as  delegate  in  many  county,  district  and  sena- 
torial conventions. 


^pj,  ASPER  J.  JACOBY,  a  successful  dealer  in  all 
kinds  of  furniture  and  undertaking  goods, 
as  well  as  in  pianos  and  organs,  sewing- 
machines  and  wall  paper,  established  himself  in 
business  in  October,  1883,  in  what  is  known  as 
the  Johnson  Block,  on  the  west  side  of  Washington 
Street  in  Bunker  Hill,  and  has  proven  himself  a 
practical  and  successful  dealer.  He  had  come  to 
this  place  from  Brighton,  where  he  had  received 
his  early  education  and  training  and  where  he  be- 
gan life  as  a  teacher,  and  later  as  a  commercial 
traveler  for  a  St.  Louis  house,  which  business  he 
gave  up  before  coming  to  Bunker  Hill. 

Our  subject  was  horn  on  the  Mississippi  River, 
between  New  Orleans  and  St.  Louis,  while  his  par- 
ents were  emigrating  from  their  native  home  and  his 


birth  occurred  on  Christmas  Day,  1855.  He  is  the 
son  of  Henry  Jacoby,  of  Nassau,  Germany,  and 
comes  of  pure  German  stock.  The  father  was  ap- 
prenticed to  the  trade  of  a  mason  and  in  due  time 
married  Catherina  Peiteralsoa  native  of  Nassau, 
Germany.  After  the  birth  of  five  children,  one  of 
whom  was  called  away  by  death,  Henry  Jacoby  set 
out  with  his  family  for  the  United  States,  taking 
passage  on  a  sailer  from  Bremen  and  spending 
seven  weeks  upon  the  water,  coming  to  port  in  New 
( Orleans.  They  there  took  a  boat  on  the  Missis- 
sippi River,  with  Alton  as  their  destination,  and  on 
this  trip,  as  we  have  said,  our  subject  was  born. 

The  family  did  not  tarry  long  in  Alton,  but  dur- 
ing the  same  year  came  to  Macoupin  County  set- 
tling near  Brighton.  At  that  time  Henry  Jacoby 
was  sii  pooler  than  nothing  and  had  a  wife  and 
live  young  children  to  provide  for.  He  worked  hard 
and  saved  his  money  and  soon  had  a  little  estate  of 
ten  acres,  to  which  he  added  from  time  to  time 
until  he  owned  one  iundred  and  twenty  acres, 
where  be  lived  many  years  and  made  great  im- 
provements. Death  came  to  him  December  9.  1885, 
when  he  was  sixty-six  years  old.  He  was  a  thor- 
ough Republican  in  his  political  views  and  in  the 
old  country  was  a  Lutheran  in  religion,  but  after 
coming  here  united  with  his  wife  with  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church.  Mis  faithful  companion, 
who  is  still  living  and  is  now  sixty-seven  years  old, 
resides  at  the  old  homestead  at  Brighton. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  eleven  children  of  his  par- 
ents, nine  of  whom  are  living  and  eight  of  them  are 
heads  of  families.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Anna 
D.  Lippoldt.  in  Bunker  Hill.  She  was  born  in  Jer- 
sey County,  this  State,  April  15,  1858,  and  was 
quite  young  when  her  parents,  J.  G.  and  Henrietta 
(Lippoldt)  Lippoldt,  came  to  Brighton,  in  this 
county.  There  they  lived  for  some  time  and  then 
removed  to  Hilyard  Township,  where  they  now  re- 
side on  a  farm  and  are  now  sixty-four  and  sixty 
years  of  age  respectively.  They  came  to  this  coun- 
try from  Saxony,  Germany,  where  they  were  born 
and  reared. 

Mrs.  Jacoby  received  from  her  parents  both 
careful  training  and  a  thorough  education,  and  she 
was  well  fitted  to  take  up  life's  work.  She  is  now 
the  mother  of  four  children;  Oscar  K.  L,,  Clare  H, 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


SSI 


E.,  Ettie  F.  and  Edwin.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacoby  arc 
members  of  the  German  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church, in  which  be  is  a  Steward  and  has  been  Sun- 
day-school Superintendent  for  eight  years.  He  lias 
two  brothers.  Revs.  P.  W.  and  H.  C.  Jacoby,  who 
are  ill  the  ministry  of  this  church  in  Missouri  and 
the  former  is  an  elder  in  the  Si.  Louis  Circuit. 
Our  subject  is  a  member  of  the  Blue  Lodge.  No. 
151,  of  the  Masonic  order  at  Bunker  Hill,  and  is 
filling  the  office  of  City  Treasurer,  being  a  man 
of  public  spirit  and  an  earnest  and  zealous  member 
of  the  Republican  parly. 


HARLES  W.  SMITH,    one   of  the   leading 
grocers  01   Gillespie  and  a  wide-awake  and 

'/J  enterprising  young  business  man,  establish- 
ed business  in  this  line  in  the  autumn  of  1882,  as  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Alliens  &  Smith.  This 
partnership  continued  for  a  year,  when  Mr.  Ahrens 
sold  out,  our  subject  becoming  sole  proprietor  and 
under  bis  able  management  the  business  has  thrived. 
He  carries  a  full  and  complete  line  of  Staple  and 
fancy  groceries,  glass,  queensware  and  provisions 
and  has  a  good  trade,  thereby  securing  an  excel- 
lent income.  He  has  been  a  close  observer,  thus 
having  learned  the  wants  and  wishes  of  the  public. 
Earnestly  desiring  to  please  his  customers  he  sup- 
plies them  with  a  fine  line  of  goods,  in  manner  is 
genial  and  pleasant  and  all  of  his  business  dealings 
are  characterized  by  fairness. 

Mr.  Smith  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  this  coun- 
ty, his  birth  having  occurred  in  Gillespie  Town- 
ship, October  13,  1855.  He  is  the  eldest  child  of 
AVeye  G.  Schmidt,  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere 
in  this  volume.  Upon  his  father's  farm  the  days  of 
his  boyhood  and  youth  were  passed,  he  aiding  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  land  during  the  summer  months, 
while  in  the  winter  season  he  attended  I  he  district 
schools  of  the  neighborhood,  where  his  education 
was  acquired.  As  a  helpmate  on  life's  journey  he 
chose  Miss  Minnie  Mohlmann,  who  was  born  in  <  tar 
many,  in  May,  1861,  and  when  a  child  came  with 
her  parents  to  this  country,    the    family  settling  in 


Macoupin  County,  111.,  where  the  death  of  her 
mother  occurred.  Mr.  Mohlmann  subsequently  re- 
moved to  l'lalt  County,  Neb  ,  where  he  is  now  en- 
ured in  farming. 

By  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  "^m it h.  three 
children  have  been  horn  but  Only  Annie  is  now 
living.  Christina  and  William  both  died  of  scar- 
let fever  in  1890.  The  parents  are  members  .,•' 
the  Lutheran  Church,  to  the  support  of  which  they 
contribute  liberally  of  their  means  and  they  are 
numbered  among  the  leading  citizens  of  Gillespie, 

where  they  have  a  pleasant  home,  the  abode  of 
hospitality,  and  are  surrounded  by  a  wide  circle  of 
friends  and  acquaintances  who  esteem  them  highly. 
In  polities.  .Mr.  smith  is  a  Democrat,  having  sup- 
ported that  party  since  be  attained  his  majority. 
He  manifests  a  Commendable  interest  in  all  that  per- 
tains to  the  upbuilding  and  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity, identifies  himself  with  its  best  enterprises 
and  well  deserves  to  be  mentioned  among  the  hon- 
ored pioneers  and  best  citizens  of  his  native  coun- 
ty. 

g-»g«-3 


4p^%  AMUEL  COMER.     A  fine  farm  on  section 
^*^£     22,  Bird  Township,    is   the  place  that  Sam- 
MLM   ue'  (-'<im'*''  calls  home.      It  is  a  property  of 
which    he   may    well    be    proud   to  be  the 
owner,  as  it  consists  of  a   large  and  fertile  tract  on 
which  good  buildings  of   various   kinds   have  been 
erected.     The  comfort   of   the   occupants  and   the 
proper  housing  of  stock  and   crops  have  been  con- 
sidered in  the  erection   of  the  house,  barn,  grana- 
ries and  sheds,  and  in  ever)   part  of  the  estate  older 
reigns  and  good   judgment   is   shown.      The    estate 
consists  of  three    hundred    and  sixty-live  acres  and 
is  the  source  of  a  good  income. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  Aaron  B.  Comer. 
who  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  his  mother  was 
Lavina.  (Bell)  Comer,  a  native  of  Tennessee.  That 
worthy  couple  came  to  this  county  from  the  Tur- 
pentine State  in  1*1  I  and  settled  in  Bird  Town- 
ship, this  county.  Here  the  wife  died  November 
23,  1873,  leaving  ten  children,  of  whom  our  sub- 
ject, was  the  second,  three  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing.    The  father  is  now  living  in    (  arlinville.      He 


882 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


of  whom  we  write  was  born  in  Knox  County, 
Tenn.,  May  9,  1836,  and  was  therefore  about  eight 
years  old  when  he  came  hither,  lie  has  since  been 
a  resident  of  Bird  Township  and  he  has  long  be  n 
thoroughly  identified  with  its  interests  and  prog- 
ress. Immediately  after  his  marriage,  which  took 
place  at  the  early  age  of  nineteen  years,  he  seltlcd 
on  section  22,  where  he  has  remained,  building  up 
his  finances  and  making  his  home  the  center  from 
which  good  influences  radiate. 

The  date  of  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Comer  was 
January  28,  185").  and  his  bride,  Caroline  Sells, 
daughter  of  Michael  and  Sarah  (Brown)  Sells.  She 
was  bom  in  Johnson  County,  Ind.,  July  '.).  18:i7, 
and  is  the  eldest  in  a  family  consisting  of  five  sons 
and  four  daughters,  She  is  a  fitting  companion 
for  her  husband,  being  we'll  informed  on  general 
topics,  a  good  housekeeper,  and  having  a  character 
worthy  of  esteem.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Comer  are  seven  in  number,  but  only  four  are  liv- 
ing; these  are  Edmund,  who  married  Anna 
Deeds;  Mary  E.,  wife  of  William  Woods;  Annetta 
V.,  wife  of  II.  T.  Benson;  and  Robert  L.  Clarinda 
and  Lulu  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Comer  is  Postmaster  of  the  mail  station 
bearing  his  own  name,  lie  has  been  Highway 
Commissioner  and  has  done  much  to  keep  the  way 
open  for  the  traveling  public,  by  working  for  good 
roads  and  convenient  bridges.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican.  He  and  his  wife  belong  to  Charity 
Baptist  Church  and  he  is  a  Deacon  in  the  society. 

« 
^OHN  G.  WEIDNER.  One  of  the  large 
landowners  and  extensive  farmers,  stock- 
raisers  and  dairymen  of  Hilyard  Township, 
'  is  he  who  resides  on  section  35,  and  whose 
name  is  at  the  head  of  this  sketch.  He  here 
owns  a  large  property,  which  is  highly  improved 
and  bears  fine  farm  buildings.  At  one  time  he 
was  the  owner  of  about  five  hundred  acres  of  land, 
a  part  of  which  he  has  since  given  to  his  children. 
Mr.  Weiduer  came  upon  his  farm  in  the  spring  of 
1872,  and  since  that  time  has  placed  upon  it  its 
most   valuable  improvements.     He    came    to    this 


place  from  Jersey  County,  where  he  lived  twenty- 
one  years.  His  place  there  comprised  two  hundred 
acres  of  fine  land,  upon  which  he  placed  valuable 
improvements,  and  which  is  now  owned  by  his 
son. 

On  entering  Jersey  County,  our  subject  began 
life  as  a  farm  laborer,  spending  two  years  in  that 
way.  He  had  but  $G  when  he  went  there  in  1852, 
and  since  that  time  by  prudence  and  economy  has 
accumulated  the  comfortable  fortune  which  he 
has.  He  has  been  successful  to  a  wonderful  de- 
gree. Mr.  Weiduer  was  born  in  Saxe- Weimar, 
Germany,  in  1827,  on  the  20th  of  February.  He 
is  a  son  of  John  G.  Weiduer,  Sr.,  a  native  of  the 
same  province,  who  there  lived  and  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-three  years.  He  was  a  farmer  and 
was  fairly  successful. 

Our  subject's  mother  was  a  German  lady,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Miss  Rosena  Jacob.  She  also 
was  born  and  reared  in  Saxe-Weimar,  and  there 
died  in  the  same  week  in  which  her  husband's 
decease  took  place,  her  youngest  son  also  passing 
away  at  the  same  time.  She  was  then  seventy 
years  of  age,  the  old  people  having  lived  together 
for  fifty-three  years,  their  marriage  taking  place 
during  the  rebellion  th  \t  extended  from  1812  to 
1815;  he  was  thus  released  from  going  into  serv- 
ice. The  senior  Mr.  Weiduer  and  wife  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  Church.  They  were  both 
representatives  of  long-lived  races. 

The  orginal  of  our  sketch  was  the  youngest  but 
one  of  a  family  of  eight  children.  He  has  one 
brother  now  living  in  Germany,  and  or.e  sister  in 
this  country,  who  is  living  in  Brighton,  this  county. 
John  G.  Weiduer  grew  up  a  farmer  boy,  and  when 
about  of  age  enlisted  in  the  rebellion  between  Den- 
mark and  Sehleswig-Holstein.  He  afterward  de- 
cided to  come  to  the  United  States.  August  10, 
1852,  he  left  home  and  took  passage  on  a  sailing 
vessel  at  Bra-men,  and  after  a  voyage  of  thirty- 
seven  days  landed  at  New  York  City,  coming  soon 
after  by  way  of  the  canal  and  lakes  to  the  Illinois 
River,  thence  down  to  Alton,  and  later  to  Jersey 
County,  this  State.  He  had  practically  no 
monetary  resources,  but  was  willing  to  work. 

Soon  after  our  subject's  settlement  in  this  coun- 
try  he    was    married   to  his  sweetheart,  who  had 


I'OIU'RAIT  AND   BKKIRA  l'HICA  I.   RECORD. 


conie  to  this  country  with  lier  brother  six  mqnlhs 
before  our  subject.  They  were  deterred  from 
marrying  in  their  own  country  because  of  their 
circumstances.  The  lady's  name  was  Cristmoody 
Leippoldt.  She  was  born  in  Saxe- Weimar,  Ger- 
niauv,  December  25,  1830,  and  after  being  there 
reared  and  educated  came  with  her  brother  to  this 
country  in  the  spring  of  1852,  and  here  her  pa- 
rents joined  them  later.  Her  father,  Gustoph  Leip 
poldt.  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years.  The 
mother  survived  him  two  years. 

Our  subject  ami  1 1 is  wife  are  the  parents  of 
twelve  children,  five  of  whom  are  now  deceased, 
all  of  whom  died  young.  The  living  are  Charles 
P..  Frank  E.,  Emma,  William,  Mary.  Louisa  and 
Lewis. 


^p,>HARLES  C.  CAMPBELL,  who  for  years 
Y  -'  has  been  one  of  the  prominent  business  men 
^^dlJ  of  Bunker  Hill,  is  now  living  a  retired  life 
in  the  enjoyment  of  a  well-earned  competence  In 
his  beautiful  home,  surrounded  by  all  of  the  com 
forts  of  life,  he  will  probably  spend  the  remainder 
of  his  days  in  the  midst  of  friends  who  esteem  him 
highly  for  his  sterling  worth.  No  man  in  this 
community  is  more  worthy  of  a  representation  in 
this  volume  than  the  gentleman  whose  name  heads 
this  sketch. 

Mr.  Campbell  was  born  in  Upper  Alton,  111.. 
March  11,  183;").  and  is  of  Scotch  descent.  His 
paternal  great  grandfather,  Andrew  Campbell,  be- 
longed to  the  clan  of  Campbell,  which  was  driven 
out  of  Scotland  at  the  time  of  the  religious  troubles 
in  that  country.  He  and  a  brother  emigrated  to 
America  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  War  and  es- 
pousing the  cause  of  the  Colonies,  he  served  in  the 
American  army  for  eight  years,  three  months  and 
thirteen  days.  He  died  in  1833  at  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty-six.  having  been  born  in  1747.  John 
R.  Campbell,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  spent, 
his  entire  life  in  New  Jersey,  dying  in  Trenton, 
when  in  the  prime  of  life.  He  was  a  manufacturer 
of  stoneware  and  was  connected  with  some  of  the 
leading  potteries  of  that  city.  His  son,  John  A., 
father  of  Charles  was  also  a  native  of  New  Jersey 


and  followed  the  tradcofa  potter.  He  married  Eliza 

T.  Cook,  who  was  bom  in  New  Jersej  of  American 
parents  who  were  of  Frcjch  extraction, and  immedi- 
ately thereafter  the  young  couple  started  westward. 
They  traveled  by  way  of  the  canals,  and  tlie 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers  and  landed  in  Alton 
in  1834.  It  was  .Mr.  Campbell's  intention  to  go  to 
St.  Louis  and  engage  in  the  pottery  business  bul 
friends  in  Alton  persuaded  him  to  locate  in  thai 
vicinity,  as  Alton   was  then  the  larger  city  of  the 

two.      He  here  abandoned   liis  trade    and    embarked 

in  farming,  transforming  from  the  wild  and  un- 
broken prairie  an  excellent  farm  which  he  made  his 
home  lor  a  half  century.  Such  was  the  unsettled 
condition  of  the  country  at  the  time  of  his  arrival, 
that  wolves  "ere  still  seen  roaming  over  the  prai- 
ries and  the  deer  frequently  appeared  in  such  large 
numbers  that  they  would  destroy  a  corn  crop.  Mr. 
Campbell  lived  to  see  the  wonderful  growth  and 
progress,  witnessed  the  establishment  and  upbuild- 
ing of  Bunker  Hill  and  saw  St.  Louis  transformed 
from  a  village  into  one  of  the  leading  cities  of  the 
West.  He  was  burn  June  11.  1812  and  died 
March  15,  1885,  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 
He  was  a  local  Methodist  minister  and  his  upright 
life  proved  oftentimes  as  potent  as  his  preaching. 
In  polities,  he  was  a  stanch  Democrat,  taking  a 
leading  part  in  political  affairs.  A  man  of  strong 
convictions,  he  fearlessly  expressed  his  views  and 
his  outspoken  and  upright  manner  won  him  the 
confidence  of  all.  His  wife  survived  him  three 
years  and  died  at  the  home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
John  Younger  in  Bunker  Hill  Township,  October 
19,  1887,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years,  she 
was  also  a  consistent  Methodist  and  a  most  estima- 
ble lady  whose  many  graces  and  excellencies  of 
character  won  tor  her  many  friends. 

The  family  of  this  worthy  couple  numbered  nine 
children,  six  of  whom  grew  to  mature  years.  Our 
subject  was  carefully  and  tenderly  reared  and  early 
manifested  a  love  of  learning,  and  by  extensive 
reading  lias  informed  himself  on  all  subjects  of 
general  interest.  In  his  youth,  he  gained  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  the  machinist's  trade,  having 
mastered  the  business  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years, 
but  since  he  has  attained  his  majority,  he  has  fol- 
lowed   other    pursuits.      He    began    clerking    in    a 


884 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


mercantile  store  in  1855  ami  two  years  later,  form- 
ing a  partnership  with  W.  II.  Clark,  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  the  city,  he  embarked  in  business  as  a 
dealer  in  dry  goods  and  millinery  under  the  firm 
name  of  Clark  &  Campbell,  which  connection  was 
continued  until  July,  1862,  when  our  subject  be- 
came sole  proprietor,  continuing  alone  until  I860, 
when  W.  II.  Meldrum  was  admitted  to  the  busi- 
ness. After  eight  months,  the  style  was  again 
changed  to  C.  C.  Campbell  &  Co.  and  the  Store  was 
run  under  that  name  until  1  S(>7  when  it  became 
known  as  Davis,  Johnston  &  Co.,  Mr.  Campbell  be- 
ing the  silent  partner.  He  continued  his  connection 
with  the  business  until  1870,  when  he  retired,  and 
the  firm  was  merged  into  that  of  Johnston  A:  Hurt- 
on.  The  store  is  now  the  property  of  David  Job  1 
ston  and  is  the  oldest,  and  has  always  been  the  lead- 
ing establishment  of  the  kind  in  Bunker  Hill.  Mr. 
Campbell  possesss  the  qualities  of  ;■  successful 
merchant,  being  pleasant  and  genial  in  manner, 
thrifty  and  enterprising  and  straightforward  and 
honest  in  all   his  dealings.     On   quitting  the  store 

he  engaged    in   the    real-estate    business    for    so 

years  but  is  now  practically  living  a  retired  life. 
He  has  been  very  successful  in  all  his  undertakings, 
having  done  business  to  the  amount  of  $100,000 
annually.  About  1866,  with  a  number  of  the  lead- 
ing citizens  of  Bunker  Hill,  a  public  library  scheme 

was  put  on  foot  as  the  result  of  a  suggesti lie 

part  of  Mr.  Campbell.  For  the  purpose  of  organ- 
izing a  meeting  was  called  and  he  was  made  its 
secretary.  As  the  result  Bunker  Hill  has  now  an 
excellent  public  library  and  of  the  association  he 
has  served  as  trustee  and  treasurer  during  almost 
its  entire  existence. 

On  the  22nd  of  October,  1862.  in  the  citj  where 
he  makes  his  home,  Mr.  Campbell  and  Miss  Henri- 
etta Williams  were  united  in  the  holy  bonds  of 
matrimony.  The  lady  was  born  in  Covington, 
Ind.,  February  11.  1843.  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Abraham  and  Catherine  (Luke,  Williams,  who 
were  born,  reared  and  married  in  Kentucky,  and 
afterward  removed  to  Indiana,  from  whence  they 
came  with  their  family  to  Illinois  in  1850,  locating 
in  Alton,  where  the  father  died  the  following  year. 
Mrs.  Willliams  afterward  came  to  Bunker  Hill, 
where  she  died   October    12,    1870,  at  the  age  of 


seventy  years,  in  the  faith  of  the  Methodist  Church 
of  which  she  had  long  been  a  member.  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell received  liberal  educational  advantages,  having 
pursued  her  studies  in  the  academy  of  Lower  Alton 
and  the  Bunker  Hill  Academy,  and  is  an  intelligent, 
refined  and  cultured  lady  who  moves  in  the  best 
circles  of  society  and  is  held  in  high  esteem.  She 
remained  at  home  until  her  marriage,  which  has 
been  graced  by  three  children — Roena  Catherine, 
.1  graduate  of  Almira  College,  and  wife  of  R.  E. 
Dorsey,  an  attorney  of  Staunton;  Charles  Edward, 
a  student  of  Shurtleff  College  and  now  connected 
with  the  Colorado  Packing  Co.  of  Denver,  Coi.: 
and  Henrietta  Maude  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Con- 
servatory  and  literary  course  of  Shurtleff  in  Upper 
Alton.  Mr.  Campbell,  his  wife  and  children  are 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  in  which  he  holds 
the  position  of  Deacon  and  in  the  Sunday-school 
he  has  served  as  Superintendent  for  thirteen  years. 
His  life  has  been  a  busy  and  useful  one,  yet  he 
has  found  time  to  devote  to  public  interests, 
having  served  as  Township  Treasurer  for  some 
years  and  as  city  Councilman  for  two  terms,  lie 
has  taken  an  active  part  in  local  political  affairs 
and  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  Republican  principles. 
His  business  associates  speak  of  Mr.  Campbell  as 
an  upright  and  progressive  man  but  we  learn  of  a 
different  phase  of  his  character  from  the  poor  and 
need,  who  number  him  among  their  best  friends 
and  his  associates  in  the  church  know  him  to  be  a 
consistent  Christian  gentleman. 


BRA  HAM     O.    KABLE.     The    owner    of 
(•■/    I     the   pleasant  farm    located   on   section    15, 


North  Otter  Township,  is  he  whose  name 
qJ  is  at  the  head  of  this  sketch.     He  is  the 

son  of  James  and  Susan  (Garver)  Kable,  of  whom 
a  history  may  be  found  under  the  sketch  of  James 
Kable.  in  another  part  of  this  Recohi>.  Our  subject 
was  the  second  son  and  fourth  child  born  to  his 
parents  and  iiis  advent  into  the  world  was  made 
December  16,  1844,  in  Ohio.  He  there  grew  to 
manhood,  receiving  the  educational  advantages  to 
be  acquired  in  the  district  schools  of  the  vicinity 


PORTRAIT  AND   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


88S 


.and    in    March    1864,  came  to    Macoupin   Counts 
with  liis  parents. 

Our  subject  continued  to  make  his  borne  under 
the  parental  roof,  helping  his  father  with  the  de- 
velopment of  the  new  farm  until  he  was  married, 
going  back  to  the  Buckeye  State  to  get  liis  hride. 
Their  nuptials  were  solemnized  in  Troy, Ohio,  Feb- 
ruary 8.  1866,  the  lady  being  Miss  Mattie  C.  Staf- 
ford, a  daughter  of  George  P.  and  Elizabeth  (  rum 
phrey  )  Stafford.  They  were  early  settlers  in  Miami 
County,  Ohio,  going  there  from  Pennsylvania  and 
there  the  decease  of  the  mother  took  place,  August 
14,  184(5.  when  only  twenty-six  years  of  age;  the 
father  still  survives.  That  union  was  lilest  by  the 
advent  of  three  children  of  whom  Mis.  Kable  is 
the  youngest.  She  was  bom  in  Miami  County, 
Ohio,  October  18,  1845. 

Immediately  after  the  marriage  of  the  young 
people  they  proceeded  to  this  State  and  settled  in 
North  Otter  Township  where  they  have  ever  since 
been  residents.  Our  subject  has  always  been  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits,  his  place  being  de- 
voted to  general  farming,  although  paying  a  good 
deal  of  attention  to  stock-raising.  He  is  the  owner 
of  a  line  farm  comprising  between  four  hundred 
and  five  hundred  acres.  His  residence  is  commo- 
dious and  comfortable.  His  barns  are  weatherproof 
and  his  granaries  and  outbuildings  capacious. 

Mr.   and    Mrs.  Kable    are   the    parents    of  f 

children  whose  names  are  George  J.,  Mary  E., 
Carrie  M.  and  Eva  M.  Mary  E.  is  now  the  wife  of 
William  Wallace;  Carrie  M.  married  William  Aide 
son.  Mr.  Kable  has  been  the  incumbent  of  various 
minor  offices  in  the  township.  He  and  his  wife  and 
their  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church. 


ENRY  BAKER  is  one  of  the  leading  and 
most  successful  English-American  farmers 
and    stock  raisers  of     Brighton    Township. 

where  he  owns  a  very  beautiful  farm  of 
One  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  all  of  which  is  highly 
improved,  and  where  he  has  a  beautiful  residence 
that  is  conspicuous  for  its  completeness  of  finish 


and  detail.  There  are  also  fine  barns  and  outbuild- 
in--,  which  have  been  erected  by  himself,  for  this 
has  been    his    home  since    I860.      He    has    besides 

some  good  land  in  Bunker  Hill  Township.  Mr. 
Baker's  advent  to  this  county  was  made  in  1856. 
He   lived    for  one  year  in   Chesterfield    Township 

and  three  years  in  W Iburn,  and  then  came  into 

Brighton  Township  and  purchased  the  place  where 
he  now  resides.  He  came  from  England  to  this 
country  in   1855. 

Mr.  Baker  w.is  limn  in  Somersetshire,  England, 
at  South  Pothering,  May  27.  1889.  lie  conies  of 
a  good  English  family  of  pure  stork.  His  father 
was  Joseph  Baker,  a  native  of  Somersetshire,  and 
our  subject's  grandparents  were  natives  of  the 
same  shire,  being  farmers,  and  there  spending  all 
their  lives.  Ilis  grandfather  (lied  when  a  very  old 
man,  upwards  of  four-score  years.  Our  subject's 
grandmother  was  in  her  maiden  days  Miss  Mary 
Pittman,  a  daughter  of  William  Pittman,  an  Eng- 
lish farmer,  who  lived  and  died  in  his  native 
shire,  lie  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  having 
been   four  times   married  outlived  all   his  wives. 

Mrs.  Baker,  mother  of  our  subject,  survived 
her  husband  Joseph  Baker,  and  died  a  very  old 
lady.  Our  subject  is  the  youngest  of  the  family 
born  to  his  parents  and  one  of  three  to  emigrate 
to  this  country.  His  brother  John  is  now  in  Texas 
and  a  sister,  who  is  Mrs.  .lob  Keirl.  lives  in  Bunker 
Hill   Township.      The   orginal   of   our  sketch   grew 

up  in   his  native  shire,  and  there    received  a  g I 

English  education,  after  which  he  learned  the 
baker's  trade  and  worked  at  it  until  he  came  to 
this  country,  being  eighteen  years  of  age  when  he 
made  the  momentous  decision  to  leave  his  home. 
He  left  Liverpool  on  a  steamer,  and  landing  at 
New  York  City,  came  thence  to  Illinois  and  im- 
mediately proceeded  to  Chesterfield  Township,  Ma- 
coupin  County. 

In  187;')  Mr.  Baker  returned  to  his  old  home  in 
England  and  there  enjoyed  a  delightful  visit  of 
six  months'  duration  with  the  friends  and  relatives 
of  his  childhood.  His  marriage  took  place  in  Ma- 
coupin County  and  his  bride  was  Mrs.  Emma 
Lockyer,  nee  Barnstable.  She  was  born  in  Somer- 
setshire, England,  about  1826.  Her  parents  lived 
and  died  in  their    native    land,  where  our   subject's 


886 


PORTRAIT  AND  IilOGRA  PHICAL  RECORD. 


wife  was  first  married  to  Richard  Loekgar,  after 
which  they  at  once  came  to  the  United  States  and 
located  in  Woodhurn,  this  county,  and  there  was 
born  one  child,  a  daughter,  who  is  now  Mrs.  Will- 
iam Ileal,  of  whom  a  fuller  sketch  may  be  found 
in  her  biography  in  another  portion  of  this  Rec- 
ord. Mr.  Loekyer  died  in  the  prime  of  life,  and 
some  time  after  the  death  of  her  first  husband  she 
was  united  to  our  subject,  and  she  was  to  him 
until  death  a  dutiful  and  loving  wife.  Her  de- 
cease occurred  at  their  home  in  this  township  Jan- 
uary 27,  1835.  She  was  wetland  favorably  known 
here,  and  those  who  knew  her  the  best  were  as- 
sured of  her  nobility  of  character.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Baker  were  the  parents  of  one  son,  William  .1. 

William  J.  Baker  took  to  wife  Miss  Minnie 
Wayman,  of  this  county.  They  now  live  in  Ches- 
terfield Township,  and  are  there  prominent  agri- 
culturists. Mr.  Baker  is  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Congregational  Church  of  Woodburn,  this 
State,  as  was  his  wife  during  her  lifetime.  Our 
subject  has  lieen  one  of  the  Trustees  for  many 
years.  A  Republican  in  politics,  the  original  of 
our  sketch  is  not  in  any  sense  an  office-seeker. 

— » «-*-» <— 

HEO.  I..  SPANGENBERG.  This  gentleman 
is  entitled  to  be  called  an  old  resident  of 
'J  Bunker  Hill,  as  he  took  up  \\\>  abode  here  in 
1859.  For  some  years  he  was  engaged  in  mercan- 
tile pursuits,  but  in  1866  he  established  an  office 
for  the  Milwaukee  Mechanics  Insurance  Company, 
which  he  still  represents.  After  some  years  as  a 
local  agent  he  took  the  State  agency  and  for  fifteen 
years  past  his  work  has  extended  over  the  State 
and  into  Indiana  and  Missouri.  He  acts  as  adjus- 
ter of  claims  for  the  company-  and  his  continuance 
in  their  service  is  proof  of  his  faithfulness,  and  his 
wisdom  in  regulating  matters  that  come  within  his 
province. 

Mr.  Spangenberg  traces  his  descent  from  highly- 
respectable  German  families.  His  father,  Col.  An- 
ton Spangenberger.  a  native  of  Hesse-Cassel,  was 
in  the  employ  of  the  German  goverment,  hav- 
ing control  of  the  building  of  houses  and  making 


plans  for  the  same  in  a  large  territory.  His  posi- 
tion was  an  important  one.  and  he  had  a  large  corps 
of  subordinates.  He  lived  to  an  advanced  age. 
dying  in  his  native  land  when  eighty  five  years  old. 
lie  was  a  finely  educated  man.  having  received  his 
instruction  in  the  noted  town  of  Jena.  His  father 
in  turn  was  a  prominent  minister  of  the  German 
Reformed  Church,  and  the  name  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Spangenberg  is  recalled  by  the  dwellers  of  Hesse- 
Cassel  as  that  of  one  who  did  much  'or  the  people 
with  whom  he  labored.  Anton  Spangenberg  mar 
ried  Wilhelmina  Heuser,  a  native  of  the  same 
Duchy  as  himself  and  one  who  possessed  the  estim- 
able  traits  of  ancestors  of  good  blood.  She  died 
-omc  ten  years  before  her  husband,  when  sixty- 
scven  years  old.  she  was  a  life-long  member  of 
the    Reformed   Church. 

The  parental  family  consisted  of  five  sons  and 
daughters,  and  but  two  died  before  reaching  matu- 
rity. Six  arc  still  living,  all  in  their  native  land, 
ex<  ept  our  subject.  Another  son,  Charles,  came  to 
the  United  States,  but  died  in  Milwaukee,  Wis., 
after  his  marriage.  Another  brother,  George,  a 
promising  young  man.  had  just  received  a  Gov- 
ernment appointment  as  architect  when  he  was 
killed  by  falling  from  a.  sugar  refinery  he  had  in 
process  of  erection.  His  death  at  the  earl}-  age  of 
twenty -three  years,  was  the  most  severe  blow  that 
ever  befell  the  parents.  The  father,  while  actively 
engaged  in  the  Prussian  army,  participated  in  the 
first  French  War,  from  1812  to  1817,  and  fought 
against  Napoleon's  forces  on  several  hotly  contested 
fields. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  born  in  Esehwege, 
llesse-Cassel.  Germany,  July  1.  1833,  and  was  care- 
fully reared  and  highly  educated.  He  took  an 
advanced  course  of  study  ir.  the  University  -of 
Hanover  at  Goettingen,  and  after  his  graduation 
set  out  for  America.  He  took  passage  at  Bremer- 
Haven  in  March,  1852,  and  after  a  voyage  of  some 
two  months  on  a  sailing  vessel,  landed  in  New 
York  City.  He  went  directly  to  Ohio  where  he 
visited  an  old  friend  of  his  father's,  who  was  an 
ex-minister  from  Hesse.  Thence  he  came  West  to 
Milwaukee,  Wis.,  and  after  some  years  made  his 
home  in  this  county.  He  has  traveled  quite  exten- 
sively, especially  over  this  State,  and  is  very  obser- 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


B85 


ving  of  manners  and  customs  wherever  be  goes. 
He  is  an  excellent  business  man.  a  good  citizen  and 
one  whose  life  is  upright   and    character  excellent. 

In  the  town  of  Shelby.ville,  111.,  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  Spangenberg  and  Miss  Theresa  Ilhardl  was 
solemnized.  The  bride  was  born  in  Prussia,  Sep- 
tember 30,  1889,  and  was  about  seventeen  years 
old  when  she  came  to  America.  Her  parents  were 
Ernest  and  Fredericks  (Meister)  Ilhardl,  the  lat- 
ter  of  whom  died  in  the  Fatherland.  The  father, 
after  his  emigration,  made  his  home  in  Milwaukee, 
Wis.,  and  spent  his  last  years  in  retirement  there. 
Id  his  early  days  he  had  been  a  man  of  prominence 
where  he  lived,  and  lie  and  his  wife  were  honored 
members  of  the  Reformed  Church.  He  was  eighty- 
six  years  old  when  called  hence.  His  daughter, 
Mrs.  Spangenberg  was  the  recipient  of  good  privi- 
leges and  careful  heme  training,  and  is  a  bright, 
intelligent  lady,  refined  and  agreeable.and  possess- 
ing all  the  housewifely  ability  of  the  race  from 
which  she  sprang.  She  has  two  children — William 
E.,  now  book-keeper  for  the  Milwaukee  Mechanics 
and  German  Insurance  Companies,  in  Chicago,  and 
Lulu  M.,  an  accomplished  young  lady,  who  bright- 
ens her  parents'  home.  Both  were  educated  in 
Bunker  Hill,  and  the  son  completed  the  academic 
course. 

The  first  Presidential  vote  cast  by  Mr.  Spangen- 
berg was  for  Gen.  Fremont,  and  he  has  generally 
thrown  his  influence  with  the  Republican  party. 
He  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  belonging  to  Charter  Oak 
Lodge.  No.  258,  of  Bunker  Hill. 

RANK   MERRILL.     Among  the  energetic 

young  citizens  of  Brighton  prominent 
mention  belongs  to  this  gentleman,  who  is 
well  known  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Cliapin  A- 
Men  ill,  editors  and  proprietors  of  the  Brighton 
News  Of  Brighton.  111.  Mr.  Cliapin,  the  senior 
member,  resides  in  St.  Louis  and  is  district  organ- 
izer of  the  fraternity  of  Financial  Co-operation. 
Mr.  Merrill  as  local  manager  and  editor,  is  largely 
responsible  for  the  success  of  the  paper,  and  since 
his  first  connection  with  it,  in    1891,  he    lias    made 


Some  valuable  iinprox  i  in.  nts  and  infused  new  ideas 
in  it.  The  Brighton  News  is  a  five-column  folio 
and  having  a  good  circulation,  justly  ranks  among 
the  most  prominent  local  papers  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Merrill  is  a  practical  newspaper  man  and  a 
printer,  and  while  yet  a  minor  has  evinced  the 
possession  of  considerable  executive  ability  and 
gooil  judgment.  Prior  to  coining  to  this  place  to 
enter  upon  his  present  enterprise  be  was  employed 
on  The  Latest,  a  Chicago  paper  published  in  the 
interests  of  the  printers' trade.  Young  and  ener- 
getic, a  close  observer,  quick  in  formulating  plans 
and  prompt  in  executing  I  hem,  he  has  a  bright  fu- 
ture awaiting  him  in  the  field  of  journalism.  His 
political  belief  coincides  with  the  principles  pro- 
mulgated by  the  Democratic  party,  but  his  paper  is 
independent. 


§-*-^  — 


ENRY     ARKEBAUKR,    a     successful    and 

thrifty  German  of  the  village  of  Mt. 
Olive  and  doing  business  as  a  dealer  in 
wines  and  liquors,  is  located  on  the  corner 
of  Main  and  Oak  Streets,  at  which  place  he  built 
up  his  house  and  started  in  business  in  1878  and 
has  since  remained  at  this  stand.  He  is  a  thorough- 
going   business    ma id  has  made    of    his  calling 

a  respectable  one  of  the  kind.  Our  subject  has 
spent  most  of  bis  life  in  this  town  and  vicinity. 
lb-  was  born  in  Alton,  III.,  March  1,  1852. 

Mr.  Arkebauer's  parents  were  born  in  Hanover, 
Germany.  Mr.  Arkebauer,  Sr..  was  born  of  Ger- 
man parents,  who  lived  and  died  in  the  Kingdom 
of  Hanover  and  when  be  was  a  young  man  just  of 
age  he  set  out  for  the  United  States,  crossing  the 
ocean  in  a  sailing  vessel,  and  in  1846  landed  in 
New  Orleans.  Thence  lie  went  up  the  Mississippi 
River  to  St.  Louis  and  from  that  point  to  Alton, 
where  be  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  O.  Gusthouse, 
who  was  a  native  of  the  same  province  as  was  her 
husband.  She  was  the  only  member  of  her  family 
who  ventured  to  the  United  States,  coming  here 
in  the  '40s  when  quite  young. 

After  their  marriage  our  subject's  parents  moved 
to  Jersey ville,  where  the  mother  died  in  ls.r>->,  be- 


888 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


ing  then  still  quite  young,  only  twenty-two  years 
of  age.  .She  left  two  children — he  of  whom  we 
write  and  a  brother  J.  II.,  who  died  in  18;")  1  while 
still  a  child.  The  husband  was  a  second  time  mar- 
ried, his  choice  being  Miss  Anna  C.  Shaupff,  a 
German  lady  who  resided  in  Jersey ville.  There 
she  died  about  a  year  later,  in  1854,  while  yet  a 
voungwoman.  She  left  one  child  who  is  now  Mrs. 
Mary  Schutt  of  Ramsey.  111.  Mr.  Arkebauer.  Si.. 
died  in  1858  at  Jersey  ville,  being  then  only  thirty- 
two  or  three  years  of  age. 

The  original  of  our  sketch  when  six  years  of  age 
having  lost  his  mother  and  step-mother  was  brought 
to  Mt.  Olive  Township,  this  county,  and  reared 
by  kinsmen  until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  set  out  on  his  own  account  and  since  that 
lime  has  made  his  own  livelihood.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Montgomery  County  t"  Miss  Minnie  MiliVi, 
who  was  born  in  Madison  County,  but  was  reared 
for  the  most  part  in  Montgomery  County,  win-re 
her  parents  now  live  and  are  engaged  as  fanners, 
being  now  aged  respectively  sixty-eight  and  fifty  • 
four  years.  They  were  formerly  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  but  are  now  communicants  of 
the  Baptist  faith.  Our  subject  and  his  wife  attend 
the  Lutheran  Church  and  are  prominent  young 
people  who  stand  well  in  society  at  this  place.  Mr. 
Arkebauer  is  an  active  member  of  the  Republican 
party.  Our  subject  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of 
two  children — George  B.  and  Annie  G. 


fkA  ASHACK  CROUCH.     The    calling    of    a 
///      IV    f"1'111''1' has  been  considered  honorable  from 
I       Hi  the  earliest  da>s,  and  it  was  perhaps  a  mit- 
^  igation  of  the  punishment   by    which    our 

first  parents  were  ejected  from  the  garden  that  the 
tilling  of  the  soil  and  the  making  of  the  land  pro- 
ductive should  be  theirs,  for  surely  there  is  no 
way  of  coming  nearer  to  the  great  Creator  than 
m  watching  the  development  of  the  e-mail  as  well 
as  the  great  things  in  Nature.  A  blade  of  wheat 
unfolding  under  the  summer  sun  is  a  promise  of 
the  goodness  and  greatness  of  the  Father.  It  is 
indeed  a  divine  trust  and   he   who  discharges  the 


trust  faithfully  and  well  is  as  great  as  he  who  gov- 
erns nations.  Our  subject  is  one  of  the  favored 
class,  being  the  owner  of  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  of  fine  farm  land  on  sections  23,  26  and  27. 
South  Otter  Township,  which  tract  he  has  devel- 
oped until  it  is  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 

Our  subject  is  a  native  of  East  Tennessee  where 
he  was  born  November  5,  1833.  There  he  re- 
mained until  he  had  attained  to  years  of  manhood. 
In  1850  he  felt  that  a  change  of  location  would  be 
beneficial  in  a  pecuniary  way,  and  came  to  Macou- 
pin County,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided  with 
I  In-  exception  of  four  years  passed  in  Fayette  and 
Macon  Counties.  As  a  lad  our  subject  was  reared 
on  a  farm  and  brought  up  with  more  perfect 
knowledge  of  this  pursuit  than  of  any  other.  Nat- 
urally bright  and  intelligent  he  was  quick  to  see 
what  Nature  made  advantage  of,  and  therein  lies 
the  secret  of  his   success. 

Since  coining  to  this  State  Mr.  Crouch  has 
bought  and  sold  several  different  tracts  of  lair'. 
These  he  has  successively  improved  and  disposed 
of,  and  his  present  line  farm  which  is  the  site  of  a 
good  residence  and  outbuildings  in  the  best  of  con- 
ditions, is  one  of  the  most  desirable  in  the  town- 
ship. Before  coming  to  this  State  Mr.  Crouch  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Malinda  Rice,  by  whom  he 
had  one  child,  a  son,  named  James  H.  who  married 
Miss  Martha  Moore.  Mr.  Crouch's  wife,  Malinda, 
died  in  Macoupin  County,  and  he  has  a  second 
time  united  to  a  lady  whose  name  was  Lucretia  J. 
Hart.  By  her  he  had  five  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters. T,heir  names  are  respectively:  William  N., 
Rebecca.  Miry,  John  M.,  Albert  M.,  Millard, 
Sarah  M.,  Minda,  Mnshack.  The  eldest  son  was 
earl-,-  married  to  a  lady  whose  maiden  name  was 
Alice  New.  Rebecca  became  the  wife  of  William 
Conley;  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Edward  Clarady;  John 
and  Albert  M.  married  respectively;  Jane  Lacock, 
and  Jane  Layer.  Millard  took  to  wife  Lena  Wiz- 
zard;  Sarah  M..  is  the  wife  of  A.  Butler;  Minda 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Henry  Campbell. 

Mrs.  Lucretia  J.  Crouch  passed  away  from  this 
life  in  South  Otter  Township.  January  13,  1875. 
Mr.  Crouch  again  contracted  himself  in  marriage 
this  time  to  Winnie  Clarady  who  died  in  South 
Otter  Township,  after  but  a  short  time  of   marital 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


889 


experience.  The  gentleman's  present  wife  was 
Mrs.  Margaret  (Shipp)  Jeter,  formerly  wife  of 
George  Jeter,  by  whom  she  was  the  mother  of  two 
children,  Noah,  who  died  when   six   and   one  half 

years  old  and  Ella. 

Mr.  Crouch  is  an  adherent  of  the  Democratic 
party,  favoring  its  platform  of  free  trade  as  he  con- 
siders that  most  favorable  to  the  agricultural  fra- 
ternity. Under  his  party  he  lias  filled  offices  of  High 
way  Commissioner  and  School  Director  very  satis- 
factorily to  his  constituents.  Socially,  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  lh<  Farmers'  Mutual  Benefit  Association. 
Mrs.  Crouch  is  a  member  in  good  standing  of  the 
Christian  Church. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  William  Crouch 
who  was  born  in  North  Carolina  and  was  married 
in  Tennessee,  his  wife's  maiden  name  being  Re- 
becca Tipton.  She  was  the  mother  of  our  subject. 
Both  parents  passed  away  in  Tennessee.  They  had 
twelve  children  of  whom  our  subject  was  one  of 
the  junior  members  of  the  family.  Our  subject's 
paternal  grandfather  was  Solomon  Crouch,  who 
also  died  in  East  Tennessee.  The  home  of  Ihe 
gentleman  of  whom  we  write  is  characterized  by 
the  geniality  and  hospitality  that  are  always  un- 
derstood to  be  inherent  traits  of  Southern  charac- 
ter. He  is  popular  with  his  townsmen  and  is  a 
useful  and  an  interested  member  in  the  community. 


-I—    (fS^-  • 


'  AMES  W.  GIBSON.  There  is  probably  no 
family  in  Virden  Township  more  thoroughly 
in  sympathy  with  the  most  progressive 
I  movements  of  the  day.  both  social,  religious 
and  educational  than  that  which  is  represented  by 
the  name  which  appears  at  the  head  of  this  sketch. 
For  the  early  history  of  the  family  the  reader  is 
referred  to  the  biography  of  C.  C.  Gibson,  of 
Girard  Township  which  is  to  be  found  on  another 
page  of  this  Record. 

Our  subject,  who  is  the  eldest  son  of  his  father's 
family  was  born  in  Morgan  County,  111.,  January 
9,  1847,  and  was  about  eighteen  years  old  when  his 
parents    removed    to   Macoupin   County.      He  re- 


mained under  the  pallidal  roof  until  the  date  of 
his  marriage  and  has  continued  to  make  his  home 
in  this  county.  Agriculture  has  evei  been  his  life 
work  and  upon  his  father's  farm  when  he  was  a  boj 
lie  received  thai  careful  drill  which  has  given  to 
him  the  success  which  is  now  his.  lb  received 
such  educational  advantages  as  bis  parents  could 
give  him  and  made  such  abundant  use  of  them  as 
to  fit  him  for  an  intelligent  manhood  and  a  life  of 
usefulness. 

The  happy  marriage  daj  of  James  Gibson  and 
Alary  M.  Wright,  was  February  27,  1868  and  this 
union  was  solemnized  in  Virden  Township  at  the 
home  of  tin'  bride's  parents,  Preston  and  Susan 
(Dawson)  Wright.  'Ihe  lather  of  Preston  Wright 
was  Allen  Wright,  who  was  born  November  26, 
1789,  probably  in  Hart  County,  Ivy.,  and  died  De- 
cember 17.  1855,  in  the  same  county.  He  took  an 
active  part  in  religious  work  and  was  an  earnest  and 
consecrated  member  of  the  Methodist  Church.  His 
wife,  who  bore  the  name  of  Hannah  Peebles  and 
was  also  a  native  id'  Kentucky,  was  born  July  30, 
1793.  and  died  in  Hart  County.  Ky..  September 
12,  1854,  having  been  the  mother  of  a  large  family. 
She  was  a  woman  earnestly  devoted  to  her  relig- 
ious work  and  a  consistent  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church. 

The  father  of  Susan  Dawson  (the  mother  of  Mrs. 
Gibson)  was  Thomas  T.  Dawson,  a  native  of  Bed- 
ford County.  Va.,  where  he  was  born  February  19, 
1792.  He  was  Ihe  son  of  a  native  of  Normandy. 
France,  who  died  in  Virginia.  Thomas  Dawson 
was  a  man  of  wealth  and  his  last  days  ended  in 
Hail  County.  Ky.,  Decembei  8,  1879.  The  mother 
of  Susan  Dawson  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Nancy 
Fitzhugb,  ami  her  natal  day  was  August  I.  1791. 
She  pas-ed  from  earth  in  Halt  County.  Ky..  June 
■>:>,  1883.  Mrs.  Gibson  is  thus  honorably  connected 
with  a  number  of  the  i t  highlj  respected  and  in- 
telligent families  of  Kentucky  in  the  early  days  and 
it  is  not  too  much  s:i\  that  in  her  own  life  and  eon- 
duct  she  abundantly  fulllils  the  record  which  might 
be  expected  of  one  who  is  30 descended.  Her  par- 
rents  were  married  in  Kentucky  and  removed  from 
that  State  10  this  in  the  fall  of  1849,  making  their 
home  in  Virden  Township,  where  the  mother  died. 
Tlie  father  long  survived  but  finally  passed  away 


890 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


June  29,  1888.  He  was  a  prominent  man  in  every 
circle  and  for  many  years  acted  as  School  Director 
most  efficiently  and  advantageously. 

The  German  Baptist  Brethren  Church  is  the  re- 
ligious bod)  with  which  this  couple  have  been 
long  united  and  for  a  number  of  years  -Mrs.  Gibson 
has  been  largely  connected  with  church  work  in  the 
direction  of  the  development  and  religious  training 
of  the  little  folks.  Her  truly  maternal  heart  has 
found  in  this  work  what  she  loves  best  and  the 
sphere  of  activity  in  which  she  can  do  the  most 
good  and  ii  is  indeed  a  blessing  to  the  community 
that  one  so  wise  and  judicious  should  be  bending 
her  energies  to  the  best  method  of  developing  the 
religious  life  of  the  children  of  the  church  that 
they  may  grow  into  systematic  and  beautiful  Chris- 
tian lives. 

This  family  occupies  the  old  homestead  of  the 
late  Preston  Wright,  comprising  some  one  hundred 
acres  of  finely  improved  land.  Upon  it  is  a  beau- 
tiful residence  that  is  delightfully  surrounded  and 
within  the  walle  may  be  found  a  harmonious  home 
and  the  abode  of  true  hospitality.  This  public- 
spirited  man  has  ever  taken  a  great  interest  in  all 
matters  of  public  note. 

In  this  connection  we  give  more  fully  the  ances- 
tral history  of  Mrs.  Gibson.  John  Wright,  her 
great  grandfather,  was  born  in  1760  anrl  died  in 
1839,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine.  His  wife,  Phebe. 
was  born  in  1754.  and  passed  from  earth  in  1826  at 
the  age  of  seventy-two.  Their  family  comprised 
eight  children — Vincent.  Allen,  Carter,  John,  Nicy. 
Elizabeth,  Sarah  and  Anice.  The  second  son, 
Allen,  was  born  November  20.  lT.s'.h  and  died  De- 
cember 17,  1855.  He  married  a  lady  whose  maiden 
name  was  Hannah  Peebles,  and  who  emigrated 
from  South  Carolina  to  Hart  County.  Ky.  she  was 
born  July  30,  1793,  and  closed  her  eyes  on  the 
scenes  of  earth  September  12,1854.  Eleven  chii- 
came  to  bless  their  home,  viz:  John,  born  October 
21,  1811  ;  Elizabeth,  July  15.  1813;  Sallie,  August 
9,  1815 ;  Carter,  June  9,  1M7:  Lewis.  December 
14,  1819;  Preston,  June  8,  1822;  Blalchley.  Au- 
gust 31,  1824;  Phebe,  March  2,  1827;  William,  De- 
cember 29,  1829;  Robert,  February  26,  1832,  and 
David,  April  29,  1835. 

Mrs.    Gibson's  great-grandfathers    Wright   and 


Lee,  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  the 
former  with  his  son  owned  mills  and  operated  as  a 
farmer.  Great-grandfather  Peebles  and  his  wife 
reared  a  family  of  children  whose  names  were: 
Abram,  Jessie,  Bird,  John,  Mary,  Hannah  and 
Betsy.  Preston  Wright,  the  fourth  son  of  Allen 
and  Hannah  Wright,  was  born  in  Hart  County, 
Ky..  June  8,  1822,  and  died  January  31.  1888, 
aged  sixty-five  years,  seven  months  and  twenty-two 
days.  A  man  of  honest  principles,  he  was  liberal 
to  the  poor  and  kind  to  all  His  wife,  Susan,  was 
born  in  Hart  County,  Ky.,  May  3,  1822,  near  Mun- 
fordsville,  in  a  two-story  brick  residence  along  the 
pike  road  leading  from  Louisville  to  Munfords- 
ville.  She  was  a  noble  woman,  with  fine  brain 
power,  somewhat  poetical,  generous,  kind-hearted, 
devoted  to  her  husband  and  children,  religious, 
temperate  in  all  things,  and  naturally  was  highly 
esteemed  by  all  who  knew  her.  Her  death  occurred 
October  3,  1865,  and  was  very  sudden,  with  but  a 
few  moments  warning  to  husband  and  children. 

Going  back  four  generations  in  the  Dawson  fam- 
ily we  find  it  originated  in  Normandy,  a  province 
of  France;  Mrs.  Gibson's  great-great-grandfather, 
Dawson  was  with  William  the  Conqueror  when  he 
subdued  England,  and  held  high  office  in  his  army, 
for  «  huh  bis  skill  and  bravery  especially  fitted  him. 
lie  possessed  commanding  talents,  and  was  a  Prot- 
estant. At  an  early  day  he  settled  in  Bedford 
County.  Va.,  and  laid  the  first  plank  Boor  in  Win- 
chester, Ya.  His  occupation  was  that  of  a  gun- 
smith, carpenter  and  warrior  Great  grandfather 
Dawson  was  born  in  Bedford  County,  Va.,  and  was 
a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War  under  Gen. 
Green.  He  was  a  Methodist  in  religion  and  lived 
to  a  good  old  age.  He  possessed  a  superb  phy- 
sique, being  over  six  feet  tall  and  a  well  propor- 
tioned man.  Late  in  life  he  removed  to  Kentucky. 
His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Nancy  Dollard, 
was  of  Scotch-Welsh  descent  and  also  attained  to 
great  age.  Her  temperament  was  poetic  and  her 
intellectual  abilities  of  a  superior  order.  Their 
eight  children  were  named — John,  Susan,  Thomas. 
Nancy,  Elizabeth,  Malinda,  Ransom  and  Boicy 
Ann.     All  were  Methodists. 

Thomas  Dawson,  the  grandfather  of  Mary  M. 
Gibson,  was  a  native  of  Bedford  County,  Va.,  and 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


801 


was  boni  in  1704.  He  accompanied  bis  father  to 
Kentucky  and  married  Nancy  Fitzhugh.  Totbem 
ten  children  were  born :  Elizabeth,  born  in  1812; 
Robert.  l814;Nancy,  1816;  Mary,  1818;  Jeremiah, 
1820;  Susan,  (Mrs.  Gibson's  mother)  1822;  Mar- 
tha, 1824  ;  Peter,  a  physician.  1826;  Malinda, 
Thomas.  I8S0.  The  mother  of  these  cliildren  was 
horn  in  Unit  County.  Ky.,  and  her  father.  I 
Fitzhugh,  served  in  Hie  Revolutionary  War  under 
Gen.  Green.  Peter  F'itzhugh's  family  comprised 
the  following  children:  John,  Gabriel,  George, 
Robert,  Saul.  Patsey.  Mary  ami  Nancy.  The  Fitz- 
liugh  family  was  English  by  descent,  a  noble  race. 
heroic  and  honorable,  and  several  members  were 
officers  in  the  Mexican  War  and  also  served  in  the 
late  rebellion. 

The  ceremony  which  uni'ed  the  destinies  of  Pros- 
ton  Wright  and  Susan  Dawson  was  performed  De- 
cember 14,1841.  and  thirteen  children  were  horn 
onto  them:  Nancy  .lane,  born  October  26,  1842; 
David  Allen.  January  2.  1844;  Sarah  Frances.  No- 
vember 16, 1846;  Carter  E..  May  31,  1848;  .Mary 
Margaret,  April  10,  1850;  an  infant  unnimed, 
July  6,  1851:  Malinda  Darinda,  July  26,  1852; 
Pliebe  C,  April  5.  1854:  Thomas  r.eii ton.  April  16, 
1856;  Almira  Reed,  June,  1858;  a  child  unnamed, 
November  20,  1859;  Arahello,  November  16,  I860; 
Carrie  A.,  February  10.  1805.  The  parents  re- 
moved from  Hart  County.  Kv..  to  .Macoupin 
County.  111.,  in  the  fall  of  1849,  accompanied  by 
their  four  children.  The  fourth  child.  Carter  C. 
died  the  day  they  arrived  with  friends  and  rela- 
tives at  Chesterfield.     After   visiting  there  a  short 

time  they  came  twenty  or    thirty  miles    thwest 

and  settled  upon  the  lint  prairie  land.  Preston 
Wright  and  his  brother  purchased  farms  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  each  at  *:i  per  acre  and 
built  log  houses  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  each 
other. 

At  that  time  deer,  wild  turkeys  and  poisonous 
reptiles  were  in  abundance,  ami  Preston  Wrighl 
broke  many  acres  of  the  prairie  land  in  and  annuel 
where  Virden  now  stands.  The  nearest  market  was 
Alton;  hogs  brought  from  two  to  three  cents  per 
pound,  and  wheat  from  seventy  five  to  eighty-five 
cents  per  bushel.  The  parents  endured  all  the 
hardships  incidents    to  frontier  life  and  the  present 


generation  is  now  enjoying   the  rich  blessings  of 

the  labor  Of  their  hands.  Five  cliildren  Mirvivc — 
Nancy  Jane.  Sarah  Frances,  Man  M..  Malinda  D.. 
and  Thomas  B.     The  four  daughters   arc   fanners' 

wives,     'l'h as  li.  is  a    Methodist   minister,   and 

prior  to  beginning  his  ministry  was  a  school  teacher 
receiving  the  highest  salaries  for  country  schools, 
$80  and  $85  per  mouth.  He  :s  a  good  exhortcr, 
a  splendid  singer-  ami  a  »  is  •  counselor  among  his 
Sock.  From  generation  to  generation  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Wrighl  family  have  licen  good  singers 
and  zealous  working  Christians  of  hones'  princi- 
ples. 

The  lady  who  became  the  wife  of  our  subject 
was  born  April  In.  1850,  and  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  James  W.  Gibson  February  27.  1868. 
This  being  1891  is  the  twenty-third  year  of  their 
wedded  life  and  during  the  past  ten  years  they 
have  resided    at   tin-  borne  of  Mrs.  Gibson's  child- 

li I  days,  which   is  as  lovely  a  spot  as  the  cms  of 

our  human  nature  ma\  behold.  Seven  children 
have  been     horn    to    bios    this    happy     union,     viz: 

ie  I!.,  horn  January  5.  1869;  Laura  I-;..  April 
1.  1872:  William  E.,  November  27.  1873;  Preston 
C,  September  25.  1875;  David  C.  September  20. 
L878;  Lemuel  F..  December  7.  1880,  and  Eva 
Lena,  September  29,  1884.  Laura  E.  died  at  the 
age  of  ten  months.  Carrie,  the  eldest  child,  com- 
menced teaching  school  at  the  age  of  nineteen  and 

i>  now.  at  twenty-two,  holding  a  first-grade  certifi- 
cate with  the  honor  of  getting tlie highest  grade  of 
any  one  in  the  county. 

Mrs.  Gibson  has  made  it  the  object  of  her  life  to 
work  for  Christ  and  Him  crucified,  striving  to 
honor  Him  in  word  or  i\vl-:\.  it  was  always  her 
longing  that  Christ  would  give  her  a  life-work  for 
His  >ake.  and  this  lie  did  when  she  was  thirty-sis 
year- old.  In  working  in  the  Childrens'  Mission 
in  behalf  of  the  German  Baptist  faith,  in  writing 
for  the  press,  addressing  the  children,  collecting 
pennies  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel  in  its  primi- 
tive purity  and  simplicity,  her  time  is  fully  occu- 
pied and  she  may  let  I  she  is  doing  something  in 
His  name  and  for  His  glory.      It  is  her  prayer  that 

the  g 1  work  may  go  on  and  be  kept  sacred  after 

all  that  is  mortal  of  her  shall  be  laid  away  in  the 
silent  earth.       It  has  been     her  delight  and  her  hiis- 


\ 


892 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


hand's  also  to  take  into  their  home  orphan  children 
and  rear  thcra  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of 
the  Lord,  together  with  their  own  children,  all  of 
whom  accepted  the  cross  of  Christ  in  their  youth- 
ful days. 


EV.  A.  ZURBONSEN  is  the  spiritual  direc- 
tor placed  over  the  St.  Michael's  Catholic 
■^  \\\  Church  of  Staunton,  Macoupin  County, 
^  and  has  held  the  pastorate  since  January 
12,  1888.  The  church  has  a  following  of  about 
one  hundred  heads  of  families  and  is  strong  in  every 
way,  the  parish  being  well  looked  after  by  its  able 
young  pastor.  Both  church  and  parsonage  are  first- 
class  structures,  perfect  in  all  their  appointments, 
the  former  containing  some  fine  works  of  nit,  wlii  se 
subjects  are  of  course  taken  from  the  Scriptures. 
The  buildings  were  erected  in  l.sdT.  under  the  di- 
rection of  Father  O'Hellenran,  who  founded  the 
church  and  laid  the  corner  stone,  but  the  edifice 
was  completed  by  his  successor  and  has  been  in 
good  running  order  ever  since,  although  our  sub- 
ject is  the  first  resident  priest  stationed  in  the  place, 
and  the  beautiful  parsonage  has  been  erected  under 
his  direction,  as  has  also  the  parochial  school  known 
as  St.  Michael's  School.  This  last  named  institu- 
tion has  an  enrolled  membership  of  one  hundred 
pupils  in  daily  attendance. 

Father  Zurbronsen,  since  coming  heie,  has  estab- 
lished a  new  parish  at  Mt.  Olive  known  as  the 
Church  of  the  Assumption,  which  was  dedicated 
January  1,  1891,  with  a  charter  membership  of 
sixty-five  families.  The  pastor  has  not  spared  him- 
self as  a  worker  since  coming  here,  having  followed 
the  precepts  set  by  the  Master.  Although  yet  a 
young  man  our  subject  has  entered  his  work  with 
such  a  love  and  desire  to  accomplish  much  that  he 
has  lived  a  long  life  as  accounted  by  the  amount 
he  has  accomplished.  The  property  over  which  he 
has  an  ecclesiastic  jurisdiction  is  now  entirely  free 
from  debt  and  this  is  due  to  the  efforts  of  him  of 
whom  we  write. 

Prior  to  coming  here  the  original  of  our  sketch 
was   stationed    at   Grand  Fork.   Madison    County, 


111., where  he  had  charge  of  the  St.  Gertrude  Church 
and  also  of  the  school  of  the  same  name  and  this 
was  the  first  parish  of  which  he  took  charge,  hav- 
ing taken  orders  in  1885  under  the  late  Arch- 
Bishop  Ileiss  of  Milwaukee  after  which  he  was  at 
once  assigned  to  the  parish  of  Grand  Fork,  111. 
Father  Zurbronsen  is  a  graduate  in  the  classical 
course  in  the  seminary  at  Metropolis,  111.,  finishing 
with  the  Class  of  '80.  Me  later  made  a  speciality 
of  the  study  of  philosophy  at  Montreal,  Canada, and 
graduated  in  that  branch  in  1882.  Later  he  entered 
the  St.  Francis  Seminary  at  Milwaukee  and  com- 
pleted his  theological  course  in  1885,  soon  after 
taking  orders  and  was  licensed  to  preach  the  same 
year,  as  before  stated. 

Our  subject  was  reared  and  educated  in  this 
country,  having  come  hither  when  a  small  child 
from  Germany.  The  reverend  gentleman  is  a 
skilled  linguist,  being  master  of  French,  German 
and  English.  He  comes  of  good  parentage  and  has 
been  well  reared  and  carefully  educated.  He  is  a 
broad-minded  man  to  whom  thedogmas  of  religion 
must  appear  broad  before  he  can  accept  them, 
lie  is  a  genial,  well-bred  young  man  of  more  than 
ordinary    ability  as  a  church- worker. 


pY.-EV.  Z.  WATERS.  Few  citizens  of  Ma- 
py  coupin  County  were  for  a  longer  time  or 
1  \  more  closely  connected  with  its  growth, 
\£)  both  in  a  material  and  spiritual  direction, 
than  the  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch  and  who  was  formerly  a  resident  of  Bird 
Township.  He  was  born  in  Casey  County.  Ky., 
.January  7,  1805,  and  there  grew  to  a  stalwart  man- 
hood. When  ready  to  establish  a  home  of  his  own, 
he  chose  as  his  wife  Miss  Elizabeth  Canaday,  with 
whom  be  was  united  in  marriage  March  25.  1824. 
Mrs.  Waters  was  born  in  Casey  Count}',  Ky.,  May 
'.»,  1806  and  passed  her  maidenhood  amid  the  pio- 
neer surroundings  of  the  Blue  Grass  State. 

In  1825  Mr.  Waters,  accompanied  by  his  wife, 
emigrated  to  Morgan  County,  111.,  where  he  re- 
sided until  the  fall  of  1847.  That  date  marked  his 
arrival  in  this  county  and   his   settlement   in    Bird 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RKCORD. 


Township,  where  he  continued  to  live  until  called 
hence.  Six  children  came  to  bless  his  home,  four 
sons  and  two  daughters.  In  July,  1828,  he  he- 
came  connected  with  the  Union  Baptist  Church  In 
Morgan  County  and  in  May,  1840,  he  was  or- 
dained to  the  ministry.  In  this  work,  which  was 
very  dear  to  him,  he  continued  until  a  few  months 
prior  to  his  death.  He  was  instrumental  in  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Charity  Baptist  Church  in  Bird 
Township,  as  well  as  in  the  building  of  the  house 
of  worship  located  on  section  14.  Though  passed 
from  the  earthly  scenes  long  familiar  to  him,  he 
has  left  behind  him  a  memory  which  is  revered  by 
those  who  are  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labors. 


893 


^S 


\f?OHN  C.  NIEMAN.  Few  residents  of  Ma- 
coupin County  have  done  more  for  its  in- 
terests or  been  more  closely  connected  with 
its  growth  than  Mr.  Nieman.  As  a  general 
farmer  and  stock  raiser  he  has  been  very  successful 
and  now  in  the  evening  of  his  days,  has  retired 
from  the  active  labors  which  formerly  occupied  his 
time  and  is  enjoying  the  accumulations  of  past 
years.  His  history  will  justly  live  through  com- 
ing years  and  his  good  work  will  be  felt  by  future 
generations.  His  home  lies  within  the  limits  of  the 
thriving  German  town  of  Mt.  Olive,  where  he  is 
quietly  passing  his  declining  days  surrounded  by  a 
host  of  genial  friends.  His  has  been  a  well  spent 
life  and  those  who  know  him  best  love  him  most. 
With  pride  may  he  speak  of  his  efforts  here  and 
his  success,  which  is  due  entirely  to  his  unaided 
exertions. 

Since  coming  to  Macoupin  County  Mr.  Nieman 
has  always  resided  in  the  village  of  Mi.  ((live  and 
has  aided  to  make  it  one  of  the  best  towns  in  the 
county.  He  came  here  a  poor  man  and  endured 
hardships  and  vicissitudes  common  to  old  settlers, 
being  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  this  section  and 
also  the  first  German  settler  for  miles  around.  At 
an  early  day  he  made  his  first  wagon  and  in  this, 
drawn  by  oxen,  he  journeyed  to  St.  Louis  with  a 
few  bushels  of  grain.  The  grain  was  made  into 
meal  of  a  coarse   kind   and    then   sifted    through   :i 


poor  sieve  before  it  was  made  into  coarse  bread, 
the  chief  article   of  diet   for  the  pioneers.      Mr. 

Nieman  is  fond  of  telling  how  the  neighbors  la- 
bored together  for  their  mutual  good  and  how  they 
would  all  meet  in  a  log  house  to  listen  to  the  ex- 
liortations  of  the  minister,  who  in  bis  shirt  sleeves 
with  bare  -and  sun-burnt  arms  would  proclaim  to 
them  the  Gospel. 

A  mere  trail  marked  the  roads  across  the  prairie, 
which  was  inhabited  by  wild  animals.  Since  Mr. 
Nieman  came  to  Ml.  Olive  he  has  occupied  the 
farm  which  he  entered  from  the  Government.  He 
now  owns  large  landed  estates  in  this  county  and 
in  Kmmet  County.  Iowa,  owning  in  the  latter  place 
nearly  fourteen  hundred  acres.  He  built  the  first 
store  in  the  village  of  Mt.  Olive  and  was  engaged 
in  different  enterprises  there  for  many  years.  He 
belonged  to  the  company  that  opened  large  coal 
mines  in  this  place,  now  under  the  control  of  the 
Consolidated  Coal  Company  of  St.  Louis. 

Mr.  Nieman  was  born  inBorghoIzhausen,  Ravens- 
burg  Halle,  Prussia,  April  12,1817.  Mis  father, 
Casper  Nieman.  was  a  German  farmer  of  good 
standing,  who  lived  and  died  in  his  native  land. 
His  mother  was  a  good  German  lady,  and  with  her 
husband  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Be- 
tween the  ages  of  seven  and  fourteen  our  subject 
attended  the  public  schools  and  afterward  worked 
upon  a  farm.  I'pon  arriving  at  manhood  he  de- 
cided to  come  to  America  and  accordingly  took 
passage  at  Bremen  and  after  a  voyage  of  seven 
weeks  landed  in  Baltimore  May  13.  1839.  His 
capital  consisted  of  $3.80,  and  after  a  few  days  in 
Baltimore  he  left  on  foot  over  the  turnpike  for 
Cumberland,  Md.  The  canal  along  the  Potomac 
was  then  being  built  and  he  worked  for  half  a  year 
upon  it,  receiving  $1.25  per  day. 

Later  Mr.  Nieman  went  to  Hermann,  Mo.,  to  join 
some  German  people  of  his  native  Province,  but 
not  being  satisfied  with  the  country  he  returned  to 
Louisville.  Ky.  After  working  on  a  farm  near 
that  place  for  nearly  two  months  without  receiving 
any  compensation  he  was  taken  seriously  ill  and 
remained  so  for  five  months.  Without  money  or 
anyone  in  particular  to  care  for  him  his  situation 
was  distressing,  but  he  finally  recovered  and  en- 
gaged to  work  upon  the  farm  of  William  Kd  wards, 


894 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


near  Louisville.  With  that  gentleman  he  came  to 
Illinois  in  1841,  working  for  him  on  a  farm  near 
Carlinville  for  three  years.  In  the  meantime  he 
saved  1250  with  which  lie  opened  up  a  new  farm 
in  what  is  now  Ml.  Olive.  From  that  small  be- 
ginning he  has  attained  to  his  present  competency 
and  furnishes  an  excellent  example  to  those  just 
starting  out  in  life  of  what  may  be  accomplished 
by  perseverance. 

Politically  Mr.  Nieman  is  a  Republican  and  dur- 
ing the  time  of  the  Civil  War  gave  material  assist- 
ance to  the  suppression  of  the  Rebellion,  lie  is  a 
pillar  in  the  Lutheran  Church  in  Ml.  Olive,  which 
he  has  supported  very  generously  ever  since  its 
organization.  His  lirst  wife,  Margaret  Stulken, 
with  whom  he  was  united  in  marriage  in  IS  17.  was 
a  native  of  Germany  and  died  in  September,  1854. 
His  second  marriage  was  to  Miss  Anna  Siulken.  n 
sister  of  his  first  wife,  who  was  also  born  in  Olden 
burg,  Germany,  and  there  reared  to  womanhood. 
She  is  a  true  and  devoted  wife  and  mother,  a  kind 
friend,  and  enjoys  the  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of 
acquaintances.  Thechildren  horn  of  the  first,  mar- 
riage are:  Mary  O,  wife  of  C.  J.  Reiser,  of  whom 
see  biography  on  another  page;  Sophia,  wife  of 
William  Niemeyer,  represented  elsewhere  in  this 
volume;  Henry, who  died  at  the  age  of  twentj'-flve 
in  1876,  was  a  promising  young  man.  Of  the 
second  union  the  following  children  have  been 
born:  Matilda,  Lydia,  Louisa,  Edward,  William 
and  Anna. 


f^AVID  W.  RHOADS.  The  man  who  fur- 
Jl)  nishes  good  flour  is  supplying  a  need  that  is 
y^  universal  ami  is  thus  discharging  one  of  the 
primal  duties — that  of  aiding  his  fellow-men  to 
promote  physical  well  being.  All  must  agree  that 
there  are  none  of  the  manufactures  more  important 
than  that  of  converting  grain  into  flour  and  that  a 
good  miller  is  entitled  to  the  respect  of  his  fellow- 
men.  It  is  therefore  plain  to  he  seen  that  the  gen- 
tleman above-named  must  fill  a  reputable  place  on 
the  roll  of  residents  of  Palmyra,  ss  lie  has  been  en- 
gaged in  milling   there  for   several  years   past  and 


previously  carried  on  a  similar  occupation  else- 
where. 

Mr.  Rhoads  was  born  in  DeKalb  County,  Mo., 
November  19,  1857.  His  grandfather,  David 
Rhoads,  was  for  some  years  a  resident  in  Kentucky 
and  removed  from  that  State  to  Illinois  and  was 
one  of  the  first,  settlers  in  the  vicinity  of  Medora. 
this  coun'y.  After  living  there  a  few  years  he 
went  to  Missouri  and  bought  a  tract  of  land  on 
which  he  made  the  customary  improvements.  After 
residing  thereon  some  years  he  returned  to  this 
Stale  in  1864  and  settled  upon  a  farm  in  Jersey 
County,  four  miles  east  of  Kane.  There  he  spent 
the  remnant  of  his  days. 

His  son,  John  V.,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
married  in  Jersey  County  and  subsequently  re- 
moved to  DeKalb  County,  Mo.,  where  he  occupied 
a  rented  farm  until  1864.  He  then  returned  to 
Jevsej  County,  this  Slate,  and  on  a  rented  farm 
carried  on  agricultural  work  until  the  following 
year,  wdien  he  was  called  hence.  His  wife,  Sarah 
M.  Tatman,  a  native  of  McDonough  County  and 
daughter  of  Hiram  Tatman,  was  left  with  three 
children.  About  1868  she  married  John  Costley, 
a  resident  of  Greene  County,  and  made  that  her 
home  about  two  years.  She  and  her  husband  then 
removed  to  Jersey  County  where  Mr.  Costley  died, 
and  she  subsequently  came  to  Palmyra,  where  she 
still  mikes  her  home.  The  children  of  her  first 
marriage  are  David  W.,  Mordecai  and  Branic,  and 
of  her  second  marriage,  Mary  M.,  John  W.,  Jacob 
K.,  Emma  J.  and  Lucy  B. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  in  his  eighth 
year  when  he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents. 
Even  in  boyhood  he  assisted  on  the  farm  and  when 
he  left  his  mother's  roof  he  worked  at  similar  la- 
bors. He  was  nine  years  old  when  be  went  to  live 
with  Callow  A.  Farrow,  a  farmer  of  Jersey  County, 
with  whom  he  remained  a  year,  and  he  then  spent 
two  years  with  Charles  Black  of  Shipman  Town- 
ship, this  county.  From  that  time  until  1874  he 
was  engaged  by  the  day  and  month  for  various 
parties  and  he  then  began  working  in  a  flourmill  in 
Greene  County.  He  continued  his  work  there 
three  years,  becoming  thoroughly  conversant  with 
the  trade,  and  he  then  went  to  Medora  and  found 
employment   in   a   mill    owned    by    J.  J.  Ilaycraft. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


In  1881  lie  left  that  establishment  ami  became  a 
miller  in  Alsey,  Scott  County,  where  he  operated  a 
mill  four  years.  Returning  to  Medora,  he  rented 
a  plant  for  a  year,  then  in  May.  1887,  bought  the 
Palmyra  flourmill.  A  year  later  be  sold  a  half 
interest  to  Frank  Watson  and  the  linn  became  D. 
W.  Rhoads  &  Co.  In  1890  Mr.  Watson  sold  his 
interest  to  John  II.  Hansbaw,  but  the  firm  name 
remains  Hie  same  as  before. 

In  1882  in  the  month  of  August  Mr.  Rhoads  was 
married  to  Miss  Ella  V.  Haycraft,  daughter  of 
lames  J.  and  Matilda  Haycraft  of  Jersey  County. 
She  was  born  in  the  village  of  Fidelity,  received 
the  usual  advantages  which  are  open  to  those  of 
the  present  generation,  and  was  also  the  recipient 
of  careful  home  training  and  guidance.  She  is  a 
member  in  good  standing  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rhoads  have  one  son,  Wilher  W..  a 
bright,  active  little  lad,  whose  increasing  knowledge 
is  a  continual  delight  to  his  parents.  Mr.  Rhoads 
belongs  to  Palmyra  Lodge,  No.  403,  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  Palmyra  Camp.  No.  149.  M.  W.  A.  In  exer- 
cising the  right  of  suffrage  he  joins  with  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  believing  that  the  principles  they 
advocate  are  the  soundest  and  most  applicable  to 
the  National  needs. 


UILLIAM  II.  CHAMBERLAIN.  Within 
the  bounds  of  Bunker  Hill  Township  may 
Wyi  be  found  the  homes  of  many  successful 
farmers,  but  none  more  deserving  of  notice  than 
Mr.  Chamberlain.  He  is  located  on  section  11, 
where  he  owns  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of 
highly  improved  and  productive  land.  He  has  a 
full  supply  of  farm  buildings  anil  ..  beautiful  large 
residence  of  modern  design.  The  residence  takes 
the  place  of  one  which,  with  its  contents  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  in  September,  1887,  entailing  s 
heavy  loss  upon  the  owner.  Mr.  Chamberlain  has 
his  farm  well  stocked,  chiefly  with  milch  cows, 
from  which  he  sends  milk  to  the  St.  Louis  markets. 
8.  A.  Chamberlain,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Massachusetts  and  was  of  English  descent. 
After  growing  to  manhood  he  carried  on  an  inn  for 


years.     In  1830,  with  his  wife  and  two  chil- 
dren, he  removed  to  this  State  and  made  his  Brat 

pause  in  Alton.  Soon  afterward  he  began  to  farm 
on     a     pre-emption     claim     in    Godfrey     Township, 

Madison  County,  and  secured  other  land  until  he 
became  the  owner  of  a  tract.  He  lived  to  gee  lu- 
home  well  improved  and  died  in  1862  at  the  age 
of  fifty -six  years.  l|,.  was  a  successful  farmer  and 
a  good  citizen.  He  was  married  in  his  native 
State  t"  Betsej  Nutter,  whose  parents  were  born  in 
this  country  but  whose  remoter  ancestors  were 
English.  She  survived  him  and  after  his  decease 
lived  with  her  children,  finally  dying  at  the  home 
of  her  son  William  II.,  August  16,  1*72,  when 
seventy-three  years  old.  Husband  and  wife  be- 
longed  to  the  Unitarian  Church  and  Mr.  Chamber- 
lain was  first  a  Whig  and  then  a  Republican  in 
politics. 

The  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  these  par- 
agraphs was  born  in  Alton  in  1835  and  is  the  sec- 
ond member  of  the  family  who  was  born  in  this 
Slate.  He  has  one  brother,  S.  A.  Chamberlain, 
now  of  Southern  Missouri,  living.  His  boy- 
hood and  youth  were  passed  in  his  native  county 
and  he  was  educated  at  Shurtlcff  College  in  Upper 
Alton.  After  his  marriage  he  established  his  home 
in  the  same  county,  whence  he  came  hither  in  the 
fall  of  18G6.  He  has  put  the  property  in  tine  con- 
dition and  year  by  year  secures  the  reward  of  bis 
industry. 

The  wife  of  Mr.  Chamberlain  was  known  in  her 
maidenhood  as  Miss  Wilminia  J.  Dickerson. 
she    was    born    in    Fredericks.   Del..    February    17, 

1812,  and  ace pauied  her  parents.  Deacon  Nehc- 

tniah  and  Amelia  (Hudson)  Dickerson,  to  this 
Stale  in  1844.  I  hey  traveled  with  other  families 
across  the  country,  camping  out  where  night  over- 
took them,  and  alter  a  journey  of  six  weeks 
reached  Alton.  They  secured  improved  land  in 
Godfrey  Township,  Madison  County,  and  made  a 
comfortable  home, remaing  there  until  early  in  the 
'70s,  when  they  sold  out  and  removed  to  Brighton, 
111.  Mr.  Dickerson  is  now  seventy-nine  and  his 
wife  seventy-seven  years  of  age.  The  husband 
was  formerly  a  Whig  and  is  now  a  Republican. 
Roth  have  been  lifelong  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church. 


396 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chamberlain  have  two  children — 
Bradley  and  Laura.  The  son  was  educated  at  Hun- 
ker Hill  Academy  and  is  a  smart,  enterprising 
young  niM).  He  is  giving  his  father  valuable  aid 
in  carrying  on  the  farm.  Laura  was  also  edu- 
cated in  the  Bunker  Hill  Academy  and  has  made  a 
specialty  of  music  and  is  teaching  both  vocal  and 
instrumental.  She  still  makes  her  home  with  her 
parents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chamberlain  belong  to  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  in  which  he  has  been  Trus- 
tee and  Steward.  Both  are  advocates  of  Prohibi- 
tion and  the  husband  votes  with  that  party.  He 
is  a  hearty  supporter  of  and  stockholder  in  the 
Bunker  Hill  Advocate  the  only  rrohihition  paper 
published  in  the  county,  lie  would  naturally  be 
interested  in  matters  pertaining  to  farm  lite  and 
the  progress  of  agriculturists,  and  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Farmers'  Mutual  Benevolent  Association. 


* 


T^lLISHA  SMITH.  The  gentleman  who  resides 
S  on  the  fine  farm  located  on  section  25. 
Lff  North  Otter  Township,  is   a  son  of  Moses 


Smith,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  His  mother 
was  Pamelia  Aiken  in  her  maiden  days,  and  a  na- 
tive of  North  Carolina.  Our  subject's  parents 
came  to  Macoupin  County  from  Tennessee  in  183.5, 
and  settled  in  North  Otter  Township  where  they 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  They  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  there  being  four  sons 
and  three  daughters,  of  whom  our  subject  was 
third  in  the  order  of  birth,  his  native  place  being 
Murray,  Tenn.,  and  his  birthday  March  29,  1H17. 
Our  subject  came  to  Macoupin  County  with  his 
father  in  1835,  and  was  married  in  North  Otter 
Township,  July  20,  1837,  to  Bliss  Susan  A.  Eavs,  n 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  (Clark)  Eavs, 
the  former  a  native  of  North  Carolina  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Pennsylvania.  They  came  from  Kentucky 
to  Madison  County,  111.,  where  the  mother  of  the 
family  died,  and  in  1834  the  father  came  to  Macou- 
pin County  and  settled  in  North  Otter  Township, 
which  he  made  his  home  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred while  on  a  visit   to  his   brother  in   Madison 


County,  this  State.  They  had  three  sons  and  three 
daughters,  and  ol  these  Mrs.  Smith  is  the  third 
child  in  order  of  birth,  having  been  born  in  Madi- 
son County,  this  State,  January  29,  1816. 

Elisha  Smith  and  his  wife  settled  on  section  25, 
North  Otter  Township,  where  they  have  ever  since 
been  residents.  Our  subject  has  always  followed  the 
calling  of  agriculture.  He  has  erected  a  good  class 
of  buildings  upon  his  farm  which  comprises  one 
hundred  and  thirty-one  acres.  Of  fifteen  children 
born  to  our  subject  and  his  wife,  four  died  in  in- 
fancy, eleven  living  to  be  grown  whose  names  are 
as  follows:  Elizabeth.  Mary,  Laura,  William  1>., 
George  W.,  Fanny,  Thomas  M.,  Ella,  Mattie  M., 
Allie  and  Magnolia.  The  eldest  daughter  is  the 
wife  of  Joel  Horn;  Mary  married  John  A.  Wollen; 
Laura  died  when  twenty  years  of  age;  William  B. 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Rebellion,  being  a  member  of 
the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-second  Illinois  In- 
fantry. He  died  from  disease  contracted  in  the 
army  at  the  age  of  about  twenty  years.  George  W. 
is  a  farmer  in  North  Otter  Township:  Fanny  is  the 
wife  of  Joseph  Coy;  Thomas  is  a  farmer  in  North 
Otrer  Township:  Ella  married  Jacob  Bo>versox; 
Mattie  is  the  wife  of  Leander  Ames;  Allie  married 
the  late  John  W.  Ross  and  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-nine  years.  Magnolia  is  the  wile  of  John 
Coots. 

Mr.  Smith  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in 
political  affairs.  He  is  a  Republican  in  party 
preference.  Both  he  and  his  wife  have  been  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  a  long 
term  of  years. 


ENOC 
ject 
ical 


NOCH  HALL.  The  genealogy  of  our  sub- 
jects family  may  be  traced  in  the  biogruph- 
d  sketch  of  Samuel  Hall,  our  subject's 
father,  which  is  given  in  another  portion  of  this 
Record.  He  of  whom  we  write  is  the  second  in 
order  of  birth  of  a  family  of  nine  children.  He 
was  born  in  Madison  County,  III.,  July  12,  1818, 
and  was  an  infant  of  only  four  months  of  age  when 
his  parenls  removed  to  Greene  County,  same  State. 
There  he  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm, 
remaining  under    the    parental  roof    until    about 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RE<  ORD. 


twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  be  loft  home  and 
engaged  in  farming  for  himself  in  Greene  Comity, 
having  purchased  one  hnndred  and  twenty  a<  res 
of  land. 

Peeling  that  a  helpmate  and  companion  would  be 
more  than  all  else  to  him,  our  subject  was  married 
November  18,  1.S40.  in  Greene  County,  III.,  his 
bride  being  Miss  Louisa  Stone,  who  was  a  native 
of  Tennessee,  and  whose  nat.nl  day  was  July  9, 
1818.  They  continued  to  live  in  Greene  County 
until  the  fall  of  1857,  when  our  subject  with  his 
family  removed  to  Macoupin  County,  and  settled 
on  section  13,  North  Otter  Township,  where  he  lias 
since  been  a  resident.  He  there  procured  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  which  he  improved 
and  upon  which  he  erected  comfortable  and  attract- 
ive buildings. 

Mrs.  Louisa  Hall  was  taken  from  her  family  by 
death  November  29,  1879,  and  was  laid  away  with 
great  tenderness  in  God's  acre.  Our  subjei 
always  engaged  in  farming  and  its  attendant  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  He  has  held  the  office  of  Super . 
visor  of  North  Otter  Township  for  eight  years,  and 
lias  been  Collector  of  the  township  for  two  years, 
and  Township  Assessor  for  one  year.  ( >nr  subject 
formerly  took  an  active  part  in  :11  local  affairs  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Democratic  party.  He  united 
with  the  Missionary  Baptist  Church  in  Greene 
County,  in  1841,  but  seventeen  years  later  severed 
his  connection   with  that  body  and  united   with  the 

Predestinarian  Baptists  in  18t>7  with  which  body  he 
still  worships.  He  is  a  man  who  has  contributed 
liberally  to  the  support  of  the  Gos pel,  especially 
during  his  early  years  of  membership  with  the 
church.  He  has  taken  a  great  interest  in  school 
affairs  and  has  held  various  school  offices. 


•  >»£  v^!^.£^£<^:- 


«  Ijfc  \V.  WILLIAMSON  is  the  Secretary  of 
\/\//l  tll('  Staunton  Milling  Company,  which  was 
^f  organized  April  29,  1889,  at  which  time 
our  subject  was  elected  to  the  position  he  now 
holds.  Mr.  .1.  C.  Panhorst  is  President,  Mr. 
Ahrens  Vice-president,  and  William  II.  Wall 
Treasurer.     The    mill    has  a  capacity   of  two  hun- 


dred barrels  per  day,  and  has  fourteen  pair  of 
rolls  for  wheat  ami  four  pair  for  corn.  The  in- 
stitution i-  a  vi  i\  substantially  built  place  that  is 
well  equipped  with  all  modern  improvements  in 
milling  machinery.    It  was  completed  in  December, 

1889,  and    began   active    operation    January    27, 

1890,  since  which  time  it  has  been  running  suc- 
cessfully and  doing  a  large  business,  principally 
for  local  trade.  The  miller  in  charge  is  Mr.  W.  K. 
Simson,  whose  reputation  is  well-known  in  local 
mids  in  this  part  of  the  country.  Our  subject 
was  formerly  engaged  in  Staunton  as  a  hardware 
merchant  tor  some  time  and  was  also  doing  a  busi- 
ness as  coal   merchant. 

The  original  of  our  sketch  has  been  a  resident 
of  this  city  and  vicinity  since  18t>2.  and  was 
reared  and  educated  on  the  borders  of  Staunton. 
He  was  born  in  St.  Louis.  .Mo.,  in  1852,  and  is  a 
son  of  Daniel  Williamson,  who  was  born  in 
( 'ouiity  I  >o; legal.  Ireland,  and  came  of  Scotch-Irish 
ancestry,  lie  emigrated  to  the  United  states  in 
is  11.  and  settled  in  St.  Louis.  Mo.,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  business  tot  some  time,  afterward  coin- 
ing to  Staunton  Township.  Ma' on  pin  County,  where 
he  married  his  wife. 

Our  subject's  mother  was  before  her  marriage  a 
Miss  Matilda  Patterson,  n  native  of  County  Derry, 
Ireland,  being  a  young  lady  when  she  came  to  the 
United  States  and  settled  in  Staunton,  living  there 
until  her  marriage.  After  marriage  Mr.  and  .Mrs. 
Williamson  lived  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  until  1862. 
when  they  came  to  Macoupin  County  and  settled 
on  a  farm,  where  they  lived  until  the  death  of  our 
subject's  father,  which  occurred  in  1875;  lie  was 
then  about  Bfty -eight  years  of  age.  His  wife  yet 
survives  and  makes  her  home  in  Staunton;  she  is 
now  about  sixty  years  of  age  and  yet  bright  and 
active.  She  and  her  husband  have  been  life- 
long members  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
Church. 

Our  subject  i>  the  eldest  of  his  parents'  children 
now  living.  On  reaching  manhood  he  soon  after 
married  in  Sedalia.  Mo..  Miss  Esther  ('ousley.  who 
was  born  in  Alton,  this  State.  She  was  reared  and 
educated   in   Alton  anil  there  lived  until  aboui    two 

yi  ars  previous  to  her  marriage,  when  her  parents, 
.lames   and    Ella   (McNeil)   Cousley,  removed  to 


898 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


Sedalia,  where  they  now  live.  Mrs.  Williamson, 
the  wife  of  our  subject,  was  well  educated  in  the 
city  of  her  birth,  finishing-  al  a  well-known  female 
seminary.  She  was  afterward  a  teacher  for  some 
time.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  a  most  estimable  and  refined  lady. 
Our  subject  is  a  member  of  the  Reformed  Presby- 
terian Church.  Politically  Mr.  Williamson  is  a 
follower  of  the  Republican  party.  Socially  be 
is  one  of  the  leaders  of  life  in  Staunton.  He 
has  a  bright  prospect  before  him,  and  will 
doubtless  realize  his  friends'  expectation  of  him. 


P.   RINKEL,  M.  I).     The  gentleman  whose 

name  is  at  the  head  of  this  sketch  is  of  I  >;i  n- 
ish  ancestry,  the  country  of  the  people  that 
NS^f  arc  better  known  to  the  majority  through 
Shakespeare's  decking  of  Holinsheds  chronicles  than 
even  by  the  works  of  art  with  which  tin'  (  apital 
City  is  now  enriched  by  the  sculptor  Thorswalden. 
The  original  spelling  of  the  name  of  our  subject 
was  Rinckel,  but  after  the  American  fashion,  un- 
necessary letters  were  in  time  dropped.  The  orig- 
inal of  our  sketch  is  one  of  the  leading  physicians 
of  Brighton,  having  come  to  this  place  in  1883  and 
since  that  time  he  has  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative 
practice  in  the  city  and  a  reputation  of  being  a 
most  skillful  practioner. 

Prior  to  locating  in  Brighton  Dr.  Kinkel  was  in 
Buda,  this  State,  for  two  years,  having  pr<  viously 
graduated  with  the  Class  of  '83,  taking  his  di- 
ploma at  the  St.  Louis  Medical  College  March  :;, 
of  that  year.  He  left  the  institution  with  a  line 
record  as  a  student.  Prior  to  beginning  the  study 
of  medicine  he  was  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools 
of  St.  Clair  County  and  was  a  student  at  the  Cen- 
tral Wcsleyan  College  at  Warrenton,  Mo.,  from 
which  he  graduated  when  nineteen  years  of  age. 
receiving  his  diploma  for  proficiency  in  tin' class 
ical  course.  He  graduated  with  the  Class  of  '75, 
after  which  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  until  1878, 
when  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  medicine. 

Our  subject  had  received  the  rudiments  of  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  the  city  of  St. 
Louis  and    in   St.  Clair  County.  III.,  in   which     he 


was  a  resident  from  1865  to  1875,  and  while  there 
was  a  student  under  Dr.  Ilugit,  of  Summerfield,  a 
prominent  local  physician  and  politician.  He  of 
whom  we  write  was  born  near  St.  Louis,  Sep- 
tember 26,  1855.  His  parents  were  of  German 
birth,  his  father,  Jacob  Kinkel.  being  a  native  of 
Baden,  Germany,  and  only  thirteen  years  of  age 
when  with  his  parents  he  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  coining  herein  1837  from  Havre  de  Grace 
and  landing  after  a  voyage  of  several  weeks  in  the 
port  at  New  Oilcans.  The  family  came  from  that 
point  up  the  Mississippi  River  and  found  p  home 
in  St.  Louis,  and  there  the  mother  of  Jacob  Rinkel 
died  of  cholera  during  the  epidemic  in  the  latter 
pail  of  the  '40s,  she  being  then  in  middle  age. 
Her  husband  later  came  to  Warsaw,  III.,  and  there 
died  when  past  seventy  years  of  age. 

Our  subject's  parents  were,  while  in  the  Father- 
land, members  of  the  German  Evangelical  Church 
hut  after  coining  to  'his  country  were  communi- 
cants of  the  German  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  died  in  that  faith.  On  reaching  manhood  our 
subject's  father  met,  and  married  a  lad}'  who  was 
then  residing  in  St.  Louis,  although  of  German 
birth.  Her  maiden  name  was  Flora  Grison;  she 
was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany, but  came  of  French 
Huguenot  stock.  Her  mother  died  in  Bavaria  a.nl 
after  some  years  the  father  came  to  the  Fnited 
Slates  with  his  two  SODS  in  order  to  join  his 
daughter.  While  on  the  sea  the  father  sickened 
and  died  and  was  buried  at  sea.  After  Joseph 
Kinkel  and  wife  were  married  they  lived  for  a  time 
in  St.  Louis  and  then  moved  to  St.  Clair  County, 
111.,  but  afterward  returned  to  St.  Louis  and  arc 
now  retired  from  active  life.  Mr.  Rinkel  had  been 
a  successful  mechanic,  his  trade  being  that  of  a 
cooper,  and  for  many  years  he  was  Superintendent 
of  shops  keeping  this  position  until  ten  years  ago, 
at  which  time  he  retired  from  business,  and  although 
he  and  his  wife  are  becoming  advanced  in  years 
they  still  preserve  perfect  strength  of  mind  and 
body.  In  their  church  relations  they  have  for 
many  years  been  identified  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  body,  their  membership  extending  over 
a  period  of  fifty  years,  during  which  time  the  father 
h."s  been  one  of  the  church  officials.  Politically  he 
is  a  stanch  Republican. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


With  a  keen  appreciation  of  the  advantages  that 

an  educated  man  possesses  in  America  over  one 
who  is  not  so  favored,  our  subject's  father  \\a< 
above  all  ambitious  that  his  sons  should  have  every 
advantage.  Of  these  three  are  now  living  and  all 
are  highly  educated  and  cultured  men.  John  SI. 
is  now  Professor  of  German  Literature  in  the  Cen- 
tral Wesleyan  College  at  Warrenton,  Mo.;  he  has 
a  pleasing  and  helpful  companion  in  his  wife,  who 
was  formerly  Miss  Lottie  Nev:  Edward  II.  is  the 
leading  physician  in  Bunker  Hill  and  a  graduate  of 
the  Medical  College  at  St.  Louis;  he  took  to  wife 
Miss  Annie  Koeuecke. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  Missouri  to  Miss 
Julia  B.  Kessler:  she  was  born  in  St.  Louis  County, 
Mo.,  November  2,  1858,  and  was  carefully  reared 
and  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that  county, 
finishing  at  the  Warrenton  Central  Wesleyan  Col- 
lege. Her  parents  are  Louis  and  Emma  (Goldman) 
Kessler,  who  are  well  known  and  prominent  people 
of  that  vicinity,  where  they  were  early  settlers  and 
are  now  regarded  as  pioneers. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Rinkel  are  prominent  young  people 
of  Brighton  and  are  leaders  in  the  society  of  the 
place.  Both  are  active  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Chinch,  of  which  our  subject  is  Ihe  Re- 
cording Secretary.  The  Doctor  is  a  Republican  in 
his  political  faith  and  was  atone  time  a  member  of 
the  Council  of  Brighton. 


/^)IDEON     EORWOOD.      The    name    at    the 

(l( head  of  this  sketch   is  that  of  one   of  the 

%3l(  most  substantial  farmers  of  the  township. 
His  place  is  located  on  section  2.  of  Shipman  Town- 
ship. It  is  conspicuous  for  the  class  of  good 
buildings  that  it  has,  and  also  for  the  manner  in 
which  it  is  improved.  He  was  born  in  the  State 
of  Delaware,  September  !4,  1833,  in  Newcastle 
County,  Brandywine  Hundred,  where  he  was 
reared  until  he  reached  manhood's  years.  When 
he  reached  his  majority,  in  company  with  three  of 
his  brothers  he  came  to  Illinois  anil  sealed  in  Ship- 
man  Township,  this  county. 

On    coming  into   this  State,  the   four  Eorwood 


brothers  clubbed  their  resources  and  engaged  in 
farming,  first  renting   land.     They   continued  in 

this  way  for  about  six  years,  afterward  purchasing 
eighty  acres,  which  they  together  cultivated  until 
our  subject  was  married,  October  19,  1865,  to  Miss 
Melissa  B.  Armour.  The  lady  was  a  native  of 
Madison  County,  where  she  was  born  November 
25.  1848.  Her  parents  were  John  and  Ann  Eliza 
(Rhodes)  Armour.  Her  paternal  grandfather  was 
William  Armour,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  her 
grandmother.  Elizabeth  (  YVatkins)  Armour,  was 
also  of  Kentucky.  Her  paternal  great-grandpar- 
ents came  from  Grey  son  County,  Ky.,  to  what 
is  now  Greene  County.  III.,  early  in  the  '30s. 
They  then  removed  to  Madison  County,  and  thence 
to  Macoupin  County,  where  they  passed  away  from 
this  life. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Armour  had  seven  sons  and  one 
daughter:  John  was  the  fifth  of  the  family  and  his 
birth  took  place  in  Hart  County.  Ivy..  August  1, 
L820.  He  started  out  in  life  for  himself  when  six- 
teen years  of  age,  and  for  eight  years  was  employed 
in  making  brick  at  Alton.  111.  He  was  married  to 
Ann  Eliza  Rhodes  who  was  the  eldest  daughter  of 
the  late  Jesse  Rhodes.  In  IS  I  I  they  settled  in 
Chesterfield  Township,  where  they  remained  for 
two  years,  then  removed  to  a  few  miles  distant 
from  St.  Louis,  where  they  lived  from  1846  to 
1849.  John  Armour  was  then  persuaded  to 
return  to  Chesterfield  Township,  where  he  has 
since  been  a  resident.  His  wife  died  in  June, 
1887. 

After  the  marriage  of  our  subject  he  settled  in 
Chesterfield  Township,  where  he  remained  for  five 
years,  and  then  located  on  section  2.  of  Shipman 
Township,  where  he  has  since  been  a  resilient.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Eorwood  have  been  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren. They  are:  Virginia, George,  Anna  E., William 
G., <  Iscar  and  Elmer  ( ).  Of  these  the  eldest  daughter 
died  in  infancy.  George  instituted  his  own  home 
and  fireside,  making  mistress  of  it  Miss  Maggie 
Rice.  Anna  E.  became  the  wife  of  Hubert  Hay- 
craft     Oscar  died  in  infancy. 

The  gentleman  of  whom  we  write  has  made  agri- 
culture his  calling  during  the  greater  part  of  his 
life.  His  farm  has  good  buildings  that  are  kept 
in  excellent  condition.     He  is  the  fortunate  owner 


900 


PORTRAIT  AiSD   BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 


of  three  hundred  as  fertile  and  well  cultivated 
acres  as  are  in  the  county.  In  politics  our  subject 
is  a  Democrat.  Roth  he  and  Mrs.  Forwood  arc 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  but  are  liberal  in 
their  views. 


ACOB  M.    RHOADS.     This  general  farmer 

residing  on  section  7,  Cahokia  Township,  is 
one  of  the  most  successful  agriculturists  and 
stock-raisers  and  lias  one  of  the  most  de- 
lightful homes  in  the  township.  His  residence  is 
commodious  and  attractive  and  his  slock  are  all  of 
best  breeds  and  in  excellent  condition.  He  lias 
lived  here  since  February,  185!».  and  has  made  all 
the  improvements  which  are  lo  be  seen  on  Ins 
estate  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 

When  our  subject  came  to  this  county  he  had 
been  living  in  Greene  County  for  a  number  of  years 
although  he  was  born  in  Macoupin  County,  and 
lived  here  in  childhood.  His  birth  occurred  Octo- 
ber 24,  1835,  and  his  father,  Richard  Rhoads,  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky  and  a  son  of  John  Rhoads.  who 
came  with  his  wife  and  family  to  Illinois,  when  his 
son  Richard  was  still  a  young  man  and  unmarried. 
His  first  home  was  in  Medora  and  be  was  the  first 
settler  of  that  place  which  is  situated  in  Chester- 
field Township.  It  was  there  that  John  Rhoads 
died  having  reached  a  good  old  age ;  he  had  been 
twice  married  but  had  no  children  by  his  second 
wife.  He  was  sin  exhorter  in  the  Baptist  Church 
with  which  his  wives  were  also  connected. 

Richard  Rhoads  grew  to  manhood  upon  the  farm 
and  was  married  in  this  county  to  Hulda  Stout,  a 
native  of  Ohio,  who  came  of  pioneer  stock  and  was 
no  doubt  related  to  the  frontier  family  of  that 
name  who  suffered  so  much  at  the  hands  of  the  In- 
dians. Miss  Stout  had  come  to  Illinois  with  her 
parents  who  settled  in  Greene  County  at  an  early 
day,  and  there  these  parents,  Elisha  and  Margaret 
Stout,  died  after  reaching  the  ages  of  sixty-five  and 


seventy  years  respectively.  They  were  Baptists  in 
their  church  connection  and  devoted  Christians  in 
life  and  belief. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  moved  from  point  to 
point  during  their  early  married  life  but  spent  the 
greater  number  of  years,  especially  in  advanced 
life,  in  Greene  County,  where  they  were  living  when 
called  from  earth's  activities.  They  were  well- 
known  throughout  that  county  as  pioneers  of  cour- 
age and  endurance,  and  as  devoted  Christians  and 
efficient  members  of  the  regular  Baptist  Church. 
Mr.  Rhoads  was  a  Whig   in   his  political  views. 

t  luv  subject  is  one  of  a  large  family  and  most  of 
his  boyhood  days  were  spent  in  ( Jreene  County. 
After  he  became  of  age  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Eliza  Ward,  a  native  of  Tennessee  who  was  born 
January  12,  1835,  and  was  but  a  young  child  when 
her  parents  William  and  Lucinda  (Duncan)  Ward 
moved  from  that  State  to  Illinois  about  the  year 
1838.  They  were  a  couple  of  truly  religous  faith 
and  life  ami  both  died  in  middle  life  upon  their 
f.iim  in  Greene  County.  Their  daughter  received 
every  advantage  which  they  were  able  to  give  her 
and  was  thoroughly  equipped  for  the  responsibil- 
ities of  life  and  her  work  as  a  wife  and  mother.  Siie 
is  more  than  ordinarily  devoted  to  her  duties  and 
efficient  in  their  fulfillment  and  conscientiously 
trained  her  children  throughout  childhood  and 
youth. 

The  children  of  our  Bubject  are  Alvin  W.  wdio 
married  Mary  Huddleston  of  DcWitt  County,  and 
assists  his  father  in  managing  the  home  farm.  Wil- 
liam M..  who  took  to  wife  Nettie  Stanton  and  is 
farming  in  .Montgomery  County;  Lucy  E.  who  is 
at  home;  Jasper  M.,  who  took  to  wife  Mollie  Cal- 
lenborn  and  lives  in  Missouri,  and  Lilla  M.  wife  of 
John  Mercer,  a  farmer  in  this  township.  Mr.  Rhoads 
has  Keen  for  some  time  both  Steward  and  Trustee 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  with  which  he 
and  his  wife  are  connected.  In  his  political  belief 
he  is  in  sympathy  with  the  Democratic  party  and 
while  he  has  never  sought  office  he  has  ever  taken 
an  active  interest  in  public  affairs  and  served  at 
one  lime  as  Township  Collector. 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


901 


flU. ARMoN  G.  TALLKY,  a  retired  farmer 
living  at  Shipman,  Macoupin  County,  was 
born  January  20,  L828,  in  that  part  of  i lie 
^g))  city  of  Wilmington.  Del.,  then  known  as 
Brandywine  village.  His  father,  whose  name  was 
Isaac  Grubb  Talley,was  born  four  miles  from  Wil- 
mington, Del.,  in  Brsndywine  Hundred,  and  waa  a 
son  of  Harmon  Talley,  who  was  born  in  the  same 
locality,  his  ancestors  being  among  the  first  settlers 
of  the  State  of  Delaware.  He  resided  near  Wil- 
mington many  years  and  tlien  made  an  overland 
journey  to  Ohio,  and  became  one  of  the  early  pio- 
neers of  Muskingum  County,  where  he  resided 
until  about  1850.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Illinois 
and  for  a  few  years  was  a  resident  of  ( >gle  <  lounty. 
He  then  came  to  this  county  and  spent  his  last 
days  at  Piasa,  Macoupin  County,  and  was  buried 
in  Piasa  Cemetery:  his  age  was  about  eighty-six 
years. 

Isaac  Grubb  Talley,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
passed  his  early  life  in  the  Slate  of  his  nativity 
and  was  there  married  to  Mary  Simmons,  who  was 
also  a  native  of  Delaware.  She  died  in  183:3  and 
was  buried  at  the  old  Swede  Church;  she  left  two 
children — our  subject  and  his  brother  John,  a  resi- 
dent of  Wilmington,  Del.  Mr.  Talley  married  a 
second  time,  Rachel  Grubb  becoming  his  wife; 
they  had-  one  child,  Rebecca  J.,  who  married 
Alonzo  Baylus,  a  florist.  In  1856  Mr.  Talley  left 
the  home  of  his  birth  and  came  to  Illinois  with  his 
family.  He  purchased  a  farm  in  Shipman  Town- 
ship, near  Piasa,  which  he  sold  at  the  expiration  of 
four  years,  returning  to  Wilmington.  Del.;  he 
bought  a  residence  there  and  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life  in  the  city.  He  died  February  22.  1888, 
at  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-seven  years  and  wns 
buried  at  old  Bethel  Church  in  Brandywine  Hun- 
dred. 

Harmon  G.  Talley,  of  whom  this  sketch  is 
written,  served  live  years  in  his  youth  to  learn  the 
trade  of  a  blacksmith  in  the  village  of  Centreville, 
Del.  He  actively  engaged  in  that  calling  in  his 
native  State  until  1850,  and  in  that  year  he  came 
to  Illinois,  pursuing  the  mosl  convenient  Western 
route  at  that  time,  which  was  by  rail  to  Philadel- 
phia, thence  by  canal  and  rail  to  Pittsburg,  and 
from  there  by  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers   to   . 


Alton.  111.  He  was  a  pioneer  of  the  village  of 
l'iasa.  and  opened  the  Bret  blacksmith  shop  there, 
which  he  operated  until  alter  the  breaking  out  of 
the  war.  September  3,  1864  In' east  aside  his  work 
to  join  the  brave  boys  at  the  front  and  became  a 
member  of  Company  A.  One  Hundred  and  Forty- 
fourth  Illinois  Infantry,  He  joined  his  regiment 
at  Alton  and  served  with  credit  until  after  the  war 
closed,  being  mustered  out  July  14,  1865.  He 
proved  to  |io-,s,»s  qualifications  for  responsible 
positions,  and  he  was  promoted  from  Corporal  to 
be  Sergeant  of  Provost  Guard  in  February,  1865. 

After  his  discharge  Mr.  Talley  returned  to  his 
home,  and  the  following  year  turned  his  attention 
to  farming  a  quarter-section  of  land  that  he  had 
previously  bought,  that  w:is  advantageously  located 
one  mile  east  of  l'iasa.  He  devoted  himself  as- 
siduously to  the  cultivation  of  his  land  for  several 
years,  and  made  many  improvements  that  greatly 
increased  the  value  of  his  farm.  In  1887,  having 
accumulated  a  comfortable  competency,  he  left  his 
sons  in  charge  of  bis  homestead,  and  removed  to 
Shipman.  where  he  has  a  pleasant  home. 

Harmon  G.  Talley  has  been  twice  married.  In 
1851  Miss  Louisa  Ann  Hodges  became  his  first 
wife.  She  was  born  near  Woodburn,  Macoupin 
County,  III  ,  coming  of  one  of  the  old  pioneer 
families  of  this  State;  she  died  on  the  home  farm  in 
1879, and  was  buried  in  the  Piasa  Cemetery.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  I..  W.  and  Mary  Hodges, 
and  had  one  brother,  W.  W.  Hodges.  Five  chil- 
dren were  born  to  her  and  our  Bubject — Will- 
iam, Hatlie.  Dora.  Lulu  and  Harmon  Grubb. 
William  married  Laura  Kelsey.  and  Dora  mar- 
ried W.  U.  Waggoner.  Lulu  married  Elmer  Carter. 
Our  subject's  second  marriage,  which  took  place 
in  1885,  was  with  Mis.  Mary  (.Martin)  Quick,  a 
native  of  the  State  of   New   York. 

Mrs.  Talley 's  father's  name  was  Scth  Martin, 
a  native  of  the  Green  Mountain  Slate,  as  was  his 
father  also.  The  former  early  learned  the  trade  of 
a  blacksmith,  and  finally  went  from  Vermont  to 
Susquehanna  County,  Pa.,  where  he  followed  that 
calling  for  a  time  prior  to  his  removal  to  Woodhall, 
Steuben  County.  N.  Y ..  where  he  bought  a  farm, 
which  be  operated  while  he  engaged  in  blacksmith- 
ing  in  addition,      lie  died  in  Michigan,   near    Sagi- 


902 


PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD, 


naw,  in  1875.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was 
Lucinda  Coleman.  She  was  born  in  Vermont,  and 
was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Hannah  (Corse) 
Coleman.  They  were  likewise  of  Vermont  birth, 
hut  they  both  died  in  the  State  of  New  York.  Mrs. 
'f alley  was  first  married  when  she  was  eighteen 
years  old  to  Royal  W.  Bennett,  a  native  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  and  a  son  of  Egbert  and  Ger- 
trude (Rackmire)  Bennett.  He  was  a  blacksmith, 
and  came  to  Illinois  in  1859  to  engage  at  his  trade 
in  Shipman,  Macoupin  County,  111.,  where  he  died 
in  April,  1865  and  was  buried  in  Shipman  Ceme- 
tery. Two  children  were  born  to  Mrs.  Talley  of 
that  marriage — Gertrude,  now  the  wife    of   Silas 


Webster;  and  Jerome  C,  who  married  Sophia  Har- 
ris. Mrs.  Talley's  second  marriage  was  to  Parker 
Quick,  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation. He  died  at  Shipman  in  1873,  and  was 
also  buried  in  Shipman  Cemetery. 

Our  subject  has  a  good  record  as  a  soldier,  as  a 
citizen,  and  in  all  the  relations  of  life  that  he  has 
sustained  towards  others,  and  his  neigebors  and 
friends  hold  him  in  high  esteem  for  his  genuine 
worth.  Politically,  he  is  a  sound  Republican,  and 
his  faithfulness  to  his  party  was  rewarded  by  the 
position  of  Postmaster  at  Piasa,  whick  he  retained 
ten  years.  Religiously,  both  he  and  his  wife  are 
devoted  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 


BIOG^pE^ICSfl'lL 


Aiia nis.  Austin 675 

Adams,  K.  M 828 

Adams.  Q.  U 

Adums.G.  W 

Adams,  -T' ili  11 28 

Adams.  John  Q 89 

Adams,  J.  Q S7S 

Ahrens,  John  M "s 

Ahrens,  1'.  1" K9 

Ahrens,  Peter  .1 *28 

AUerson,  B.K 

Alderson.W,  C 

Allen,  Andrew ♦'I'1 

AUen, Thomas  B 

Alford.H.T UK 

AJlmood,  K..T  ,M.  D  «« 

Ames,  Davis 862 

Anderson.  C.  H.  C 216 

Anderson,  M.  M 261 

Anderson,  K.  1'    417 

Anderson,  William 581 

Anderson,  W.  (' .5*5 

Anderson,  W.  E.P 879 

Arkebauer,  Henry "" 

Arkebauer,  Sleint 743 

Arinsti g,  C.C 

Arnett.  George  W >s!' 

Arnett.  J.  11 *5S 

Arthur,  Chester  A ■'•I 

Ash,  John,  M.  H WO 

Atchison,  James  M 847 

B 

Bacon,  Bobert -'•'■"' 

Baird,  William 

Baker,  George 678 

Baker.  Benry 

Baldwin,  J.  B Intl 

Ball.  Henry 751 

Ball.  Richard 699 

Ballard,  Wiley 718 

Balliirger,  Capt.  Joseph  I-'.  ..S51 

Bancroft .  Erasl  us Ml 

Barber,  J.  II '-" 


Barnes.  K.  K 771 

Barnstable,  K.  u Hfi 

Barlels.  William  I i :'.l-' 

Bates.  Min.  Martha  ....  101 

i  lharles  F 823 

Bauer, J.  II  

Becbtel,  E.  A 200 

Becker,  J.  Q  S94 

Becker,  UF...     872 

Beckner,  Benjamin  A 

Beeby,  W.T 

Behme,  Julius,  Jr. •  -'  - 

BrMaui.  E..M.  D 168 

Bell.  Alexander  11 749 

Bennett,  John 293 

Bernard,  F 252 

Beveridge,  John  I. 171 

Bielbv.  Thomas 7:17 

Binney.J.  P..M.  I' :171 

Bird,  Joseph l"i 

Bissell,  William  H  151 

Black,  Charles 227 

Bley.K.  !•:..  M.  D 612 

Blocher,  Eli  V 

i.  Daniel 248 

Bleine.  Fred  L 

I  .1 160 

J'.on,l.  Sha.lrael, ill 

Boosinger,  George  F  .. 

Bowersox   B    I"  -1,; 

Bowersox,  George  W 875 

Bown,  II. I 

5  I.  

Boyle.  Arthur 

Braley,  Ellison 

Bra  ley.  George 29G 

Brandenburger,  John  540 

Brinkman,  Henrj 

Brjstow,  W.  T  ":! 

Bronaugh.J.  M 515 

Brown 

Brown,  George  S 

Brown, J  II 

Brown.  Koberl 

Brown,  S.  .1 519 

Brubaker,  Jacob      '--' 

Brubaker,  Jonathan.... 509 

tor,  John 

Brubaker,  Moses !'•* 

Bruce,  W.  II 719 

Buchanan,  Ja »       75 


Bn.l.l.H.K W> 

Budd,  William  N 580 

Bumann,  Frederick 

BurgdorIT,  W.  K 759 

Burton,  F.  W  

Uex  BB1 


C 


Cain,  John  T --"I 

Caldwell.  H.J 

Campbell,  C.  C 

Capps,  Caleb 857 

Carlm,  Thomas 18B 

Carling,  William, Br.... 

Carrie,,.  N 

Carler.  A.  !•' HO 

i  '.,il. -i  .  A.  S 

Carroll,  T.J 517 

(as,-.  G  554 

Cast  .-el.  Joseph  M ->--,» 

Hon.  G -e.i 196 

Challacombe,'  X 

Chamberlain,  W.  II — 

Chamberlln,  X 

Chapman,  Maj.  F.  II — 

Chappell,  Israel 

Chiles,  Capt.  James  B  780 

CI, lies.  \V.    M 812 

■  [in.  William 687 

Chlsm,  William 

Clark. B.K 

Clark, George  II 801 

Henry 744 

Joseph  K 850 

Randal -''77 

Clark.  Samuel 209 

Clark,  8.B.... 584 

Clemmons,  J.  B 701 

Cleveland,  s.  Qrover Hti 

i  lower,  I.  C.  M >- 

Cogswell,  C.  11 Ml 

Edward 115 

C..lm an.  W.G 

Combes,  D.H  •'■-" 

Samuel 

Converse,  Jeremiah. 

c -,K.  l<      '*■- 


Corr.A.C,  M   D 

Corr,  Mrs.  I..  II..  K.  Ii 787 

C.ullas.T.  F 

Cowan,  K.  B.,  M.D 
Oowen,  Hon.  Balfour 

Cox   .i    i 

Cramp.  A MS 

Cran.lal.  A 570 

Cromwell,  W.  II 

Cromwell.  Richard -hai 

IV li.M 

Crmii.  A.  .1 '.I" 

Cullom,  Shelby  >I 17:. 

Culp,  W.  N 

Cummlngs,  <  apt   .1.  F 835 


D 


Dalby,  J.  W   707 

hams.  William 

David.  A.  0  **7 

Hums,  E.  II    

■ii.  E   

Deahl.A 

Ik.  Buhr,  II   11 

Deck   L.C 

Delano,  J.  A.,  K.  D -•■"' 

Denby,  P.l 

Hews.  William  H    

Hey.  KliulilT MM 

Dickerson.J.  I'..  >l.  H 4:11 

Dickerson,  Martm "'7.; 

Hillianl.  Rev.  i.nke 188 

ln\.  Charles I"! 

Dodfi loseph.       897 

Done]  .  William  M 801 

Dowser,  John 808 

Drake,  W.C 

Drennan,  W.  91 

Drew,  G ge     728 

Drippe.C.T  .  M.  D 

Droke,  James  W 

Drury,  Robert -•'•' 

Duckels,  Henry  c 

Duckels,  Richard        "' 

Dugger,  Dred  278 

Duncan,  G.  w MM 


INDEX. 


Dunt   in, James  N -'"il 

Duncan,  John  W -77 

Duncan,  Joseph 131 


Easley,  Mrs.  M.  A 131 

Eddington, S.  D.  'Is 

Edwards,  C.  M 

Edwards,  Ninian 119 

Eilers,  Heye 

Eldred,  A.  H 

Kid  red,  E.  B 300 

Ellet,  E.  C,  tt.  D 267 

Emmerson,  William 506 

England,  Joseph ~  ;7 

England,  Samuel HI 

English,  L.  N 28(1 

Enos.H.  M   899 

Etter,  Henry 

Etter,  James 

Swing,  William  L.  D  127 


Fahrenkrog,  H.  L «! 

Fansler.E -lit; 

Ferguson,  David 770 

Ferguson,  Henry is:: 

Felter,  A .677 

Fifer.  Joseph  W .  183 

Fillmore,  Millard  87 

Fischer.  ('.  J.  C.,M.  L> '.'II 

Flood,  Philip 668 

F..M/..  H.  I) 102 

For* I.  G  898 

Forwood,0.  C  2 37 

Ford,  Thomas 129 

Foster,  J.  L 209 

Francis,  Charles ,'o-2 

French,  Augustus  C 113 

Frey.  A (09 

Friede,  Frank B39 

Fried  man.  E S7:l 

Fr>  .  William  X 792 

Fullington,  J.  A   ii-2 

Furber,  James  K »'-72 


a 


Garfield,  James  \   95 

Garst,  s.s 086 

Gates,  Frank  W 1-21 

Gates,  W.  I 

Gehrig,  Frank SI] 

Gelder,  F.  A 36(1 

Gelder,  John 340 

Gibbs,  John  C 622 

Gibson,  CO. -::i 

Gibson,  James  W ssii 

I  iibsi  m    Rev.  Ja>  an  713 


Gilbert,  Hon.  S.  S 

Gilson,  George  11..  M.  L) 307 

G Ii.  D.  w Ill 

G lell,  Daniel  D 123 

i. Ihead   g.   I 

Goodwin,  John 484 

Gordy, George  y in 

Gore,  I    n       si" 

i  losch,  John 728 

Gosch,  Tl las -"'11 

Grant,  UlvssesS -7 

Gray  C.  W 271 

Graj  .  William 506 

Grove,  II.  II "'I 

Groves,  Sampson £31 

(iulick,  M.N !19 


II 


Hackney,  Joseph  11 154 

Haggard,  Johu 649 

Hagler,  .lames  Q -2s-2 

Hag  ler  John  < I 

Hail.  Enoch s:«; 

Hall.  Mrs.  S.  .1 319 

Hall.  M.  V 130 

Hall.  Samuel 7"s 

Halli.la.v,  William 267 

Hamilton,  John  M 17!> 

Hainner,  James  H 

Hankins,  J.  «  ..  M.  D 532 

Haushaw,  C.T 010 

Hanshaw,  J     II  516 

Haushaw,  J.M ii-2 

Harlan,  Rev    1.1 029 

Harris,  G.  F.  W  138 

Harris.  Si,ln.->  T 270 


Han 


.482 


Harrison.  Ben jamin 107 

Han  ison,  J.  w 281 

Harnsiin,  William  Henry....    ">! 
Harshbarger,  Joseph  w 

Hart,.).  E 579 

Hartke,  I-     w i;;i 

Hartwick,  W.  s 77s 

Hauschild,  J m 

Haycraft,  Rev.  James  J....  151 

Hayes,  E.  w U2 

Hayes,  Rutherford  B m 

Hays,  s,  .1     .,j-, 

Head.  M.  H.,  M.  I) 212 

Heal.  William 777 

Hebenstreit,  .1.  P  712 

Heidemann,  C.  w 155 

Heinz.  Peter 17-j 

Henderson,  .1.1'      ..:»:,7 

Hensen.  ('.  E 804 

Hess,  i  &p1  ,  I..  M -II 

II.i  1 1.  k.  J.  B 060 

Hettick,  J.  w n;,; 

Hettick,  s.  E IBS 

Hilyard,  William :,:;o 

Hintz.  Uharles  II.  A I  .". 

Hint/..  Otto  E :;7s 

Hochreitner,  Mis.  M    no 

Hoecker,  John I7'i' 


Hoecker,  Peter 'ill 

Hoellmer,  Henry 898 

Hoffmann,  Charles  632 

Hollidaj .  George  r      389 

Hoi  Iowa, j  ..ic  s.-,i 

Hop  on.S.T Tsi 

Horine,  William  II.  II 648 

II. .rushy,  K.  .1..  M.  I>...  .  .      .206 

II. .it. .n,  Robert 868 

Hounsley,  William 641 

Howell.  .1 850 

Howser,  1>.  X 600 

Huber,  Andrew 288 

Huber,  Anton 591 

Huber.  John 033 

Huddleston,  Daniel 7<:."i 

Hiiddleslun.  K.  W 5:ifl 

Huggins,  Ma].  P.  C 722 

I K.  1 386 


Imnieiiga,  Henry .500 

[ngold,  Amos 195 

[saaCS,  Al.raiu 710 


.lacks Andrew 43 

Jackson,  George .7:11 

Jacoby  i '.  .1 

.lariuau  .  Robert    28a 

Jefferson,  Thomas '27 

John,  George  W 813 

Jobnssen,  John  F 512 

Johnson,  Andrew 83 

Johnson,  Jacob  T 7.1 

Johnson,  Lewis 812 

Johnston,  D.  II 677 

Johnston,  1.  X 791 

Joiner,  Mrs.  M.  A 7n-i 

.1 T.  Solomon ...  In.*. 

Joiner,  William 859 

.1 s.  ii.  A 299 

.1 s,  James ,396 

Jones,  John II" 

J s,   I  I ias.1 '272 

.1. s.  William 301 

Jones,  William  M 342 


K 


Kable.  A.  ti 

S71 

Kablc.B.  F 

462 

Kable,  H.  C 

.     .   ..867 

B74 

Kalil,  F.  K 

552 

.  132 

Keiser.  A.  J 

.VIS 

Keiser,  (.'.  J 

-2'u 

K. •!>,■>.  J,   J 

..((80 

Kelsej  ,  John 536 

Kent ,  Perrin  ....   :tr»2 

Keplinger,  Peter ti-JT 

Kin.  < !apt.  Henry  W :;17 

Keune,  F.C  :i7i) 

KiJlam,  George  M 360 

Killam,  S.  E.... .401 

King,  J.C sis 

Kitzmiller,  D.  M 506 

Kit /miller.  Rev.  M.  V ....449 

Klauenberg,  C.  H :>7:> 

Klaus,  George 628 

Klein,  .Jacob  1' 871 

Knapp,  John 764 

Kch.T.  H.... 74-2 


Lancaster,  Francis 339 

Lancaster,  John 7H8 

Lauck,  Philip 407 

Lee,  John  A 696 

Lee,  Joseph 687 

Lee,  Samuel ..424 

Lemons,  Henry B14 

Lincoln.  Abraham 7'-' 

Lin. I.  J.  W 380 

Link,  J.  Joseph,  M.  D .878 

Lippoldt,  J.  G I4fi 

Liston.  J,  n ~U~ 

Loehr,  J.  V ."ils 

Loper,  Mrs,  Susan  567 

Loreuz,  Bernhard 138 

Lorenz,  Peter  W 478 

Lotter,  Joseph i".;; 

Love.  William iss 

Love,  Samuel 742 

Loveless,  H.  F B48 

Loveless. J.  11    ill 

Loveless,  s.  L 504 

Lowdermilk,  .1 845 

Lumpkin.  J.  W 60S 

Lyons.  John 306 


M 


M.niis, ,ii,  James :il 

Mahan,  Thomas  393 

Mason.  William 2JJ 

Masters,  John  B :'riri 

Matlack,  C.  0 275 

Matleson,  Joel  A. 117 

Matthews,  J.  P.,  M.  D....        698 

Maxfield,  Mrs.  S.  J 593 

M.  .ihsior.  A.  H 666 

MeClure,  James  A 639 

Mel  'inn-.  Mill.. n 7s:: 

McCurdy,  A -2.".s 

McDonald,  A -is 

McKnight,  Col.  S 7.V2 

Mcatyard.  E.  B 321 

Mecn.-n.  H.  O ">::7 

Meineeke.  Hi-lirv  T 296 


INDKX. 


Merrill,  Frank --. 

Merrill,  w  illiam  L'        SB 

Mesalck,  James  I 

Hetcalf.T    M 845 



Miles,  Ool.J.  H 225 

Mills.. I.  m    ms 

Mindrup,  E.  W 

Mitchell,  Mrs.  Hannah         ..578 

Mitchell,  U..I...M.  1> 159 

Mitchell,  T.  M   l!iT 

Mitchell,  w.T    661 

Moehrman,  Jacob 2 19 

Moffett,  A.  C 329 

Id   i ■         Mil  sry  ,  John -  M 

Montgomery,  Joseph 7:'.:* 

Mouroe,  Ja s  35 

M '■.   I'h as  I! 4!i:! 

Moore,  T.  G 682 

Morrell,  John  1 727 

Morris,  A.  E 

Morris,  <  leorge 783 

Mul  lis. ill.   (i.-nl  ^i- 

Morrison,  Henry T'.n 

Morrison,  James, ...  582 

M.mnls,  W.  I. 658 


Nail,  Henry  T 857 

NVvins.  James ' 

Nieman,  John  C 393 

Nir yer,  William 

Nifong.J.  F 77:' 

Nighbert,  S.A     

Noei.J.  I i-7 

Noel,  J.Q II" 


() 


Oglesbj  .  Richard  .1       ......Ml 

■  i  Neat,  Brs.  E.  (' ftfl 

ONeil,  Hem-}  D     630 

i  Isterkamp,  George 

i  Istrop,  Rei  .  F.  \       692 


Paden.J.  I' 

Pal r,  John  M 167 

Parka,  ft.  B    383 

Parker,  li.  E 527 

Patchen.C.S 681 

Patrick,  John 599 

Patterson,  J.O       S'5 

o   Pror.  B.  !•' -7;. 

Peck,  Charles 171 

on,  James  I' 617 

-.1..  M   1-7 

Penn,  Capt.  B.  ll 7'"' 

Perrine,  Daniel 717 

Perrottel .  .1   E I""1 

Franklin '■ 

l'i.  is. hi.  Thomas Tic! 


.1    I 

Pohlmaim,  i  I.:u  l.s ;,7i 

Polk,  James  K  :.:i 

II  Di 

Prange,  II.  .1 -i. 


<v 


Quade,  W.... 

<'.  V.  A 
.  K.   U 


s7s 


Sbrlver,  William  \     M    D.  ..;.v> 

si, ult/..  U 199 

siiini.Mis    I 


Siei 


R.  i;  Mil 

Ufred 594 

Reder,  IV. D ......521 

Reineke,  E 17 ; 

Reynolds,  John   123 

Rboads.C.  C 729 

D.  W 

Rhoads.J.M 

Rice    Rev.  S.  f        608 

Richardson,  E 

E.  W 589 

Ridgley,  Richard m  • 

F.  R 790 

is     

Riukel.J.  P.,  M,  I> 

Ripley,  J.R 

Rives,  <i 'ge  W -  0 

Robertson,  Charles 858 

Rohrer,  .1.11 559 

Km--.  Mahlon 613 

I W.  ii 6S8 

Rovie,  William 511 

Rowett,  Gen.  Richard 205 

Reuter,  Frank  II 197 

Rumbolz,  James  <;  670 

Ruther.l  .11 199 


Sanders,  Re\    ' ; _•■ 778 

Sanders,  H.  C 118 

Sa is.  W.  E '.'•: 

Sanner,  S.  1' 

Sanford,  S.  N   870 

Sawtell,  ftlberl  

Sawyer,  S.B 

Saunders,  I  ludley 546 

Scheurer,  Philip 

dt,  i: 'go  W 836 

u .John  M 

Schmidt,  M.I.  

Schmidt,  Weerl 

Schmidt,  W.  <; 830 

Schroeder,  J.  D 589 

Schwab,  John 829 

Schwertfeger   Senrj     .,       .572 

Searcy,  J.  I'. -'>17 

Scwall,  George  II     SO 

Shirlej    R.  I; 


Silslu  .  11.  E 

Sloinan,  John 137 

.i    ii 
Smith,  Charles  E  .  M.  li     ....5M 

Smith. C.  W --I 



Smith,  '  600 

Smith,  G.  v 

Smith,  George  W    

Smith,  N.  |{j 667 

Smith,  Vincenl 621 

Smith,  William  M 226 

Snedekei  .l.s  748 

Sneeringer,  I .  .7;s 

Uuy  A 77:i 

Snel),  II 619 

Solon ,  A.  W   552 

in,  C.  J 194 

Solomon,  1>.  N   620 

M   7»il 

Solomon,  John  I. 289 

Spangenberg,  T.  1 886 

Stead,  David 

Steidley,  F 238 

Steidley,  Mrs  C.  M 202 

Steidlej  .  Samuel  R <-"•" 

Steward,  William ..647 

Stiver,  Re\ .  s.  1 782 

William 

si,,,/..  Fred  G 784 

Stratmann,  E 222 

Stutsman,  H.R  .Ml 

Stutzman,  S.  W 

Siirman.  William 7-'t 

Swenk.  U 

Switzer.C.  W 


Taggart,  E ;.'7 

Tall,-..  11.  li   '-Mil 

Taylor,  James     5>8 

William  E  193 

Taylor,  Zacharj 
Teaney,  E.  A.C 

T.  .1 840 

Thacker,  L.S 

Thacker.T.  W  338 

i  .  .I.ilin  « 676 

Thacker,  Zacbaria  h  -171 

l le.Claus 519 

Thomas.  M.,  H.  D    287 

Tl i|is,.ii.  Alexander •"! 

Thompson,  -l.s -7-J 

l'i, is., i i.e.  W 823 

irl     Fa  mes  I. 

Tompkins,  li.  i;     >H 

Tongate,  Elias :n 

Towse,  Charles 346 

Towse,  linn.  W.  A .   ...360 

Trlble,  Samuel,  H.  1' 278 

Ti I.  William   \  .  M.  1>  751 

Tucker,  James H 

Tucker.  R 814 


Turner,  rhomi     J 

Twltchell,  R.  1 

Twitchell,  s.  I 

Tyler,  John 55 

U 

Uchtmann,  W.  F 529 

Older,  C.  H 771 

:■- 


17 

Vanorsdal,  Thomas 

.  ..  621 

Varble,  Mrs.  Rebecca, . 

Virden,  Mrs.  II.  E 

.   ...  176 

w 

Waggoner,  J.  E 

w  i-n.-i    J    D  802 

Walker,  Hon.  Charles  A sin; 

Walker,  James 185 

Wall John  A 7ii 

u  ii, i  '  iwen  591 

Washington,  <: "ge in 

Waters,  Rev.  /. 892 

A  ay.  George  B 782 

Weidner.F.  E ■  ;i 

Weidner,  J.  G  882 

Westermeier,  < '....li' 

Westrope,  Mil     516 

Weyen,  W.  II   942 

Wheeler,  C 116 

wi ler,  John     129 

u  i,. ,  ler,  William 652 

Whltelej .  Robert 246 

Whitfield,  w.  ll 520 

Whittler,  II.  E 603 

Willi. mis,  hi,  . I,, tin 679 

Willi;, ins,,,,.  W.  W     SH7 

Wilson,  Hon.  J.  II 336 

Wilson,  James 189 

Winter,  F  -77 

Wirt,  James 330 

Witl.D.E li 

w i.  James  E 863 

w I,  John i,v, 

w I.. I.  I i;is 

w, H ,ii.  Samuel 717 

Wo  idward.S.  s 

Wooltej  ,C,  A 732 

Womack,  John  .1 


Yates,  Richard      159 

York,  .'ami's  W 'MZi 


/immriiiiami.  !•'.  W. 

/.iiiImiiis.'m.   Ret  .    \.  . 


m 


INDEX. 


-§~»-H3*£HbM- — 


Adams  G    M 82C 

Adams,  G.  W 816 

Adams.  .Tolm 22 

Adams*  John  *^ 38 

Adams,  A 674 

Ahrons,  1'.  K 548 

Anderson,  C.  H.C 214 

Anderson,  W.  C 541 

Arthur,  Chester  \ 98 

Bacon, Kobert 291 

Beveridge,  John  L 170 

Binnej ,  Dr.  John  P 370 

Bird.  Joseph 190 

Bissell,  William  H 15(1 

Ural. '.v.  Ellis,, ii ;illl 

Bond.  Shadrach 110 

Bronaugh,  J.  M   51 1 

Br,,\vn  .  George  S <io4 

Buchanan,  Jam,--. 74 

Uarlin, Thomas 134 

Carter,  A.  S 

Clark,  Randal 576 

Corr,  I>r.  A.  C  760 

Corr,  Mrs.  L.H     786 


Cleveland,  s.  Grover 102 

Coles,  Edward Ill 

Co  wen,  Hon.  B 234 

Uullom,  Shelby  U     17 1 

Delano, John  L,M  D  ...   ..2:>l 

Denby,  P.  1. 524 

Dix,  Charles l>" 

l)nii, -an.  Joseph 180 

Ed  wards,  Ninian 118 

Eldred,  A.  H  (i54 

Ewing,  William  L.  >> .128 

Fifer,  Joseph  W is-.' 

Fillmore,  Millard I'fi 

Ford,  Thomas 138 

French,  Augustus  C. . .   11- 

GarOeld,  J.  A HI 

Grant,  V.  S 

Hamilton,  John  M 17s 

Harrison.  Benjamin 100 

Harrison,  W.  H 5fl 

Hayes,  K.  B !io 

Henderson,  J.  P 55C 

Huddleston,  Daniel 7nl 

Huddlestun,  R.  W     :,:;i 


Jackson,  Andrew 42 

Jarman,  Rober! 284 

Jefferson,  Thomas 21', 

Johnson,  Andrew 82 

Joiner,  Solomon 401 

K,is,-i  ,  i '.  .1 264 

Eeplinger,  Peter 828 

Kerr,  ('apt.  Henry  W 316 

Kitzmlller,  Rev.  M.  V 448 

Lancaster,  F 338 

Lineoln,  Abraham 78 

Liston,  .1.  it 798 

Loper,  A.  W 568 

Loveless,  J.  H 360 

.Ma,  1 1  son.  James :(o 

Mahan.  Thomas 392 

Mat  lack.  I.'.  1) 274 

Matteson,  Joel  A 148 

Miles,  Col.  J.  R 221 

Mills,.!.  M •;t4 

Mitchell,  Dr.  K..1 458 

Monroe,  James 34 

Mo,  re,  Thomas  K 492 

Morrcll,  John  1. 726 


Nevins,  James 502 

Oglesby,  Richard  J 162 

Palmer.  John  M 168 

Parke,  A.  B 382 

Pearson,  J.  P 818 

Peebles,  L.  M 436 

Perrine,  Daniel 718 

Pierce,  Franklin 70 

Polk,  J.  K 58 

Prange,  H 606 

Reynolds,  John 122 

Rowel  t.  Gen.  Richard 204 

Sawyer,  S.  B 881 

Slonian.  John 138 

Taggart,  F 326 

Taylor,  Zacbary 82 

Th  acker,  Z 470 

Tyler,  John 54 

Van  Buren,  Martin 48 

Washington,  George 13 

Wheeler,  Columbus   414 

Whiteley,  Robert 24 1 

Wood,  John 154 

Yates,  Richard 158 


Alderson,  W.  C 331 

Ballard.  Wiley   709 

Barnes.  R.  K 775 

Beekner,  B.  A 809 

Bielby ,  Thomas 735 

Clark,  Henry   71.", 

Clower,  1..  C.  M 7s;i 

Coultas.T.  F 463 

Eddington.S.  1' 549 


Emmet-son ,  William ."<<  17 

England.  Samuel 70S* 

Gates.  Frank  w 4 1;> 

Gehrig,  Frank 80H 

Goodwill,  John. , , ..    .Is.", 

Gray,  William 507 

Hagler,  John  G 353 

Hall,  Samuel 709 

Hartwick,  w.  s 775 


Hausehild.  J 3117 

Ileal,  William 775 

Hoecker,  Peter 309 

Jackson,  George 735 

Johnston,  1.  N 789 

Jones,  James 397 

Jones,  John 411 

Kable,  B.  F 18:1 

Kahl,  F.  R 549 


Kent ,  Pemn 353 

Noel,  J.  L 485 

Noel,  J.  Q 441 

Sanders,  H.  (' 419 

Scheurer,  Philip 375 

St.  Joseph  Catholic  Church. .8!i:( 

Turner,  Thomas  J 375 

Wirt,  James 331 

Wood .  Samuel 745 

Zimmeruiann,  F.  \V 309 


j'\'.i:  .. 


